My new rig and the questions that come with it!

[RandomHero]

So I ditched a lot of my old junk and started anew, through a process of trades and purchases that are still ongoing. First, the guitar:

The Schecter in my avatar, alas, is no more. I took such good care of her though, that she was out Guitar Center's door within a week of me trading her in. The new guitar in my hands is an Ibanez RG7321. I decided to see what all the fuss was about with Ibanez 7-strings.

It was definitely no disappointment. The neck is so comfortable, it's unreal. It comes with an auto-splitting 5-way switch, two 'buckers, hardtail bridge, no-name tuners... runs about $369.99 street. I paid $75 for it after trading in my Schecter.

My big question about what I'm gonna do with it regards the frets. I want to have it refretted with stainless steel frets, and then of course have a level and dress job done on it; I want that "plays when you blow on it" experience. Planning on outfitting it with a Hipshot hardtail bridge and Graphtech saddles, and a graphite nut, along with Schaller tuners and a Hipshot Guitar Xtender key on the 7th, for slipping into and out of dropped-A tuning.

I wanna stick simple with the electronics, and upgrade; my beloved DiMarzio Blaze pickups will be replacing the stock AHF series, I'll be dropping a Megaswitch P-model (Or U-model? ) in it, sheilding it, and installing CTS pots.

Then I think I'll name it after my girlfriend because it'll be just that sexy. XD

I've been playing through a Crate XT120 for a while. Throw in a Sonic Stomp from BBE and that makes for an acceptable Clean/Mean on a budget. I've come to realize that I most love the sound of an open-backed 2x12 on a stand. It helps keep my lows articulate and clear, where they would be just thumpy through a 4x12.

I haven't used the preamp section of my Crate for a few weeks now. I finally cashed in on a GNX4. I freaking LOVE this thing. I still need to do a bit of work on my patches, but I had it learned in a weekend, and have been toying with it ever since. Try warping a high-gain Marshall with a Rectifier... holy metal crap, Batman.

I've decided on an Avatar 2x12 open backed cab loaded with Eminence's new "Modeling" 12"s... they're supposedly crystal clear and designed to work well with cab sims and the such.

Which leaves the second question: What's a good name to look for in the realm of stereo power-amps?

[sumgai]

RH,

......
Which leaves the second question: What's a good name to look for in the realm of stereo power-amps?

Hey, welcome back to your own Forums - long time, no see!

Crate's been making an extremely capable little thing called "The Power Block". You probably saw it at GC, right? 150 watts mono, 75 per, in stereo. Tone's not bad, but the big thing is, it can handle being just a power amplifier section for a wide range of other inputs.

Not to mention that it's very small, and cheaper than dirt! $200 retail at CG means that it can be had for less, with some judicious shopping around, I'm sure. There are some on eBay right now for less than $150!!!

HTH


sumgai

[UnklMickey]

admin said:

...I've decided on an Avatar ...

okay, but now that the Schecter is history, you'll also need to decide on an avatar.............................(groan)


stereo power amps?

in terms of respectable performance, reasonable weight, and watts/$, i'd go with Carvin.

some amps that have better specs, but they cost lots more.

some are lighter, but they cost lots more.

a few have better specs AND are lighter. bend over and grab your wallet.

some are cheaper, but they weigh a ton, and/or fall way short on performance.


you'll be hard-pressed to find a better balance of these factor than Carvin.

but, if ya gots the bucks, Crown and QSC make some very fine stuff.


unk

[RandomHero]

Many apologies about the absence, fellow nuts, I've just had my hands full. Making the transition into bachelor living, working full time, and going to college full time; yikes!

I've been interested in the Power Block for a while now, to be honest. I'm curious to see what one would sound like put together with the GNX and a 2x12, I've only heard one run through their pint-sized 1X12 cab.

[sumgai]

RH,

.......
I've been interested in the Power Block for a while now, to be honest. I'm curious to see what one would sound like put together with the GNX and a 2x12, I've only heard one run through their pint-sized 1X12 cab.

