radrobgray

I don't know from drop-tops, so I'm not sure what the typical scenario is-- but did you need to "pre-bend" the top before gluing? Ie. bend it in place, then apply... ? water? steam? Something to do much of the work?

Or is it held in bent shape just by virtue of being a thin enough top coupled with a good glue job?

Greg

i was going to leave the to 1/4" but at the advice of some on these boards i didnt, i reduced it to 3/16" which made a huge differance as far as flexability is concerned.

heres the short version of how i did it:

1. lots of heat and a little water/steam (the first one i tried had too much water so it cracked).

2. clamped it to the top and slowly went around the contour with about 6 clamps.

3. waited a week clamped and untouched

4. unclamped and glued up immediately using a rediculous amount of clamps, 20

5. left for another week.

6. done

awsome work!

for making arm contours did you just sand and plane it down to that?

for the OFR did you use Stewmac routiing templates?

for the contours i bent the top over the contour and i made the template for the floydrose, you can get the drawings with all the mesurements at floydrose.com.

Guitar: 10 or lower to slightly clean things up

Preamp Master: from 7 to 9ish for volume boosts for solos

preamp Output: 7

Power Amp A Channel (low power mode, 60watts): 7

the power amp has to channels (60watts/90watts power side) but i dont have a stereo cab yet so i just use "A". it sounds great.

i got more progress, need to rout the pups/electronics cavitys, do the belly cut, and shape/fret the neck. then ill be ready for the dry fit of all the hardware. for $15 id say that tops awsome, im glad it didnt crack when i bent it (its 3/16 thick).

Full Front

Figure

Figure 2

Headstock Front

Headstock Back

awsome ive been looking for this.. i say this should get sticky/pinned.

simple. shim the saddles at the bridge to the required radi. ie. in your case 16"

i need a diagram for "speakers wired in parallel With a switch for mono/stereo"

i have four 16ohm speakers i want it to go from 16 mono to 8 stereo. thanks

honestly, besides the occational acoustic session when im camping, i dont think i played clean for about 4 years untill just recently when i got my new amp. id say 95% of the time is dirt, i too play at concert levels most of the time.

I've made my cab, a 2x12, selectable between 4ohms mono and 8 ohms stereo with one toggle switch. There are two jacks on the back which will accept either one signal in either for mono configuration, are two separate signals when in stereo. The wiring shouldn't be too much of a hassle from 16mono to stereo - what's the ohm rating of your speakers and how many have you got? I could probably scratch up a diagram for you.

i have four 16ohm speakers i want it to go from 16 mono to 8 stereo. thanks

i finally got the VHT 2:90:2 it makes the prophesy sound phenominal. i honestly cannot beleive how good it sounds, im in awe. now i just need a new cab...any reccomendations? i heard avatar cabs are good, and theyre cheap.

all i could find at radio shack was:

6 amp 125 vac

10 amp 125 vac

would i be ok to use either of these or do i really need 15 amp 120 vac

also, sambo, where could i find these auto-switching jacks?

thanks

im not sure how to do this and i have only found one site Shavano (down at the bottom). is there another way to do it so the left OR right jack can be used in mono like the marshall cabs? i would rather have it that way as its more fool proof and safer for the amp. also how do you check the switch if its rated for 15 Amps at 120 VAC?

I have also been known to use riftsawn wood,I just use it on the outer laminates and oppose them.

i too have done this as i could not get a hold of flat or quartered maple at the time, will this lead to my neck warping in some bad way? its a neck thru or 3 maple lams with rose wood veneer between the grain is orented like so:

\|/ on the three peices

go to the main site. theres a tutorial, do not use clamps, thats bad.

i got mine for $800 thats the cheepest ive seen em new.

Thanks Rob! I was hoping to find someone who had owned or tried out the Prophesy.

So 2 questions:

(1) Does it have a programmable tremolo?

(2) Have you checked out this "pluck detection" dynamics thing, how's it sound? I could imagine working a wah with it..

(1A) yes it has programmable tremolo. it has a depth, rate, shape, and then a setting to put it before or after the reverb.

