I'm turning into a musical equipmemt (not audio) junkie

drphoto · « **on:** 4 Sep 2007, 11:25 pm »

I started playing the guitar about 3 years ago. I already have 3 guitars and 2 amps. I just put a in a bid on eBay for a tube amp.....you can debate tubes vs SS for audio all day long, but tubes rule for guitars. My 2 SS amps (a Carvin and Roland suck.....well the Roland has a really nice clean sound, but can't do that slight distortion thing very well) The amp I bid on was an Epi Std. Reviews say it's pretty awesome for a cheap amp. I'd love to have a Fender Twin or a Vox AC30 but they're just too much money, given my limited skills.

I'm lusting after a real Strat (I have a cheap fake) and a Les Paul (could live w/ an Epi version) I'm liking my Carvin DC127 (2 hummers w/ coil tap much better after a proper fret dress and switching to '9's'......it's a long scale guitar so light gauge stings work well.

I suck, but this is about as much fun as I've ever had! Just now getting into playing lead stuff and when I get an occasional passage to sound right..... It's so cool.

I want a nice digital piano too. Could use one of the old SS guitar amps on that.

nathanm · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Sep 2007, 12:33 am »

Cool! So when can we expect your video on YouTube shredding to "Canon Rock"?

Holding a guitar in your hands and being in command of a few hundred decibels is something of a spiritual experience. You feel like a god having all that power at your fingertips. At least that's my theory, I've only hit a few blaring chords followed immediately by cringing and praying that nobody calls the cops. But it was a small piece of auditory heaven.

Also, playing through a guitar amp immediately makes any Hi-Fi speaker look like a chump. Thank goodness for the suspension of disbelief, otherwise we may never enjoy listening to recorded music.

Marbles · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Sep 2007, 01:47 am »

Doc, look for a Blues Junior to go with that Strat...it's a great combo.

AdamM · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Sep 2007, 02:58 am »

Top secret amplifier information:

Search 'Traynor' on ebay. Look for the 70's versions. Traynors are basically Fender / Marshall hybrids, with better components and top quality transformers (Hammond). Many Marshall amps are just copies of the Fender Bassman circuit... shhhh! Only some slight changes to the preamp section and tone controls. Traynor too bases many of the circuit designs on the Fender Bassman.

They sound amazing, and are $cheap$ - as they're mostly unknown outside of Canada. The prices are raising, however. You'll find a bunch on Ebay

Great Traynor combos: YGM-3, YBA-2
Great Traynor heads: YBA-1, YBA-1A

A number of very high profile amp gurus and players have nothing but the highest respect for Traynor amps from the 60's/70's, as they are simply fantastic.

Pete Traynor himself tested all his designs by pushing them out a 5 story window!!

http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~dace/vb/

http://tone-lizard.com/Traynor_Amplifiers.htm

drphoto · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Sep 2007, 04:24 am »

Thanks Adam, I'll look into that if I don't win the bid...which I expect too.

I'll LYK what I think, if I get it.

I aways thought of Traynor as being bass amps.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Sep 2007, 05:14 am »

Yeah, I spent too much on bass guitar gear... can't spend more unless its making me money I guess

I have a DR Heartfield (Fender in Japan) bass guitar... 6 string w/ a carbon fiber reinforced 7 pc neck and dual truss rods, thru-neck, Koa topsheet w/ hard-maple body. The amp is a Carvin Pro Bass head w/ active x-over powering a single 18 and an Epifani 2 x 10 + tweeter. I use a Digitech effects pedal w/ tube pre, its a fun toy, you can create presets of preamp and effects settings and assign the presets to a foot button. A couple of my friends have spend ungodly amounts of money on pro-audio gear, digital recording equipment and instruments.