Gear Purchases

holes drilled?

"Drill's dead"

I literally can't get anything done...

I think you want a drill press for this job anyway. If you use a ahd drill you may not drill the holes well and you are guaranteed to chip the paint

also, be sure to put masking tape over the drill areas, it will help your drill gain traction without chipping the paint and will also give a removable surface to draw your drill targets onto

Here's why its good to build and repair your own music gear; this afternoon I busted out my soldering iron and fixed a broken appliance. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've done something like this lately. Instead of dropping hundreds on a new one I just broke her open, found the bad spade connection and hardwired it. Total savings in new washers, dryers, dishwashers and ovens is now well over 2 grand thanks to my music electronics hobby.

Yeah, from what I hear, the problem is a broken wire or something. My dad's quite the handyman and quite the optimist. So, when he says the drill's dead, that basically means it's dead. I should ask him again, but the answer will most likely be the same. Hopefully i'm wrong and I can just solder my way into fixing this thing.

Well, my dad lied. I found the drill and it WORKED! So then I had to buy a 1/2 inch drill bit since he didn't have one, and coupled with the 1/4 bit, I did this:

http://i.imgur.com/9w7g44M.jpg

A bit off-centred, which annoys the hell out of me, but whatever. I'll send it to my friend again since he needs to do something else with the art. That leaves me with soldering. Here's basically what I intend to in a very elaborate and practical diagram:

http://i.imgur.com/zOCZQLy.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281009552430?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/5331905747207800800?q=quarter+inch+trs+cable+right+angle&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0oszOt9bNAhWj6YMKHRzeCM4QqA0IGygA

Posting these here for reference.

box looks good enough.... did you use a hand drill or a drill press?

I had planned on using a hand preess since my uncle actually had one, but than I made a call against it. Ut would simply take too much time to set up a good day when he wasn't workig where I can just use that press while supervised by him.

I did use a hand deill, but it ended up fairly on point. I was actually quite surprised. I just stuck therhing between two bricks to keep it steady, drilled, and it went well. If only I had measured tge side better...

I may or may not have struck gold... Long story short, I may have reserved a total of three very old (and slightly damaged) violins. These things look like they haven't been touched in decades due to all the dust.

Anyways, I'll update you guys when I can. Currently, they're in a garage and probably about to be sold (along with some old college textbooks on languages and readig comprehension). Knowing the man who owns it, i'm very sure i'll get a good price on them.

do you even play the violin?

I took a few lessons, but school got in the way. I really wanted to learn, but I also had one on loan. To have my own violin would be fabtastic.

https://reverb.com/item/2415609-pro-co-deucetone-rat

https://reverb.com/item/2528989-zvex-box-of-rock-vexter

https://reverb.com/item/2506718-walrus-audio-messner

I have never felt so tempted in my life...

I've only heard good things about the sheer power of a Rat, so I supposed that the Deucetone just adds on to it. I've seen the Box of Rock on quite a few boards including Ben Gibbard (who has a tone i'm sort of chasing). And the Messner, more of of necessity to have a low-gain overdrive with quite a bit of versatility to jump on the Blackstar Dual. Fuck, I might just sell my Xbox and some any games. Forget that, this is so important right now.

go buy AN AMP... you don't need anymore pedals until you get that amp situation taken care of!!!!!

go buy AN AMP... you don't need anymore pedals until you get that amp situation taken care of!!!!!

Must... Focus on... AMPLIFIER

Okay okay, sorry. I get sidetracked too easily. New amp. I have some options open (check the Want section of my Equipboard). I'll update that, then i'll see which stores near me supply them. I MUST demo them myself.

Speaking of, I saw a Blues Deluxe for $450 at Guitar Centre the other day. I was sprely tempted to take it, but I realise 40 watts is enough to bring the police to my doorstep. As much as i'd love too, it's not only too much power, too heavy, and useless to me now. I'm not touring or playing shows that require that kid of power. Practice/coffee-shop amp is what I need.

yeah, the 2x6L6 new school deluxes are medium stage amps.... they take pedals well though, and sound okay clean turned down.... maybe not bedroom level, but definitely coffee shop evel played low

You know, I was looking at the previous suggestions and I stopped by Blackstar's HT-5. It sounds good on paper, but I'm kind of scared the sound on that thing was recreated on the HT Dual, because even straight to a PA, I never like the distortion nor the crunch settings of that pedal. Kind of why I was seriously considering selling the damned thing for a Messner overdrive or something else.

