5 comments about Musicians Gear Deluxe Dreadnought Gig Bag.

1. I bought this case in order to hold my acoustic guitar, and I am very pleased with it. It's built very well and is durable. The padding is a little thin, but it does the job. The straps and pockets are very nicely designed. I would recommend this bag to anyone who needed to carry an acoustic guitar.



2. This is a pretty good case! Great price. The shipping was amazing. It took about 3 days for normal shipping. I like all the pockets and such. Pretty good.



3. Fantastic! I love all the extra pockets, and the straps. It's simple, black, and great quality considering the price!



4. This bag is great, nicely constructed, useful, not beautiful. I fold it in half and store it under the couch when my guitar is on it's stand. It will hold everything I need and more. It came with a slice from a box cutter and the company took care of sending me a new one and paying for the return of the damaged one in a timely manner.



5. Amazon and their partner pointing fingers at eachother as to why - but I never got this bag.

5 comments about Audio-Technica AT-PL120 Professional Direct-Drive Turntable.

1. I got rid of my old Dual turntable and most of my albums many years ago, but recently found a 30 of my old albums and some 78s my folks had.
   I got this turntable because of it's preamp and 78 speed.
   It's just great. Easy to set up and adjust.
   I was blown away at how good the records sound.
   I hadn't played one in years. No hum and a nice full sound you don't get from CDs. Even the old scratched 78s sound pretty good!
   
   The next step is to rip the old 78s to CD for my folks. I haven't tried it yet.
   
   I'm very pleased so far. I had read some negative stuff here, none, of which seems to be true of the one I have. No hum, easy to adjust. I just set everything at 2.5 grams. I left the cover on the stylus until I achieved balance, despite what the instructions said to do. Too much chance to damage the stylus until you get the arm balanced. Just take your time on tone arm balance step, set the weight carefully per the instructions to 2.5g and the anti-skate adjustment to the same.
   
   I'd highly recommend it to someone who wants something better than one the bottom of the line turntables.
   
   (mine is a refurb but works perfect and I saved a bunch)
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Addendum 6/16/2008
   I just recorded my first LP to my laptop using Spin It Again 2.1.
   Unbelievably easy with excellent results. Playing the CD sounds as good as the record, no hum, no clicks, no pops. You cannot tell it's off an LP.
   I used some RCA to RCA coupling adapters I had, and a short RCA to 3.5mm mini plug cable.
   
   I'm still using 2.5g for the weight and antiskate even though I noticed that the paper turntable lable said to use 3.5g. It works great so I can't see why to use more weight at the stylus.
   
   I highly recommend leaving the cover over the stylus when balancing the arm and turning off anti-skate until you have it balanced. Use a light touch on the rubber grip rings at the rear of the weight when setting balance and tracking force.



2. I'm very delighted with this purchase. It's almost disorienting to see something made so well these days. Nothing about this unit seems cheaply made. I assembled it in a flash and wow, what a thrill to hear some of my old LP's again!
   
   As others note, this product is aimed at two quite-differnt markets: home users like myself and DJ's on a budget. This strategy is clear from the features. For example, the unit has a high-quality hinged dust cover but also a forward-reverse button.
   
   There are surprisingly few tradeoffs for either type of user. As other reviews have mentioned, the cartridge has a fairly heavy tracking force for the stereophile. But as earlier reviews note, there are alternatives readily available on the market.
   
   Oh, one useful thing missing that I was accustomed to with my old Dual turntable - a bubble level for leveling the machine. The turntable's feet can be leveled, but unless I overlooked it, you'll need your own bubble level.
   
   Otherwise, this is just a fine, fine machine. I bought it partly to convert my records to electronic format. But heck, now that I've heard the results, I intend to play my records over and over and over. I strongly recommend this turntable.



3. Like the other reviewers, I had forsaken my vinyl collection for CD's. After looking at all my LP's stored in the basement, I thought I'd like to enjoy the analog sound again. After a lot of research, I chose the Audio-Technica AT-PL120 based upon the reviews, the pricing, and the feature set. I was not disappointed at all.
   
