Post pictures of your next or newest instrument/gear purchase(s).

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No More Drake > Musician's Lounge > Post pictures of your next or newest instrument/gear purchase(s).

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Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

vac posted:

Is that a speaker between the two pickups?

No, just decoration. The pickups & controls are all mounted to the larger square panel, which is mounted in the body cavity.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2007 13:39

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:23

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

The Huntsman posted:

Ampeg BA115

Thanks to Uncle Caveman for helping me narrow it down to this.

Nice, man. How do you like it so far? I need something more portable than the SVT... like say, a pallet of bricks.

mono posted:

Line6 offers no explanation for the "tweak" and "tweez" knobs.

The Tweak & Tweez knobs vary by each pedal - on the DL4 (depending on which patch you're playing with), the "Analog w/ Mod" patch (i.e. Memory Man) uses them for the modulation control; on the plain "Digital Delay" patch they're a bass/treble control.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2007 14:15

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

sailorjosh posted:

A Harmony from the 50's... There is something wrong with the electronics...

Don't you dare pull out those pickups and replace them but if you do, send them to me. < :mad:

# ¿ Jul 6, 2007 23:19

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Lil Danzig posted:

This fellow is correct. I'm 5'6" on a good day. That guitar looks HUGE when I play it, which is comical. But my god, it plays so well.

You're both right - Firebirds are goddamned enormous for a solidbody. The headstock alone is like 8" long. :quagmire:

# ¿ Jul 16, 2007 12:43

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

SpeedyCow posted:

The only real damage are some splits on the top and back...

Please get those fixed before you put any strings on it.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2007 11:42

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

There are two kinds of cracks you see in old guitars: finish cracks, where temperature & humidity have caused the wood to expand & contract beneath the thin lacquer (perfectly normal and non-damaging); and splits in the wood itself from impact or extreme climate change (ouch).

The bracing should provide enough support, but the top is put under a lot of tension when the strings are tuned up. I wouldn't want to chance it, and I sure as hell wouldn't tell a customer to "see what happens."

Unless I wanted to ensure they'd have to bring it in for repairs... :tinfoil:

# ¿ Jul 24, 2007 03:22

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Phase One of the Dean Stylist project is complete:

So far: New Gretsch Bass pickups, Hofner tailpiece, Hipshot Ultralight tuners, bone nut, headstock refinish, knobs, switch tip, etc.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2007 14:14

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

^^^I found it on ebay for $200. It's the most ridiculously good deal I've ever lucked into.

Also: Finished the girlfriend's birthday present... a few days late. :blush:

# ¿ Jul 25, 2007 15:50

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

True, but Willie's beat-to-hell acoustic is a nylon-string, which is under a lot less tension. I wouldn't doubt it's had some under-the-hood reinforcement, either.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2007 20:22

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

vac posted:

pol, did you remove that pickup cover yourself or is it just a replacement pickup? If it was you would you mind giving me any tips? I've heard of using pliers but that doesn't seem like too great of an idea especially if I end up wanting to put the cover back on.

Most metal covers are soldered to the baseplate - don't just pry it off, unless you want to chance loving up the coils. Next time you change strings, just unscrew the pickup ring, flip over the pickup & heat the joint with a soldering iron.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2007 14:45

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Odd, 'cause soldering guns are usually more powerful - too powerful for most guitar work, even. Too much power can burn up pots & caps. A 25-35watt pencil-type iron should be all you need.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2007 02:32

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Scottw330 posted:

Oh! Good call. I hadn't had any luck trying to find the kind with the right 11-hole configuration with any retailers.

There's also Guitar Parts Resource, which has a nice selection. You should get an anodized guard; all the best-dressed sunbursts are wearing gold this season.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2007 00:46

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Handen posted:

Are those just anodized aluminum? With an aluminum guard, do I have to worry about grounding it to the rest of the metal parts of the guitar?

Yes, and not all of them, but it helps - guitars w/ single coils benefit from having everything connected to a common ground anyway.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2007 23:53

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Dugrosh posted:

I just bought an Epiphone acoustic for my first guitar. It might look a little fruity (Dandelions LOL) but it sounds sexy.

If a J-200 is fruity then book me some time in the bathhouse. Great choice. :swoon:

# ¿ Aug 24, 2007 11:42

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

You should be - the Valvetronix models are great amps. Hearing a guy demo one with a Strat was what sold me on them. Best AC30 sim I've heard.

# ¿ Sep 6, 2007 20:51

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

belikeron posted:

Right but aren't most of the cheaper guitars just rosewood topped, with most of the neck made out of a much cheaper wood?

Most guitars - not just the "cheaper" ones - have either a rosewood or ebony or maple (or whatever) fretboard over a mahogany or maple (or whatever) neck. A full rosweood neck like Alfa Tard mentioned is really pricey, for the reasons pointed out by Handen. Fender maple necks are sometimes cut from a single piece, since maple isn't very rare or expensive.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2007 15:52

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Alfa Tard posted:

Now to find out why Fender uses 3 to 7 pieces for their bodies now. I'd be afraid to strip anything with a solid color finish!

