JD's Gear Chat

Festival of Fire Live Rig Updates: Pedalboard, Ladner ABY router

2009-12-31T14:28:14Z

As i was saying in my last post, i used the combination of my Ladner G1 Hellion and Bogner Uberschall for trackng "The Color Line". My goal for the CD release show was to achieve that exact same tone live; this required me to run both heads simultaneously. First thing i did was to look around and see what kind of products were available in the form of an A/B/Y type switching unit. Needless to say i wasn't impressed at all. I didn't like the configurations on most switchers and the general size of the units. Having size 15 feet makes for difficult "tap dancing" on stage for sure.

So i reached out for DC and Ander Ladner at Ladner Engineering to see if they had any ideas. They took into consideration some of my design suggestions and whipped up an amazing ABY router that exceeds my expectations: Super bright LED lights so i can see what option is switched on; high quality button switches that make no mechanical or electrical noise whatsoever when switching rigs; a dedicated tuner/mute function which works out great if you want your rack or pedal tuner out of your main signal. Notice the jack inputs/outputs on the sides of the unit make for much neater/easier cable management too.

Yet another first class product from the boys at Ladner Engineering.

Festival of Fire Live Rig Updates: Ladner G1 Hellion

2009-12-17T14:16:35Z

I'm going to be running a different rig set-up for the FOF2 show on January 16th. This configuration has allowed me to achieve several different tones, many of which can be found on "The Color Line" tracks as it was my goal to get my live tone as close as possible to the studio tone.

The most important addition to my rig has been my Ladner G1 Hellion. This 100 watt, 2-channel, 6L6 head was amazing to record and i used it for every single song on The Color Line CD along with my trusty Bogner Uberschall. While the Uber can oftentimes have too much gain, the Hellion on the other hand is a lower gain amp and the mix of the two was a total win for me tone-wise. Our tuning is quite low and if you're not careful, it can quickly become "muddy". The G1 was responsible for enhancing the articulation of my riffing while still maintaining our signature bottom end girth. For leads and chunkier stuff, i used my Maxon OD in front to accentuate picking attack and gain. One of biggest lessons Matt and i learned in the studio was that you don't need excessive gain to get a nice thick guitar tone that has "balls".

The clean channel of the Hellion is so good that i don't think i do it justice, hence why there are so many amazing country guitarists that use this head exclusively. Clicking on my Maxon OD while using the G1's clean channel gives you an entirely different tasteful dirty tone as can be heard on our songs "Front Street" and "Sanctuary". If you're thinking of hitting up Andrew or DC at Ladner Engineering to snag a G1, take my advice and get the matching 1x12 cube cab; It's freaking amazing. I used this cab to record ALL of my guitar tracks for The Color Line because it sounds THAT GOOD. The EVM12L in that cabinet is a perfect match to the Hellion head. There is a rumor that the guys at Ladner might be coming out with a new 4x12 cabinet in the near future, if so? I'll have one, no doubt. DC and Andrew are wonderful folks to work with and the customer service is very personal and top notch.

Below is a pic of the current settings im running on my G1. You'll be able to hear this beast at our FESTIVAL OF FIRE 2 CD release event on Saturday, January 16th.

Spector Bass Raffle: Win it at FESTIVAL OF FIRE 2!!

2009-12-15T14:57:00Z

Bound By Nothing has been exclusively playing Spector basses and guitars since their inception in 2007. These instruments are some of the finest crafted guitars that money can buy and have served the band flawlessly through all of their shows. Now you can enter to win this brand new Spector Legend 4 Classic bass at the Festival of Fire!

Jim and Matt to debut custom Spector ARC6 Guitars at FESTIVAL OF FIRE 2

2009-12-09T14:51:24Z

Matt and i have just taken delivery on the very first BxN Eagle model ARC6 guitars straight from the Spector Custom Shop in Saugerties New York. Both of us have been playing Spector's ARC6 guitars exclusively since 2007, but these new ones are very special. The body size has been changed, volume & tone control knob placement modified, pick-ups were my preference as well as a beautiful custom BxN Eagle inlay on the fretboard. You'll be able to see these amazing axes live for the very first time at our CD release event "Festival of Fire 2" on Saturday, January 16th 2010. No pics........yet. : )

Festival of Fire 2: The Color Line CD Release 1/16

2009-11-24T15:23:36Z

On Saturday, January 16th we will be releasing our new CD "The Color Line". This CD is very special to us on so many different levels and we wanted to release it properly. Our goal was to bring the area's top original bands from several different genres together to put on what could very well be the biggest original rock show Southern NJ has seen. We picked Hangar 84 for this show because it is one of the NJ area's premier venues for original music. A total of 10 bands will hit the stage to help us release "The Color Line" in style, and give the people attending their money's worth. Bands that have already confirmed are listed below; check them out, you won't be disappointed!!! Make your plans now to attend the FESTIVAL OF FIRE 2 on January 16th 2010!!

