Sheepdog1969

I finally had some time to set my Blackstar Fly3 up in my backroom. It's a small room and the size of the 2 cab Blackstar allowed me to place it on a shelf so it wouldn't take up floor space. This seemed like a great time to quality control the shielding job I did on my Squier Strat because I have a bunch of Neon signs in the room. The Large Old Style neon is from the early '70's and has a huge old school transformer, which generates a nasty magnetic field. The rest of them are newer and smaller, so they may be less "dirty". I must have done something right with the shielding install because there was NO hum or buzz or unwanted noise! (No difference with the neons on or off.) The Blackstar Fly3 cabs are on the bottom shelf of the TV stand in the pic below.

FYI - For the last few days, here in the US, this story has made national news on major news outlet's TV and web coverage. At least one of the female chinese communists appears to be positioned as a "honey trap" that has snagged at least one high ranking British politician. Reportedly, most of the other chinese individuals in this video are the children of high ranking chinese communist party members. This may explain why they expect "the little people" around them, including law enforcement, to do what they say without question. Nothing fake about this video.

I defy ANYBODY to EVER tell me, "You can't say that.". 1. By definition, I had to have said the words they don't want me to say, thus I CAN SAY THAT, BECAUSE I ALREADY DID! 2. Even children know, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." If you actually think words can hurt you, you are in serious need of mental help. If you are that thin skinned, words are the last thing you need to worry about. 3. As I said before, say to me, "You can't say that.", and your likely to get your clock cleaned. Like we used to say growing up, "Them are fightin' words". If those Chinese idiots don't like freedom, then get the F out! The same applies to that female cop. Oh, and save your "Fire" in a crowded theatre bull, or your "incitement" crud for your freedom hating friends. (and I'm not one of them) LIVE FREE OR DIE!

Is just me, or does the term, "hammer test" seem like a misnomer based on the pictures Murph posted? Looks more like a, "Wooden Stick Test" to me. LOL Before I saw those pictures I cringed thinking about metal on glass contact, and hoped it referred to a light mallet, not a real hammer head. Never considered them using the hammer's handle. The first thing that came to mind when I saw how the hammer was being used in those pics was my grandfather's voice yelling, "That ain't how you use a hammer boy!". I'll shut up now.

Holy cow brother, I did NOT ever think that you'd still have all that ice. Local body shops and tow companies must be doing quite well down there. BTW, People up here look at my daughter and I sideways when we say "car wreck" instead of "car accident", and more so when we say, "Wrecker Truck" instead of "Tow Truck". Uttering the phrase, "There's a car in the crik over yonder, better call a wrecker to get dude unstuck.", typically results in the one word response, "Huh?". We were wondering if ya'll say "wrecker trucks" and "car wrecks" too? LMK.

From time to time, I find myself in a situation where I am unable to play through my amp because my daughter, (or another house guest), is in bed sleeping. Additionally, I have been hesitant to take an electric guitar on vacations , (instead of a bulky acoustic), because of the amp requirement. Years ago I did pick up a dual cab Blackstar Fly 3 that has a headphone jack, is relatively small (since the additional cab can be disconnected), can run on batteries or ac power, has some built in effects, and has an AUX input. It has gotten tons of use since I bought it. It's great for playing at the campfire clearing in woods on "my back 40" behind my home, and it kills as a corded (1/8" male to 1/8" male) mp3 player too. It works well as a "headphone amp" when needed, and it's rugged enough to take on the road. However, it does require a 1/4" cable, or 1/4" wireless guitar input to work with an electric guitar. To often I chose not to take one of my "inexpensive" electrics on vacations because I needed the cased guitar, a cord, the Blackstar Fly 3 with batteries and/or it's power supply, and quality wired headphones, at a minimum. Then I heard about amp plugs that are tiny, plug directly into your guitars output, run on batteries, have multiple built in effects, have aux input for "play along" functionality, and output through a 1/8" headphone jack for wired headphones. After doing some research I decided to buy the VOX amPlug 2 Classic Rock guitar version for just under $50.00 + tax. There are multiple versions of VOX amPlugs for guitar and bass, and the VOX amPlug 3 is coming out soon, but may be at a higher price point. They fit in the palm of your hand, weigh almost nothing, and run on 2 AAA batteries. Mine has a volume control, a gain control, and a tone control, a 1/8" headphones out jack, a 1/8" aux in jack, a on/off button that doubles as a mid-boost switch (off, low, high), and an effects switch that switches between chorus, delay, reverb, and no effects, Additionally, each effect has three variations, which are changed by holding down the "effects" button and pressing the on/off button. There is also an auto shut off feature to save your batteries. I should mention that only one effect can be used at a time with, (or without) gain (3 settings with adjustable levels). Apparently the VOX ac30 amPlug adds tremolo to the effects chain. Check out the multiple versions of VOX amPlugs @ https://voxamps.com/ When I tried it out with my Epi ES-335 and a pair of high end wired headphones, starting with no effects, no gain, and with mid-boost set to off, (and with the volume set to just above zero), I experienced no hum or buzz or "noise", while playing or with the strings muted/guitar volume controls at 0. I was impressed with how it generated a full spectrum sound that mimicked how my 335 sounds through my Fender tube amps clean channel. Each change I made on the guitar volume/tone pots and/or selector switch produced the same familiar and expected tonal changes my 335 would produce through my tube amp.. I also was impressed with each of the OD (mid-boost) settings, especially with the ability to fine tune the gain/OD level. The reverb met my needs, the chorus was OK, and the delay sounded clean, but I didn't try two of the three delay settings, so I can't say if there are three different delay "tempo's" or just different delay levels. Obviously, my impressions of these effects will be different that others, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Beware of the fragile, plastic construction of this amPlug and how it's tiny buttons and controls take a bit to get used to. I found it take two hands to change between the three variations of each effect. Depending on where your guitar's output jack is located, if you are playing standing or seated, and how you run your headphone cord, this two hand adjustment could prove quite cumbersome/impossible. Oh, and if your guitar's output jack is located anywhere other than on the top (like my 335 or a Strat, etc.), expect to break your amPlug if you set your guitar down, or in a stand, without removing the amPlug first!! For $50.00, I love it. It fits easily in the pocket of my gig bag or the storage compartment of a good hard case. (thankfully the large pocket on my gig back fits my wired headphones too.) Add a strap and you can walk around as far as you want with nothing stopping you save for your endurance and battery life. Plug a male 1/8" to male 1/8" male connector into the phones out and a portable speaker with a 1/8" in aux and make some noise. Attach that speaker to your belt or strap, and you become a travelling show. With the proper adapter, you can connect to a recorder or portastudio. Let me know what you think, and/or let me know what amp plug you have and like.

