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mikhailgtrski

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Everything posted by mikhailgtrski

  1. I was wondering if it was available premixed in a rattlecan ala ReRanch. But sure, I could mix my own if I had the formula. Forgot I have the StewMac book... I'll check to see if it has a recipe for Polar White.
  2. Anyone have a source for Polar White (or something close) nitro lacquer? Fender Olympic White is available, but I don't know if it's a close match. I might be refinishing an SG in white under a nitro clear coat... thanks for any tips!
  3. Actually, yes I am! Even if they're not breaking up, the tubes still contribute a certain roundness and warmth to the tone. I'll often use an attenuator (Ultimate Attenuator) to keep the volume down and still warm up those output tubes. Sometimes I'll use a clean boost/overdrive to push the front end instead, but it's not quite the same as winding up the master volume. I used to use a preamp - f/x - cabinet simulator rig. It sounded good to me at the time, but it doesn't hold a candle to a real old-school amp/cab rig. It's a bit of a load carrying two halfstacks, but that's why they invented hand trucks. It's really not much more than I carried before, with a large f/x + power amp rack, 2x12 cab and MIDI controller pedal. But whatever works for you! YMMV.
  4. Nice! But where are the power tubes? I had a G-System for a few months - great f/x. I did notice that plugging into the input thinned out the tone a little. Sounded better when I bypassed the A/D converter by plugging into one of the stompbox loops. I sold it to finance another HIWATT head... I did end up buying the TC Nova delay and modulation stompboxes to feed the ((stereo)) half stacks.
  5. Regular 16 - 14 ga. lamp/zip cord works fine, although I found a roll of Monster speaker cable (fancy zip cord ) at Home Depot that was fairly inexpensive and works well. As others mentioned, don't use guitar cable.
  6. I would be careful (experiment on scrap first) using black with amber - you can easily end up with a funky greenish tinge. Very dark tobacco brown might be a better choice.
  7. Usually, but definitely not always! Be careful - it's best to check the caps with a voltmeter to make sure they have fully discharged before you start poking around, even if they have bleed resistors installed. I've watched mine drain on a voltmeter, and it takes more than a -few- seconds to get to zero volts.
  8. Metroamp Vintage Hiwatt Restorations WeberVST Torres Engineering Ceriatone Mojo Musical Supply
  9. If they're just like the Gotoh 0648 they aren't locking AFAIK. String them up just like "standard" tuners, except poke the end of the string down the hole and wind 'er up. About 3-4 wraps should be plenty, methinks.
  10. Like these? gotoh vintage locking tuners
  11. For the wet/dry rig I'm using the HIWATT halfstack for the dry tone, and a line out from the speaker attenuator into the insert return on the G-System, which feeds a solid-state power amp powering the "wet" stereo 2x12 cab. It's different than a parallel f/x loop because it's completely post-amp. My experience tells me that digital time-based f/x usually don't do so well ahead of the power section of a tube amp (as in an f/x loop), especially if you crank it up to get the output tubes really warm and happy. Depending on how hard you run the V3 you might get decent results running your f/x (set to 100% wet) in the parallel loop. At least that way you're not running your entire signal through digital processors. But if the output tubes are pushed into distortion you'll probably get distorted/compressed delays and reverbs.
  12. Even the really good digital stuff will muck it up to a degree... I went to a wet/dry stereo rig in order to have my cake and eat it too. Roadie not included.
  13. I have its big brother, the e906. Found it on eBay for about $140, new but opened package. Excellent for micing speaker cabs, has less presence peak than (and is a nice complement to) an SM57.
  14. Just installed a pair of Smits humbuckers, the CC-2 set. Much, much nicer than the Seymour '59s I've been using for years. smitsparts.com
  15. Not bad at all for a first go at soloing - keep working at it. Not sure if it's what you're going for, but that kind of bendy, not-quite-to-pitch thing actually works well in certain musical genres. Reminds me of a Lou Reed/Velvet Underground thing - not my cup-o-tea, but who cares? The tone is pretty decent - is that your Valve Jr.?
  16. +1 Excellent advice! I learned the hard way - you'll be time and money ahead spending $20 or so on such a book. Trial-and-error and guesswork = wasted materials, wasted time. Although there probably is some value in learning firsthand what not to do.
  17. You can fit it tight or leave a gap - doesn't matter, as long as you don't leave a gap wider than the fret slot... I'd avoid using filler.
  18. It's best to dampen the wood before you stain, the sand lightly (220 grit or finer) just to take off the "fur". You might have to do this a couple of times. Then proceed with the stain. this may help You should be ok to go ahead and sand lightly now, though, then continue with the rest of the coats... how much are you applying? Avoid steel wool - it can leave little bits of steel embedded in the wood which will rust - not good.
  19. Normally you'd route the cavity through the slots (assuming you have a pre-slotted board - otherwise do the inlay before you cut the slots). After the inlay is done you can use a fret saw to re-cut/clean up the slots.
  20. According to this your amp uses 6L6 or 5881 output (aka power) tubes. Good quality output tubes can last 6 months to two years or more, depends on how often and how hard you push them. You also have a rectifier tube, not sure about the life span on those. NOS preamp tubes can last 10,000 to 20,000 hours or more. If you play at fairly low volume (say, below 4-5 on the master volume) and get all your overdrive from the preamp section, you may not hear much difference between new production and new-old-stock output tubes. On the other hand, good NOS preamp tubes (your amp uses 12AX7) can make a huge sonic difference. For metal you might be just fine with new production... depends on the tone you prefer, and they all have different tonal and overdrive characteristics. V1 (the first tube in the signal chain) has the most impact on your tone, so you might want to try a few different 12AX7 "flavors" in that position to see what you like.
  21. Don't know much about the B-52s... or anyone that has one. Terry "Tube Tramp" Kilgore always has good stuff, real reasonable: terry_kilgore2003(at)yahoo.com Or try Mike Kropotkin @ KCA NOS Tubes for some recommendations. Metroamp is a great place for amp builders, though it's mainly Marshall Plexi-oriented.
  22. It could be that you'd have to thin the waterbase lacquer too much to get it to spray properly... just a guess. I've only used a PreVal to spray shellac sealcoats, and it didn't atomize very well, even with a 1 or 2 pound cut.
  23. I was gonna say... Here's to many more centuries of terrorizing villagers and torturing misfit guitar hatchlings.
  24. Yup, we're starting to see that trend as well. (back on topic ) ...argytar, I hope you find some good rosewood for your project. A nice East Indian RW fingerboard isn't such a bad thing... a good quality piece can sometimes rival BRW for looks.
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