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trodden
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Post by trodden » Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:23 am

mr. nick wrote: jim williams PIP preamps x8 for my toft ATB? am i the only one disappointed by this board stock? jim williams is a pleasure to deal with and the PIP is an improvement!
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Let me know how easy these things install. I'm still interested in an ATB, but it seems i keep hearing how it has to be modded a lot.. Not sure if I should just start modding my soundtracs topaz instead of buying a new board that needs work as well.

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Sean Sullivan
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Post by Sean Sullivan » Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:32 pm

Re-work your Topaz. Here are some simple upgrades you can try that I found online:

Adding some .1 uf mono ceramic caps from the opamp's power pins to ground. Op Amp upgrades: LT1358's for the duals and LT1359's for the quads. Increase the size of the coupling caps. Bypass with .01uF WIMA 250V polyprop film caps and you'll hear an improvement. Panasonic FM and Nichicon HE series capacitors seem to be the best value, but need the bypass.
Still waiting for a Luna reunion

sound for sandwiches
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Post by sound for sandwiches » Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:12 pm

finally have acquired something worth posting to this monster thread.

...last weekend I scored a 1950s Hammond M3 for $50 off craigslist. everything on it works perfectly. (tonewheel squeaks a tiny bit, oil has been ordered), almost perfect cosmetic condition. I am not a keys player but stoked to learn, and to lay down some organ parts on demo recordings. This has the lowest cost-to-weight ratio of any musical instrument I have ever bought. I am glad my drummer was available to help me pick this up, or some other lucky bastard would have snatched it.

Other recent buys: '74 pro reverb, dunlop crybaby (a base for mods), Gretsch "6 string bass", a pickguard and p'up for my project p-bass, upgrades for my tele pickups, a bigsby for my SG.... my to-do list is pretty long at this point!

Corey Y
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Post by Corey Y » Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:39 pm

A pair of Axiom M2 v2 speakers

Adcom GFA-535II power amp for a nice price off ebay.

Symetrix 501 from rhythmranch in the buy/sell/trade.

Also working on building a 16U slant rack cabinet out of 1/2" birch ply. Just cut most of the pieces and finished the jig to cut the angle on the side pieces, hopefully I'll get it together tomorrow. Not sure yet if I'm going to paint it, stain it or use some stained Briwax or something on it.

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losthighway
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Post by losthighway » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:19 pm

Corey Y wrote:A pair of Axiom M2 v2 speakers

Adcom GFA-535II power amp for a nice price off ebay.

Symetrix 501 from rhythmranch in the buy/sell/trade.

Also working on building a 16U slant rack cabinet out of 1/2" birch ply. Just cut most of the pieces and finished the jig to cut the angle on the side pieces, hopefully I'll get it together tomorrow. Not sure yet if I'm going to paint it, stain it or use some stained Briwax or something on it.
Nice. Hey, how do you like the Sage pres?

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jgimbel
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Post by jgimbel » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:53 pm

Pearl VX birch snare - cheap - $100 new, I got it for $85 when there was a 15% off everything sale after Thanksgiving. Sounds...like it doesn't cost $100. Awesome.

Boss DD-6 Digital Delay - early Christmas present from the lead guy in our band. The digital sound isn't completely my cup of tea but it doesn't sound too sterile going into a tube amp or recorded to tape. The reverse mode is a lot of fun, and the hold mode is great for those songs that sound nice with one note that drones through the whole thing.

Ubertar ribbon

almost done building a custom pedalboard, about to start a 1x12 cab build. self-presents = fun.

Corey Y
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Post by Corey Y » Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:00 pm

I haven't had much chance to play with the Sage pres yet, since I'm mostly mixing until January. I use one for a quick vocal session and for a guitar/fx pedal demo and they sound great so far. Very clean, clear, good transient response. I'm really eager to try them out on kick and snare, but I haven't had the opportunity yet.

jaguarsg
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Post by jaguarsg » Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:10 pm

hughes ak-100.

mr. nick
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Post by mr. nick » Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:41 pm

the PIP are easy to install, and there are four caps Jim recommends to be replaced w/ a higher value, and bypassed. getting channel 1 out is a royal PITA! the solder is junk and takes a little while. I did eight channels in about 8/9 hours. the aluminum covered knobs also cab become unglued. the channels are better off now, and the master section is going out very soon for modification. i

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losthighway
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Post by losthighway » Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:20 pm

I put my Little Labs STD to work today. Cool little invention. Felt like a high price tag for extending the guitar cable w/o messing up the signal but made everything ergonomically uber wunderbar.

