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JapanAxe

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Everything posted by JapanAxe

  1. JapanAxe
    Well the stand arrived quicker than expected and there have been no extra charges, so that's a win, cheers all!
  2. JapanAxe
    I bought this amp a couple of years ago to use in my Bowie tribute but ended up playing second guitar in the band. The amp really brings out the difference between the basses I played through it, and somehow seems to increase the range of their passive tone controls. I have used it on a few gigs and rehearsals, but in the end I prefer the sound of my (rather more expensive) Demeter head. Features Power: 300W RMS into a load of 2-4ohms. I've found that to be plenty into my BF Super Twin. Weight: 9kg/20lb. Yep, not a heavyweight, despite the mahoosive toroidal transformer inside. Rack mountable (2U) or sits firmly on a cab on its rubber feet. As I understand it, this model has the filters from the HD350 (which people seem to prefer) with the extra features of the HD360 (e.g. light-up push-switches). The facility to make quick comparisons between flat and EQ'd sounds using the Filter switch is handy. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but the thing I liked best about the TC Classic 450 I once owned was the ability to dial in some subtle compression and drive for a vintage-y sound, and then leave it. This amp does that too, but in a much classier package. It also saved me having to put together a pedalboard. The Comp/Limit circuit comes after the Filter section, so with it engaged, boosting the Bass can change the tonal balance without massively changing the volume, and still lets the fundamentals come through when playing up the dusty end. Drive is great for adding in some 'fur', in fact at settings below noon it is not a million miles from how my Ampeg PF-50T used to sound when pushed. It goes up into full-on distortion territory if that's your thing. Character works well to beef up your sound without adding unwanted low-end flub. For any of you who are dubious about musical equipment built in the Far East, I can tell you this was built in Sweden. Condition The amp is in excellent condition and comes with its original shipping box, user manual, and a nice coffee-table book about EBS. Price £625 plus delivery £500 delivered UK. You are also welcome to audition it at my place before parting with your money - cash or confirmed bank transfer are fine. I have suitable carry case that could form part of a deal with an in-person buyer only. Meet-up within an hour's drive is also possible. I'm not looking for any trades, thanks. Photos I love the look of this version's front panel - it has a proper 'Rolls Royce' feel about it!
  3. JapanAxe
    I think the OP may refer to the idea that valve elements are more fragile when at their working temperatures. I simply don't know whether or not that is the case. My amp (valve or otherwise) tends to be one of the last things that I pack away, mainly because I like to get my instruments out of harm's way first, then clear the floor of trip hazards!
  4. JapanAxe
    Once you know you have finished playing, I'm not aware of any benefit to putting a valve amp into standby before switching it off. Switching off the mains while in playing mode (i.e. not in standby) does the amp no harm, it just means that the filter caps discharge through the valves as they continue to conduct for a few seconds.
  5. JapanAxe
    Dep job on lead guitar with a rock’n’roll band I’ve played with quite a bit. 40 mile drive to BL’s house, transferred my kit to his van, and another hour and a quarter to the venue. Except there’s a carnival and the street is closed. Carnival marshalls’ local knowledge plus satnav got us into the back gate, whence it was a 100yds carry and 2 flights of steps down to the ‘stage area’. Knackered already! The gig itself went fine until I started Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which the BL’s missus normally sings - but she’s home sick and there is a dep rhythm guitarist. He’s very good, playing intelligently so that we stay out of each other’s way. BL managed the song and we all had a laugh. Usual challenge of loading out through a crowd of p!ssed-up punters, although this time a shorter carry to the front door. Tried to snooze in the van on the way back, which was a mistake as this morning I feel like I’ve been beaten up. Rehearsal tonight (different band) for an unpaid party gig for the birthday party of a member’s missus. Rehearsal room is up three flights of stairs and along some corridors, but all the kit goes up in a goods lift. Could do without it tbh.
  6. JapanAxe
    The new rotary switch has arrived but in the meantime I have ordered some more capacitors, mylar ones with long flexible legs. I chose alternating values from the E12 series which turned out to be those not in the E6 series. Consequently there are a few values I don’t have in my stash, and some that I do are PCB types that would be awkward to fit to the switch. My next bass gig is a week tomorrow and I have a fair amount of material to be working on for 3 (yes three) bands, so I’ll likely do that gig with the current traditional tone pot.