   My last turntable was an AR belt drive with a very good Pickering cartridge and stylus. While I am not an audiophile by any means, I do appreciate the differences between the better quality equipment versus the run-of-the mill junk sold in outlet or discount stores.
   
   That being said, for the little money spent on this table, I really could not be happier. Nice, fairly heavy aluminum platter, target light, direct drive, heavy (22 pound) base, decent quality cartridge/stylus combo, remote start/stop (if desired) on-board phono amp (I use my amplifier's phono amp), adjustable feet, nice quality (for the money) tone arm, etc.
   
   Do not hesitate to buy this. Spend the extra and get this instead of one of those cheaper ($ 100) USB turntables. You'll be glad you did every time you put on one of your old LP's. If you can afford it, the Technics 1200 at twice the price is really nice, but is aimed more at DJ type use.
   
   This turntable has all of the features at half the price of the Technics. There are differences, but the casual user will be very satisfied with the Audio-Technica PL120. The only thing you may want to upgrade later would be the cartridge, but to my ears, the standard cartridge supplied with this table is more than adequate. Overall, two thumbs up!
   
   September '08 UPDATE: I've now had this unit for a little over one month, and am still very pleased with it except for a periodic cutting out of the left channel. At first, I thought it was my Yamaha C-45 preamp, but upon further inspection, I found the left channel output cable from the turntable had a partial short in it, close to the RCA plug jacket cover. As I initially was not impressed with the cheesy pre-attached RCA cables that came with the turntable, this was an opportunity for me to replace them with higher quality cabling.
   
   After a trip to Radio Shack, I removed the turntable base and then the pre-attached RCA cables in the unit. I installed RCA jacks on the base and soldered the connections. I was really impressed with the internal build quality of this turntable and feel that as stated earlier this was a real bargain for the price.
   
   I closed everything up, and attached my new high quality (i.e., superior quality) RCA cables to the recently installed jacks, then to my preamp....... what an improvement!! The sound was richer, fuller, and low level noise was reduced dramatically.
   
   If this turntable has a weak point, it is the cheap, awful pre-attached cabling that comes with the unit. If you are willing to take a little time and effort, you can really improve this unit by changing the cabling. It took around an hour to do, and the parts cost was less than $ 5.00 (exclusive of the new RCA cabling).



4. Audio-Technica AT-PL120 Professional Direct-Drive TurntableA great turntable, especially for the price.Amazon has the best price of all vendors I searched on the internet.



5. Audio-Technica AT-PL120 Professional Direct-Drive Turntable
   This turntable looks nice, seems nice, but it was hard to get to work and after a few months the stylus starts skidding across the disks. I modified the anti skating to 2.5 and 3.5 but it still did it. Then reading other reviews I found that shanging the cartridge may resolve the problem. I did and bought a Shure 97E and it now works Ok. However, the "humm" that some reviewers comment is also present in my case. I have not been able to get rid of it yet. For the price, I would not buy it again and I would not recommend it.

5 comments about Belkin F3N402-03-ICE 4-Pin to 4-Pin FireWire Cable (3-Feet).

1. This cable is not durable. We ordered three of them for the college where I work. The first one worked great the first two weeks, but now the cable won't stay tight, the connection is intermittent at best. The second won't carry a signal at all. I'm going to make use of the lifetime warranty.
   
   :c



2. This cable does what it is supposed to do and it seems to be well constructed.



3. This 4-pin to 4-pin firewire cable was exactly the cable I needed to connect my 10+ year old digital camcorder to a computer. I had not used my camera in a while, and none of the cables I had seemed to work with any of the computers I now own; the local electronics stores did not carry anything that would work; but my laptop had a 4-pin firewire port, and so did my camera, and I was able to find this cable on Amazon. It does the job perfectly.



4. We recently had a 10-foot FireWire cable wear out (the connector at one end went bad) and chose this cable to replace it. We wanted a shorter cable, as we use it to download video from a video camera to a laptop, and they are usually sitting right next to each other. This 3-foot cable fit the bill, and we have been using it a couple of months with no problems.



