Monday, January 19, 2009
5E3 is like 80% done...
...jim did a great job wiring up the preamp tubes - new pics once the rest of the soldering is done, hopefully this weekend.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
some high quality low-budget tube amps.
Not everyone can afford to drop $1000 or more on a handmade tube amp, or even $500. If you're one of these people, are you relegated to crappy solid-state tone? Fortunately, not anymore!
Here are a few of my favorite sub-$500 tube amps....
Epiphone Valve Jr Halfstack - $249 - I don't even know how this price is possible. This amp rocks. A little thin sounding out of the box, but if you're going for that John Lennon Revolution sound, this'll do it. Also comes in a 8" combo version, but you know how i feel about 8" speakers...The halfstack uses a 1x12, btw...
Blackheart Little Giant 5-watt Combo - $349 - another amazing buy. This combo is actually the same as its half-stack model, but costs less and is more compact. There's also a 15 watt model for $449. Both are a little meatier sounding than the epiphone.
Fender Blues Junior - $479 Another cool amp. Between this and the blackheart-15 i'd say it's probably more a matter of personal preference, so try them both out.
Even though these are all 5 and 15 watt amps, you'd be surprised how much volume they actually produce. If raised to roughly ear level with an amp stand, you can easily reherse with any of these and be loud enough to be heard, and they also work fine as montitors at shows, as long as the entire band is miked. Also, there are some cool handwired refit kits for the epi and blackheart 5 watt units, so for another $100 or so, you can vastly improve the quality of the amps.
Here are a few of my favorite sub-$500 tube amps....
Epiphone Valve Jr Halfstack - $249 - I don't even know how this price is possible. This amp rocks. A little thin sounding out of the box, but if you're going for that John Lennon Revolution sound, this'll do it. Also comes in a 8" combo version, but you know how i feel about 8" speakers...The halfstack uses a 1x12, btw...
Blackheart Little Giant 5-watt Combo - $349 - another amazing buy. This combo is actually the same as its half-stack model, but costs less and is more compact. There's also a 15 watt model for $449. Both are a little meatier sounding than the epiphone.
Fender Blues Junior - $479 Another cool amp. Between this and the blackheart-15 i'd say it's probably more a matter of personal preference, so try them both out.
Even though these are all 5 and 15 watt amps, you'd be surprised how much volume they actually produce. If raised to roughly ear level with an amp stand, you can easily reherse with any of these and be loud enough to be heard, and they also work fine as montitors at shows, as long as the entire band is miked. Also, there are some cool handwired refit kits for the epi and blackheart 5 watt units, so for another $100 or so, you can vastly improve the quality of the amps.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
biasing your amp
...or rebiasing, depending on your point of view.
anyway - this is something that you should only do if you KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Your amp has big capacitors in it like old TVs that can hold a charge long after you've unplugged your amp, and that charge is enough to KILL you if you're unlucky. so don't do it unless you've been shown how to properly discharge them. if you don't want to do it yourself, i can do it for you ;-) if you're brave enough to think about trying it though, read on...
that being said - most of what i can say about it has already been said here, but i can add a few additional pointers.
#1 - if you check the amp's bias current several times over the first 15 or 20 minutes it's been on, it'll continue to creep up - so to avoid biasing too hot, you're probably better off letting it warm up that long before taking a measurement.
#2 - the ted weber bias-rite is a handy little device, especially if your amp doesn't have a bias point built into it - but i've found that the reading coming off of a single "head only" bias-rite (the thing that just has leads coming off to plug into a stand alone multimeter) seems to be a little low - at least when dealing with an amp with more than one power tube. My guess is probably that the value at the plates doesn't quite sum to the value at the bias point, at least in the case of my deville - but it's something to keep in mind. Not sure how that compares to the actual 2 & 4 head bias-rite device...just keep this in mind - although you shouldn't be biasing at the absolute limit of the tubes anyway.