  7. JapanAxe
    FTFY
  8. JapanAxe
    Well the 2M2 resistors didn't do anything so I've ordered a make-before-break rotary. It's another 12-way but I may not use all 12 positions, I can always set the stop lower if I want.
  9. JapanAxe
    Ryan Adams
  10. JapanAxe
    I tried this out this morning. The two smallest capacitors (150pF and 390pF) made no discernible difference to my ear, and the largest (82nF) was maybe too dark to be useful. The other values all gave good usable sounds, and I didn’t think any were too ‘peaky’ at their resonant frequency, so no resistors required. For the next iteration I’ll probably try more closely spaced values from 47nF down to 1nF. Also there is quite a loud click through the amp when changing settings. I think my rotary switch is break-before-make so it might be worth trying a make-before-break if I can find one. Alternatively I could try some high value resistors (2M2?) between the poles of the switch.
  11. JapanAxe
    I've just set up a 'breadboard' to test values in the DIY tone selector. Here's the plan: The current tone pot is modded for no-load at full up. I'll keep volume and tone on the bass maxed and interpose this gubbins between bass and amp. I'll listen to how each setting sounds, and if any are too 'peaky' I can add a resistor in series with the cap to tame the resonant peak. It's gone midnight now so not a good time to be testing bass, I'll get some sleep first.
  12. JapanAxe
    Postponed to 26 November.
  13. JapanAxe
    Windsor Fringe Festival has been postponed, and that includes this gig. New date TBA.
  14. JapanAxe
    What’s the perf board for?
  15. JapanAxe
    And it all sounds great!
  16. JapanAxe
    Today I removed the Tone Fusion control. I had thought of leaving the bass like that so that I could try various cap/resistor combinations on an external tone control ‘bread board’ but then I had a better idea. I got a 250k log pot and 47nF pot out of my parts stash but I modified the pot for ‘no load’ when turned up full. I had to widen the hole to 3/8in as the Tone Fusion pot is a little 16mm Alpha with a narrow bushing. While I was in there I noticed the string earth connection was hanging on by a single strand so I fixed that. The tone control now works in the traditional way, with the benefit of unadulterated bright tone when fully clockwise. I still plan to try out the bread board thing though.
  17. JapanAxe
    Not exactly tonight, in fact a fortnight Saturday (17th September), but it's a ticketed event so it's only fair you all get fair warning! I'm back at the Old Court in Windsor (aka Windsor Arts Centre) with Rebel Heroes Bowie Tribute, hopefully back on guitar now that our bass player's wrist is on the mend. Expect 2 hours of classic Bowie, from sing-along anthems to fan-pleasing deep cuts. Tickets available here. Some pics of recent shows to whet your appetite: Backstage with Woody Woodmansey:
  18. JapanAxe
    Thanks, that's brilliant, I'll go ahead and order it then
  19. JapanAxe
    I'm looking to buy a particular kind of guitar stand but it's not available in the UK (or EC for that matter). There are several available from Chinese sellers on eBay but none are in eBay's Global Shipping Programme. The stand costs £54 and I'm concerned I'll get hit for import duties - would that be likely to happen?
  20. JapanAxe
    Have you had the tech spec and parking details etc yet? Those are the things that tend to worry me, rather than playing the material.
  21. JapanAxe
    These are monster pickups! GLWTS
  22. JapanAxe
    I can sight read quite well on bass but not so well on guitar - for guitar I can work out what the dots mean, but not in real time as it were. It’s something that needs regular practice to maintain at a working level.
  23. JapanAxe
    Got to grips with this today: (1) Fettled the input jack so that it shunts to earth when no jack is inserted. (2) Replaced the master volume pot. The sudden loud buzz at full volume is gone - let's hope it stays that way! (3) Replaced the tone stack with an enhanced version of a James tone stack (see pic below). The enhancement takes the form of a pot replacing the fixed resistor between the treble and bass pot wipers. At its centre setting it is equal to the Ampeg value, and adjusting the pot either way shifts the frequency centres of the controls. I may never use this, but the alternative would be a blanking plug! The amp seems to be working great now. I will have a living room session with it through my Super Twin tomorrow. For now, time to print some panel labels...
  24. JapanAxe
    That Ampeg/BF combination is a winner. You’ll struggle to match that sound with anything more compact.
  25. JapanAxe
    I would be wary of fitting a 12AU7 in place of a 12AX7 as the former ñ draw a lot more current, which can fry your anode resistor.
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