Small Questions Which Don't Deserve Their Own Thread

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scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I want to know how grills are mounted to guitar and bass cabinets without having any visible screws/mounting hardware. It's driving me nuts.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2009 04:28

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:37

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Thumposaurus posted:

Friction, I have an Ampeg 4x12 that the grill is a frame that the cloth is stretched over and fits very tightly into the front of the cabinet.
A simple pull and it comes right out, but it's tight enough that it won't fall out all by itself.

warwick5s posted:

velcro too

I believe I'll try both! Thanks dudes

# ¿ Nov 16, 2009 21:58

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Stabbing Spork posted:

Anyone have a suggestion for a good 335 copy up to $600?
I've been considering the Agile AS-1000, Epiphone Dot, Hofner Verythin CT, and the Hagstrom viking.

Bandmate of mine has an Epiphone Dot and it sounded awesome. The wiring inside wasn't the best and had some issues, but a quick soldering job fixed it.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2009 22:40

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

My guitarist has an Ampeg Reverberocket head and I wanna know if the Ampeg AFP-2 footswitch will operate the reverb and channel changes independently. We tried a generic stereo footswitch and when we tried to turn on the reverb, it would turn it and the overdriven channel on, but would not activate the reverb independently.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2009 14:39

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

I thought that fret buzz was the fault of action being too low or having too little relief in the neck or not fretting hard enough?

Disclaimer: I am a guitar tech prole.

Edit: Well, wikipedia vindicated me :3:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fret_buzz

The bridge will help to raise the action, and I suppose if the bridge is made of a softer metal it would wear down over time, and graphite is pretty dense, so your dude might be on to something. I'd like to take this time to reitterate my previous disclaimer.

scuz fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Nov 19, 2009

# ¿ Nov 19, 2009 16:17

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

OBAMA ACKBAR posted:

How do I learn how to play and sing at the same time? I've never had very good coordination when it comes to doing two different things at a time, and I just haven't been able to pick it up practicing on my own.

Is there just a steep learning curve to it? Is there a good way to do it on my own, or am I just going to have to suck it up and schedule a half hour a week with someone?

If you can get the basics down, it's not hard at all. Also knowing your range is going to help you out a bunch.

I just found out that I can sing and play at the same time ( :neckbeard:

) and it was just a matter of doing it. The guitarist threw a mic in front of me and said "sing this when you play this" and I just did it and it was great. If you're just starting out, I would recommend picking out a song that you already know (or can easily learn) to sing and play along with. Once you're able to separate your hands from your vocal cords on one song, you can easily transfer it to another song once you get the knack of it.

And if it's up to you, make the part that you're playing while singing very simple and in-sync with what you're singing. Geddy Lee of Rush is a pretty good example of this and he's said that he's simplified bass parts for when he's singing to make it easier on him.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2009 21:33

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Here's about as nub a question as you can get!

I've never had to use more than one cab, but I may have to in the near future. There are two jacks on the back of the amp, the amp can handle 4 ohms. I have 2 8 ohm cabinets. How do I connect them?

# ¿ Dec 1, 2009 20:27

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

DaveSpillings posted:

i need mics

Firstly, micing the guitars with an SM58 is the same thing as micing them with an SM57, which is a very popular guitar cab mic. It'll do a decent job, and many studios use a 57 for this very purpose. That said, buy Audix microphones. They're price-comparable to their Shure counterparts but perform much better on the whole. I picked up a used Audix A5 (their version of the SM57) and even the other gear-stupid bandmates were able to figure out that it did a much better job than the 57 we had been using. Our frontman is even using it as a vocal mic, which isn't recommended (use an OM2 for that) but still does a much better job than the SM58 we were using.

Micing a bass cab is way too complicated and you're much better off using a DI box. The Tech21 SansAmp is a popular choice, but if the bass's amp has a DI on it, just use that and plug straight into the mixing board.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2009 16:26

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

the wizards beard posted:

Do cheap sets of nut files exist? I like to change string gauges and tunings on guitar and bass, StewMac wants $140 just for a set of files.

Something similar for fret files would be great as well.

I will never buy anything from StewMac because they seem to be way, way too expensive. They've got a lot of neat poo poo, but I don't have the scratch for it.