#3 - biasing too cold causes the amp to buzz and give you flabby lows. biasing to hot causes you to distort quick. both are bad for the tubes, and possibly the transformer. too hot is probably worse than too cold, though.
#4 - replace your power tubes after about 2 years of use if you use the amp 'regularly'. you'll be amazed at the difference in the sound. replace the preamp tubes every 4-5 years, or when they start to go microphonic. if you hear weird rattling when you play the amp, or weird out-of-key harmonics, that's microphony. chances are this is how your preamp tubes will go. they're relatively cheap, and don't need to be biased, so this is always a good first thing to do.
#5 - speaking of microphony, DON'T ROLL YOUR AMP ON BUMPY CEMENT if you have coasters on it. this is the quickest way to develop microphony and ruin otherwise good tubes. this is why 50-pound tube combos don't come with coasters on them.
anyway - this is something that you should only do if you KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Your amp has big capacitors in it like old TVs that can hold a charge long after you've unplugged your amp, and that charge is enough to KILL you if you're unlucky. so don't do it unless you've been shown how to properly discharge them. if you don't want to do it yourself, i can do it for you ;-) if you're brave enough to think about trying it though, read on...
that being said - most of what i can say about it has already been said here, but i can add a few additional pointers.
#1 - if you check the amp's bias current several times over the first 15 or 20 minutes it's been on, it'll continue to creep up - so to avoid biasing too hot, you're probably better off letting it warm up that long before taking a measurement.
#2 - the ted weber bias-rite is a handy little device, especially if your amp doesn't have a bias point built into it - but i've found that the reading coming off of a single "head only" bias-rite (the thing that just has leads coming off to plug into a stand alone multimeter) seems to be a little low - at least when dealing with an amp with more than one power tube. My guess is probably that the value at the plates doesn't quite sum to the value at the bias point, at least in the case of my deville - but it's something to keep in mind. Not sure how that compares to the actual 2 & 4 head bias-rite device...just keep this in mind - although you shouldn't be biasing at the absolute limit of the tubes anyway.
#3 - biasing too cold causes the amp to buzz and give you flabby lows. biasing to hot causes you to distort quick. both are bad for the tubes, and possibly the transformer. too hot is probably worse than too cold, though.
#4 - replace your power tubes after about 2 years of use if you use the amp 'regularly'. you'll be amazed at the difference in the sound. replace the preamp tubes every 4-5 years, or when they start to go microphonic. if you hear weird rattling when you play the amp, or weird out-of-key harmonics, that's microphony. chances are this is how your preamp tubes will go. they're relatively cheap, and don't need to be biased, so this is always a good first thing to do.
#5 - speaking of microphony, DON'T ROLL YOUR AMP ON BUMPY CEMENT if you have coasters on it. this is the quickest way to develop microphony and ruin otherwise good tubes. this is why 50-pound tube combos don't come with coasters on them.
ok so you can actually comment now...
so it just occurred to me that you needed a blogger account to actually comment. I think i fixed that - so feel free to test that out.
Amp #2 - 5E3 Tweed Deluxe
Some pics of the 5E3 currently being built. Observe the cleaner layout - this is partially due to the diligence of my assistant Jim, and partially due to lessons learned from build #1. Can't wait to finish it and hear how it sounds. Also, I'll make sure I use it on one of the songs I'm recording with my band and post it for all to hear. Click to make the picture bigger.
hey all you people from craigslist...
I posted a response to someone looking for amp tech advice today: Hi. I understand your dilemma - there are no good amp techs in south jersey. I'm not really looking for amp repair business, although I wouldn't turn any of you down if I can help you. Feel free to email me questions, or better yet, post comments on my blog (which I will respond to!)
If I can fix your amp, I'll be happy to - I won't do it for free, but I also won't charge a ton to do so either - again - this isn't a business venture for me. That being said, i'm still learning myself (hence the point of this blog) - although I probably know more than most, seing as how I built my own amp already - and I'm working on #2.
