Lets look at our guitars thread
Discussion
chemistry said:
sutoka said:
Very cool. If you want a nice playing vintage Hofner, I would look for one with a truss rod, so something '60 onwards. Cheap and great to play.
Tom1312 said:
Any electrical gurus here? I used to be fairly handy but haven't a clue with amps...
Found an ENGL Thunder on eBay sold as for parts and not working, almost seems too good to be true so will probably give it a miss, as you can see below, this is what the seller said happened... Whether true or not, could be a simple fix such as dodgy fuse or bottomless pit?
Opinions?
It's likely that the fuse is a symptom of another failed component. An amp tech should be able to quickly find the cause with a probe. Fortunately, most components which fail in amps are generic and inexpensive, unless it's the mains or output transformer which generally cost £100-150 for the part. Found an ENGL Thunder on eBay sold as for parts and not working, almost seems too good to be true so will probably give it a miss, as you can see below, this is what the seller said happened... Whether true or not, could be a simple fix such as dodgy fuse or bottomless pit?
Opinions?
In terms of labour costs, amp techs have quite low hourly rates. Looking at the ENGL thunder PCB on google, it's a very tidy and simple circuit, nothing like a 3-channel Mesa.
So if a working Thunder is worth £450, I might offer about £100-150 at the most. If the problem turns out to be simple (most common), you would have got it half price. If it's a transformer, you'll end up having spent no more than market value.
Grrbang said:
Tom1312 said:
Any electrical gurus here? I used to be fairly handy but haven't a clue with amps...
Found an ENGL Thunder on eBay sold as for parts and not working, almost seems too good to be true so will probably give it a miss, as you can see below, this is what the seller said happened... Whether true or not, could be a simple fix such as dodgy fuse or bottomless pit?
Opinions?
It's likely that the fuse is a symptom of another failed component. An amp tech should be able to quickly find the cause with a probe. Fortunately, most components which fail in amps are generic and inexpensive, unless it's the mains or output transformer which generally cost £100-150 for the part. Found an ENGL Thunder on eBay sold as for parts and not working, almost seems too good to be true so will probably give it a miss, as you can see below, this is what the seller said happened... Whether true or not, could be a simple fix such as dodgy fuse or bottomless pit?
Opinions?
In terms of labour costs, amp techs have quite low hourly rates. Looking at the ENGL thunder PCB on google, it's a very tidy and simple circuit, nothing like a 3-channel Mesa.
So if a working Thunder is worth £450, I might offer about £100-150 at the most. If the problem turns out to be simple (most common), you would have got it half price. If it's a transformer, you'll end up having spent no more than market value.
baptistsan said:
On the subject of amps; anyone heard the new Laney Cub Super 12?
Sounds fantastic on the Guitarist demo, and looks to be great value. HOWEVER, theirs is mic'ed up which will make a big difference for this small combo.I have the high-gain Iommi TI-15 combo with the same speaker, same valves, same size enclosure and 15W/1W inputs. The difference is that mine is a high-gain amp and is marketed as a practice amp.
I think a 1W input on the Cub is a great idea, because power tube saturation is so important for boutique tones. As it's not a class A amp, you may even find saturation possible in 12W mode without your teeth rattling.
However, the speaker/enclosure is fine for practice but is NOT professional sounding or room-filling in any way. It's a cheap speaker as you'd expect at this price point. Stuffing all 12 inches of it into such a small enclosure damps out the bass and overall projection, giving less of the versatility that you would expect from a boutique studio amp. My TI-15 very much sounds like a point source of sound rather than a full sound. The small enclosure also means that a speaker upgrade would not solve all the problems.
If you want the sound actually hitting your ears to be 'boutique', I recommend looking at the Cub head, and plugging into a separate high quality cabinet. I would recommend an open back cab (preferably birch ply) with a 1x12 Celestion Vintage 30. I have this cab and my TI-15 sounds much better through it.
Grrbang said:
Sounds fantastic on the Guitarist demo, and looks to be great value. HOWEVER, theirs is mic'ed up which will make a big difference for this small combo.
I have the high-gain Iommi TI-15 combo with the same speaker, same valves, same size enclosure and 15W/1W inputs. The difference is that mine is a high-gain amp and is marketed as a practice amp.
I think a 1W input on the Cub is a great idea, because power tube saturation is so important for boutique tones. As it's not a class A amp, you may even find saturation possible in 12W mode without your teeth rattling.
However, the speaker/enclosure is fine for practice but is NOT professional sounding or room-filling in any way. It's a cheap speaker as you'd expect at this price point. Stuffing all 12 inches of it into such a small enclosure damps out the bass and overall projection, giving less of the versatility that you would expect from a boutique studio amp. My TI-15 very much sounds like a point source of sound rather than a full sound. The small enclosure also means that a speaker upgrade would not solve all the problems.
