the downside to your equipment?

nick · 2009-02-19T20:58:22+00:00

everything has its upsides and downsides, list the downsides of your gear (if any) ? Fender FM65R amp, loud enough but plagued by that stupid fender amp trait of 0 is off and 1 is too loud to play at home >☹ my 80w marshall used to swell up quite nicely from 1-3 then over 4 it started getting its lungs

[deleted]

Hahahaha. Yay for the funny and the immaculate apostrophe usage, monkey-who-gets-too-close-to-cigarettes.

The down side to my equipment is having to carry everything around. I need to invest in a trolley. Better yet, some sort of golf cart thing that has a built-in crane.

AlanRatcliffe

Good one. I particularly like the idea of a a spring reverb being a chaos driven device.

...but any surfy guitarist worth their salt will tell you that there is no substitute for the Fender tank. And a Showman with a 15" JBL ('though a Twin with two 12" JBLs will do in a pinch). Thus the true downside is the same as with any decent equipment - you have to pay for it. ...and carry it. But ask yourself, "what would Dick Dale do?" and the answer becomes self evident.

dee

vic wrote
dee wrote * Les Pauls are too heavy and tend to topple over when you try and play them sitting down. So I gave it back.... The SG shape is much more friendly ?
Pity you gave it back for that reason....only should have shifted the guitar from your right leg to your left leg when sitting down...? (I assume your are playing right-handed.)

Since then I have bought the SG and a Strat. Both of which I love more than the LP, so it all worked out...

singemonkey

Alan Ratcliffe wrote ...but any surfy guitarist worth their salt will tell you that there is no substitute for the Fender tank. And a Showman with a 15" JBL ('though a Twin with two 12" JBLs will do in a pinch). Thus the true downside is the same as with any decent equipment - you have to pay for it. ...and carry it. But ask yourself, "what would Dick Dale do?" and the answer becomes self evident.

WWDDD? ?

Why I suspect just keep using the tank that Fender gave him gratis back in '61 or whatever ?

The problem with the reverb tanks is that they bust your budget. But that aside, like I hinted, they pick up vibrations from the stage. So dedicated Showman/reverb tank users sometimes have to go to insane lengths to isolate their tank from those tremors.

I also considered getting Twin Reverb - which some use, noteably Man, Or AstroMan?. But the cost! Sweet jeebers, the cost...

There's a new unit I spotted that this guy on flickr called guitar-tech has. He said he traded his Spring King in for it. I might think about that one day since I've discovered that I still love surf guitar. I've just been learning how to play Hava Nagila like DD does. The guy's so much more subtle than he gets credit for. He doesn't just tremolo pick straight through. He trem-picks some notes and not others to create this crazy rhythmic power.

Aww, now you've got me gushing. ?

[deleted]

Hahaha, is Dick Dale still even playing?

Alan, what are your thoughts on how well digital effects units model reverb?

AlanRatcliffe

singemonkey wrote WWDDD? ?

Y'know? I actually had to resist turning that into an acronym (and the CCD - chaos controlled device). And then you go and do it anyway...

Why I suspect just keep using the tank that Fender gave him gratis back in '61 or whatever ?

Legend has it that he blew everything up on a regular basis (which is why Fender developed the Showman), so I doubt it would still be the same one. But yes, that's plan B - get a Fender endorsement.

But that aside, like I hinted, they pick up vibrations from the stage.

I got that from the "hang it above the stage on chains" bit. But that's specifically at the huge volumes generated by a Showman - I doubt it would be anywhere as bad with a Bassman at normal operating levels. I know someone who uses one with a brown Super and he never has any problems. Just don't put it on top of the amp.

BTW, have you looked into the tank kits sold by both Mojo and Weber? Comparatively cheap.

I also considered getting Twin Reverb - which some use, noteably Man, Or AstroMan?. But the cost! Sweet jeebers, the cost...

So now's not the time to tell you how much I paid for my '65 blackface then?

Seriously though, they pop up secondhand comparatively cheaply on occasion. Just have the cash ready and be ready for when one pops up.

Aww, now you've got me gushing. ?

I'll bet you say that to all the boys... ?

AlanRatcliffe

Stratisfear wrote Alan, what are your thoughts on how well digital effects units model reverb?

You're asking the wrong person - I'd take a Lexicon PCM90 over a Fender tank any day and lean more to plates and halls and digital in preference to analog. But "close enough for rock n roll" would be my answer if pressed. The modern convolution software 'verbs are wonderful...

Spring reverb is one of the trickiest to nail properly, but even that they are getting ever closer. Can't remember what it was, but I tried some software recently and the spring reverb model was so good that I was tempted to kick the computer to see if it would splash...

singemonkey

For everything I said about my Holy Grail, it does give a rather satisfying "clonk!" at just the right setting - certainly in another league to the multi FX spring simulators I tried.

It gets to sounding crap if I push it up beyond about 11 o'clock. What most people complain about is spring 'verb simulators adding in random crashes unrelated to what you're playing. That's what turned me off the boss pedal (RV 5? Apparently the Boss Fender Deluxe Reverb Pedal is a nightmare for this) and one or two others I was reading about. The Grail doesn't really do that (course it's also not as well made as a Boss).

Of course you can't get splashes out of them.

Actually, weirdly the Grail has an extremely highly regarded hall setting. I don't really use it. If I want hall 'verb in a recording I'd add it on the computer. For live stuff it's spring all the way for me.

I'd never heard about kit tanks. That sounds mighty intriguing. I'll look them up.

As to forking out for a twin reverb... *sighs* way too many items on my wish list already. I wanna get the MXR delay pedal for rockabilly slap-back, and the swamp thang tremolo pedal. I need a banjo that's not a Hondo (seriously. It's a freakin' Hondo - talk about downsides to my gear: "My banjo is a Hondo" It's where my massive respect for Japanese instruments meets its match), and I'm just jonesing for a Tokai that's way higher spec than I need or deserve.

Oh yes. And no money. No money *walks away shaking head sadly*

Banditman

Downside?

I don't have enough. There's a list of pedals to acquire still, pickups to change on the Les Paul (she sounds great, but not quite "there" for me yet), some tweaking to do on the Strat such as shielding etc, an upgrade on the Sheraton. at least the amp's sorted perfectly - a 2x12 extension would be nice though.

A good acoustic would be nice again, and I'd add a few new electrics into the pot if I could (Anderson Atom CT, Fender Jaguar & Tele, ES-335, Gretsch Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird & 6120 Nashville).

And then I think I've got some great gear already & half the fun IS in the tweaking and modding, and realise I'm having a blast with it in any case.

ryanguit

my amp doesn't have a master (gain is also volume). and a THD hotplate is like R4000 retail... expensive volume control.

um my 4x12 is too heavy. (but my 2x10 is awesome in the lazy times)

my tonebone runs on 15V, my Tuner + Delay + Crybaby + Noisegate run on 9V, Tube pedal number2 runs on 12VAC.

my favourite guitars always start with single coils, then swop to the stacks the rails the cobalts and return to singles, hate the hum love the tone... then repeat.
gigs have lights-i have single coils.

my worst playing/looking guitars are always always the best sounding.
i can't remember where half my stuff is/or even if i still own it.

Then the downside is that... ?

AlanRatcliffe

ryanguit wrote my amp doesn't have a master (gain is also volume). and a THD hotplate is like R4000 retail... expensive volume control.

PM Graeme Parfitt - he is working on a locally assembled one that will retail for half that - and have switchable impedances. ?

deanBailey

I take my previous post back and now say the downside to mine is that it has no cases of any kind...

bumps, tears and dings suck.

« Previous Page