HairyScaryMark

I got this a number of years a go. The overdrives/distortions sound fairly awesome but I simply don't use it any more as my gear setup has changed considerably from when I bought it. It's a rackmount modelling pre-amp. The signal path is 100% analog. Info about it here. http://www.tech21nyc.com/archive/psa1.html There is one minor fault, which is one of the buttons occasionally gets stuck on the in position and has to be pressed a second time to undo this. I have the manual but not the original box, but will find a suitable box for any required transportation. £220 or nearest offer. I will most likely put it on ebay if nobody goes for it here. The current version, the PSA1.1 appears to be going for around £550 new. Contact me on here or email hairyscarymark@yahoo.com for more info. I'll see if I can post some images soon.

I think a lot of people might disagree with my advice but here it is.... Think about what you actually need for the near to distant future. You probably in reality don't need a 4x12" and could get more for your money with a combo i.e Laney VC15, Fender Super Champ: or a small head i.e Blackheart Little Giant, Vox Night Train or Orange Tiny Terror. Are you happy to buy different amps for different styles? Based on what I have read, I'd suggest you are probably after one amp to cover your requirements at this stage. Therefore, I suggest something with a level of flexibility i.e a good clean sound. Spend a bit of time trying things out. First of all, find something with a clean sound that you are (completely) happy to use. Dirty guitar sounds can be altered with boosts and additional dirt pedals. A lot of people on here have a bit of an aversion to using pedals for hard rock/metal sounds but I personally think it can be a good solution and a lot of pro players do it, including some that have guitar tones that people try to recreate. Once you've found something with a good basic clean sound that you are happy with, then consider the other features such as dirt channels, reverb, channel switching, effects loops etc. None of these things are 100% necessary but may make your life easier. Also, remember every amp has a certain 'feel' to it. This might sound strange as you aren't actually touching it to play it, but the way it reacts to your playing will vary between different amps to some extent. This is why I advise trying the amp out in advance. If you really can't try it out then I would advise sticking to something ultra-standard with a good reputation and will probably be easy to sell on if it doesn't fit your needs. I've found the selection of amps at Guitar Guitar in Edinburgh and Glasgow to be particularly good. I think your budget is workable but will require a level of compromise. I would personally favour compromise on the features and make the clean sound the greatest priority as you can always add reverb and dirt pedals later. With an amp in this price range, I'd guess you were thinking of something that suits your general needs. If you get into a band that plays enough gigs to justify getting something just for that style at the later date, then you should consider getting another amp then. If you try something out and find something slightly beyond your price range that you really like, then you probably should consider stretching your budget at that point.

For an audition on Friday, I suggest playing something you already know well, as supposed to something new. The fact it's played well will over-ride all other considerations in this case.

There are quite a few decent small tube amps in that price range but for hard rock/metal you will need dirt pedals/boosts or whatever.

I've been signing quite a few 38 Degrees Petition. I get their emails and have them on facebook. I have a few others on facebook but they aren't quite as high profile or involved in as wide a range of issues.

To pay a couple of quid (perhaps) and get your glass washed/wiped + box with some packaging + a better bag could potentially be a nice facility. One of my friends managed to drop their glass in Union Street a few years a go. They were pissing about but that isn't really difficult to do after drinking lots of ale.

I have to say that I think the beer festival could benefit from a bit of imagination in future years. There's only ever a maximum of one food stall in the place, fairly limited seating etc. On Friday, most of what I tried resembled generic tar-like dark ale and was enjoyed fairly averagely by me. I had fun and will go back next year but some extra facilities would be nice. Anyone have an idea of what was going on with the large number of glass breakages in short succession on Friday?

I went on Thursday and Friday. All the beers I tried on Thursday were rather good, none were completely exceptional though but generally good. On Friday, quite a few of the ones I tried on Thursday were finished and I didn't try much that I would drink again by choice. Perhaps I was just unfortunate in what I chose. One previous year I had similar experiences, choosing all the wrong ales. It also didn't seem to be any busier than what I remembered of last year.

I wish I had 80 and also had money for an Analogman Sunface and other things Having no money and also having GAS at the same time is rubbish.

It appears you've linked to the wrong band in the original topic. Instead of Son Henry Band it says Evil Demon Theory.

Some frequencies are licensed out and if you use a licensed one and disrupt something else that is going on you can potentially face legal action. Other people have stated it probably isn't wise to buy a wireless system, at this current time: unless you get a 'digital' one - which wont have these sorts of problems. Buying a really cheap system (you said line 6 was too expensive) is just going to make your guitar sound bad. I suggest holding fire on this until you can get something that you wont later regret.

I believe some people bought up large proportions of the frequency spectrum, typically used for wireless microphones and guitars etc.

