The Jam Room Blog Thread.

[mortlock]

Fuck. SVT still making an intermittent squeal.

embrace the noise and feedback. learn how to us it to your advantage. look at it as a positive not a negative..

[jibberish]

I found something that maybe could be driven by a synthesizer CV out (analog control voltage)

a dimmable LED driver for 9-14 3watt LED's so you can fuck up the lighting in time with your bleep bloop gyrations analog style.
http://www.rapidled.com/mean-well-eln-60-48d-dimmable-driver/

[Mr. Foxen]

Fuck. SVT still making an intermittent squeal.

One note squeal or one that moves about a bit? Had an issue with SVT doing that, buncha people poked aout in it, was one of the caps dying and fucking up sometimes. Super inaccessible one, because SVTs are a pain in the nuts to work on.

[Danny G]

It sounds like a microphonic tube or tube socket. You only hear it when I'm not playing (there's the solution haha). Pounding on top of the amp makes it stop for a little while.

Had all the filter caps (originals) replaced, new power tubes, most pre's replaced too and some solder joints were touched up.

[Mr. Foxen]

I'd start with cleaning the sockets.

[Danny G]

Shit. I don't want to take it apart! :/


I'll get thru the next two weekends of shows then take it back to the tech.

He hasn't charged me a penny for the two times I've taken it back since the initial retube/cap job, as it was technically a return on a repair. He's been really really cool about it

[spookstrickland]

It sounds like a microphonic tube or tube socket. You only hear it when I'm not playing (there's the solution haha). Pounding on top of the amp makes it stop for a little while.

Had all the filter caps (originals) replaced, new power tubes, most pre's replaced too and some solder joints were touched up.

Have you tried using a chopstick to tap on all the tubes will it's on and cranked to see if you can make it squeal?

[Danny G]

Yeah, one of the first things i did.

The whole preamp section is microphonic, and several of the 6-7 tubes up there have been swapped. Hence probably a socket at this point.

[jibberish]

danny, is there no solid state bass amp that is decent sounding to you?  
that svt seems like a lemon and money pit.

1000w hartke? or 750 or wtf the big one is.

ok it is the 1000. what is wrong with this? it has a tube pre.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-HAR-LH1000?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CPDB2KyikMMCFSxgMgodUTkAKw

[Lumpy]

Orange Terror? Aguilar Tone Hammer? Markbass Whatever? Different amp?

[Danny G]

Not a money pit and ANYTHING but a lemon.

It's been a beast, and ten years of hard use have caught up with it.

If you heard my rig first hand you would understand why it's worth the maintenance.

It slays everything listed in the previous two posts and other brands that haven't. Old Acoustic and Sunn get a pass, but those are a bit too dirty/not road case friendly.


I liken my rig to the Millenium Falcon

[spookstrickland]

Yeah, one of the first things i did.

The whole preamp section is microphonic, and several of the 6-7 tubes up there have been swapped. Hence probably a socket at this point.

Well I hope you get it sorted out, sounds like you are getting close narrowing it down.

[Danny G]

Thanks.

That SVT-II I have? That thing is a fuckin lemon. Damn shame. Sounded almost as good as the SVT while it briefly worked.

[jibberish]

practice break.

hey chief, I guess I was misinterpreting the feel of your recent posts and evidently confused on your amp details.
so it is like the old married guy bitching about something his wife was doing that irritates the fuck out of him, but he wouldn't leave her for anything the world in the big picture.
didn't mean to get your back against the wall on your amp.  it's the other amp that really bummed you out. well, you can't accuse me of not trying to keep up heh.

i'm stoked for rager. that last jam has potential. yeah

so, i'm getting a lot more comfy with the 12-step mini-foot controller thing. muscle memory is muscle memory and it is just a "put some reps in to burn the shit into my thick skull" thing. I can do that.  I also have found that it plays the best with smaller/thin soled shoes vs air jordans or doc martins or bare feet or gold toes heh.
the buttons are x wide and the space between buttons is like 2x, so it is really easy to miss in bare feet.

my little cheap shit deck shoes or chucks are most excellent. it sort of gives you wide toes. also there is a sweet spot for foot position where your shoe toe is just up on the "black keys" maybe halfway and rock the ball of your foot on the white key buttons onto your toe for the black key buttons. that is actually fast considering the clunky size.

I still have to get an organ pedalboard controller because there, sitting on a piano bench(which I got out because i'm about to get serious heh), you actually swing your leg like a pendulum side to side and extend your foot.  that is fast and natural feeling. gotta have a bench tho because you actually have to slide around on it.  actually a full 88 key keyboard you need a bench too to stay in front of the keys sometimes. 61 keys is ok in a chair.