The usual reason, cost - not that a slab-body electric will sound much different with a two-piece body versus 5 or 6. A one-piece neck is pretty easy to make from a plank of maple; a one-piece body requires a much bigger tree... I don't think I've ever seen one in production, just from custom shops like Warmoth. Two-piece bodies are the norm that I've seen, with 3+ more common on solid finishes. Hell, a natural-finished Gibson tends to be something like $500 higher since it needs a prettier chunk of wood.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2007 11:35

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Lobster Johnson posted:

The Uberfooger

That's beyond awesome - I've wanted to do the same thing for a long time and POST SOME GODDAMN SOUND CLIPS OH GOD :gonk:

# ¿ Oct 23, 2007 15:05

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Susano-maku da! posted:

Or just get a duo-sonic neck for a couple of hundred.

Minor roadblock: Unless the neck is designed as a conversion from one scale to another (like the Warmoth types), mixing scale lengths on a guitar won't work without relocating the bridge - and in the case of a Jag/JM, you'd have to move the bridge pickup as well.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2007 22:43

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Susano-maku da! posted:

That I didn't know. I was planning on buying a warmoth jag neck to replace the neck on my MIK Squire Strat or get a telecaster body and go short scale.

You can do it, but like I said, you'll need to move the bridge forward to compensate; it's not a straight drop-in replacement. If you're putting a Jag neck on a Tele/Strat, you'd have to measure 24" from the nut and reposition the bridge so the two center saddles line up right at the 24" mark. Also note that the Jag's neck heel is slightly smaller than the Strat/Tele neck pocket - try to center it as much as possible before tightening the screws.

An easier option would be the Warmoth conversion neck I linked to before - it's 24 3/4" scale, but you don't have to make with the drilling and the measuring and the hey hey hey.

# ¿ Nov 5, 2007 13:29

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

drat, those Alumitone pickups look scientifically rad. Though you say "really clean," do they sound sterile at all? That was the only thing I didn't like about the Strat Lace Sensors.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2007 19:41

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Strat & Jazzmaster necks are interhangeable (same pocket shape & scale length) - as mentioned, the difference is in the headstock shape (slightly longer/larger), board radius (always 7.25"; some new Strats are flatter) and nut dimension (a few mm narrower).

# ¿ Dec 2, 2007 04:06

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

It should, yes. I've only run into CIJ/MIA mismatches with things like pickguards and bridge holes, etc - the neck swaps I've done have been fine.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2007 02:51

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Phish Phriday posted:

My happy rear end got a Gibson Firebird VII for under a grand neener neener neener!

I wish I could hate you to death.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2007 17:00

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Herr Roboto posted:

Today the case arrived. I hope the guitar is inside, I don't really know if the guitar is inside, because the case is locked and he didn't put a key in the packet.

WHAT THE gently caress!

You should be able to open it with a small flat-head screwdriver - guitar case locks aren't exactly the... toughest safes to crack. :ninja:

# ¿ Dec 17, 2007 13:39

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

adamrobertt posted:

Yep. As if eBay "protection" is worth a poo poo anyway.

Eh, it's better than nothing. I once had a buyer try to tell me the Les Paul I shipped had arrived with the headstock "broken off" and that he wanted a refund - more than two weeks after he got the guitar and left good feedback. Hmm, you'd think he'd have noticed that sooner??

I did the usual asking to see photos of the damage, if he had filed a claim with UPS, etc... after much dicking around (including him refusing to answer my questions & even sending me my own auction photos as "proof"), I went ahead and opened a claim with SquareTrade. Upon informing him of this, he let me know "it's no big deal, really, just a bent tuner I can fix it." Uh-huh. :crossarms:

# ¿ Dec 17, 2007 21:46

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Yes, there are short scale bass strings. Handen's correct, though if you're using regular strings (unless it says "short scale" on the package, assume they're for a 34" bass), you'll want a heavier gauge to keep them from being too floppy.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2007 17:25

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Walter posted:

Out of curiosity, how much did those hooks run you? I've got a $50 card for GC, and I've been meaning to do what you've done for some time.

I'm not opposed to going over the card amount - I've got six or seven instruments I'd like to hang up - but I've been trying to get hooks that are actually okay for the instrument, and are still reasonably priced.

String Swing hangers run about $12. They're very nice, solid and sturdy. The padding could damage a finicky old lacquer finish, but this is a problem with most any guitar stand. I just cover it with a microfiber cloth if I'm worried.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2008 16:35

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

HumanSpeedBump posted:

...but then I found out about the Digitech JamMan, which is basically the same but much better with a negligible price difference...

Yes, yes it is. Good choice.

vv The big selling points for me were that the Digitech can store 99 separate patches (to the RC20's 11), longer record time (24 minutes standard, 6.5 hours with a 2GB CF card - compared to the RC20's 5 minutes) and the ability to send to a computer via USB. I spent some time with a friend's RC20 and wasn't too impressed with the idiot factor (how easy it is to figure out with no instructions). When I got my JamMan I was able to get going pretty quickly.