If laughter really is the best medicine, why aren't Comedy Clubs called Pharmacies??

I Second that motion, nor could I have said it better myself. (I am referring to sparquelito's advice. ) I love inexpensive guitars that play at A+ levels, and I own more that a few of them. But I always look at it this way; Top tier guitars from reputable makers play at A to A+ levels, but there will always be a few out there that play at B or less than B levels. Inexpensive and/or entry level guitars should be expected to play at B or less than B levels, but there will always be a few out there that play at A to A+ levels. It's kind of an inverse relationship. I would hate to see you sell a known A to A+ guitar for one that may lack the same quality. (The devil you know, and all that.)

OK, now your just showing off! Ha, just kidding. That looks really nice. It always feels great after making a good thing better.

Not sure what happened around you, but most all of the local businesses never closed in my area during the COVID drama. Heck, Lake Geneva, WI, which is twenty minutes from me and quite a large tourist destination, NEVER stopped rolling. Bars, restaurants, shops, hotels, etc., were "business as usual", (not even mask requirements). We vacationed in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming during that time, AND ALL REMAINED OPEN,

Those are nice! I really dig the top strap. Good choice. Be safe brother.

#1, I seriously doubt that a Walmart anywhere in Alabama would even stock them, nor would I assume that they would stock Driveway Salt or Snow shovels. #2, Our resourceful brother from Alabama MacGyvered a solid solution, and is far to intelligent to risk driving anywhere in those extreme conditions. Based on what he created, combined with the rarity of icing events there, I wasn't suggesting he needed to buy those strap on cleats. I was merely providing info for other folks reading his post/thread that may not have known about these inexpensive and compact cleats. #3, I bet ADOT doesn't posses any snow plows or Calcium Chloride/extreme low temperature rated ice melt, (or even plain road salt), let alone dump trucks with spreader attachments needed to apply said. Why spend tax dollars on equipment and material that may be needed less that 1% of the time. Heck, Cincinnati doesn't have that kind equipment either, and 1/2" of snow will shut down the city. Southern Snow days are rare, uniquely fun, but soon melted away by Mother Nature. Born a Rust Belt Hillbilly myself, I am quite aware of what it's like to live where 40 degrees F is considered "freezing". All my kin, save for 3 of us, live below the northern most point of Kentucky. I'm not sure if it's stupidity or stubbornness that makes northerners assume that shutting down most everything for a few days would result in apocalyptical chaos. -35 degree F temps and 12" plus snow accumulation tends to keep the government worshiping rioters and protesters off the streets, don't ya know. My comments were not meant to disparage, demean, or insult anyone. I am only attempting to pass on a bit of the wisdom that was passed on to me by experienced elders. The value of shared knowledge detailing success is less valuable than shared knowledge detailing failure.

So, I had to ask my teenaged daughter what your acronym meant. After finding out, I 100% agree. I am defiantly one of those guys who actually reads the user manual before even turning on a new device. Since I bought the recorder/mixer lightly used, it did not come with the manual. So, I downloaded the pdf and began to print myself a 80 page hard copy, only to be thwarted by Murphy's Law. Heading to the store to buy more printer ink and printer paper soon, LOL.