I could jack the pedalboard out of my Hammond but I just don't want to chop that thing quite yet. it is a 1959 (not a b-3 dammit, but like the baby bro to it c-5? no waitr that's explosives, i'd have to look)
I pulled the tube amps, but I think I still want to oil it up and put buffers on the low level outs to the amps and run into the mixer instead. then I wouldn't need a Hammond simulator. I would have a genuine full 2 register with stops and drawbars Hammond.   shit I could piggyback MIDI controllers on the footpedals without fucking anything up.
oh fuckin a...yeah.  there are plenty of how-to's online. without the power amps in the back of the Hammond, there is a huge volume of storage room in there too haha

[Danny G]

No worries Jib, and thanks \m/,


The thought of having to replace it concerns me, but considering this is the only lingering problem it's had this entire time, I think once the problem is remedied that fucker will outlive me.

Just... holy shit it's a great amp!

[liquidsmoke]

Guitar players being out of tune live is an epidemic these days. Tune up every few songs or you know, when you notice that you are out of tune. If you can't tell then tune up at least every other song or so.

[Danny G]

^ This.

And FOR FUCK'S SAKE GET A GODDAMN FLOOR TUNER PEDAL!!! DON'T TUNE YOUR SHIT BY EAR BETWEEN SONGS AT FULL VOLUME YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!

//end rant

[Danny G]

On Jib's subject of SS bass amps:

One of the problems I run into with rackmount SS amps (own an SWR as a backup) is that my Dietz 2x15 has only 400w worth of speakers (EVs). They sound like the love of an all powerful and benevolent God.

I used to have a Fender TB-600, which I actually loved quite a bit. But I *had* to sell it, as it was 600w and was already blowing the 600w worth of speakers in my old Isovent cabinet, which is still disassembled in my storage unit.

The SWR is alright but overheats easily. I have a new run Acoustic 200BH which I LOVED, but it is also built like a toy and has ceased functioning altogether twice now. And it's not rackmountable unless I chopped the enclosure for it. But it's already broken again so there ya go. Great sounding, but at the end of the day not a road-worthy amp.

Have tried many other brands of SS or hybrid amps, and the SVT always slays them. Hands down, no contest.

Ampeg SS I have never been impressed by. However, I do LOVE Trace-Elliot products. If I could trade the SWR for a 300-400w TE straight up, I would in a heartbeat.

The SWR I have works. But when the SVT has been in dry dock I usually use my JCM800 as a bass amp and still have the SWR as a backup. Even the Marshall sounds better than the SWR.

//The Riddle of Tone

[liquidsmoke]

A couple of new 400 or 500 watt 15s wouldn't set you back too much. The Eminence website is good for numbers and they respond quickly to email questions.

[liquidsmoke]

I went easy on the guitar distortion when tracking our last ep to avoid over saturation. In the mix the tone wasn't gainy enough however so we used this Sansamp plugin to get pretty close to my normal rig tone. I would have preferred that the end final result was a little more brutal but I'm pretty happy. This video shows the plugin although with vocals.

[Danny G]

But dude. Those EVs sound so damn good!

Had Ocean of Stars rehearsal tonight and the bassist used my rig.

Didn't hear the sound once. :/

[giantchris]

Danny you should try the Genz Benz MB500/MB800 really nice sounding amps for solid state...  The MB800 and the Terror bass are about as good as solid state gets.  Unless you have a lot of money and get an EBS Fafner 2 which sounds amazing but is hilariously priced.  Or get a T21 VT Bass as a cheapass backup just in case. 

[Danny G]

Appreciate all the suggestions y'all \m/,

Hopefully I won't be in a position to necessitate gear shopping any time soon, but will revisit all these responses if need be.

I should elaborate that the intermittent high pitched squeal isn't affecting the actual performance of the amp. More just an annoying background noise. Not the end of the world but that needs to be remedied haha

If I did splurge on another amp right now, I'd probably get an old V-4/Marshall/good Peavy or some variant of a 100w tube head for use as a dual purpose guitar/bass amp.

With Ocean of Stars I run two amps (second is currently the bassists old Fender Champ II), and I have both my other Marshall 4x12 languishing in my storage unit and an Ampeg 4x10 going unused.

My JCM800 sounds great as a backup bass amp, but man I burned the power tubes out quick using it as such. A secondary tube head would help lighten that load.

[liquidsmoke]

Fender makes a 300 watt tube model although new they are quite pricey. I don't know how long they've been making those. I would imagine they have ridiculous headroom even for bass.

[VOLVO)))]

80s Fender Dual showman/Peavey ultra+ have been my bass amps forever. Before that, a jcm800 and a two channel dual rec.

Occasionally ill break out my acoustic 370.

Old peaveys make great bass amps.