darc

Quit both bands, sorta backed away from the Guitar Craft thing, started really questioning guitar and music in my life in general. Total system reset. Just recently started taking informal lessons with a jazz pianist, exploring some new improv and writing concepts, but really I have no idea where I'm headed. Interesting to see this question pop up just now.

Which part of this makes him look less like a rock star?

Bellybutton is an incredible album.

Dave Minnehan's post-Neighborhoods band the Stardarts. They consistently killed live in the mid-90's. There was little or no recorded material available so I'd go see them perform just about every week. When the shows dried up I asked their guitarist what happened and he said, "we got tired of being ignored." That broke my heart. Another GREAT band that the audience just was not ready for: M.I.R.V. Saw them open for Jerry Cantrell and the metalhead crowd booed the whole time. I thought they were virtuosic, original, and funny as hell. Buy a copy of "Dancing Naked in a Minefield" and play as loud as possible.

Interesting. By isolation resistor, do you literally mean resistor (and if so, what value) or do you mean a diode? I'll take a look at the Variax tonight (just scored a new donor V300 for $149!!!) I'm actually aiming to couple this with the MIDIAxe electronics in one of my MIDIFly's, so it's not exactly apples to apples. Also, there's no replacing the MIDIAxe parts if I fry them, so I've got to be very, very careful. (In fact, step 1 is the hardest: deciding whether it's really worth it.) I can appreciate that and will definitely not spill the beans. But please keep me posted on your progress! LOL that sounds par for the course. Oh well at least that prototype wound up in good hands, I guess - Jeff's guitars are amazing. Thanks, man. I should say again that Nathan Shane from ION helped me out with that quite a lot.

Wow! Can you elaborate at all? Did you need to use any additional electronics to buffer/ amplify the piezo out between the Variax ins and the GK circuit ins? Or are there safely isolated points to tap on one or the other? I love the Lo-Pro Edge myself, and have been wanting one of the piezo-equipped ones for years, but they cost an arm and a leg when you do see them. What are you using for piezos on the Spirit's bridge? Also, we'll need pictures.

Good point. And I thought all the Ozzfest's to date were already way overcrowded. Big venues suck.

"Free concert? Someone has to pay for the venue, advertisement, etc. Where is that money coming from?" Advertisers will pay a fortune and will be all over that gig. The money generated by advertising never ceases to amaze me.

That's awesome.

You have to understand that a lot of the dismissive comments are pretty tongue-in-cheek. Stick around long enough and you'll also read that "intonation is for pussies". Though silentman may be serious about that one. As for "stop screwing around and play your guitar..." There are players and there are engineers and there are guys with a foot on either side of the fence. If you're having any kind of success at either, you're winning. Obviously, a guy who sets out to be a player and wastes all his time fiddling with his gear (caution: auto-biographical content) is a little lost, but a guy with knowledge and an interest in the technology who digs in - good for him. If there weren't a few out there, we wouldn't have amps to fiddle with in the first place. Of course, I know you were only joking. (Weren't you?)

Yeah, I think music should be age-independent, but attire is another question entirely. Still, to each his own...

Play what you want, loud or otherwise, from start to finish.

Argh. Trekked out and kicked the tires on a Blues Jr last night (the salesmen told me I'd be disappointed w/ the Pro Jr in a band context and I was inclined to agree just by eyeballing the cabinet.) Anyway loved the Blues Jr, really. Sounds great, loud enough, and surprisingly light and compact for a 1x12. There are some downsides, which I'll get to, but hamersandstrats offer at $225 was just a no-brainer. Unfortunately by the time I got home that amp was gone. So anyhow, it's not all bad news. The Blues Jr kinda helps me identify what I'm looking for. The size and weight are just right, so I'm looking for 30 lbs or less. Somewhere around 50lbs I start getting cranky. I really dig the bright Fender clean and hope that I can get heavier tones via a distortion pedal in front. Pretty major paradigm-shift for me. Unfortunately I can't work my head around not having an effects loop. I need to be able to route in a sound module and that definitely won't play nice with preamp gain. So this simplifies things: can anyone recommend an amp nearly identical to a Blues Jr, but with an effects loop? And here's a probably stupid question - does the construction of a Blues Jr lend itself to modding, and would it be feasible to add an effects loop? I'm inclined to go back and buy the amp new from this dealer (Joe's Guitars) - even at twice the price h&s offered - because he's always friendly and helpful. If not for the fx loop hitch...

That's a pretty compelling price, hamersandstrats. What kind of condition is it in?

Yeah I was eyeballing the Pro Junior and Blues Junior a couple of years ago. Actually my wife told me yesterday that she'd been planning on buying me a Pro Jr for xmas, but I told her not to. The Pro'd fit the bill except it's got no effects loop, and I hear rumors that they've got reliability problems on account of shaking themselves to pieces at volumes? The Blues Jr might do it, but at 12" and $400 it starts to edge into territory where I'd just as soon buy a channel switcher that can cop my high gain tones as well - eg. the Mesa F30 might be a better fit. I've got some legwork to do, looks like. Thanks for all the replies!