Nice engineering brother. Just a word of warning; Although ice cleats work great on ice and hard packed snow, do NOT wear them on linoleum or other very smooth surfaces. Cleats on those surfaces behave as if said surfaces were ice!! I have watched dozens of folks slip and fall hard when they transition from icy outside conditions into a store, business, etc., while wearing them. Just letting you know!

So, as some of you may know, my daughter was accepted into the University of Alabama's Aero Space engineering honors program. She will begin college in the fall of '24. Due to the sub zero temps here on Tuesday, there was no school. At 8am Tuesday she came out of her room cracking up. She had just received an email from UA that informed students that classes in Tuscaloosa were canceled on Tuesday due to the cold weather. Between her fits of laughter, she told me that the air temps were 27 degrees F in Tuscaloosa Tuesday morning. "That's still "shorts" weather here", she said. In comparison, it was around -7 degrees F here Tuesday morning with -30 F wind chills, or lower. Schools were open here Wednesday, and the air temps were around 3 degrees F @ 6:30am, with sub zero wind chills, (not to mention the 14+ inches of snow and icy roads barely effected by road salt.) PS - Most sane and experienced folks up here have at least one pair of ice cleats in their possession. Personally, I have a pair of Neos "overshoes", (used to protect leather dress shoes from the elements), that have removable "studs/cleats" that screw in/out of the sole. All of my family members have a pair of packable cleats in their winter vehicle emergency kit. They cost just over $5, and go over your shoes. They are available at Walmart. An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

- 8 F 4:15 am CST, Wind Chill -28 F. Wind speed picking up by 5:00am, increasing to 35 to 40mph gusts, lowering wind chills to below -40 F. Low expected tonight: -18 F with possible -45 to -55 F wind chills, or lower.

8:05pm CST 1/13/2024 - 5 degrees F. Low's in the negatives expected in a few hours. Wind Chills expected to be -35 to -40 degrees F for the next few days. 18" + inches of snow in the last few days, with more coming down right now!!

Based on the awesome advice, knowledge, and spot on recommendations from Gibson Forum members, I decided on and purchased, a Tascam DP-24SD 24 Track Digital Portastudio Multi-Track Audio Recorder , with 8 XLR Inputs, Effects, Mastering, and Color Screen. Got it today and I can't wait to start learning! Anyone interested in viewing my original post/thread, where I asked for and received advice about this purchase, may do so here: https://forum.gibson.com/topic/178572-advice-about-buying-a-digital-8-track-recorder/page/2/#comment-2210751 Here she is!

Got it today!! I am waiting on one more mic, and it's "off to the races.". I picked up a Sennheiser Professional e 609 Silver Super-Cardioid Microphone a few days ago for mic'ing amps and instruments, and should receive my Shure SM58S Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone with On/Off Switch, Pneumatic Shock Mount, Spherical Mesh Grille with Built-in Pop Filter, by early next week.

No. I got it from Arkansas Music Works through eBay. Paid $160.49 including tax and shipping. They have super fast shipping, btw.

Per Tascam, "The DP-24SD employs SD/SDHC media. SD/SDHC cards provide secure shock resistance due to the absence of any moving parts. File format of the DP-24SD is FAT 16 or 32. The Portastudio recorded files can be accessed on your computer when connected via USB. " I found it odd that the USB interface only acts like an external drive when connected to a computer, but doesn't use the USB port to sync/mirror the display as well. Additionally, it appears that the DP-24SD cannot "write" directly to the USB connected computer while recording. It only allows the user to copy files already "written" to the 32GB SD card to the USB connected computer. I hope 32GB is enough recording space. Since old age has made me blind as a bat, I may need to use a swing arm mounted magnifier to read the tiny screen, lol. Frugality, I have found, oft comes at a price.

PS - I've named her "Duck", since she reminds me of a rubber duck. "Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of you." - Ernie from Sesame Street

Just ordered the Tascam DP-24SD, used, for $453.60 total + a $30 dust cover. I should have it in my hands by 1/19/24. Can't wait to try it out!! Thank you all again!

She's upgraded and done, and sounding AWASOME!!! I wrote about the upgrade process in a post called "There the warmth is!". https://forum.gibson.com/topic/178642-there-the-warmth-is/#comment-2210377 Here she is finished.

Well Larsongs, your suggestion may have just changed my mind about using a computer as my studio. I started looking into Tascam, and found a version I may just have to buy. (possibly a used one because they are so affordable) A New Tascam DP-24SD 24-Track Digital Portastudio Multi-Track Audio Recorder , 8 XLR Inputs, Effects, Mastering, Color Screen runs around $508 + tax, and used ones are available for around $400. That's far less cost than going the computer route. I'm not opposed to using a computer, and may eventually get there, but ease of use and start up costs have me leaning heavily towards a 24 track portastudio. (The DP-24SD uses a SD card rather than burning CD's, making for better flexibility regarding the digital files created.) Thanks again to all of you here for lending me your expertise and experience!