Anyway - here's a list of things I can definately do:
* Install new tubes/bias an amp. - $75 + tubes - either bring them yourself, or pay me a deposit and i'll order them for you. I'm not in the buiness of making a killing off ripping people off for tubes, so if you just tell me what kind of amp you have, I can probably tell you what to order, and even give you a link so you can get them yourself and bring them to me. Oh look, I just put the link on this blog. See? Now tell me your amp and i'll tell you what to get. For free. You should still have someone bias it for you though - it's not safe to do yourself unless you know what you're doing.
* Replace a blown speaker/transformer/other big part. Deposit required for parts, labor charged after the work is done. $25/hr labor.
* POSSIBLY troubleshoot your amp. As I said, i'm still learning, so I may end up telling you to "contact an authorized technician". At any rate I can't make the problem worse - and if i can't fix it, I won't lie to you and tell you I did, or charge you for not fixing it. I also won't sell you parts you don't need. This is all stuff I've had happen to me - and I definately won't do it to someone else. I'm not an asshole. If the problem's out of my league, i'll let you know up front.
Cost: Free if i can't find the problem. Same as above if I do.
* Build you one of my amps - Gladly! It's a process that will take a few weeks, and I will require a deposit for parts, but the end product will be a better product than you will buy at the store (hand built vs circuit-board, better quality components, etc), and often a lot cheaper than the current "resissue" models sold with the name brands on it. I will also stand by my own products. I -am- an "authorized tech" for my own amps, heh. My focus is on tweed clones right now, but my next product is supposed to be a plexi clone. Plus, if you don't like what I've built you - i'll happily refund your deposit in full and keep the amp - so no loss on your part if you don't like it. Cost is by-amp, with the average being around $1500 for most models - yes that includes a plexi (just the head though - cabs cost so much to construct you're better off buying one off the shelf).
What I -can't- do:
Warranty work - as I said, i'm not an "authorized tech" for any of the major amp companies - yet - but for now, if your amp is under warranty - take it to someone who can do the work for you for free.
Mods - i don't do mods. one of these days i'll post why a master volume mod is stupid - the short version of the story is you get the same effect by using a tube distortion pedal (that uses an actual tube, at any rate). The slightly more involved version of the explanation is that all it lets you do is overdrive your preamp - you're not getting any power tube distortion by pushing your gain up - and anyone that tells you otherwise is lying.
I'm thinking that since i'm new at the whole amp-repair thing - if i 'm gonna do it, i'm going to charge an extremely competitive bench rate. $25/hour seems fair to me, especially when you compare it to what the 2 other people in the area are charging.
If I can fix your amp, I'll be happy to - I won't do it for free, but I also won't charge a ton to do so either - again - this isn't a business venture for me. That being said, i'm still learning myself (hence the point of this blog) - although I probably know more than most, seing as how I built my own amp already - and I'm working on #2.
Anyway - here's a list of things I can definately do:
* Install new tubes/bias an amp. - $75 + tubes - either bring them yourself, or pay me a deposit and i'll order them for you. I'm not in the buiness of making a killing off ripping people off for tubes, so if you just tell me what kind of amp you have, I can probably tell you what to order, and even give you a link so you can get them yourself and bring them to me. Oh look, I just put the link on this blog. See? Now tell me your amp and i'll tell you what to get. For free. You should still have someone bias it for you though - it's not safe to do yourself unless you know what you're doing.
* Replace a blown speaker/transformer/other big part. Deposit required for parts, labor charged after the work is done. $25/hr labor.
* POSSIBLY troubleshoot your amp. As I said, i'm still learning, so I may end up telling you to "contact an authorized technician". At any rate I can't make the problem worse - and if i can't fix it, I won't lie to you and tell you I did, or charge you for not fixing it. I also won't sell you parts you don't need. This is all stuff I've had happen to me - and I definately won't do it to someone else. I'm not an asshole. If the problem's out of my league, i'll let you know up front.