Thank you for the suggestion, Luxiu.

Did I tell you about my time with Roland's Cube? I took a college course on guitar and we used these 40-watt Cubes. Sound is pretty amazing (JC Clean it says... fantastic). Still, it's stupid heavy, loud as hell, and has so many different settings that I ended up only using the clean channel along with what I think was some blues or tweed setting. I'm sure the Blues Cube is a bit different, but their lowest output level is 30-watts. No different from a 25-watter. BUT, like I said, I will not argue with their JC Clean tone. By far my favourite tone i've heard.

That VHT amp you were talking about, it's the "Special 6". I'll check this out soon... not sure how I feel about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQUrZDglRKE

Huh...

You know, I was looking at the previous suggestions and I stopped by Blackstar's HT-5. It sounds good on paper, but I'm kind of scared the sound on that thing was recreated on the HT Dual, because even straight to a PA, I never like the distortion nor the crunch settings of that pedal. Kind of why I was seriously considering selling the damned thing for a Messner overdrive or something else.

there is so much misinformed nonsense thinking in this whole paragraph I don't know where to start

of course you didn't like it straight into the PA, that's just not how we are used to hearing guitars... speaker emulation is just NOT a dedicated speaker cab at the best of times (like the popular Palmer, H&K and Mesa units) and most of the time its just a lame EQ

no, your dual-triode powered dirt pedal is nothing like a full bore tube amplifier with a power tube and a speaker, maybe the topology around those triodes is similar in the amp and pedal (I doubt that) but there is nothing downstream of the pedal shaping frequency response and dynamics unless you put it there... all the parts in an amp interact and react to your playing in very complicated ways, just don't get me started.... try the amps mentioned, don't rule them out because of preconceived notions because you are totally ignorant of tube electronics so whatever is rattling around your ehad is probably false

I also don't think you should be dumping any pedals for other pedals (dumping them for an amp is another matter) since you don't know what any of them really sound like in a gig situation with an amplifier cutting over a band... you are confused, just pick an amp already, buy it as soona s you can swing it, and get out of your bedroom for the love of god.... fi you heard my sound in that environment you would go "that's bright and even a bit harsh, ugh! really Jim?" but in a band situation or even a recorded mix my tones cut well, don't eat the vocal and actually sound really sweet and complex. Youc an hear all the nuance of my playing in a crowded mix.

Blues Cube is a bit different, but their lowest output level is 30-watts. No different from a 25-watter. BUT, like I said, I will not argue with their JC Clean tone. By far my favourite tone i've heard.

actually the blues cubes have scalable power amps (which is easy with solid state), I think the watter goes as low as 5 watts.... plus its solid state so its a more consistent quality of clean tone throughout the volume dial (although this is the rare ss amp sounds good overloaded so it might not be bad to scale her back and push the clean channel until it gets hair when you dig in... a real fender tweed she ain't, but she's not a jazz chorus either)

speaking of tweed stuff, years ago my buddy (who is the guy I turn to when I can't fix or design something without advice) built a tweed pro in the classic 1x15 but decided he doesn't like it, I am huge fan of the pro and super (basically the same amp with different speakers and output transformers)... should I pony up $500 for it? I dn't NEED it, but I don't have a fender amp right now and have never owned a big tweed, just the little Dluxe and Gibson Titan (which is not titanic, its barely enough for a bar gig at 10)

the pro/super circuit is about 35 watts so it would hang well with my ac30s and vox alikes (though the low efficiency 1x15 might project and cut a lot less than a pair of first rate celestion 12sike I sport in all my combos and enclosures)

buy it or don't buy it? I don't really have the money for it.... but..... but.....

I have been pIaying a lot of classic country kinda stuff and the pro is such a definitive western swing amp.... and I WAAAAANT IT! maybe I should borrow it and see if we bond for a couple weeks

EDIT: man what you couldn't do with just one amp and/or guitar from my hoard... want my hand-made ac4? I am bored with it and would sell it for 500 w/o the greenback (at a 30% discount its u to you to fin a suitable 16 ohm driver... I will include the vintage 50s Mullard ecc82 in V1, a tube that sells for about 30 bucks or more usually