JapanAxe
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Everything posted by JapanAxe
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Behringer Super Fuzz, typically £20-£25. 2 flavours of fuzz plus clean boost, with 2-band EQ.
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Presumably you have a sound in your head that you’re trying to get with the equipment you have. Obviously we’re not party to what goes on in your head, but a few points of reference could help - songs, artists, or even genres where that sound can be heard.
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Do not bring that bass again... please
JapanAxe replied to javi_bassist's topic in General Discussion
I’ve been the guitarist who was apparently playing too loud, except the person saying so was hearing the bass. I also once told myself not to buy a Dingwall because it wouldn’t look ‘right’ in a country band. -
One of us! One of us!
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I re-capped and re-valved a friend’s Sound City PA head last year. I can’t say I was over-impressed with the build quality. I seem to recall them being nicknamed ‘Sounds Sh!tty’ but I think that was unfair, it sounded fine.
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- valve head
- vintage
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Having recently acquired a Walrus Monument I am reluctantly having to clear some space on my pedal shelf. Consequently the following analog tremolo pedals are up for sale (no trades thanks): (1) Subdecay Vagabond Offers the choice of Harmonic mode (think brown-panel Fender) or Bias (i.e. amplitude - think black-panel Fender). As well as the usual Speed and Intensity Controls there is Volume (boost or cut) and Drift. The latter either slows down or speeds up the tremolo rate according to the strength of the input signal. The emphasis here is on amp-style tremolo rather than trying to imitate a Univibe! The Intensity control is very powerful, making the pedal capable of everything from subtle wavering to full-on stutter. Switching is mechanical true bypass, and the status LED flashes in time with the LFO when engaged. Operates from 9-18V DC via a standard Boss-type power adaptor (no battery option). In excellent condition, boxed with user guide. There is hook velcro on the base but I can remove this and fit small non-slip rubber feet if you prefer. £125 posted in the UK. (2) Dazatronyx Optical Tremolo As far as I know, a unique design, hand-built in Australia. You don't see many over here. Controls for Rate, Tuning, and Boost. Tuning is kind of like depth but also affects the overall volume, and you the compensate with the Boost to taste. I can't find this exact pedal online - as far as I can tell it is the same circuit as the original big-box versions (see video below), rather than the later small-box model (which features a flashing LED). Mechanical true bypass switching. Operates from a standard 9V boss-style adaptor or a PP3 battery. In excellent condition, and just look at that artwork! No box. No velcro, and I will supply a set of rubber feet so that you have that option. £85 posted in the UK.
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This Trace Elliot ELF never ceases to amaze me!!!!
JapanAxe replied to Mike Bungo's topic in Amps and Cabs
Elf on the shelf? -
Tbh that’s not something I’d want on an amp - too much choice for my liking!
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Deps - What format do you prefer material to be given in?
JapanAxe replied to Auctioneer's topic in General Discussion
My preference is for parts in standard notation, with chord symbols, in PDFs. I can then import them into ForScore on my iPad. It’s pretty rare for this to happen though. More often I get a set list with keys and then transcribe any numbers I don’t already know using Sibelius First, or if I’m lucky I might find a decent transcription online (e.g. tomreadbass.co.uk). -
Buying from China on eBay - not in Global Shipping Programme
JapanAxe replied to JapanAxe's topic in General Discussion
I see what you did there. Actually 9 days. -
That actually causes a different problem but I can’t remember what it is. Cathode stripping in guitar amps is a myth that has been propagated since at least the dawn of the Internet. EDIT: I looked this up and when a cathode is heated but no anode current flows for a long period of time (several hours?), a high-resistance chemical layer can grow between the cathode and its oxide coating. This is known as cathode poisoning. Incidentally, 2 of my 3 gigging valve guitar amps have no standby. The first thing I do when I walk on stage is switch on the amp's power, and by the time I have checked my tuning and pedal settings it is ready to play.
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I set up the breadboard with the make-before-break (shorting) switch and the new cap values. Somewhat disappointed that there is still a click when switching values, and wondering how Stellartone get round this. I've also worked out a way to connect all but the biggest cap between the switch lugs rather than to ground, adding one cap at once in series to reduce the overall capacitance at each detent of the rotary - not sure whether that would be less clicky. I'll spend a bit more time playing with it before I decide whether to try this in my Dingwall or just stick with the traditional tone pot.