(2A) when you say "pluck detection" im assuming you want to know about the ADSR. the wha is pretty good and you can also add it to any other effect. for example since you like tremolo, you can set up the ADSR with tremolo so as the note decays the rate, depth, and shape will decrease (if that makes any sense) or it will slow down. if your really dying to know i could record you some sound samples. also the ducker delay is so cool. when your playing theres no dealy, but the second you stop theres dealy. cool.

if you have any other quest id be happy to answer.

Hmmm....

So...MIDI footswitch controllers. Are y'all saying I could conceivably control two units (like a Triaxis and a G-major) with one MIDI foot switch array by ganging them together? Makes sense...

I had a look at a Rocktron Prophesy II which appears very nice....but it is all the eggs in one basket, so to speak.

you can control 10 midi devices with one foot controller, if you wanated to and could figure out how to program it all.

i own the Rocktron Prophesy II, it is very nice. i personally liked it more than the Mesa Triaxis and VHT Valvulator that i compared it to. im running it through a VHT 2:90: power amp (KT88 tubes) and it sounds really good and versitle. its also easy to program, but, as far as the midi goes i have no idea as i have not received the all access foot controler yet.

the big thing is that most pre's and effects are stereo and it your power amp isnt stereo your effects wont be as full. also you cant get ping pong delays.

i scored some awsome Abalone at the mineral and rock show at the union station museum. it was $1 for a 1 1/2" x 1" peice or 5$ for 6 peices. i ended up taking home 12 peices for $10 and a peice of 1/2" x 1/2" Black Opal. i almost got some mother of pearl for cheap but some guy beat me to it.

after some more time with the amp, ive decided it was well worth the money. but, i need to learn how to use a parametric eq and eq basics or i wont get the full potential out of it. im used to doing what "sounds" good, but with all the sets of eqs it gets confusing.

could someone explain how i should go about eq the 4 eqs on the amp?

it has Pre Eq, the actual Preamp Eq, Post Eq and Global Eq. the pre, post, and global eq are peremetric and ive never used one before.

i ended up getting:

furman PL8 power conditioner

shure pgx14 wireless

Rocktron Prophesy II

VHT 2:90:2 power amp

and a 10 space Roadrunner case

need to order the all access controller soon*

the prophesy sounds really awsome, you can basically make it sound like anything(and it sounds very tube-like). lots of useful features, 4 built in EQs (pre, post, global and the amp eq), all effects are assignable to be before or after the preamp and effects in the loop can also be assinged before or after the preamp. easy to understand interface. sure does make my marshall sound lame.

well i just got a $2500 loan and tomarrow i will buy me some rack stuff

i use as low action as i can get...usually around 1.5mm

if you are like me and work full time,and only play 30 minutes to an hour a day...then low action is incredibly important to maintaining decent speed without injuring yourself...light gauge strings too.

if you play hours a day and always warm up...then you are not like me,and action is much less important.

having said that...the difference between 1.5 mm and 1mm in feel is not much.and it aint gonna help you shred...only talent can do that(and hours of practice)

steve vai i heard practices 8 hours a day...any body here do that?i wish i could

agreed very much warm up and practice will make more of a differance than .5mm in action. also i do practice around 8 hours on my days off from work (4 days a week).

Low action = less effort for your fingers, less movement too, better positioning, less muscle and tendon friction.

And this means less chances to get Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrom, Tendovaginitis and the other guitar-related injuries. I am not saying that if you use high action, you will get those injuries, but playing with a minimal action would help you evade them for sure.

Yes, there are people who like medium or even high action. Yes, this is their style. Yes, they like to "dig" into the strings or whatever.

The thing here is that I don't care about them. This is just NOT my style. I hope you understand.

I care about the guys with ultra low action like Michael Angelo and the such.

Is he just a bedroom warrior? I don't think so.

Whoever thinks that guitar players with low action are sissies who just can't fret good, think twice.

I love it when people are trying to beat physics but I haven't heard of single one doing it for real.

High action = more effort, more movement, more tension, less speed.

That's it.