5. The Belkin F3N402-03-ICE 4-Pin to 4-Pin FireWire Cable is a good quality Firewire that I have used several times. This one was three feet long. I plan to buy another one six feet long. This cable is of good quality and works well for me. I certainly recommend this cable.

5 comments about Casio SA75 Keyboard with Headset Microphone.

1. Though not a full keyboard, it satified my needs without taking up much space. Tone and quality were quite good.



2. This is a fabulous keyboard--excellent sound, when playing in "piano" mode, it sounds just like an actual piano is playing! It has lots of great extras and a tempo adjuster, we love it. My four star rating is only because it doesn't come with an A/C adapter so you have to buy one separately or use 5 AA batteries, which kind of stinks. Overall though, great product.



3. This was purchased as a birthday present for my son. He has been wanting a "piano" for quite some time. He loves the headset microphone that came with it. The melodies are nice - I wish there were more. The only reason I didn't give this a 5-star rating is because of the volume when you turn it on. It doesn't start off on low - which is a shock to the system and ears. You can turn the volume down, but it is still pretty loud. Since this is just a toy at this point, it was a great purchase. I will probably end up buying the adapter so we don't have to keep buying batteries for it.



4. The Casio SA75 Keyboard with microphone is light, and has 100 different
   musical tones. It's 37 keys are just big enough for using right hand, (melody), and left hand, (harmony), together. The different tones can put the budding composer into different moods...trying the same song on a "church organ", and on a "music box", can give a very different feeling to the music! Sound Number 60, the "Glass Harmonica", is especially intriguing. I don't know enough about electronic keyboards to know if this sound is one that is usually included in most of them -- but I do know that this "Glass Harmonica", is the same, or similar to, the sound of the "Armonica", an angelic sounding instrument, made of glass, which was invented by Benjamin Franklin. (Franklin and some others played this instrument to no detriment to themselves....but other people developed headaches and worse, from playing it, and it is largely unseen in most modern orchestras.)
   
   The song bank, (demos), however, has 10 all-too-familiar songs. I wish that some non-familiar ones were there, as well!
   
   I wouldn't expect to see the SA75 in any professional, (or even amateur) preformance. There are too few keys for real musical harmonies, and most instrumental sounds must be played separately. (Combining is only possible with pre-programmed split-sounds, (such as No. 98 - "piano/flute", or No. 99, "strings/oboe")....but these allow each instrument sound on exactly half the keyboard! I suppose to get an "orchestra effect", wherein many instruments are played together, would take a highly professional, (and highly expensive), instrument.
   
   "Toy" piano keyboards are truly misnamed. They can be used, at least by composers, to very good effect. "Toy" piano keyboards, like the more advanced Casio SA-75 being reviewed here, are great for introducing children to music, to the sounds of different instruments, and to different rhythm patterns. But, if the 8-16 instruments given on
   most "toy" piano keyboards, and the "recording" capability of up to 30 or so notes, is not enough to get the music composer, (of any age) "in the mood" to create a certain type of music,
   and you want the 100 sounds, (plus 30 rhythms, or "patterns") -- plus the unlimited note recording capability, (through the "phones/output" jack on the back of this instrument, given here, and you don't mind the extra weight or size, (most "toy" pianos are MUCH lighter, and are only 17 -- or less -- inches long, whilst the SA-75
   is 27.5 inches long, and about an inch and a half wider than most "toy" pianos), then I'd go for the "SA-75". I see it as a music composer's instrument only, and not one solely for performers. Yet, I'm not putting it down completely. I'm a music composer, (amateur right now...but who knows?)...and I like this instrument just fine!
   
