What Projects are you Working On Now?

[Tim Smith]

6 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

Fixed. 
by far my toughest critic!

t

My wife has no music talent at all. When she sings dogs howl. 

I believe she would be more than willing to critique my stuff, but she has no idea what she is critiquing. In that respect we are both on different pages. All she knows is I sometimes like to spend in the studio. I know she mostly doesn't understand why.

[Tim Smith]

On 8/8/2022 at 4:30 PM, smallstonefan said:

I realized I need to optimize my current guitar setup. I have a few issues that I'm working on:

1. I recently moved from a single amp back to a stereo setup and I've found that having two tube amps cranked for their best tone is just a bit too loud for me. I've purchased a pair of attenuators to put on the amps. I went with the Weber Mass because it seems to be the best one to deal with the 2 ohm load of the super and I went with the Dr. Z Air Brake as it seems best suited for the Z Wreck.

2. I realized that with the pedals on the floor I don't get nearly as creative as I used to when I had them racked  - bending over three rows of pedals to twist knobs while holding a guitar and squatting is HARD. So I elevated the pedal board - but then I couldn't run the pedals that actually required foot control. So I moved the volume pedal, the expression pedal that runs the H9, and the tap tempo pedal that runs all the digital pedals (as well as the Lehle stereo splitter that feeds a Boss loop station, and the Radial Stage Bug I use to send signals to the speakers) to a child board below it.

3. I haven't quite gotten the bugs out of the board (such as the midi interactions of pedals) and I'm focusing on getting everything working perfectly and smoothly. Then I'll tidy the wiring and enjoy!

 

The goal of these three items is to allow me to plugin, press record, and just play guitar without having to think about all the gear. 

How do you get them to reproduce like that?

[Bapu]

On 8/8/2022 at 1:30 PM, smallstonefan said:

Odd, not one Klon KTR overdrive pedal to be seen. ? 

But for sure there is no space for an original Klon Centaur (going price between $5k-$8k).

Edited August 10, 2022 by Bapu

[DeeringAmps]

24 minutes ago, Bapu said:

not one Klon KTR overdrive pedal to be seen?

Evidently the Klon Klones are selling like hotcakes at Stew-Mac.

Just sayin'...

t

and its a kit so it would be your project du jour!

[Bapu]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:27 AM, Bapu said:

I'm working on setting up modest pedalboard in the event a guitarist shows up in the studio to record or jam.

I did the Centaur DIY build.

Just need to decide on a Wah pedal and then buy the pedalboard. (UPDATE: Dunlop Cry Baby is on the way).

For those that don't know there were only about 8,000 Klon Centaur pedals built. They now range in price from $5K-to$8K. The Klon KTR was the modified successor to the Centaur and are a bit more mass produced. Used units (like mine) are in the $600 to $750 range. I got mine for $600.

The MOSKY pedals are low cost units that have had some really positive reviews so I thought I would dip my foot in there.

All that will be run thru my VOX AC30 (2x12" combo amp).

 

@DeeringAmps Maybe you missed it, but I already built a StewMac Klon Klone and I bought a KTR.

[DeeringAmps]

3 minutes ago, Bapu said:

I already built a StewMac Klon Klone

mybad...

[paulo]

 

 

[smallstonefan]

3 hours ago, Bapu said:

Odd, not one Klon KTR overdrive pedal to be seen. ? 

But for sure there is no space for an original Klon Centaur (going price between $5k-$8k).

I'm sort of surprised I didn't buy into the Klon early on - I've had so many pedals over the years. I think I was never really an overdrive user until recently when I picked up the The Paisley Drive. I really do enjoy what this pedal does as a subtle overdrive.

I'd love to try an old Klon at some point. The tone snob in my would never accept less than an OG, regardless of whether the cheap clones were as good or not.   I've tried a lot of clones of quality pedals and never found one that lived up to the original to my ears. 

But $8k buys a pair of LA-3A comps - so no, I'd never drop that on a pedal...

[craigb]

Welp, looks like we didn't get the (well deserved) contract extension (insert rant about local politics here)... ?

So, I get to have all that fun again trying to find another mode of income!  Yay. ?

I can think of many projects that are more fun... ?

[Bapu]

38 minutes ago, smallstonefan said:

  I've tried a lot of clones of quality pedals and never found one that lived up to the original to my ears. 

On a very slim technicality the (OG) Klon KTR is a clone of the Centaur in that it is chip based components (except those darned germanium diodes) rather than thru-hole caps and resistors.

Diehard Klon fanbois say the KTR is no different than an OG Centaur.