I think that might be the wrong way round in part. My understanding is that higher voltage means they can run with greater volume and clarity before breaking up and lower voltage means they break up sooner. "Apart from this safety/valve survival issue, bias adjustment becomes a matter of taste. High current gives you power/volume, clarity, good top end. If the idle current is set too high (under bias) then the valves will run too hot and the life of the valves will be reduced significantly. Less current gives you earlier break-up, with less volume, less clarity and top end. If the current is set too low (over bias) the tone of the amp may be thin and lacking volume." How to bias a valve amplifier, valve amplifier biasing, biasing valves, from hifiandaudio.com, Review Hifiandaudio.com, about hifiandaudio.com "Don't be confused with terms like "raising the bias". This is a bit confusing because raising the bias voltage, I.E. making the bias voltage bigger by going from -40vdc to -50vdc will cause the tube dissipation to be reduced. Or it could mean to make the bias voltage more positive by going from -50vdc to -40vdc causing the tube to dissipate more power." Types of Tube - Valve Bias Information HTML Page

I'd suggest the weakest application for an SM57 on drum kit is as an overhead but it isn't impossible and it really depends where your expectations lie. The key to any drum recording is to have the drum kit sounding as good as it possibly can in the room, before you press the record button. You can't just 'fix' things later on a recording - especially not when only using 1 or 2 microphones for the entire kit. Oktava Mk-012 condensor microphones were thought to be good bang for buck at budget end last time I checked. I remember them being just over 100 each.

What exactly do you mean by 'distorted'? I do not understand how this would happen. I have used both of those microphones with high SPL (i.e inside a kick drum) and am yet to notice them being 'distorted'. Without a pad, they provide a signal too high for many microphone pre amps which will cause them to clip the A/D converter. The microphones themselves have never 'distorted'. Some pre amps can handle the high input (such as my Mackie Onyx 800r pre amps). Your advice also assumes the OP has many channels to plug into, microphone pre amps etc. They haven't stated this information one way or another. I also think buying an Audix D6, Audix D4, D2 etc. is most likely going to break their budget very quickly, although they are very good microphones. Audix DP-5a Packaged Set of 5 Drum Mics | DV247

If you're unsure what to get and don't have gigs lined up where you need to provide backline. Keep saving your money until you can get precisely what you want with trying it out first also involved. Also, remember that amp companies (and peer pressure) are quite happy for us to buy bigger amps than we really need. With the rise of smaller touring systems in the professional circuit, due to airline luggage restrictions etc. some people have been really cutting their rigs down and proving that you can do this with a lot less, especially when using a PA system. Something i've noticed some discussion about on other forums is the number of volts going across valves seems to determine quite a lot of what sort of sound you end up with. Higher voltage = super crystal clear sound Low Voltage = gritty and overdriven Typically 6L6/6V6 have been used to provide super crystal clear tones (i.e Fender) whereas El34/EL84 are more often used for gritty overdrive and crunch (Marshall, Vox).

It's kind of personal preference but I'd probably steer towards the AC15. Less wattage is an advantage in my view and if you've had good experience with AC60 before - you have some idea of what to expect. Although the less wattage of the AC15 might be an advantage? I'd say a Fender amp would you serve you well for that although perhaps not so much your other requirement. Both the amps you mentioned are on the darker sounding side of the tone spectrum. Some of the guys using AC30's etc. use treble boosters (Brian May), which now comes as a feature in some of the AC series. Some also use a lot of delays etc. (The Edge), which tend to brighten up the sound. edit: didn't notice the Vox AC15, being referred to was the 'Valve Reactor', which has no EL84's - which is often thought to be part of the Vox sound. The sound demos sound good but a lot of my basis for recommendation that Vox AC15/30 is long established name/design and super-standard amp that you probably wouldn't go wrong with. It may also 'feel' quite different from the Vox amps you've tried before. I was thinking of this.

It depends how many channels and what you are plugging into etc. If you have mic 7+ channels to plug into, the options will be different from if you only have a couple. More mics and channels doesn't equal better although it is necessary for more control after recording. Also, remember that any microphone you buy for use on drums can potentially be used on any other instrument in studio. I'd be thinking of building up your mic collection as supposed to just buying microphones for drums. Many people use large diaphram microphones (either dynamic or condensor) on bass drums. The EV RE20 has been very popular for a while. It is also a very popular mic for a wide range of instruments (vocals in particular). I've had some pretty good results using a Behringer B1 condensor microphone on kick also. To get good results with recording drums, you will also have to assign a decent amount of your budget for drum heads etc. If it doesn't sound good in the room, it wont sound good once recorded. You generally get what you pay for to some extent with these things. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

You could try lawsound Lawsound - :: Audio Engineering Services ::

I believe that would be it. found it here Tremol-No The 'advantage' (depending on whether you want it or not) would be the bridge doesn't move when you do string bends and you can potentially use a different tuning without the absolute need for re-setting up your guitar to same extent. It also is easy to turn on/off and remove, which is an advantage over more radical solutions. An explanation of it

He already said it wasn't an auto wah.

I remember seeing on internet somewhere a clip that you could get that you attach to bridge springs that you can turn on/off to lock/unlock your trem in place. Can't remember name of it though

I think you are possibly thinking of a 'fixed position wah' such as this one. Robert Keeley - UK & European Distributor - Nova Wah LE Some filter effects will also provide a similar type of result. Some players, such as Joe Satriani are known to leave the wah in an open position for a particular sound.

I predicted it wouldn't be long before someone made something like that. No idea if it's any good or not but it is a very interesting idea indeed. Eventually it will be possible to properly learn the guitar using video games and you can get a score at end of each time you practice etc.

Liking the tap trem and PWM although judging by the sound clip of PWM, I wonder if it's possibly a bit difficult to use.