Need Amp

FenderBender · 2008-08-22T21:21:12+00:00

I'm on a serious mission to get my Stratacoustic on an amp as it my first pluggable guitar and I have only practiced and played it unplugged. I'm thinking of a Vox AD50VT as I feel it would be a very sensible long term purchase, but would welcome any sugestions as I am a serious newbie. I have had lighter nickel strings fitted and play whatever the neighbours will tolerate! I'm more of a picker than a strummer and will definitely use a record line out function as I plan to add a nice USB or PCI soundcard to my laptop or desktop soon. Thanks people, the forum is brilliant and I sense a lot of cameraderie in the musical instrument player's world than any other profession I know of. Graeme

FenderBender

I'm not a fan of the "legal" trade in ivory either: if we don't use any, there's no demand for the illegal stuff.

I'm right in your yard on that one, it is shocking what humans do for a bit of bone.
Oops. Forgot the Friday post. Will do later ?

that will mean giving some of the money to Telkom - which I object to on principle.

Exactly the reason I went with iBurst ?

GAS - something most modern musicians struggle with.

Except you and I it seems ?

Oh btw, I managed to hook up the Stratacoustic>>>Fishman>>>V-Amp>>>Arcam system and HELL YA!
Very very very impressed with how the Arcam handles the heavy attack, distortion and sweeps of the V-Amp's output!
I will definitely have to take the saddle out, as I have to jack the treble and raise the mid to obtain a satisfactorily flat response.
I'm glad I started playing acoustic first, as the effects make a huge difference which would have probably been confusing for me when my experience was less.

So....now to scrape up cash for a 10U rack on castors ?

AlanRatcliffe

GAS - something most modern musicians struggle with.
Except you and I it seems ?

A recovering alcoholic is still an alcoholic. To prove the point, I got GAS real bad over the Vox yesterday.

Oh btw, I managed to hook up the Stratacoustic>>>Fishman>>>V-Amp>>>Arcam system and HELL YA!

Yeah, an accurate amp and speakers are just what the doctor ordered for modellers. I haven't looked back since I started using studio monitor speakers.

Very very very impressed with how the Arcam handles the heavy attack, distortion and sweeps of the V-Amp's output!

Just be careful with levels when you start using electric guitar. Hi-Fi speakers can handle their rated input as long as it's spread over the whole frequency spectrum. If you hit them full power with a mid focussed distorted electric guitar sound they tend to overheat and blow the coils (I've done it). Musical instrument speakers are a lot less accurate, but they take punishment.

So....now to scrape up cash for a 10U rack on castors ?

If you're serious I have a 10U SKB I'm not using (the better range).

FenderBender

A recovering alcoholic is still an alcoholic. To prove the point, I got GAS real bad over the Vox yesterday

LOL I was thinking more along the lines of us being fortunate to have musically inspired ladies ?

they tend to overheat and blow the coils

I have seen this before. The Arcam amp apparently features some kind of active damping circuit to help with this. Another listed plus is that the suspension around the driver speaker cones allows serious amounts of travel should the speakers be assaulted with heavy frequencies below approx 100Hz.

If you're serious I have a 10U SKB I'm not using

Aaaah the GAS lol! Let me know what you want for it ?

AlanRatcliffe

Graeme Parfett wrote
they tend to overheat and blow the coils
I have seen this before. The Arcam amp apparently features some kind of active damping circuit to help with this.

Interesting. A compressor, or something like NADs "soft clipping"?

If you're serious I have a 10U SKB I'm not using
Aaaah the GAS lol! Let me know what you want for it ?

It's this one. They're over R3K here, and this one's perfect. I didn't pay anywhere near that, so how does R1,500 sound?

FenderBender

A compressor, or something like NADs "soft clipping"?

I have no idea. Will browse a bit and short of finding anything will take the lid off old faithful and see what I can see ?

I didn't pay anywhere near that, so how does R1,500 sound?

Sounds like good value for money, but unaffordable right now due to cash trickle issues! I should be able to budget it in in a few weeks though.

AlanRatcliffe

Well if you do want it, just say. I don't mind hanging on for a few months/weeks. Its main function in life for the last year or so has been to lift my two 4U racks off the floor (a waste, I know), and I'll just have to finally get around to building myself a new, bigger desk.

FenderBender

Ok well I'll shout when I have the dollars and you shout when your 4Us are desked ?

AlanRatcliffe

Well if you're going to wait for me to build a desk first, you've got lots of time to raise cash - it's going on two years now since I had the cunning plan to build a bigger desk. I'm hoping that selling the rack will inspire me to make the time (and the desk).

FenderBender

Well lets just keep in touch. I'm using a trolley at the moment, but eventually I would like to lug my stuff around safely, so we have time to play with.

FenderBender

Alan Ratcliffe wrote When you put the saddle back, make sure it's a sliding fit in the slot - if it's too tight it will cause pickup problems.

Ok I took the saddle out and lifted out the (slightly bent) pickup. There was a fair amount of dust under the pickup, but what concerns me more is that the pickup was protruding slightly to the side of and not sandwiched nicely under the saddle. It's almost as if the slot is too wide and the saddle is slightly loose in the slot. Should I be overly concerned or just put the strings on again and try it out?

AlanRatcliffe

There are two different width saddle slots and pickups. Many manufacturers (and shops selling aftermarket pickups) will just use the thin one because it fits in both slots. It's not a major issue. They do bend easily, but under string pressure they flatten out.

I would blow out that dust though, and make sure there is none under the pickup either.

The bottom of the saddle must be perfectly flat. I usually hold it against the edge of a steel rule and up to the light - If I can see light between the two, it needs flattening (220 grit sandpaper on a piece of plate glass).

The saddle should be thin enough to make a sliding fit, coming out and fitting into the slot easily. If it's so thin that it leans when under the pressure of the strings, it needs replacing with a thicker saddle.

FenderBender

Ok! I plugged her in and what a difference! I leave the Fishman preamp flat and volume slider at 50% and she sounds great. Thanks for your killer advice once again. I really enjoy the "tube preamp" and "custom clean" sims on the V-Pro and now that I'm getting the response I should, I understand your fetish for piezo pickups. I can do virtually anything with this setup, although I still prefer a clean sound over all else for now.

Thanks ?

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