Hit up a hardware store. They'll probably have some files, but you'll have to do conversions for sure (from string gauge to inches/cm). For the frets (we're just talking about the ends, right?) sandpaper is probably the best bet. Just get some higher grits (start at like 220 and go up from there if you need to) and make sure the sandpaper is meant for metal (the paper for wood isn't as sturdy).

# ¿ Dec 2, 2009 16:40

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

the wizards beard posted:

String gauges are already measured in inches

Yeah I've thought of going to a big hardware store with a bunch of StewMac printouts, might do that on the weekend. I'd really like a file(s) for fret work, sand paper can be really awkward to work with unless you glue it to something and then it has to replaced...
I don't know of any cheap places that do this, so I could save quite a bit if can do it at home. Shaping and filing a fret from a blank can't be more than an hour of work with the right tools, right? Ideally I'd like to be able to do full re-frets, but just crowning and levelling would do for now.

Sounds like you already know more about this sort of thing than me :ohdear:

Best of luck!

# ¿ Dec 2, 2009 17:30

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Okay so I just received a bunch of parts to mod the DS-1 for bass and had a question or two. I'm swapping out two diodes and I'm wondering if it matters which way they're soldered to the board? The way I understand diodes is that current goes in one way and out another and can't be reversed. How do I determine which way the stuff is supposed to go? :ohdear:

# ¿ Dec 3, 2009 20:44

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

the wizards beard posted:

If you're swapping both diodes then they go back to back, so each one will point in the opposite direction. It doesn't matter which is which as long as they are facing different directions.

Phew, thanks man. I'm posting pics of the mod later in the bass thread (or maybe start a new thread, I dunno).

# ¿ Dec 3, 2009 20:53

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Delta-Wye posted:

I've been jamming with a bassist for a little while now, and I really think we could use some sort of metronome or click track to help us keep in time. I have a simple mixer/amp setup to mic vocals, and I was thinking I could just plug my laptop into one of the channels and have it play something. Do you guys have any recommendations for a decent/simple audio program to do this? It doesn't have to be too fancy or sound like a real drumset or anything, but it would have to be able to be set to different tempos and hopefully sound a little more exciting than a metronome.

Plug the Korg MA-30 into the tape-in on the mixer using a mono 1/8"-to-RCA and you're golden.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2009 02:47

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Cool Cool Cool posted:

I found an old speaker in my attic; RTR Series III; my parents said they were top notch speakers back in the day. My question is, would it be possible to hook an amp head to it? It has an old piece of paper stapled to the back that recommends 8 gauge wire input. I've never used an amp head before, but I have been wanting to get something new and if it can work with an amp head that might influence my decision.

Haha, I have those speakers! They're pretty awesome.

Short answer: those types of drivers are not meant for the loud volumes or amounts of power that amplifiers put out.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2009 17:16

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

My Precious Violin Case posted:

I'm buying a used Orange Tiny Terror head tomorrow but I've always played combos so I don't know what my options are for a cab. I'd preferably like to spend less on the cab than I will on the amp ($450 CAD) and I don't want anything bigger than a 1x12 or 2x12. Are there any cheap "go to" cabs? I was going to get an Avatar cab but the only place that sells them has stopped carrying them and instead if promoting some Canadian brand which is out of my price range.

http://www.avatarspeakers.com should do you just fine. If their guitar cabs are anything like their bass cabs you should be good to go.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2009 21:42

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

My Precious Violin Case posted:

I'd prefer to buy Canadian to avoid duties and taxes (if I buy out of province). After all is said and done a 112 from Avatar will cost me $369 + duties which is pretty steep. Am I being optimistic thinking there are cheaper options that are still good?

Oof that sucks. Avatar is pretty much across-the-board cheaper than any other cab company while maintaining quality. Your only option might be used stuff

Have you checked with that guy that used to sell the Avatars to see if he has any backstock?

# ¿ Dec 10, 2009 22:23

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Cool Cool Cool posted:

I've been looking into getting a new amp as mentioned. Specifically, I want something with a nice clean channel, probably solid state or anything under 300 bucks. Any opinions on the Peavey Bandit? Other suggestions. I play a Danelectro DC 3 and like to play twangy poo poo.

Paging magnificent7 to make you buy a peavey bandit. At least I think that's who loves 'em so much.