If you want the sound actually hitting your ears to be 'boutique', I recommend looking at the Cub head, and plugging into a separate high quality cabinet. I would recommend an open back cab (preferably birch ply) with a 1x12 Celestion Vintage 30. I have this cab and my TI-15 sounds much better through it.
Thank you for the detailed reply, it's appreciated. I have the high-gain Iommi TI-15 combo with the same speaker, same valves, same size enclosure and 15W/1W inputs. The difference is that mine is a high-gain amp and is marketed as a practice amp.
I think a 1W input on the Cub is a great idea, because power tube saturation is so important for boutique tones. As it's not a class A amp, you may even find saturation possible in 12W mode without your teeth rattling.
However, the speaker/enclosure is fine for practice but is NOT professional sounding or room-filling in any way. It's a cheap speaker as you'd expect at this price point. Stuffing all 12 inches of it into such a small enclosure damps out the bass and overall projection, giving less of the versatility that you would expect from a boutique studio amp. My TI-15 very much sounds like a point source of sound rather than a full sound. The small enclosure also means that a speaker upgrade would not solve all the problems.
If you want the sound actually hitting your ears to be 'boutique', I recommend looking at the Cub head, and plugging into a separate high quality cabinet. I would recommend an open back cab (preferably birch ply) with a 1x12 Celestion Vintage 30. I have this cab and my TI-15 sounds much better through it.
Going to try one out once we can hit the shops again.
A buddy has the Bass breaker 007 limited edition & it sounds rather lovely. If I can get similar sounds then I'd be happy!
Don1 said:
That looks lovely....Dumb question time - I don't own any guitars, I'm not a guitarist. But my son is, so I'm developing an interest... but only looking at them.
Why are the pickups, in some guitars, like yours, covered?
Just design of them - these ones have an ability to be switched, so effectively they become a single pickup instead of a double (humbucker), but the solid top doesn't have any real meaning.
Some people say they affect the tone, I say go with what you like the look of.
My all time favourites are the burnt chrome ones...
Some people say they affect the tone, I say go with what you like the look of.
My all time favourites are the burnt chrome ones...
Removing pickup covers first became a 'thing' in the mid-70s, possibly because that's when the fad for hot replacement pickups started, and many of them came without covers. People have always argued about whether or not it affects the sound, and if so whether it makes it better or worse.
I don't like it because it makes the guitar look scruffy, like a hot rod with a missing bonnet lid. I only have one guitar without covers; if I were keeping it, I'd have fitted a pair by now.
I don't like it because it makes the guitar look scruffy, like a hot rod with a missing bonnet lid. I only have one guitar without covers; if I were keeping it, I'd have fitted a pair by now.
My Japanese Strat and Epiphone SG. Currently waiting on a Vintage Les Paul copy which a friend convinced me to buy over a real Les Paul. Apparently bang for buck of Vintage guitars is excellent although I had never heard of them. I should find out tomorrow.
I've also just pulled the trigger on a Positive Grid Spark amp so would be interested in what Pistonheads thinks about that?
I've also just pulled the trigger on a Positive Grid Spark amp so would be interested in what Pistonheads thinks about that?
Bobajobbob said:
... Apparently bang for buck of Vintage guitars is excellent although I had never heard of them ...
I have a Vintage V60 which is a copy of a Flying V and love it. First time I changed strings, I couldn't resist popping the scratchplate for a look under the hood. Disappointed to see the mini-pots, but pleasantly surprised when I noticed the 4-conductor pickups!Stratovarious said:
Removing pickup covers first became a 'thing' in the mid-70s, possibly because that's when the fad for hot replacement pickups started, and many of them came without covers. People have always argued about whether or not it affects the sound, and if so whether it makes it better or worse.
I don't like it because it makes the guitar look scruffy, like a hot rod with a missing bonnet lid. I only have one guitar without covers; if I were keeping it, I'd have fitted a pair by now.
We are all different, I like the uncovered look.I don't like it because it makes the guitar look scruffy, like a hot rod with a missing bonnet lid. I only have one guitar without covers; if I were keeping it, I'd have fitted a pair by now.
Stratovarious said:
I have a Vintage V60 which is a copy of a Flying V and love it. First time I changed strings, I couldn't resist popping the scratchplate for a look under the hood. Disappointed to see the mini-pots, but pleasantly surprised when I noticed the 4-conductor pickups!
I honestly had never heard of the brand and had always looked down on copies including my Epiphone SG which is a pretty shoddy playing guitar but a friend of mine who knows and cares a lot more about guitars than I do swears by them. I’m pretty damm excited about it turning up now!Bobajobbob said:
I've also just pulled the trigger on a Positive Grid Spark amp so would be interested in what Pistonheads thinks about that?
Guitarist in the band I'm in has one and said it's all the practice amp he's ever likely to need at home. I was tempted but got a 1W marshall DSL instead, which is surprisingly loud!
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