Okay, for today, I basically messed up my plans to study in order to advance one step ahead in my musical journey, well sort of. But first, here are 3 additional items that is gonna be part of my gear for a good amount of time.
1. The so-called Swiss Army Knife
Guess I still can't bear to leave the Line 6 M series. This time, I got my hands on a Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler. For those who own this pedal, you know what I mean by swiss army knife. For those who don't, here's the catch. This pedal (since it is one effect at any one time, it shall be a pedal instead of an effects board) consists of as many different effects as my old Line 6 M13. Except, my M13 allows 4 effects at any given time but my M5 only allows 1. Since, I more or less explored my M13 thoroughly, I thought it would be great to keep an M5 on my pedalboard as a backup pedal. Just like a swiss army knife, this pedal will be one of my favourite pedals because it basically covers everything. If I need more distortion (assuming an OS-2 plus a TS-9 still isn't enough), the M5 will become my third distortion. If I want double delays, the M5 will become a delay pedal. Otherwise, should any other pedal malfunction during a gig, the M5 will substitute it. How convenient. Space-wise, it just occupies the equivalent of 2 Boss pedals side-by-side. But, the only issue is the power ratings, which I will discuss later. Still, the benefits of having this pedal on my pedalboard is just to awesome to comprehend!
2. 4 patch cables for $15
Nothing amazing about these 4 patch cables but the story behind it is kinda one of a kind. Though I doubt I will be using these for long; they are too bulky and stiff for a compact pedalboard. But for now, on my half-empty pedalboard, they'll do just fine,
3. 1 metre velcro strip for $3
Now, I finally laid my hands on a decent strip of velcro. Wanted to get them way back but it just keeps slipping from my mind. And the rate's quite good too, considering the shop is just a stone's throw from my house.
Now, for the crazy story of today. (You can skip this part if you are just interested in my gear.) Lessons ended at 3pm. The original plan was to meet up with the patch cables seller at Punggol MRT station at 4pm, then meet the M5 seller at 5pm at Tanjong Pagar MRT station, then head home while opening my eyes for any hardware shop that sells velcro. The plan is to reach home by 6pm and hopefully start studying for my exams. Nope. None of it happened as planned. After reaching Punggol at 4pm, the seller decided to last minute change the timing to 6pm. I raged for awhile before adjusting myself back to composure. I managed to meet up with the M5 seller after finding my way to some hotel near Tanjong Pagar station. The seller's friendly attitude reset my mood. :) I made my way back to Punggol and met up with that Filipino who messed up my grand plan. He tried to be friendly so of course I wasn't upset after that. But because I planned to head home from Tanjong Pagar originally, now I'm heading home from Punggol. After walking for quite awhile, I found a bus heading back to Woodlands Interchange. I hopped on and found myself searching for a hardware shop at Causeway Point, after a long detouring bus ride. In the end, the hardware shop that I need was located right at my doorstep. Sigh. Lugged a heavy bag around the whole day throughout the North-East Line, ending up with a flat battery so no phone for the last part of my journey. It has been tough getting this 3 items, but the wonderfulness of the M5 was well worth the trouble. Let's enjoy a picture of these 3 items:
With the addition of the Line 6 M5, now it’s pedalboard version 1.01. Crazy day, but definitely one to remember...
And here's a huge update to my new and improved dream pedalboard:
Pedals that I have already gotten (as of today, 27 January 2016):
- Boss Overdrive/Distortion OS-2
- Boss Compression Sustainer CS-3
- Boss Digital Reverb RV-5
- Boss Digital Delay DD-3
- Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler
Pedals that I have yet to get (as of today, 27 January 2016):
- Ibanez Tubescreamer TS-9
- MXR Smart Gate M135
- MXR Boost/Line Driver MC401
- Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Classic Wah GCB95F
- Jim Dunlop High Gain Volume Pedal GCB80
- CIOKS DC8/DC10 Power Supply
I am still deciding over DC8 or DC10 because of the different power ratings as well as the amount of output ports I might need in the future. Sigh, that is one of my greatest dilemma yet. I can do without the legendary TS-9 because I have the OS-2 already. So if I do away TS-9, then I will have exactly 8 pedals that require power supply, with the Volume Pedal being the passive one. Or I could do away the MXR noise gate as well, if I'm playing on my humbuckers. The main concern is the 500mA current draw of the M5. I read online that 250mA just works fine but that's a risk to me. DC8's highest output current is 300mA while DC10's highest output current is 400mA. Sigh. Whatever the case, I am definitely mounting my power supply underneath the pedalboard to free up space above. Notice the absence of Boss TU-2 from my previous post, yes this is something I'm glad about, because the M5 covered the tuner too! :)
For now, my biggest worry is the interference noise of my pedals as the numbers grow larger. With this digital M5 amongst my analog pedals, there is sure to be trouble for them to work side by side. Oh well, these worries never ever end, do they?
Stay tuned for my covers that are soon to come! :)
Edwin Ang
27th January 2016Tags: PBv1.01
Update as of 16th November 2016: Line 6 M5 is no longer with me. It has been sold for $130.
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