I know one particular surf guitar player in Chicago (who shall have to remain nameless, alas) that has taken to stashing one of these things on the floor, hidden behind his Showman head/cab. He claims to have done A/B comparisons at several live shows, in front of unsuspecting surf-guitar-geeks. The results were always the same - no one ever suspected that they were listening to a solid-state amp head coming through those two JBL D130F speakers..... they could see a cord going into the Showman head, so they just assumed.....

Gawd, I wish I could have been there to see those faces! ;D (But I probably would have erred, too. )


sumgai

p.s. He disguised the A/B switching by reaching back behind the amp, saying he was having problems with his reverb unit - no one ever questioned him!

[UnklMickey]

admin said:

...Then I think I'll name it after my girlfriend because it'll be just that sexy. XD...

hey R.H.,

will you hold my guitar while i pick up your girlfriend? ................. J/K!

[RandomHero]

Nice try, Unk, you're gonna have to get your lovin' from your axe. XD

Who makes stainless steel frets that I can order for my luthier? Or that he can order? I've heard of Dunlop's stainless steels, but can't find them anywhere on Dunlop's site.

[tacobobbo]

Not sure if its what you're looking for, but try www.warmoth.com. They sell it, just not sure if its bulk wire or if ya can get it already trimmed (almost) to length. Hope that helps.
Bob

[UnklMickey]

admin said:

Nice try, Unk, you're gonna have to get your lovin' from your axe. XD....

the thought had crossed my mind.

but, the possibility of splinters......................too scary.

[UnklMickey]

admin said:

....I wanna stick simple with the electronics, and upgrade; my beloved DiMarzio Blaze pickups will be replacing the stock AHF series, I'll be dropping a Megaswitch P-model (Or U-model? ) in it, sheilding it, and installing CTS pots....

first, skip the P-model. it really isn't the same as the 6-pole rotary that PRS uses. we can roll you up something as good or better with a basic 4-pole M model.


unk

[RandomHero]

Can we get that same all hum-cancelling set of combos? I believe it was,

Bridge in series
Inner coils in parallel
outer coils in series
outer coils in parallel
Neck in series

I've been really curious to try out that set.

[UnklMickey]

actually i think it was inner in series, but mox nix. either can be done.

also worth considering, Frank's Big Ten.

those are all there.......................and more!

you will need to change one of your pots to a push-pull, but no new holes.


unk

[RandomHero]

Resurrecting a dead thread with a new guitar.

I just got a huge raise, so instead of buying a Guitar Xtender from Hipshot, I think I'll buy another 7-string and keep it in standard tuning, while reserving dropped-A for my RG. The music I play along with said tuning is more suited to the Blaze pups anyway.

The Ibanez AX7221 is a double-cut, flat-top gem-carved body made of Mahogany and the standard Ibanez 7-string maple-wenge 5-piece laminate neck. I've never owned a mahogany-bodied guitar before, and I want to take a different direction from my standard "highest-output pups jacked as close to the strings as possible" approach I use with my RG.

DiMarzio makes 7-string humbuckers that are supposed to be modeled from the 50's PAFs, and get good reviews saying that they sound pretty darn close. I wanted to drop a set of these in, and do a control layout with a concentric Volume and Tone for each pup, and a rotary to select between

Series in phase,
series out of phase,
parallel in phase,
and parallel out of phase.

I'd keep using the stock 3-way Gibson-esque toggle to combine the two pups in parallel.

What thinks you?

[JohnH]

RH - Is that a rotary for each pup?

If so, I would swap parallel Out of phase, for single coil cut- much more useful.

Second, I would swap the the series Oop, for the second coil cut, wired to make out of phase between pups, if you select different coils from each pup.

Third, I would persuade you to add a system series switch. Bridge humbucker in series with neck single out of phase, with classic-crunch overdrive is a wild screaming sound!

As you may guess, this is all thinking from my LPmax, in which I find the local Oop settings much too thin, but Oop between pups much better.

cheers

John