Serious answer: keep your eye out for a used Fender Hot Rod. Every once in a while they'll dip under $300 for a 2x10 combo.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2009 15:20

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

mrbradlymrmartin posted:

Blackfaces are pre-CBS so you got all the gear junkies buying them. The red knob "The Twin" from the 80s does a decent distorted tone from what I hear, which is unusual for a Twin. Oh, and a Twin Reverb has reverb obv
They tend to sound really great clean and weigh half a ton

(btw I've actually got a Music Man Sixty-Five 210 (65W, 2 10" spkrs, very imaginative name) that's basically the Music Man version of the Twin I'm looking to sell)

You need to buy that Music Man amp Cool Cool Cool. Awesome clean tones, probably the cleanest I've ever heard.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2009 18:29

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

hamaien posted:

My Ovation acoustic is pretty much the darkest sounding acoustic I've ever played. What type of strings should I look for to help balance the tone a bit and brighten it up?

I put DR's phosphor bronze on my old one and now it's the sound equivalent to a 1,000w light bulb.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2009 22:53

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

My guitarist has a "line out" on his amp. To plug it into the mixer, do I use an instrument or a speaker cable?

# ¿ Dec 15, 2009 05:23

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

mrbradlymrmartin posted:

Instrument cables carry line-level signals just fine; that's what line-level synths and whatnot use

awesome we have way more of those :3:

# ¿ Dec 15, 2009 05:49

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

CalvinDooglas posted:

If the amp's speaker automatically shuts off when the line out is used, you might want to mic the amp to preserve stage sound.

The problem is that we don't have a mic to spare in our rehearsal space :ohdear:

In any case, it's a tube amp, so I don't think the speaker would be turned off, would it?

# ¿ Dec 15, 2009 22:03

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

CalvinDooglas posted:

I'm not even sure I've owned an amp crappy enough not to run both. Are you trying to run the guitar through a PA for practice? might be a little overkill for a small space.

It's for recording. We have 3 microphones and 4 things that need a microphone (we've only got one on drums) if we wanna record them. The drum mic is hilariously bad: a Shure PG58 with a taped-on windscreen. Pictures are in the rehearsal space thread. We need more/better microphones and we are all broke and it's depressing as hell.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2009 22:44

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

CalvinDooglas posted:

If you're multitracking there's no need to mic everyone at once, and you really shouldn't because of bleed. If you're doing live takes, I'm not sure I'd even bother with the drum mic because they'll be on every track regardless. Mixing a line-in with a bunch of ambient mics could also sound a little weird, since the line-in will lose all the room noise/bleed, which causes it to sound very "up front" and unnatural in an otherwise live mix. The easiest and least bloody way to do that recording is probably to record the drums first, then everyone else record to the drum track. You can then use all of your microphones to separate the bass and hi hat (trust me this sounds great), and mic all the instruments. The more stages you can separate the recording into, the more you stretch your equipment and get better quality. The trade is time and energy, but it's better to put in a lot of effort and get a decent recording than some effort for a worthless recording.

You also don't need a windscreen indoors.

Sorry, I made you type that whole words out :ohdear:

We are not multitracking; we are going through a powered mixer and into a sony dual-cassette deck. We po'

Also when I say windscreen I mean the thing that screws on to the microphone where the diaphragm is. Like the difference between the SM57 and SM58 is its windscreen. What do you call it?

# ¿ Dec 16, 2009 01:31

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Oh hey, a free stuff page on GGG!

....

wtf lol

# ¿ Dec 20, 2009 18:19

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Horse Divorce posted:

So where is a good place to shop for speakers?

https://www.peavey.com will have direct-replacement speakers, otherwise https://www.usspeaker.com and https://www.avatarspeakers.com

quote:

Also, my guitar is an acoustic electric. Will it sound like crap?
Should I start looking for a sound hole pickup?

Nope, just get a rubber hole blocker thing; I forget their technical term. It's a rubber hole plug that keeps your guitar from being a feedback machine.

quote:

Next week, will Batman catch the Penguin?

nope

# ¿ Dec 21, 2009 22:45

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Yup, that sound hole cover is what you need. Post more information when you get your hands on the amp then we can tell you exactly which speaker to get :3:

# ¿ Dec 21, 2009 23:00

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Achtane posted:

I got an amp head (Crate GX-1600 to be exact) that had some sketchiness involving the input jacks as well as horrible popping when I adjust the gain knob. I opened it up to see if there was anything really obvious that I could replace (loose solder joint or something), and noticed this.