Uncle Caveman fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Jan 22, 2008

# ¿ Jan 22, 2008 16:49

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

TheDingo posted:

Why are you using both a JamMan and DL4?

The DL4 is a great delay that happens to have a marginally useful looper. :shobon:

# ¿ Jan 22, 2008 21:05

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

�ptimysticism posted:

This arrived over the weekend compliments of eBay:

Minto Took posted:

'Sup, Jazzmaster buddy? 3-tone sunburst reissue owner here.

Heyyyyy CIJ and/or sunburst JM buddies.

Handen posted:

Mustang bridges are the most painless swap.

This is true. The biggest problem with the stock bridge is that the saddle height screws tend to work themselves loose after a while. You can dab them with Loc-Tite to keep them in place, though.

But the best improvement you can do to a CIJ Jazzmaster is to swap out the pickups & pots. Original JMs had wide flat coils, and 1meg pots on the lead circuit; CIJ pickups are more like a Strat, with 250k pots.

(CIJ on the left, Duncan on the right)

I put a pair of Duncan Antiquitys in mine and the difference really is night & day (especially with flatwound strings). Lollar, Fralin and Novak also make top-notch JM pickups.

Uncle Caveman fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Jan 30, 2008

# ¿ Jan 30, 2008 13:52

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

pennywisdom posted:

I noticed that I cannot get a clean sound out of it now, there is always a hint of overdriver. Any guesses on what it could be?

It's a Hot Rod DeVille. :unsmith:

Really, it's just a loud goddamned amp. You could try replacing the preamp 12AX7s with 12AY7s, which are a little more tame. They helped my old 85w Bandmaster (as in, I could turn it up to 3 instead of 2 before it caused my retinas to burst).

Agreed posted:

Definitely agreeing on this point. I love that color, and Gretsch guitars are just beautiful. Really good players, too, especially once you get into the $1000+ guitars.

Yes. Yes they are. :dong:

Uncle Caveman fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Feb 4, 2008

# ¿ Feb 4, 2008 16:18

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

ZombiePeanut posted:

I'm going to have to disagree with the love for that gretsch... It'd be fine if the whole back wasn't that green color. I mean, it's a great deal for a great guitar, but drat... that's a lot of olive drab.

It's not OD, it's metallic - very close to Fender's Sherwood Green.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2008 00:36

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Aeon posted:

It's been a project in the making for awhile, and now it's finally finished (at least for now, I might do a little bit of tweaks down the line).

Did you post this on the Fender Forum a while back?

# ¿ Feb 12, 2008 21:28

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Col.Kiwi posted:

Schatten that bass everybody's drooling over sure is beautiful, but what the hell's happening around the bridge pickup there?

Rickenbacker 4003 basses have a hand rest/cover thing over the bridge pickup.

# ¿ Mar 10, 2008 20:44

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Jimix posted:

It came loaded with these awesome $100 flatwounds. I have never really played with flats but I like these a lot, I suppose I should for strings that cost that much. I'll probably never take them off.

Has a really strange tone - about the exact opposite of my warwick

Neato. Thomastik-Infields are about the best flats you can find; they'll last forever, too. Hollowbody basses are great, a completely different feel than a solid. In fact, I think the tonal differences between hollow & solid are even more noticeable on a bass than on an electric guitar.

You can get a great pseudo acoustic/upright thumpy sound by cutting a velcro cable tie in half and sandwiching it around the strings near the bridge. Slide it forward or back to adjust how much muting you want.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2008 14:42

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Frets work the other way, man. Anything after the 12th fret on that hypothetical joke-guitar would certainly work... it's just that according to the original gag, "dumb people" wouldn't ever play anything but those notes - and so would have no need for the missing frets.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2008 21:58

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

MononcQc posted:

EDIT: It's coming with roundwound strings, so I'll want to change them for flatwounds. Anyone got good infos on what to buy?

La Bella, Pyramid or Thomastik-Infield. They're all pricey, but are the best flats you'll ever find and a set will last for years.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2008 18:10

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

LOO posted:

To me, brand new flat-wounds on an acoustic sound like 3 month old round-wounds. Dead.

What brands have you tried? At first, I bought some D'Addario & Ernie Ball flats 'cause they were cheap, just to see if I'd like them.

I hated them. They nearly put me off flats for good. Just as you described, "dead like 3 month old rounds."

Then I tried a friend's Gretsch with some Pyramid flats... there's a reason they go for ~$50 a set: Because they're not horrible. I've had a set of Pyramids on my Jazzmaster for about a year and they still sound fantastic. I put some TI's on my Club bass & Jazz bass, too. Awesome.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2008 13:52

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 00:23

Uncle Caveman: Jun 16, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

3toes posted:

I now want a Gibson EB-3L.

Epiphone's set-neck EB-3 is 34" scale, and has the Vari-Tone control.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2008 15:31

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No More Drake > Musician's Lounge > Post pictures of your next or newest instrument/gear purchase(s).

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