VIHC musical gear discussion thread

[tylerp]

we should have one of these, these types of threads are always my favourite at other boards.

here's some discussions I'd be down to start. feel free to bring up anything that's been on your mind.
Northern - their sound blows me away every time. those are some guys who have really tweaked and tailored their setups to suit the sound they're going for. especially Kevin's bass rig.

Ampeg V4 - I used to own one of these but sold it for $700. bought a video card (so I can play Fallout 3) and a Rickenbacker "hi gain" pickup for my Rick knockoff.

installing pickups in a Rickenbacker style guitar (surface mount, completely solid back with no little compartments) - how do you do this??? I'm scared to screw something up but I like paying people for things I could learn to do.
(*edit, found a youtube video guide so nevermind, looks like the electronics are behind the front panel)

I found a keyboard stand by the side of the road the other day. also a Gibraltar drum seat (missing the metal bottom part).

some things that popped up on craigslist that I'm curious about but don't really have the cash to explore:
http://victoria.en.craigslist.ca/msg/1904363708.html
http://victoria.en.craigslist.ca/msg/1919585953.html

[Peter]

If I had a nice head I would get that Avatar cab in a heartbeat. I like the way V30s sound, and a cab of similar build (IE: A Mesa 2x12) can go for 100 bucks more. Its a good deal.

I just got my two ampeg reverbrockts (one's a 1963 1x12 and ones a early 2000s 2x12 reissue) serviced and up and running wonderfully.

I just got a new overdrive pedal not that long ago that I really like, it's a Lovepedal Kalamazoo. Well suited for what I play.

I'm really jonesing for a Volume Pedal, but am crazy broke right now. There's also a Space Echo on UsedVic that the seller is asking too much for I think, but everytime one of those come up, it makes me want one.

I also want a new guitar, but I always want a new guitar. I already have four, so it's not like I neeeeeeed one, but I always want one.

[tylerp]

what do you want out of a volume pedal? bespeco / meridian (same pedal, different rebranding) makes a super cheap passive volume pedal. do some google search for the brand. I scored mine on ebay but I recall seeing a site in the UK with minimal shipping costs and a much cheaper cost than anything I could find on canadian/american sites. I mainly got it so I could put it after an ABY pedal and "rock my foot into" accessing an additional amp instead of having to click a button. I think it uses a linear pot instead of a logarithmic pot, which means it's not the greatest for slow volume swells. which is the normal reason to get a volume pedal, right? so it might not be your thing. it's probably better for you to save up and get something that's not cheap anyway.

space echoes are so expensive every time they appear. just once I'd like to see someone put it up with a low asking cost. it'd be so fun to play with but I can't justify spending so much on one.

I always casually want a new guitar even though my rick knockoff, LP, and fender p-bass are the ones I keep playing all the time. I have three more that I am holding onto in case an opportunity for an interesting trade comes up. hey, anyone, want an agile LP knockoff or that crazy epi LP special w/ a built in fuzz pedal and kaoss pad interface? yeah, didn't think so. which guitars have you been thinking about? there's a ton I'd probably jump on if I had the chance...

like a vintage dan armstrong


or one of these guys

[reece]

Recently purchased a snare skin with little holes in it and it sounds fucking rad.
And bought the black heavy duty drum skin for my new flooor tom and Scott used it during a No Eulogy jam and it sounds goooooood.

Gonna buy some stands soon and try and get clear toms and a huuuuuge bass drum.
Also tempted to try double kicks, but i also dont want to at all.


Need to buy a head soon since tyler said no to me yet sold it liiike the next day. WHAT UP WITH THAT.

probably just get the ZT.

gear is annoying.

[Peter]

Yea Volume Swells/Slide type playing is what I want the volume pedal for, so an Eernie Ball or Boss I think is the way to go. I just gotta sell this damn DD20.

Space Echos are one of those things that I think aren't worth what they often go for. Which, in a sense is a silly statement because if they weren't worth what they went for they wouldn't go for that, right? People just seem to think they're rarer then they are. I know two people with one, and more people that HAD them, and if they were that rare, how could this happen? Maybe I'm just bitter because I don't have one...

I have an 83 Burny Les Paul, a 2006ish Gibson SG Faded, and a MIJ Fender Mustang, (and a 73 Guild D25 acoustic) so it's not like I'm hurtin...

Guitars I'm dreaming of include:

Gibson Les Paul Studio 50s Tribute



A gibson Firebird with a Maestro bridge



A Silvertone Jupiter




Pedal wise these days I have:

Boss tu-2 --> Lovepedal Kalamazoo Overdrive --> Fulltone OCD --> MXR Micro Amp --> MXR Carbon Copy --> EHX Holy Grail --> AMP

I also have the DD20 and a Death By Audio FUZZWAR off my pedal board

[Human-Demise]

A gibson Firebird with a Maestro bridge

i love firebirds, never see those any more

[Andrew]

like a vintage dan armstrong

There's one at the Van L+M right now Tyler.

[Andrew]

i love firebirds, never see those any more

Hieg has one that he busts out at practice now and then. Great clean tone guitar.

[Andrew]

I am a horrible bass gear nerd. If anyone has any bass gear questions I might be able to help.