Cost: Free if i can't find the problem. Same as above if I do.
* Build you one of my amps - Gladly! It's a process that will take a few weeks, and I will require a deposit for parts, but the end product will be a better product than you will buy at the store (hand built vs circuit-board, better quality components, etc), and often a lot cheaper than the current "resissue" models sold with the name brands on it. I will also stand by my own products. I -am- an "authorized tech" for my own amps, heh. My focus is on tweed clones right now, but my next product is supposed to be a plexi clone. Plus, if you don't like what I've built you - i'll happily refund your deposit in full and keep the amp - so no loss on your part if you don't like it. Cost is by-amp, with the average being around $1500 for most models - yes that includes a plexi (just the head though - cabs cost so much to construct you're better off buying one off the shelf).
What I -can't- do:
Warranty work - as I said, i'm not an "authorized tech" for any of the major amp companies - yet - but for now, if your amp is under warranty - take it to someone who can do the work for you for free.
Mods - i don't do mods. one of these days i'll post why a master volume mod is stupid - the short version of the story is you get the same effect by using a tube distortion pedal (that uses an actual tube, at any rate). The slightly more involved version of the explanation is that all it lets you do is overdrive your preamp - you're not getting any power tube distortion by pushing your gain up - and anyone that tells you otherwise is lying.
I'm thinking that since i'm new at the whole amp-repair thing - if i 'm gonna do it, i'm going to charge an extremely competitive bench rate. $25/hour seems fair to me, especially when you compare it to what the 2 other people in the area are charging.
yet another new blog title...
this one being, perhaps, the most appropriate, and rather humorous to the 3 other people in my band. speaking of which, hey Pat, how can we go about changing the player from just playing Sea of My Discretion to some other random song?
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Silence Kit - a player...
Ok so i'm attempting to stuff our media player in a blog post...i'd put it on the sidebar but it doesn't want to play nice with blogger and although I could put up one that was it would require more work - and work is for losers.
Picks of the Dave Hunter Two-stroke
As promised, although somewhat delayed, here are some pics of my first amp build, the Dave Hunter Two-Stroke. Click on one of the pics for a closer look at it.
This amp is based off a tweed Fender Princeton (5F2A schematic), but with a couple of changes. For one thing, there's only one input input, with the space for the second input instead used to house the boost/voice switch. The boost/voice switch is itself an addition, and accomplishes it's magic by changing the cathode bias of the preamp to one of three different values.
The two other major changes include using two 6V6s (although ran in parallel, so the amp is still single ended. There's no PI) and using two speakers, a 10" Jensen and an 8" Jensen. This is the original design of the amp that's in Dave's Book The Guitar Amp Handbook - and NOT the version currently being sold as a kit from Victoria, which uses a single 6L6 and a single 12" Jensen.
The main differences being that with being wired for 2 tubes instead of one, you can still use a single 6L6 with the amp (or a few other tube configurations for that matter), but are not limited to single tubes. Having two independently wired speakers allows for multiple impedance/cone combinations for achieving the sounds of different tweeds, or a blend of the two - although during the short time I had the amp I tended to just have them both going as it generated more moving air and therefore more volume. I followed the original plan of the amp mainly because i wanted to follow the book to the letter and learn, but in retrospect I probably should have used the single 12", or used a bigger cabinet and built it with a pair of 10"s. The 8" is a little too farty for my tastes, although everyone who heard the amp agreed that overall it sounded sweet. I do wish I had at least had the sense to record with it a little before I sold it however...
Anyway, that's my first build!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
renamed the blog.
i know i know, now the name is all topical and generic, but in case anyone important comes along and sees my name attached to this, i don't want them thinking i'm a sociopath....
epiphone blues custom 30 vs. an actual custom build amp
This is an email i wrote to a friend the other day. we were talking about the epiphone blues custom 30, which is an excellent amp at its price range, btw. Don't take what i'm saying here as trying to trash it, they're great little amps - but like anything coming out of china often need a little TLC right out of the box to make things sound & work right....
i apologize in advance for the format and spelling errors, it's an email.