Just watch Michael Angelo Batio's "Speed Kills" video and you will notice that his fingers never leave the fretboard.

MINIMUM effort for maximum speed.

That's the secret and he explains this pretty damn well in the video.

In that vid he is using several guitars.

Pay attention to his signature custom builts - they are all ultra-freaking-low action.

This is what I am after too.

that aint gonna make any differance. i like my guitars to have a semi-"high" action (almost 2mm) and i can play the frieght train solo easy. not because of my action, not because of how "great" my guitar is, but how much i busted my ass and practiced. stop worrying about your action and just play more, thats all there is to it.

well...the engl powerball is nice...depending on what you want...

it has an insanely versatile clean channel...it is very,very clean...then it will do the "vintage" type rock thing,and the two high gain channels are great for metal...if you like the jcm 900 it has a similar cutting tone...but the engl has gobs more gain,plus the ultra channel is very bottom end oriented,if you want thump...

i don't know....it's the most versatile head i have ever used...but i wish it had built in reverb.that would really make it perfect.

i ve tryed one my other guitarist has the ritchie blackmoor sig. there both nice and versitile but, as stated that still would require the pedal dance, im no tom morelo

If all you use is a little bit of delay, why not just get a decent head with a switchable effects loop and stick a delay pedal in the back of it. Doesn't seem to me you have enough gear there to get a rack! unless ur dead set on the prophesy.

Get a rocktron midi pedal. then you can run it through a 7pin cable (no power cables etc then).

Not quite sure what the point of two power amps is. Just makes it heavier and larger.

Dude, menus are cheaper than going through amps :-D

If you know your equipment is right for the application then getting the tone you're after is just a formality and a case of growing with the gear. Rob has based his opinion on reviews only, but I think it would make life a lot easier if (ROB THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!) Rob kind of specified the usage of the setup a little further than lessons/practice/live.

Rob, do you play in a regularly gigging band and support your habit with students? If so, I would use something simple and one-shot like Line 6 for students. You're not working with tone in that aspect, but you have all the dialling in you need!

For what it's worth, live doesn't require the volume ie. 50w vs. 100w - just get the sound right! I pull half my tubes to break up more in the power section *JCM800 2203 100w > 50w* and you get better results without thwanging your amp.

Anyway. Perspective given, do tell and we'll try and help you out more.

</bottle of JD>

i have a decent head that i like, but its a one trick pony. its a Marshall JCM900, 100watt, one channel, head and cab. it cant really do clean, but it does do good rhythm and lead, but, it wont do both at the same time. i do have effects in my loop im just tired of doing the pedal dance. ie. volume boost, delay, reverb, and then either wah or phase, sometimes digitech wammy.

my reason for wanting two power amps is i practice 4-8 hours every day. about 3 hours with my band. if one of the preamps is solid state i wont have to worry about burning up tubes just playing by my self at lower volumes every day, if my logic makes any sense? my drummer is very loud, when i play wiht my marshall i have to turn it up to 7 thats why i want the tube poweramp.

i do play in a regularly gigging band (currently were on a break but, we played shows 1-2 times pretty much ever week). i dont give lessons to support myself tho. i have a pretty good paying job and i still live at home (thats why im trying to get this now because i wont beable to once i leave).

i guess i want the rack because its more versitle and theres less pedals to push when you want a different sound. i was thinking about an engl originally, but the rack isnt too much more expensive and it has more features and flexibility.

ive been thinking about getting/starting a rack. any body ever tryed the Rocktron Prophesy or Prophesy II. i read some reveiws but i would like to hear from you guys as i trust you more. is it a good preamp and are the effects great? im not really into uber amounts of effects i just like some reverb/delay on leads, plus the sparingly occational use of other effects.

i was thinking about this for my rack:

Furman Power Conditioner

*some random wireless unit* maybe

Rocktron Prophesy I or II

Rocktron solid state 50/50 poweramp (lessons, practice)

Marshall El34 100/100 poweramp (live and band practice)

midi foot switch of some kind

any thing im missing? any special condsiderations im not, well, considering?

thanks

rob