Without Logic (Newark, DE) www.myspace.com/withoutlogicband

The Better Half (Cherry Hill, NJ) www.myspace.com/thebetterhalfonline

Comic Book Heroes (Wyomissing, PA) www.myspace.com/cbhmusic

Sounds from Atlantis (Westville, NJ) www.myspace.com/soundsfromatlantis

BoneDevil (Vineland, NJ) www.myspace.com/bonedevil

61 North (Woodstown, NJ) www.myspace.com/61northband

Class 6 (Glassboro, NJ) www.myspace.com/class6live

The Essentials (Swedesboro, NJ) http://www.essentialsmusic.net/

Gear Updates: The Color Line

2009-11-24T14:39:29Z

We've recently finished up our new CD entitled "The Color Line". This will include 8 tracks that Matt and I believe will show just how diversified BxN really is. With exception to "Hold On" which was produced by Dave Ivory, all songs were recorded and produced in-house. This was a very valuable learning experience for us. I stumbled upon a formula for recording my guitar tracks that really captured the tone i've always wanted on wax. I used 3 different amplifiers for the recording of The Color Line: 1) Bogner Uberschall 2) Ladner G1 and 3) Rivera K-Tre. The Bogner was used mostly for rythm-based tracks and for some leads and overdubs. My Ladner G1 was the shining star of these recording sessions as it brought such tonality not only to my rhythm tracks, but amazing lead tones as well. I exclusively used my Ladner 1x12 cube cabinet for recording all of my guitar tracks, the results were awesome. The EV speaker in that little cab sounds amazing, and it's easy to isolate. DC and Andrew Ladner are great guys to work with and make an outstanding amp. I've posted a link to their website below so you can check them out. As always i managed to throw in several acoustic tracks using my Dad's 65 Gibson and my Ibanez acoustic electric running direct. A great song featuring the Gibson will be included on the "Legacy" tracks which will be avaialble via dropcard download. http://ladnerengineering.com/

Live Video from Hangar 84

2009-11-24T14:16:25Z

This video was taken during our October 24th show at Vineland's Hangar 84. The song is one of our older tunes entitled "Live Free". What made this special is that we invited a friend up to play Matt's guitar parts. He is a very talented young musician that has been to several of our shows. Enjoy

BxN to perform at Launch Music Conference this weekend

2009-04-15T13:15:59Z

This Saturday night April 18th, Bound by Nothing will be headed to Lancaster Pennsylvania to perform at the 2009 Launch Music Conference. The Village Nightclub on 205 N. Christian Street will be hosting our performance along with several other acts that were hand selected by the conference committee. Our entire gang will be headed out early Saturday to take part in the seminars, chat with industry folks and mingle with other musicians attending the conference. Hope to see you out there!!

BxN schedule quickly filling up with great shows!! Catch one or two....

2009-03-26T01:08:23Z

As of lately our tour schedule is really picking up for early spring right into summer. Check out the schedule below and see when you can get out to hear the buzz that is "BxN" live and loud. : D

BxN is all around you..

2009-03-19T18:13:15Z

Black Market Hero Show @ The Bridgewater Pub 5/30!!

2009-03-04T17:51:34Z

We've confirmed that Max Illidge and the boys from Black Market Hero are coming to south jersey to tear down the Bridgewater Pub on Saturday, May 30th. For those of you not yet familiar with BMH, the project is a combination of former members of the bands 40 Below Summer and FLAW (personal favorites of mine). This could very well be one of the biggest metal-based shows that has happened in the south jersey area in a long time. Bound by Nothing will be bringing in close friends Without Logic and THRODL to help kick the show off on the right foot. We will begin advance ticket sales soon as the venue can only accomodate 250 heads; don't get turned away at the door!!!! The Bridgewater Pub is located on 22 South Laurel Street in Bridgeton, NJ.

Saturday March 7th; Bridgeton NJ

2009-02-16T17:53:00Z

Hey Kids!! Giving you all a heads up that our next show is at the Bridgewater Pub in Bridgeton, NJ on Saturday March 7th 9pm. We've invited new friends to share this show with us, so we need your help to give them a proper South Jersey Original Rock WELCOME!!! Cubane from Wilimington Delaware and Endall from North Jersey will help us tear up the Pub stage as we normally do. Special Guests SQUIRREL TOOTH ALICE will definitely prove that chicks can rock it too; this all female Rock cover band is making their very first appearance!!! Should be one hell of a good time that you dont' want to miss!!! Hope to see you out!!

Rig Updates

2009-02-15T14:56:47Z

What's up guys. It's been a while since i had a chance to BS about my current rig set-up. So this morning i took a few pics and figured i'd talk about what i'm up to. Back in the summer i ordered a custom rack case from the guys at KENT CASE in upstate NY. It's got a shock mounted section for my Uberschall, and plenty of space for my rackmounted stuff too. It's built like a tank and makes setting up and breaking down at shows SOOOOO much easier. My other acquisition was the Shiva you see on top of the Uberkab. My idea behind getting the Shiva was more for recording and better cleans. It's an earlier 6L6 version that i'm still getting to know, but like all Bogner stuff, it's got amazing tone. In the future i can see that head being infused into my live rig and setting up my switcher to toggle back and forth between the Shiva and Uberschall. Both heads in my rig work great with the GForce effects unit too. As for guitars, both Matt and i are anxiously awaiting the delivery of our custom Spector ARC6s; they should be sweet; i'll keep you posted.

Saturday, February 7th on the Trocadero Mainstage!

2009-01-07T15:40:35Z

Grab the code for this music player!!

2009-01-06T15:16:33Z

You can help us promote/street team with cool music players like this. It will stay updated as we add new stuff. Respond to this blog entry and i can hook you up with the code, or better yet, visit Reverbnation and check us out there as well, hit up the email list, become a street team member and you can get your hands on all kinds of BxN widgets, banners and goodies to help spread the word.