----------------------
so i looked into the epi amp we were talking about - it's definately a "feature-packed" amp, for the price they're talking, channel switching, 15/30 watt pentode/triode switching... it certainly does a lot. and of course, reverb.
the question becomes, of course, do you need all this junk? what kind of a tone are you really going for? channell switching is a definately something i've come to rely on over the years but since i've been playing with the vintage amps i've been learning that you can really control that kind of stuff in a much more fluid sort of way with a highly-touch sensitive amp, and get a much more fluid distortion out of it too, as you would be mainly using the power tubes.
the thing about the epi is i get the impression it's trying to be a sort of a cross between a tweed and a low power "poor mans" fender blackface twin. by using only two 5881s they're trying to really hit those tubes hard (5881 are mil-spec 6l6s, so they can be ran hot - lotsa power outta two tubes, and lotsa distortion). the tube powered reverb is definately a nice touch. of course its foot scwitchable, and you can run it in triode mode for even earlier onset of distortion (15 watts).
The tradeoff for all this fancy functionality of course is complexity of the build. and inevitably, the cheapening of the internal parts - look up a few reviews on harmony central and you'll see people talking about bad fuses and rectifier tubes right out of the box. and of course the factory speakers are shit.
now, it's $650. that's f'ing cheap. cheap enough to justify spending another $400 having someone get it running in prime form? i'm sure you won't get it biased right (out of the box. for that matter i'd be surprised if the stock tubes were even matched -ed.) and if the fuse and the rectifier tubes (among others) need to go right away, that's a few more bucks. just something to think about.
now, forgetting about cost for a second, thing about what an amp is supposed to be about - sculpting your tone with its inherent voicing. bells and wills will add to or detract from that basic done - but if the fundamental tone is flawed, you'll never get around that. this is why i've become such a fan of the classic builds. it's like a car. build the engine right, and the rest of the car will work itself out.
now, just knowing your sound and why you're leaning towards the blues custom you're attracted to that low-fi gritty down the tweeds are known for, but you mentioned you liked the reverb. well, if these were your primary requirements i'm sure i could accomodate them. personally i would reccommend you look at a medium powered tweed amp - something like the tweed 5E8A '57 Twin-amp (check out the reissue on musicians friend).
Tone-wise i bet that'll take you where you want to go - hands down. go down to guitar center and try it out!
now here's the neat part. if you like it - i can build an ACTUAL 5E8A with authentic premium parts, and the only difference you'd notice would be the fact that it says Wark on it intead of Fender...and it would sound even more authentic than the 'reissue'...and get this - i could do it for $1400!
not to mention the little things like, becuase the guy who built your amp is a friend of yours and some dude in china, some more care may in fact to into the biuld process, and the amp wouldn't get handed off to you sick out of the box.
now i know there will be some questions (what about effects, reverb, echo, switchable distortion, etc - what can be done)...the answer is everything - certain things we have learned to do over the years are actually rendered moot points when you get your first tube rectified classic amp - the whole going from clean to dirty becomes a matter of playing more than a matter of stomping...although tube screamers still might help get that last nail in your tone if you need it. but i've done entire rehersals with TSK and am completely confident that i could play an entire set on a single channel amp when the time comes, and i will, once i have the right amp built.
----------------------
a few corrections: $400 for immediate nessacery service might be an overstatment - but all new tubes, and a biasing could cost $150. New speakers could cost (up to) $400 and would make this amp sound much better, however.