   P.S. FURTHER THOUGHTS..........The instrument sounds are mostly very authentic -- but some don't sound like what they should at all. The "00" number, ("piano"), sounds exactly like a real spinet piano, and I was interested to compare it's sound to that of the the "Honky Tonk" piano, (02) --- which sounded just about EXACTLY like our old upright piano at home, (and boy, does that bring back memories!), but "harp", (tone 47), though pleasant, sound more like the traditional "beautiful water-drip" sound, than any harp I have ever heard, at least. And, although an echo effect is usually pleasant, here it is annoying, at least to me. Maybe I haven't heard enough harp music...but the "harp" here did not sound like any harp I have ever heard. There are many other satisfying, (and dissatisfying) tones amongst the 100 given here.
   
   This is a very light instrumemnt, as far as piano keyboards go. It is totally portable, and can be used with batteries, (5 AA), as well as with an adaptor. (The batteries, by the way, are housed within a neat, "slide in and out" cover. Far too many "toy" piano keyboards of my acquaintance have the batteries housed within a cover that must be screwed and unscrewed. Maybe this is a safety device, as "toy" piano keyboards are
   mostly used by children. But the screws are often initially screwed in BY MACHINE, and it takes an overwhelming amount of energy, (which many people don't have), just to unscrew the battery case, and get started on these "toy" pianos. Not every "toy" piano keyboard has this problem, of course. And, thankfully, the Casio SA75 -- a beginning, pro piano keyboard, for the budding music composer, does not have it either.



5. I bought this for my three year old granddaughter and she loves it! The only problem was the microphone. She kept putting it to close to her mouth instead of just speaking into it. The microphone had stopped working by the time the party was over. We feel this was her fault and not a product defect. It is a good choice and the sound quality is good.
   
   Susan (VA)

5 comments about The Sound Reinforcement Handbook.

1. This book really good. I've almost read the whole thing. There is alot of good information and conceptual stuff like the science behind sound. There is also alot of application in the book except that the application part is relatively general about sound technique and equipment usage but nontheless very much helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get serious or learn more about sound reinforcement as well as for people who have been in the business for years. This book has something for everyone.



2. the book is old, second printing 20 years ago and that is a lifetime in these digital technological days.
   it presents info that will always be valid but it does not integrate it with newer technologies.
   do not waste your money.



3. This was, is, and will be the definitive live sound guide. Take it from MANY professionals. I studied music and this was what was recommended for live sound reinforcement and funny enough when I checked recently - it still is. So never mind the "these digital times" review - this is indeed like learning an art from a master with timeless and always-pertinent concepts useful to those who know this and use this powerful material. The concepts are solid and still pertinent. If you want to learn how to use modern digital equipment specifically and ignore that the concepts in this book can be applied since the acoustics and challenges of live sound remain relatively unchanged, read the manuals that came with the digital equipment. Then read this book to REALLY learn how to do more with whatever you have.



4. The Good - This book is one of the industry standards for sound reinforcement and Loudspeakers. It is very complete and covers everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics. It can be used to introduce you to the topic and as a reference.
   
   The Bad - Reads like a Textbook or an Owners Manual, and as it covers everything some parts will seam simple and others extremely hard to understand.
   
   Summary - It is all there. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I work in the speaker industry and almost everyone has a copy. If you want to fully understand Audio Reinforcement and Loudspeakers this is a great book. If you want a light read for casual understanding try a For Dummies book.



5. Despite its vintage, this book remains an excellent introduction to sound reinforcement, with a great mix of theory and practical advice. I wasn't a complete beginner when I bought it, but I still learned plenty. Years later, I still use it as a sourcebook when solving problems or shopping for new equipment.

5 comments about Yamaha PKBX2 Double X Portable Keyboard Stand.

1. The keyboard stand was so easy to assemble and is quite sturdy for the keyboard. It is of real good quality. Thank you so much.



2. Double X Portable Keyboard Stand
   This keyboard stand is an excellent choice for someone looking for a stand to support a heavy keyboard. I have a relatively heavy full-size Yamaha keyboard and it is much sturdier than I expected. I was looking at some of the cheaper single-X style stands but decided to go with this and I am extremely happy with my decision. There doesn't seem to be any bounce when banging on the keyboard. The height can be quickly and easily adjusted with the front pull handle which is very handy. It was very easy to put together but it did take me a little while because the directions are just basically a picture. Just look at the picture carefully. Overall I think it is worth an extra $10 to get this stand over the cheaper options.



