Guitar thread

I know; I really want a VOX, but the Mustang is so much less $$. Maybe I'll get into electric enough to justify it some day.

or get the best of both worlds, tube pre and post with modeling and effects:
http://peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/806/116748/Vypyr® Tube 60
http://peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/806/116747/Vypyr® Tube 120

I don't think he'll be wanting 60w or even 120w if he's happy using a Mustang right now.

For me, a small tube amp and a guitar is all I need.

Taking this one home today!
1957 American Vintage Reissue

Who knows, but the 40 w Mustang II seems plenty loud for me, at least right now. I'll check out those Peavey's when I'm ready to move on, though.

Nice.

My 30w Crate GFX is plenty loud for me.

Back in the day I used a 100w head and a cabinet with 2 JBL D140's... rattled the windows on "2"


JD Telecaster (MIJ Jerry Donahue Tele w/ 5 way switching)
Schecter Hellraiser with active EMG's
Larrivee D-03E (w/ pickup)

A good comparison I heard years back about wattage was the difference between a Ford and a Ferrari. Both will do 70mph, but one does it much better. Wattage and volume don't increase on a linear motion, it's kinda exponential.

Either way, the wattage isn't nearly as important. The Ford/Ferrari thing could be said for solid state and tube as well. A little 1 watt boutique tube amp will push a full stack cabinet to a much sweeter sound with plenty of volume for playing in the house, while 25 watts of really bad solid state (a la Fender Frontman) is loud enough to be terrible for the whole neighborhood.

Now the real problem is even the tiny boutiques cost too much to justify unless you're in a studio a lot, mic'ing the speaker cabinet. Maybe look at making your own, as it's really cheap and not terribly hard. Most of the stuff you need is sitting in Radio Shack, with some hardware store runs for building the enclosure.

I know that can be a stretch for a beginner but it's fun to do, and some of the best gear makers couldn't play worth a damn. I think Leonidas Fender was a sax and piano guy, while Orville Gibson was probably better on mandolin, and Laurens Hammond wasn't an organist. The list goes on, but you get the idea. Making good equipment is different (and sometimes easier) than making good music.

Keep in mind tube amps really want to be run hot and only get that nice breakup when cranked up. When you turn them down, they tend to clean up. So if you're at home and have the volume low, you don't get the nice breakup unless you crank it up a bit. The Peavey gets around this by not being all tube. The VOX Rectifier is also like this. The Blackstar as well. If you're going for a tube amp sound, you might as well get an all tube amp. You'll be surprised by how much you can change the tone with the volume. Also, keep in mind that tube amps tend to be louder then the equivalent SS amp. Most SS amps for beginners are in the 15-30w range while the tubes are usually 1-5w. 5w is almost too loud for home use.

Not sure if I'd go to Radio Shack but there are several companies that make kit amps. The Marshall 18W and JTM45, the Fender Champ, Deluxe are pretty common. If you know how to solder then you can probably make one of these kits. This gives you the point-to-point wiring but costs a fraction of the boutique amps. Great value and usually pretty good parts. I'm tempted to make a Fender tweed.

• http://tubedepot.com/kitsguitar.html
• http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/amp-kits
• http://www.ceriatone.com/
• http://store.triodestore.com/

Crazy!


http://www.guitaraficionado.com/a-h...on-les-paul-goldtop-at-lark-street-music.html

By Buzzy Levine

Here’s what’s new and interesting at Lark Street Music in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Here’s a 1953 Goldtop Les Paul that was owned by an American genius who hollowed it out from the back.

Upon seeing it, Les Paul’s personal luthier asked, “Did Les do this?”

This is a great-sounding guitar — but don’t try this at home. Well, OK, yes, try it! Just not on another ’53 Les Paul. Or a ’57. Maybe a ’72 … they’re mostly too heavy anyway. An early nudge to Gibson to lighten up!

For more information, check out Lark Street Music’s official website and Facebook page.

Photos: Bernard Levine

I'm using an utter-piece-of-crap solid state Fender Frontman 15G now. It was okay playing with the band if I turned it up to ten this spring.