Also, i got myself a little confused in that email - typically, more power in an amp means LESS distortion, not more - so mil-spec 5881s will definately raise the power rating beyond what a pair of 6l6s will put out, and that means more headroom, not less. The amp will break up more or less the same way, just at louder volumes. This may or may not be preferable, depending on what you are trying to do.
i apologize in advance for the format and spelling errors, it's an email.
----------------------
so i looked into the epi amp we were talking about - it's definately a "feature-packed" amp, for the price they're talking, channel switching, 15/30 watt pentode/triode switching... it certainly does a lot. and of course, reverb.
the question becomes, of course, do you need all this junk? what kind of a tone are you really going for? channell switching is a definately something i've come to rely on over the years but since i've been playing with the vintage amps i've been learning that you can really control that kind of stuff in a much more fluid sort of way with a highly-touch sensitive amp, and get a much more fluid distortion out of it too, as you would be mainly using the power tubes.
the thing about the epi is i get the impression it's trying to be a sort of a cross between a tweed and a low power "poor mans" fender blackface twin. by using only two 5881s they're trying to really hit those tubes hard (5881 are mil-spec 6l6s, so they can be ran hot - lotsa power outta two tubes, and lotsa distortion). the tube powered reverb is definately a nice touch. of course its foot scwitchable, and you can run it in triode mode for even earlier onset of distortion (15 watts).
The tradeoff for all this fancy functionality of course is complexity of the build. and inevitably, the cheapening of the internal parts - look up a few reviews on harmony central and you'll see people talking about bad fuses and rectifier tubes right out of the box. and of course the factory speakers are shit.
now, it's $650. that's f'ing cheap. cheap enough to justify spending another $400 having someone get it running in prime form? i'm sure you won't get it biased right (out of the box. for that matter i'd be surprised if the stock tubes were even matched -ed.) and if the fuse and the rectifier tubes (among others) need to go right away, that's a few more bucks. just something to think about.
now, forgetting about cost for a second, thing about what an amp is supposed to be about - sculpting your tone with its inherent voicing. bells and wills will add to or detract from that basic done - but if the fundamental tone is flawed, you'll never get around that. this is why i've become such a fan of the classic builds. it's like a car. build the engine right, and the rest of the car will work itself out.
now, just knowing your sound and why you're leaning towards the blues custom you're attracted to that low-fi gritty down the tweeds are known for, but you mentioned you liked the reverb. well, if these were your primary requirements i'm sure i could accomodate them. personally i would reccommend you look at a medium powered tweed amp - something like the tweed 5E8A '57 Twin-amp (check out the reissue on musicians friend).
Tone-wise i bet that'll take you where you want to go - hands down. go down to guitar center and try it out!
now here's the neat part. if you like it - i can build an ACTUAL 5E8A with authentic premium parts, and the only difference you'd notice would be the fact that it says Wark on it intead of Fender...and it would sound even more authentic than the 'reissue'...and get this - i could do it for $1400!
not to mention the little things like, becuase the guy who built your amp is a friend of yours and some dude in china, some more care may in fact to into the biuld process, and the amp wouldn't get handed off to you sick out of the box.
now i know there will be some questions (what about effects, reverb, echo, switchable distortion, etc - what can be done)...the answer is everything - certain things we have learned to do over the years are actually rendered moot points when you get your first tube rectified classic amp - the whole going from clean to dirty becomes a matter of playing more than a matter of stomping...although tube screamers still might help get that last nail in your tone if you need it. but i've done entire rehersals with TSK and am completely confident that i could play an entire set on a single channel amp when the time comes, and i will, once i have the right amp built.
----------------------
a few corrections: $400 for immediate nessacery service might be an overstatment - but all new tubes, and a biasing could cost $150. New speakers could cost (up to) $400 and would make this amp sound much better, however.
Also, i got myself a little confused in that email - typically, more power in an amp means LESS distortion, not more - so mil-spec 5881s will definately raise the power rating beyond what a pair of 6l6s will put out, and that means more headroom, not less. The amp will break up more or less the same way, just at louder volumes. This may or may not be preferable, depending on what you are trying to do.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I rebiased my amp tonight.