That's an excellent question, and of course the answer is, I don't know. I'm already back-pedalling on this whole laptop guitarrista philosophy by looking at amps, and the question is, how far will I need to back-pedal, and how often? ie. Will I integrate my high-tech stuff, or will I use high-tech for some gigs and low-tech for others, or some combination of the above? I'd like an amp that let's me hedge my bets by providing good tones on it's own and with stompoxes, and providing good transparent power via an FX loop return. If I find an amp with tones I really love, and a decent channel switching setup, I can off-load some of the amp-modeling that my laptop is presently straining under. Another good observation, seems like common sense, and is definitely what I found trying to use an 8" cab c/o the TM10 (yikes!) But ironically, whenever I have trouble sitting in the mix correctly, the complaint is that I'm pushing too much low-end. I even thought that maybe a smaller cab would keep in line in terms of stepping on the bass-player's toes frequency-wise. I always gravitate toward warm, bottom heavy sounds when I play alone, but then find that nobody else likes how they project in a band mix. The sad thing is that I'm really digging my minimal high-tech setup right now. It covers all the bases and fits in a backpack, and if there's time to get things right it works. But there are just too many ways to get it wrong, and too few people paying any attention.

I'm getting a lot of feedback for 50W+ 12" amps here. I'm really specifically looking for something smaller than that that will get the job done. Unless this is your way of telling me a 10" combo just plain isn't up to it? (Which silentman came right out and said.) 2x12's and extension cabs and all that are right out, by the way. If I was shopping for luggage, I'd just buy a couple of cabs - I've already got a high-powered head, even if it is a very unfashionable modelling amp that starts with a "V". I've owned a couple of 1x12 combos - a 100W Boogie and a 60W Flextone. The Boogie was way heavier and WAY louder than this application calls for, and believe it or not, even the Flextone was overkill. I don't really understand why everyone recommends so much power - we're not a quiet band, and that little SS flextone never broke a sweat. I don't think I ever came close to cranking it either. Now, recommending a bigger cabinet, more or bigger speakers - that I can see.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I imagine I'll have to find a dealer that carries Rivera at some point, and let my own ears be the judge. That's always the bottom line. Nobody's had a shot at the Trademark 30 yet? I would have guessed Greg had a store full of 'em.

I tried to hijack the GDEC vs Microcube thread and failed so here goes. I'm looking for a portable amp suitable for gigging a rock band in small clubs. My Guitar Rig setup straight to the board sounds great sometimes, and awful at other times - basically, I don't think I can be at the mercy of the soundman any more. (No sound check last night = disaster.) So the amp needs to get over an acoustic drum kit without farting out, but doesn't need to be any louder than that. I'm thinking in terms of a 1x10" combo like the Rivera Clubster 25, or even the new Trademark 30. I've never played a 1x10" cab before and I don't know if I'm being realistic about getting a good sound -the TM30 gets mixed reviews in this regard but people are raving about that Rivera. Obviously these are very different amps in very different price ranges, only the form factor is comparable. So does anybody have any opinions on either of these amps, or any recommendations on something competitive that meets the description? A 50W 1x12 is definitely more than I need and more than I'd prefer to lug. I still have to deal with my guitar synth hw and pedal board, so small is better. But am I being realistic about finding a 10" amp that can deliver tonally? The folks on Harmony Central seem to think the Clubster is the magic bullet. I just need to something to take the rough edges off my signal before it hits the board, since no one ever does anything with the EQ at the board, and I never have a chance to get near it myself.

Are you looking to sell this piece, or are you just curious? If looking to sell, definitely get the stickers off of there (oh god I hope they are just stickers) and re-photograph. And be sure to include some shots of the back, specifically the neck heel. That's the big selling point of the setneck vs. the bolt-on. Otherwise, you'll get $350. Whoops - you were posting pics as I typed. Ne-e-e-evermind.

One meellion dollars. But everyone here will offer $350. LOL ZR beat me to it!

Actually I'm on a broad, elliptical orbit around the sun, and have a birthday only once every 7.6 years. But thank you! Sounds good, but did she weigh in under 7 pounds?

My wife was almost talking me into buying a Belew signature Fly the other day. I actually had to take a deep breath and tell her it was a crazy idea!

I was taking a shot at darc. I'm an easy target like that. And nobody ever wishes me a Happy Birthday around here, either. Alpep Alpep. Ha!

Why take this so seriously? Don't you have access to both forums? I think it's kind of ironic that this thread isn't OC. P.S. Alpep Alpep Alpep Alpep Alpep Alpep Alpep Alpep. And Robin's are sweet!