Click here for the full 1024x768 image.

This is probably really stupid, but what is this yellow waxy crap? Is it supposed to be used as an adhesive on more sensitive joints? If so, then it looks like whoever had this before me was kind of reckless with it. Is it the remains of something melted? EZ cheese? Would removing it have any effect?

Anyway, I can do without the gain on channel B; I just want to be able to play through this without it suddenly cutting in and out.

Leave that goop there. It's put in there by the factory and is used as a stabilizer for certain parts and also acts as a heat sink or something.

You problem is that you own a Crate.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2009 14:34

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Achtane posted:

I thought so. Thanks for the info.

Fun anecdote:

I was working at a Guitar Center in Minnesota a while ago and was tidying up my bass aisle. Some middle-aged guy came up to me and asked about the bass amps, and I recommended a couple of different small combos that we had (GK, SWR's LA series) for his kid, and then he asked about Crate. My response was "Oh Crate sucks, you'll be replacing that in a year when you realize they're awful or when it breaks in a week." The dude nodded and thanked me for my help.

An hour later, the sales team was rounded up for a little meeting from a representative from a company whose gear we sell. The middle-aged guy was brought up in front of the group and said he was the rep from St. Louis Music and was there to talk about the new Crate line of amps! He also referred to Crate as the "red-headed step child" of the amp world, and I am a red-headed step child (he didn't know I was a step child though).

:parrot:

crate is awful nobody should own one :parrot:

# ¿ Dec 28, 2009 19:41

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

John Blaster posted:

So, wait I have a crate vintage 50 concert amp from the 70s that my friend gave me. I was always under the impression that it was bad rear end. It sure sounds loving bad rear end... but then again I'm not a pro musician, I don't think I quite have the experience to compare the sound to anything else really. It does have occasional problems I need to get fixed, but I had always been told that problems are inherent with tube amps. That true?

Well what sort of problems are you having? There are a bunch of different things that can go wrong with tube amps (biasing, tube quality, etc), and there are other things that are just plain bad.

warwick5s posted:

Anything that was built in the 70's and still works has to be pretty good. Brands have gone through so much consolidation and reorganization over the years that 1970 Crate probably occupied a very different market than 2009 Crate.

Don't worry about it if it sounds good.

This is correct; all of it.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2009 20:16

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

El Miguel posted:

Does an amp always need to be rebiased when the tubes are replaced? What if I'm putting in the same thing that was already there?

It's a good idea to do so, but it's not always necessary. The bias on every tube isn't the same from set-to-set. An EL34 set may be rated differently than the set you had in there previously, and the tube life will be affected one way or the other.

That said, I plugged 4 Sovtek 6L6s into my buddy's JCM900 without touching the bias controls and it sounded very, very good/loud (mostly loud).

# ¿ Jan 21, 2010 17:18

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Some friends are starting a guitar company and want someone to wind some pickups for them. What's a reliable place online to get some DIY pickup material, like the magnets and bobbins and wire?

# ¿ Jan 29, 2010 16:32

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Ferrous Wheel posted:

Stew Mac.

Man, I'm dumb. I thought it'd be really tough to track this poo poo down, but mojo music supply has all that stuff, too.

Anyways, now to get to learning the step-by-step so I can get windin'!

# ¿ Jan 29, 2010 20:58

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

Okay, band name legal question:

The band that I'm in was planning on being the Hitchcock Blondes. In the process of creating the facebook and myspace pages for us, I found out that there is a band in California with the same name and that a band in Wisbech, UK had to change their name because of it. How do we determine whether or not they'll come after us about it? The guitarist (whose project this really belongs to) is dead-set on the name and refuses to change it.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2010 20:49

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:37

scuz: Aug 29, 2003; You can't be angry ALL the time!; Fun Shoe

A friend of mine wants to use a Pignose amp as a loud speaker for his MP3 player. Would that work or are there line/speaker level input problems?

# ¿ Jul 22, 2010 17:52

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