3. Expected it to fit the Yamaha YPT-400 keyboard (and it is billed as such) but it doesn't even come close. The piano simply sits on top of the stand waiting to be knocked over and crash to the floor. What a disappointment and what a waste of time ordering it. How frustrating to have to pack it all back up and return it. This item should not be paired with this piano. Buyer beware!



4. I purchased this stand along with an electronic keyboard for my grandson's (who lives in another state) birthday. Many months later I learned that he was unable to use the stand because of a missing assembly part. These things happen but I'm disappointed.
   
   jh



5. Very sturdy stand and fair price. There was a problem with the address and it went to the wrong side of town. There is an Eric Court and an Eric Lane in my town. I gave specific careful directions and the name of my subdivision as a part of the address to avoid any confusion.
   The WRONG street was used on the label AND the directions AND the name of the subdivision, which was included as an address line, were left off of the label. Generally Amazon service is outstanding. But more care needs to be taken to get addresses correct.
   Thank you

5 comments about Kyser Quick-Change Capo 6-String, Black.

1. Ok, I will admit I am not a musician, but a I do play the guitar everyday just to get better at it. I got sick of the same sound I got every time I played it. This particular Capo brand was recommended to me by my musician friend. What a great addition to to my hobby. Now I hit different notes using pretty much the same chords I used without the capo.
   
   I would strongly recommend it to any one who is starting to play the guitar since it can be very disappointing when you get stuck hitting the same sound.
   
   By the way, this is a great brand. The capo is very well made and very classy looking and very easy to use. Remember, my musician friend recommended this for me and he is being playing for years and in a band.



2. I had one..worked well but the spring snapped.
   I will prob buy this one.
   Tip..do not leave capos on frets ..when the instrument is not being used...memory effect...indent in the rubber.



3. My husband bought one of these capos for me, and I liked it so much that I bought one to give to a friend. The design makes it quick to put on and take off. My guitar stays in tune and I don't have any buzzing strings. The springs are pretty strong and the capo clamps on tightly, but there has been no damage to my guitar at all. I bought this for about $15. According to the warranty, Kyser will replace the capo for $3 if there are problems during the first year and for $10 after the first year. If it breaks after the first year, I'll probably just buy another. The color selection is nice, but I stuck with basic black. I'm sure there are better capos out there, but this one suits my needs just fine.



4. Does the trick, easy to put on, keeps me in tune, looks great, my standard capo. I own 3.



5. I normally only use a capo to facilitate a "dropped E" tuning" by capoing the top 5 strings at the second fret. Yes, I know that there are products specifically for that, but this actually works better. I also recently began playing guitar for a girl who transposes everything a step and a half up, and this works perfectly without causing intonation issues

5 comments about Memorex Mini DVD+RW 10 Pack.

1. I bought this pack about an year ago with my Sony DCR-DVD 108 purchase. It was recommended by Amazon with this camcorder. The DVD disks are good for their intended use. The quality of video recorded is very good for first 3-4 uses and then slowly goes down with multiple rewrites.
   
   Per my experience, I will recommend to reduce the number of formats. I only format once it is completely fiished with 30 minute recording. Multiple format will result in deterioration of the video quality.
   
   Also, handle them with care. Scratches etc can damage them permanently as with all CDs/DVDs.



2. At Amazon's recommendation, I purchased this go with the Canon D210. This camera does not recognize them. Thankfully, a friend had a Sony DVD-RW and my daughter was able to record 3 lions and an elephant charging them on their trip to Chobe Park in Botswana yesterday.



3. I have tried 2 dvds till now and both of them had problems while copying the data to the computer. I don't recommend this product at all to anyone.