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Buying from China on eBay - not in Global Shipping Programme
JapanAxe replied to JapanAxe's topic in General Discussion
Well the stand arrived quicker than expected and there have been no extra charges, so that's a win, cheers all! -
I bought this amp a couple of years ago to use in my Bowie tribute but ended up playing second guitar in the band. The amp really brings out the difference between the basses I played through it, and somehow seems to increase the range of their passive tone controls. I have used it on a few gigs and rehearsals, but in the end I prefer the sound of my (rather more expensive) Demeter head. Features Power: 300W RMS into a load of 2-4ohms. I've found that to be plenty into my BF Super Twin. Weight: 9kg/20lb. Yep, not a heavyweight, despite the mahoosive toroidal transformer inside. Rack mountable (2U) or sits firmly on a cab on its rubber feet. As I understand it, this model has the filters from the HD350 (which people seem to prefer) with the extra features of the HD360 (e.g. light-up push-switches). The facility to make quick comparisons between flat and EQ'd sounds using the Filter switch is handy. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but the thing I liked best about the TC Classic 450 I once owned was the ability to dial in some subtle compression and drive for a vintage-y sound, and then leave it. This amp does that too, but in a much classier package. It also saved me having to put together a pedalboard. The Comp/Limit circuit comes after the Filter section, so with it engaged, boosting the Bass can change the tonal balance without massively changing the volume, and still lets the fundamentals come through when playing up the dusty end. Drive is great for adding in some 'fur', in fact at settings below noon it is not a million miles from how my Ampeg PF-50T used to sound when pushed. It goes up into full-on distortion territory if that's your thing. Character works well to beef up your sound without adding unwanted low-end flub. For any of you who are dubious about musical equipment built in the Far East, I can tell you this was built in Sweden. Condition The amp is in excellent condition and comes with its original shipping box, user manual, and a nice coffee-table book about EBS. Price £625 plus delivery £500 delivered UK. You are also welcome to audition it at my place before parting with your money - cash or confirmed bank transfer are fine. I have suitable carry case that could form part of a deal with an in-person buyer only. Meet-up within an hour's drive is also possible. I'm not looking for any trades, thanks. Photos I love the look of this version's front panel - it has a proper 'Rolls Royce' feel about it!
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I think the OP may refer to the idea that valve elements are more fragile when at their working temperatures. I simply don't know whether or not that is the case. My amp (valve or otherwise) tends to be one of the last things that I pack away, mainly because I like to get my instruments out of harm's way first, then clear the floor of trip hazards!
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Once you know you have finished playing, I'm not aware of any benefit to putting a valve amp into standby before switching it off. Switching off the mains while in playing mode (i.e. not in standby) does the amp no harm, it just means that the filter caps discharge through the valves as they continue to conduct for a few seconds.
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Dep job on lead guitar with a rock’n’roll band I’ve played with quite a bit. 40 mile drive to BL’s house, transferred my kit to his van, and another hour and a quarter to the venue. Except there’s a carnival and the street is closed. Carnival marshalls’ local knowledge plus satnav got us into the back gate, whence it was a 100yds carry and 2 flights of steps down to the ‘stage area’. Knackered already! The gig itself went fine until I started Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which the BL’s missus normally sings - but she’s home sick and there is a dep rhythm guitarist. He’s very good, playing intelligently so that we stay out of each other’s way. BL managed the song and we all had a laugh. Usual challenge of loading out through a crowd of p!ssed-up punters, although this time a shorter carry to the front door. Tried to snooze in the van on the way back, which was a mistake as this morning I feel like I’ve been beaten up. Rehearsal tonight (different band) for an unpaid party gig for the birthday party of a member’s missus. Rehearsal room is up three flights of stairs and along some corridors, but all the kit goes up in a goods lift. Could do without it tbh.
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The new rotary switch has arrived but in the meantime I have ordered some more capacitors, mylar ones with long flexible legs. I chose alternating values from the E12 series which turned out to be those not in the E6 series. Consequently there are a few values I don’t have in my stash, and some that I do are PCB types that would be awkward to fit to the switch. My next bass gig is a week tomorrow and I have a fair amount of material to be working on for 3 (yes three) bands, so I’ll likely do that gig with the current traditional tone pot.
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Ruin a band / artist by removing one letter from their name
JapanAxe replied to Earbrass's topic in General Discussion
Ryan Adams -
I tried this out this morning. The two smallest capacitors (150pF and 390pF) made no discernible difference to my ear, and the largest (82nF) was maybe too dark to be useful. The other values all gave good usable sounds, and I didn’t think any were too ‘peaky’ at their resonant frequency, so no resistors required. For the next iteration I’ll probably try more closely spaced values from 47nF down to 1nF. Also there is quite a loud click through the amp when changing settings. I think my rotary switch is break-before-make so it might be worth trying a make-before-break if I can find one. Alternatively I could try some high value resistors (2M2?) between the poles of the switch.