So currently my main amp is still my Deville 4x10, and lately it's been sounding not so fresh. Well, now that I know how amps work, I figured rebiasing it wouldn't hurt. Well, sure enough, it was biased a little cold - I couldn't really crank it to get a feel for how it sounds now because i'm doing this in my apartment, but from what i could tell it sounds a lot warmer, which makes sense. Next practice will tell...
anyway, this brings up another point - when i had the tubes replaced on this amp, i took it to a prominent local tube amp repair place to have the work done. Now I won't name names, but the place is in south jersey. when i got the amp back, one of the speakers was blown. Now i'm not saying they did it, but they definitely should have caught it. Anyway, one of the things I paid for at the time was for them to put high-quality tubes in the amp - and i paid $100 extra for this.
The tubes in my amps are regular Sovteks. Nothing special, and $24/pair tubes. So not only was this guy incompetent, but also dishonest.
Let this be a lesson! Know your amp tech, and get some background information on them if you can! If you're replacing your power tubes, you DO need to have the amp rebiased. This is NOT something you should do if you don't know what you're doing because we're talking about serious voltages that can kill, but if you want to here's a link that explains how to do it.
Of course, I'll be happy to install your tubes and bias them for a nominal fee, and I also won't rip you off on the tubes. I'll even give you a link to a place to check the prices on them.
anyway, this brings up another point - when i had the tubes replaced on this amp, i took it to a prominent local tube amp repair place to have the work done. Now I won't name names, but the place is in south jersey. when i got the amp back, one of the speakers was blown. Now i'm not saying they did it, but they definitely should have caught it. Anyway, one of the things I paid for at the time was for them to put high-quality tubes in the amp - and i paid $100 extra for this.
The tubes in my amps are regular Sovteks. Nothing special, and $24/pair tubes. So not only was this guy incompetent, but also dishonest.
Let this be a lesson! Know your amp tech, and get some background information on them if you can! If you're replacing your power tubes, you DO need to have the amp rebiased. This is NOT something you should do if you don't know what you're doing because we're talking about serious voltages that can kill, but if you want to here's a link that explains how to do it.
Of course, I'll be happy to install your tubes and bias them for a nominal fee, and I also won't rip you off on the tubes. I'll even give you a link to a place to check the prices on them.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Home from Clash Bar, good guitar cables, etc...
The show up at the clash bar in clifton new jersey was great! show was a lot of fun, i hope The Silence Kit gets to play there again soon. Also, look forward to some possible new videos popping up real soon!
anyway, one of the conversations i actually had up there was about guitar cables and how they can fall apart over a while because of abuse, and really don't last very long, mostly. or they just suck anyway and ruin your tone. Like Samson branded cables. screw samson! Sure you can get two twenty-foot cables for $10, but if they short out in a week, what's the point?
BUY THESE: CBI Braided Guitar Instrument Cable
the braided outer shell does more than look nice, it protects the entire cable and the ends of the cable are rubberized and sealed which goes a long way towards keeping the weakest part of the cable (the solder connections in the jacks) together longer. All my cables have been these basically the whole time i've been in The Silence Kit and i've never had to replace them, while a lot of the cables the other guys in the band have used have crapped out.
If you need short patch cables, or midi cables, or any kind of a weird cable type at all - Hosa is the place to go. Hosa sells everywhere, generally in the pro-audio sections - but i'm telling you, their cables are also rock solid, and often times only cost 25% what anyone else wants. For short patch cables between effects pedals, or if you need something weird like a stereo guitar cable (like I do for the strat - long story I'll explain later) - this is what to get.
anyway, one of the conversations i actually had up there was about guitar cables and how they can fall apart over a while because of abuse, and really don't last very long, mostly. or they just suck anyway and ruin your tone. Like Samson branded cables. screw samson! Sure you can get two twenty-foot cables for $10, but if they short out in a week, what's the point?
