Guitar Grotto Studio

I just wrapped up the voiceover recording for the upcoming History of Horses: Part 1 video! Now comes the fun part: sorting through three days of refined takes and lining up the final footage. Part 1 dives deep into the legendary Klon Centaur, tracking its journey from inception through every single "Klone" built up to 2019. We will be exploring nearly 50 builders and over 60 pedals produced during this era. Stay tuned!

1 month ago |[YT] | 1

Guitar Grotto Studio

Hey everyone! Quick update on "A History of Horses" 🐴

This project has turned into an absolute beast—we're talking over 50 builders and 100+ offerings. To give every single piece the spotlight and attention it actually deserves, I’m splitting the video into two separate chapters. Because of that, they probably won't drop back-to-back.

A massive shoutout to a very generous friend who lent me a Prince of Tone and a Chase Bliss Brothers. I need to dive into those next to finish up the shootout video I have promised to release! 🎸


Thank you so much for your patience, and for constantly watching, liking, and supporting the channel. It means the world.
Stay tuned!

1 month ago (edited) |[YT] | 1

Guitar Grotto Studio

Thank you to all of you for subscribing and watching this channel. I took the last 2 months off to focus on family time for the Summer.
In the final quarter of the year I have some ambitious projects in the work for your enjoyment:

Blues Breakout: I have rounded up multiple KOT inspired pedals, along with a Prince of Tone. All of these will be a/b'd by re-amping the same part through each to get an idea of how close Coriolis Effects, Chase Bliss, Warm Audio, and even Mosky (!) have come to the fabled pedal.

A History of Horses: teased earlier, and still going forward. This will be a complete-as-possible look at a lot of Klon-inspired pedals, and how they differ (when possible).

NEW! Retro series: Starting with the Digitech RP-10, along with some older Rocktron gear. All to see how well each holds up today.

Electro-Harmonix's Operation Overlord (Nano) "The Underrated Overdrive": possibly one of my favorite drive pedals in existence today. We will see how it dances with guitar, bass, keys, and even (MIDI) drum patterns I have built.

Boss RC-5 Loop Station: I mentioned a few time in other videos. Now it is finally time to shine the light on all the Pros and Cons of one of the very first looper pedals to feature drum patterns.

Future videos will also cover:
2 Note Opus
The OG Ocean Machine by Mooer Audio
and, of course, and affordable loopers that might come along that will be worth reviewing.

Thank you again for sticking with me through the hiatus. See you in the comments soon!


[betelgeuse]

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2 months ago |[YT] | 3

Guitar Grotto Studio

UPDATE:
Trying to use an older version of a different video editing program with the best native MacOS was not working out for content creation.
This week a new-to-me system arrives. One that should be capable enough to pick up where I left off. That is the plan anyway.
Thank you to all who have subscribed, and those who continue to comment and ask questions, during a hair-pulling amount of downtime. Together we are moving ever closer to the 500 subscriber benchmark.
-Dave

6 months ago |[YT] | 0

Guitar Grotto Studio

Technical difficulties? Oh, they didn’t just continue—they escalated.

I’d been successfully running a newer OS on my 2014 Mac for quite a while, no issues… until I tried to revive my autistic son’s completely unresponsive iPad. Somewhere in that recovery process, a “necessary update” quietly slipped in—and that’s where everything went sideways.

That update forced my Mac onto OS26—an operating system it has absolutely no business running. It’s unsupported by OpenCore Legacy Patcher, unsupported by the MacBook itself… basically unsupported by reality. What followed was a full week of troubleshooting, trial, error, and mild existential crisis.

Eventually, I got the MacBook working again—but not without consequences. It’s now running an OS that no longer supports my version of Final Cut Pro. And to make things even better, I can’t re-download that version… or any version… from the App Store.

So here we are.

I’m not stopping—just adapting. I’ll be experimenting with new video software, or possibly dusting off my trusty 2011 MacBook Pro from my early graphic design days. It’s old, but reliable—kind of like a creative time capsule.

The plan? Keep creating, one way or another… at least until Apple drops a Mac Mini with an M5 chip, or I stumble across an absolute steal on a machine that can handle the latest version of Final Cut Pro.

Stay tuned—this should be interesting. And thank you for your support.

-Dave

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6 months ago |[YT] | 1

Guitar Grotto Studio

Update: I am finalizing assembly of the video for a different kind of video. "A History of Horses" I will be covering one of the most fabled pedals in existence. We will take a look at the timeline of the OG, and about 50 of the best known production copies that follow. All of this will lead to the reveal of the mystery pedal and its forthcoming demo review.
Thank you to all who have taken time to watch, like, and subscribe to this channel. It's been slowly but steadily growing over the past 3 years. With all hope it appears that we could hit 500 by the end of May. At this point I hope to be able to invest in a new core computer for all my editing work. As I type, I have kept a 2014 MacBook Pro 15 limping along thanks to Open Core and maxing out the memory and storage capabilities of said machine.

6 months ago |[YT] | 1

Guitar Grotto Studio

Issues with hardware, programs, and an onslaught of Substack fake subscriptions, attempting to hide fraudulent gift card purchases using one of my accounts in two different countries, has been a small part of the excitement this past week. Oh, and my 16TB backup drive failed.

So, work on the latest videos has been interrupted. I am hoping to get these out in time so I can continue moving toward the needed metrics to have this channel monetized. You can help me out by letting friends know about Guitar Grotto Studio, and subscribe to this channel if you are seeing this and haven't already.

Thanks for reading, and watching the videos, and liking them too.

-Dave

7 months ago |[YT] | 1

Guitar Grotto Studio

I have some projects on the board, and am getting ready to start the next one.
Many of you saw the teaser post, but I am interested in seeing what my subscribers and channel watchers are interested in seeing next.

8 months ago |[YT] | 0

Guitar Grotto Studio

..."and now for something completely different". Just over a year ago the craze for a particular drive pedal was at an all-time-high. It sparked an idea, which I shared with ‪@schutone‬. About one year later the mad scientist turned my idea into reality...

8 months ago |[YT] | 4

Guitar Grotto Studio

Finally! The video goes public 6:00am EST February 4.
As a subscriber you get immediate access.
https://youtu.be/aW_mkb2BFeY

8 months ago |[YT] | 2