4. I brought this product to use with my Sony DVR DVD 808 E(European Model). In brief this works as expected. I had an annoying message show up on the LCD display as soon as I inserted it saying something like I should use authentic Sony DVDs, once I ignored the message, the DVD was working as a Sony DVD. I had some issue with finalizing the DVD, but not sure if I saw that again in other DVDs.
   The best part was the CD Spindle box I got with it, it is very convenient and compact way to store all my DVDs and it is easy to store 10 DVDs in my camcorder bag as against to storing 10 of the Sony's jewel boxes.
   
   I would recommend it to my friends and I would buy it again. Hmmm , may be its price would have dropped further :)



5. I buy Memorex mini discs to use in a Sony camcorder for my presentation skills classes because the Sony discs cost 3-5 times as much. Generally the Memorex disks work well, but about 10-15% of the disks will not create an index (they won't finalize) and therefore I can't use them in a class where I record short pieces that require a menu for later viewing. I've emailed the supplier and they consider it a Memorex problem. I emailed Memorex and got no response. So -- when they work, it's a good product, but the finalizing issue should not affect that great a number of the discs.

5 comments about Cables To Go - 26911 - 2M DVI-D M/M Dual Link Digital Video Cable (Black).

1. Cable works fine (video quality great), but no threads on one of the screws that hold the cable to the female jack.



2. This is very inexpensive compared to others on the market which are priced "out of sight"....it works perfect looks/performs like a high quality cable....only one negative the cable is thick black and rather stiff...(reason for 4 rather than 5 stars) I would buy again.



3. Lots of insulation. This cable was also stiff when first purchased. If your looking to zigzag this cable threw very small bends. it is not the one for you. I don't get any interference or anything the connectors were strong.
   
   
   No problems.
   Great Cable.
   Awesome Price.



4. got it 2 days ago to use with 8500GT DVI-D link fits perfect to both ends and works perfect as well wow wat a diference five stars *****



5. the screws are a little short, but it does not affect the overall quality of the product. works well with no visible difference in video quality between this or more expensive cables I own.

5 comments about Korg Chromatic Tuner CA-30.

1. With all the junk out there I was surprised that these little Korg units do a decent job. I had purchased one of the Matrix units prior to the Korg unit and the Matrix unit didn't work at all. Turns out there are a lot of non-functioning Matrix units ( JUNK!).
   The built in mic picks up the softest tones and displays the note played. It also can generate notes if you haven't developed the ear to tune that way which, is the proper way to do it. I tried the pitch pipes but my ears aren't accustomed to the notes yet so I have to cheat. Anyway, the Korg ca-30 works and is worth the price. I plan to add the bridge clip pickup and see how that works.



2. I'm not an experienced musician so as I once again attempted to learn guitar I once again became frustated with trying to tune it. I finally found this chromatic tuner on Amazon and with such a low price decided to purchase it. I'm real glad I did because it took no time to understand how to use it, and no time to get my guitar in tune.
   
   I'm very satisfied with the tool and would recommend it to any other novice guitarist like myself.



3. I'm dealing with getting old but I was surprised to find that I could no longer tune my guitar by ear. In fact, I was thinking the problem was with my old guitars.
   I decided to get a tuner. I did some research here on amazon and decided on this one.
   Reasonable price and the instrument store shipped in good time.
   The first time I used it I wished I had bought it sooner.
   Easy to use with either the lights or the needle. The guitars sounded great.
   As others have said:
   It's a little difficult to use the needle in a dark setting but the red/green lights are accurate.
   A simple flip out stand would be a big help. Plugging in a cord jack makes it very awkward to position. That being said the idea of putting a groove on the back of the thing so you can insert a credit, business or playing card to lean it against is both odd and better than nothing.
   Will have to see how long it holds up but I am very happy with it and I will use the instrument store again.



4. I needed a low priced tuner for my violin so I purchased this Korg. It works great, is easy to use, and with it's small size fits into a pocket in my case. I have not had any problems with it at all. Buy it.



5. I found myself in need of a reliable & reasonably priced chromatic tuner. This one fits the bill. It is super simple and right on the mark. The screen is large enough to view and it works great. I do wish it had backlighting but for the price, it gets the job done quickly and efficiently. Recommended for people who like to keep all their strings in tune.