BUY THESE: CBI Braided Guitar Instrument Cable
the braided outer shell does more than look nice, it protects the entire cable and the ends of the cable are rubberized and sealed which goes a long way towards keeping the weakest part of the cable (the solder connections in the jacks) together longer. All my cables have been these basically the whole time i've been in The Silence Kit and i've never had to replace them, while a lot of the cables the other guys in the band have used have crapped out.
If you need short patch cables, or midi cables, or any kind of a weird cable type at all - Hosa is the place to go. Hosa sells everywhere, generally in the pro-audio sections - but i'm telling you, their cables are also rock solid, and often times only cost 25% what anyone else wants. For short patch cables between effects pedals, or if you need something weird like a stereo guitar cable (like I do for the strat - long story I'll explain later) - this is what to get.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy new year - don't watch I Am Legend at 3am before going to bed.
i love post apocolyptic movies where 99% of the population is dead. i also love zombie (and zombie-ish) flicks, and i will also confess having a soft spot for the fresh prince and his roles in cheesy sci-fi ever since independance day.
queueing up i am legend as something to watch while i fall asleep tonight was dumb. I had this terrible nightmare where I was living the experience in that movie - except there was this weird videogame overlay (i remember pressing f7 to get a map screen which displayed in mid-90s style blocky-computer graphics) and f8 to save, but other than that, everything else was happening in realtime. also, it was happening in my hometown of audubon - and my safe house was the house i grew up in - although it wasn't that safe in that i didn't have the luxury of the armored windows and doors the character had in the movie. so seriously, it was really fucking scary.
my only solace was the knack i have for lucid dreaming. about the time i had to press f7 (with mind powers?) to see the map i realized i was probably in a dream, and hey there's probably a compelling video game design here once i escape this twilight nightmare. i pulled my self out of it as soon as the sun started to come up in game and i was able to 'save' - but now i'm too tired to go back to sleep or something. i almost want to go back in and continue my adventures, although with a few additional power ups. (fortified home base, for example)
anyway, weird dream. i have that love hate things with zombies. i love them mostly in romero films and resident evil games but i definitely don't love them in my head which is the first place they go upon playing said game.
oh well. to happiness in the new year. what movies have watched (or games played) alone that you wish you hadn't? I'll freely admit the gamecube remake of Resident Evil scared the piss out of me on summer - but i couldn't put it down because it was so compelling. i've never seriously played it again since beating it because it was too damn disturbing.
queueing up i am legend as something to watch while i fall asleep tonight was dumb. I had this terrible nightmare where I was living the experience in that movie - except there was this weird videogame overlay (i remember pressing f7 to get a map screen which displayed in mid-90s style blocky-computer graphics) and f8 to save, but other than that, everything else was happening in realtime. also, it was happening in my hometown of audubon - and my safe house was the house i grew up in - although it wasn't that safe in that i didn't have the luxury of the armored windows and doors the character had in the movie. so seriously, it was really fucking scary.
my only solace was the knack i have for lucid dreaming. about the time i had to press f7 (with mind powers?) to see the map i realized i was probably in a dream, and hey there's probably a compelling video game design here once i escape this twilight nightmare. i pulled my self out of it as soon as the sun started to come up in game and i was able to 'save' - but now i'm too tired to go back to sleep or something. i almost want to go back in and continue my adventures, although with a few additional power ups. (fortified home base, for example)
anyway, weird dream. i have that love hate things with zombies. i love them mostly in romero films and resident evil games but i definitely don't love them in my head which is the first place they go upon playing said game.
oh well. to happiness in the new year. what movies have watched (or games played) alone that you wish you hadn't? I'll freely admit the gamecube remake of Resident Evil scared the piss out of me on summer - but i couldn't put it down because it was so compelling. i've never seriously played it again since beating it because it was too damn disturbing.
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