I'm also not about to drop a minimum of $5K on any pedal unless it comes with a 24/7 on-call monster guitar player who brings his own beer and pizza.

[Bapu]

13 minutes ago, craigb said:

Welp, looks like we didn't get the (well deserved) contract extension (insert rant about local politics here)... ?

So, I get to have all that fun again trying to find another mode of income!  Yay. ?

I can think of many projects that are more fun... ?

All you did was prove the bosses wife's nephew can do the job for half the price.

[craigb]

1 hour ago, Bapu said:

All you did was prove the bosses wife's nephew can do the job for half the price.

Except for that fact that the boss, his wife, his uncle and in-laws are all out of work with me!  ?

That said, the General Contractor was very disappointed because they saw we did a FAR better job than the other company (who also did not get the extension which went to another company for purely political reasons).  So, they would love to find something else for us which means there's still some hope!

I literally had just caught up (after being six months behind in rent) after the last paycheck and was looking forward to the next one to finally have some extra.  Oh well! ?

Time to print some digital currency, ya? ?

[Bapu]

Update: Added a second KTR so that one cand be set for clean overdrive and the other for grit overdrive.

Lastly awaiting arrival of an MXR Phase 90 to replace the cheap P90 Pro. It was really cheap and it make an awful audio pop when it's engaged.

[craigb]

This is what mine used to look like:

Now I only use the AnalogMan-modded Tube Screamer (bottom left, plugged in) and I still have the wah pedal.  Everything else is gone, gone, gone...

[Old Joad]

2 hours ago, craigb said:

This is what mine used to look like:

Now I only use the AnalogMan-modded Tube Screamer (bottom left, plugged in) and I still have the wah pedal.  Everything else is gone, gone, gone...

Thats cool, I use the Ibanez TS9DX for rhythm guitar because the bite isn't as tough, But I use a TS9 for lead, I used to have an 808 but digital recording made it sound too harsh, but I did download this free one a long time ago that sounds okay.

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Old Joad

[Rain]

I spent way too much time on my pedalboard. But as you see it was totally worth it. 

 

 

 

[Old Joad]

57 minutes ago, Rain said:

I spent way too much time on my pedalboard. But as you see it was totally worth it. 

 

 

Nice Marshall, I have the JCM 900 & 1960 4-12 cab.

 

[Rain]

56 minutes ago, Old Joad said:

Nice Marshall, I have the JCM 900 & 1960 4-12 cab.

 

Love it! And that Les Paul has me drooling... Right tuners, right knobs - it's got it all!

Mine WAS just a DSL. It's one of the many things that I had to let go of in 2019-2020.

That being said, I can't say that I ever really used it all that much. But there was something comforting about that big Mashall box in the corner of the room - and I knew if was there when I needed it. But I recorded DI most of the time. 

The one thing I sincerely regret having to let go is my inexpensive Gibson SGJ.  Best practice guitar I've ever owned and unlike other SG's, it felt solid. 

 

Since the ex moved out, I've had to do a LOT of decorating. It's a big house for one man and his cat, so I had to spread stuff around a bit. And it's also quite expensive so the budget for decorating is extremely tight. 

But last week I finally managed to get around to installing that upholstered panel that's been in the garage for a year.  As you see, gear is sparse. The outboard compressors, the mackie board, the Pro Tools control surface and a lot of that stuff is gone. But if I'm to be honest, the equipment I actually use is still all there. 

And the room still has that vibe, I just love it.  Since it doubles as my office, I spend almost 60 hours a week in here and even after 9 years, I just never get tired of it. I hang out here on my nights off quite often, actually.

I really need a new black rug though - this grey one is an eyesore.

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Rain

[craigb]

Ah, memories...  More gear that's long gone...  ?

 

*Sigh...* ?

 

[Rain]

1 minute ago, craigb said:

*Sigh...* ?

 

I feel you , brother. That stack has been haunting my memory since you first posted it.

Oh well - there's Amplitube and Guitar Rig, right?

I was raised on Marshall, so obviously, that's what I've been looking for the minute I could imagine buying a half stack again. Fortunately for me, I can't really dream of something unless there is a remote chance, so I never agonized over things like Boogies. They are forever out of reach.

So my reasonable  dream dream amp is a one fo those compact, studio JCM800 - not even a plexi or the real JCM800.

That being said, I could always borrow one of those if need be. 

For practicing purposes, I am still floored by the quality of those affordable little amps we have access to nowadays. I wish we had something like this little guy when I grew up... I can't imagine what the 2 12 version does - I would suspect that it is quite recordable. (I think our old pal D. Danzi left a review on Sweetwater's website).