[grind/bro]

HERE'S WHAT I HAVE

A) A MAXIMUM EXPRESS 30,0000000KW AMPLIFIER THAT GIVES A CRUNCHY TONE WITH A MATURE SOFT PUNCH. IT BASICALLY WAS TAILOR MADE FOR ME BY THIS ITALIAN GUY NAMED FRANCISCO LANGUETTA HE IS THE BEST BASS PLAYER OF ALL TIME

B) AN 8x15 CABINET THAT WAS ASSEMBLED IN GUATEMALA BY SHAMANS WHO BLESSED THE SPEAKERS WITH ANCESTRAL MAGIC. IF YOU PLAY HARD ENOUGH THEY GLOW AMAZING COLOURS AND PRODUCE NECTAR LIKE A FLOWER

C) A DELUXE CUSTOME MADE BASS GUITAR FROM MY FRIEND FRANCISCO LANGUETTA AGAIN. THE BODY IS MADE OF ELEPHANT TUSKS AND THE NECK IS PARTIAL IRON INFORCED CEDAR WOOD. IT PROVIDES ME WITH A VERY ELOQUENT FEEL AS I RUN MY HANDS UP AND DOWN ITS SMOOTH FRAME. COST LOTS.

D) THIS PEDAL IS AN AUTO-TUNE UNIT FOR BASS, SO I NEVER HAVE TO TUNE IT JUST KEEPS IT IN THE SAME TUNING DIGITALLY IT'S AMAZING I BOUGHT IT OFF THE GUYS IN THREE DAYS GRACE AFTER THEY WANTED TO JUST ACTUALLY USE SYNTHESIZERS AND NOT REAL INSTRUMENTS ANYMORE

E) THIS IS A PEDAL FROM THE SAME MAKERS AS THE KORG KAOSSPAD BUT IT'S MEANT TO BE USED WITH YOUR FEET? HOW? WELL YOU REMOVE YOUR SHOES AND SOCKS AND USE IT. IT CAN ALSO DOUBLE FOR BASS DRUM KICK PEDALS FOR A DIGITAL DRUM PROGRAM. YOU CAN DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS WITH IT, EXCEPT USE A FLANGER BECAUSE NO ONE ACTUALLY USES THAT GARBAGE

[reece]

how safe is it to use a guitar cab for bass

[Andrew]

how safe is it to use a guitar cab for bass

Not very, but depends how you wanna use it. What cab, what amp, what kind of tone?

[Peter]

how safe is it to use a guitar cab for bass

Not very, but depends how you wanna use it. What cab, what amp, what kind of tone?

yea its not meant to handle the frequencies and you could easily blow the speakers

[reece]

just wondering if i could use it if i needed.
I use an old Shure Brothers PA tower as a guitar cab and its louuuuud and cuts through the mix really well, im sure i could use it for bass too.

[Andrew]

just wondering if i could use it if i needed.
I use an old Shure Brothers PA tower as a guitar cab and its louuuuud and cuts through the mix really well, im sure i could use it for bass too.

PA cabs tend to be more full range than guitar cabs. You should be ok using it for bass, but I'm not familiar with the brand.

Rob Wright uses a Marshall 4x12 guitar cab for bass. I believe he replaces the speakers with ones that can handle his punishing bass tone, but he does use a guitar cab for bass with (imo) GREAT results.

[Andrew]

Ampeg V4 - I used to own one of these but sold it for $700. bought a video card (so I can play Fallout 3) and a Rickenbacker "hi gain" pickup for my Rick knockoff.

I have a 70's Ampeg V4B that mostly gets used by Carl to play guitar through. It's a killer sounding amp.

I also thought Fallout 3 was a hella fun game.

[reece]

Andrew you should sell my that ampeg.

[Andrew]

Andrew you should sell my that ampeg.

Sorry, it's no getting sold anytime soon. If you're after a bass amp for a good price though I recommend you try to find a Traynor TS200. I know there was a guy in Vic selling one a while back. Great amp for getting the Shellac style bass tone. David Wm. Simms used one when The Jesus Lizard were getting ready for their reunion tour. He posted a pic of his rig on his blog. You can find them for under $200 and they are a very loud 200 watts ss, lightweight and built tough.

[tylerp]

reece, I sold it to that guy because he was willing to pay that much and I didn't want to rip you off by asking you for more. especially since it needed a total retubing. I'd really only rather do that to people who aren't my friends. maybe it's not my place to say this but I feel like you can get a way cooler amp for way less than $700 + buying like twelve tubes ($~200, some of which I think are now discontinued? or modding it to use modern tubes.) also the reverb didn't work. despite all this, I did love the amp a lot and didn't really want to sell it, but I gave in.

you might be able to get away with using that cab for bass. especially if you don't get that close to the rated RMS wattage. it's a pretty common thing to play keyboards through bass gear or to run bass direct through a PA system. that being said, I would still be careful and not pump the volume knob.

Andrew, how much is the Dan Armstrong? knowing L+M, it's probably way more than I'd want to pay. part of my "gear wants" thing is also wanting to get a generous deal on said gear.

I'd also like you to troubleshoot my bass setup if you get a chance sometime and don't mind. I feel like my cab might need the speakers to be replaced but I'm really not sure. I once lent it out at a few house shows without asking the wattage the heads were using and I think it might have been grossly overpowered. what exactly does that kind of mismatch do anyway?

[Andrew]

reece, I sold it to that guy because he was willing to pay that much and I didn't want to rip you off by asking you for more. especially since it needed a total retubing. I'd really only rather do that to people who aren't my friends. maybe it's not my place to say this but I feel like you can get a way cooler amp for way less than $700 + buying like twelve tubes ($~200, some of which I think are now discontinued? or modding it to use modern tubes.) also the reverb didn't work. despite all this, I did love the amp a lot and didn't really want to sell it, but I gave in.

Ampeg V4/V4B prices are all over the place right now. $700 is not out of line for one at all, but I've seen a few go for way cheaper in the past year too. If you're patient Reese a deal on one can be found.

All the tubes in the V4 are currently available. If you you don't mind dealing with a slightly gruff, quirky guy, I recommend Lord Valve for tubes. Good prices, good descriptions, really backs what he sells. Ned at Triode is a good guy too.