Back in the creative days of real music, I had a 1965 Fender SuperReverb. Massive overkill. One of the reasons I have trouble hearing these days.

My new Stratocaster is like a cross between a Gibson Les Paul and a classic Stratocaster. Fat humbucking sound with a lot of sustain married with the ergonomic superiority of a Stratocaster, with its light weight and ease of controllability.

I had a Frontman 15 back '96. It was OK for a beginner but it was so steril. That's why when I started playing again, I went straight to a tube amp. I'm hooked.

Well, that's kinda what a Junior is. The Junior is a great little guitar with the P90. Loads of sustain. Still heavier then a Strat I think though. A Melody Maker would be lighter then a Junior and the older ones had a P90 as well. new ones have a single-coil. I'm a Gibson guy though. Played a Strat when I was just starting and didn't like it. Although, I wouldn't mind a Tele.

I have an old Ibanez Tube Screamer, the only effect I ever use anymore, to spice things up.

This new Strat is a little heavier than a basic Strat, but nothing like the Gibson Les Paul Customs I used to have. I had a couple Telecasters, too. Nothing is as handy for me as the Stratocaster shape, though. It's like an extension of my arms, highly controllable.

A variac is pretty nifty to get high-volume tone and keep it down. Those kits are pretty good for the money. I've been trying to talk a buddy into getting one since he solders better than me, but he just brought this Carvin V3 head home. It's pretty dandy too.

Same buddy as above just bought one of the new Juniors. Still too heavy for me, but I'd love to do a semihollow build with one someday. I always thought I'd be an LP guy, but the weight was too much, I couldn't get access into the upper register without a doublecut, and so I found a cheap '72 SG and haven't looked back. Still like my Ibanez for the heavy technical stuff though. It mocks the Strat tone well enough for me, but the Tele would sure be nice once in a blue moon. Problem is I'd need new strings and a setup every time I wanted to play one, with the big intervals.

My amp (Blackstar HT-5) is 2-channel so I can switch from clean to OD with a flip of a switch or I can use the pedal. They also have what they call a ISF which allows you to shape the sound from US to UK. I set mine for US Blues to give it a Fender sound. I used to set it to a Marshall sound but I've switched interest. That's about as far as I go with pedals or modeling. I think I need to buy another amp to add to the collection though. I've been looking at the Fender EC Champ or maybe a Blues Junior NOS. Or I'll just buy a Fender Deluxe kit.

The Gibson's variety a lot in weight depending on the model. The 2008 Standard was pretty light for a arch top LP. They chambered the body. Even the new 2012 Standard that I have is weight-relieved. It's between the Reissues and the 2008 Standard. My Junior is a slab but it's solid and probably in the 8lbs range. I think my Standard is in the 9's. Custom Shop guitars are the heaviest. I don't believe their weight-relieved in any way.

There was a local guy that built customs, mostly variations on existing models. He did a Randy Rhodes thing and a more oblong LP, kinda like the other ripoffs you see, but it was bigger. If most guitars are 8/8 and some are 7/8, it was definitely a 1 1/4. Same construction, I think a 25.5 scale though. No chambering. I didn't even attempt standing with it, but I sat down and the sound was just mindblowing. All that mass makes for a very rich sound, but is it ever impractical for live use. I have an old aluminum neck Kramer bass that I thought killed my spine, but that LP was a monster. Like an ES-175 that isn't hollow.

What you want to look for is an amp that has a Master Volume. Some amps like the VOX ATC4 have a switch that can cut the output from 4w to 1w and to .25w. The Fender EC's have a hotplate that keeps the tubes hot while dropping the output. For some other amps you can add a master volume. I know there are a lot of mods for the old Epiphone Valve Jr amps. They were inexpensive and with a few mods sounded really nice. The key to to keep the tubes really hot so they breakup the signal and add their warmth to the tone.

I think my Dad is going to buy this; 1974 Alvarez "lawsuit" J 200 copy...

I could so play in a metal band, if I really wanted to.