Judas Jetski
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Post by Judas Jetski » Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:28 am

New rack and pinion for the Volvo 245.

What? It's got gears in it, somehow.
New Judas Jetski EP up! andysmash.bandcamp.com

www.andysmash.com

Judas Jetski
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Post by Judas Jetski » Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:55 am

infiniteposse wrote:Just scored a USA Fender Bullet H2 at a local Pawnshop.
Image
Ahhhhhh. That's the stuff.

My USA bullet's an H1. I may have already said this, but I opened it up and it's got two single-coils wired together. So the coil tap isn't actually a coil tap. It's a... um... it's an anti-tap. It goes the other way around. There's been a lot of love for the Bullet guitars here lately. Any of you guys think they're worth their own thread?

Anyway, I've kind of come to a decision on that USA Strat. I don't think I'm gonna buy it. Mrs. Jetski and I were at the store the other day. She plays bass, but is not one to really fuss over instrument quality... or rather was not one to fuss over quality. The store has a MIM Strat which is honestly 80% of the USA Strat (at 1/4 the price--if it had a finished neck I'd already own it). I handed that one to her and she was immediately like "the USA one's better. Hands down."

I then got the brilliant inspiration to find out if they had a Fender Mustang Bass (you know, the MIJ reissue, short scale). They did. She liked it as much as the USA Strat. We plugged it in, and it sounded every bit as good as her beloved J-bass (the one that's too big for her to play). Actually, it sounds better. And it plays just the same, only easier. I've never seen her get really excited about a guitar before. It was kinda cool.

So then we plugged in the Strat...

We're gonna buy the Mustang. The Strat doesn't have the right tone. I'd have to swap the humbuckers from my USA Bullet (and a 5-way switch, and a coil tap) into the Strat to have the guitar I really want, and I'm not putting that much work into a brand new guitar that costs me more than any car I've ever owned. *sigh*

OTOH, I've been playing my Bullet more lately, and I totally love it. So I guess I should just be happy with what I have. It took a lot of soul-searching though. I had to read a couple of the minor prophets before I really knew for sure.
New Judas Jetski EP up! andysmash.bandcamp.com

www.andysmash.com

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Randy
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Post by Randy » Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:59 am

Another hooray for the Fender Bullets. A friend had one of those strat body with telecaster neck and 24 in. scale ones. It was beautiful I was bummed when he sold it. Now he regrets it.

Which brings me to my latest acquisition, an Eastwood SideJack Baritone DLX. It's being shipped tomorrow. To get it I had to sell my (and I gulp hard here...) Fender Jaguar Special HH. I'm sure I'll regret it, but after playing a SideJack baritone, I realized that's what my band needs. Our bass player (and very good friend) died last summer and it's been much too painful to try to get someone else to play bass, or for me to play. We need some low end and this will probably help with that.

I have always been a bass player until playing with these folks, and I have always felt like a clod working the light strings and short necks. Playing the SideJack made me feel at home again.
not to worry, just keep tracking....

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calaverasgrandes
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Post by calaverasgrandes » Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:34 pm

sorry to hear about your bassist, I have totally been there.
That Eastwood SideJack Baritone DLX looks like and interesting beast as do all of eastwoods guitars.

I havent bought anything in a while. I did resurrect my DX27s synth last night. Fixed the busted output jack, did a factory reset and then found an editor librarian for it online!
Look out Paul Schafer!
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

scientist
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Post by scientist » Wed Dec 16, 2009 7:46 pm

Hey everyone, new to this forum. I'm "science" on a few other forums - some of you might know who I am. Couldn't figure out where else to introduce myself, so why not do it here ;)

Recent purchases:
Appointment with Black Lion to have my 896HD modified and have them build me a Microclock.
genoQs Octopus (bought a Nemo, had it for 3 days, and traded it towards the Octopus)
Groove Tubes Brick
3 Wiard 300 modules
....way too much more.

I've been reading a bit here and there for a few weeks, decided I should stop being a creepy lurker and register. I already like it better here than on some other forums ;)

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