JEPI Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I plug my Epi....I'm sure that most of you have seen this little 9 volt battery powered Smokey which is good for several things. I never liked using headphones except in the studio so this is a great trade off. I get up between 2 and 4 in the a.m. but the wife, having insomnia, sleeps sometimes 'til 10 a.m. I plug in, and practice while she's asleep in the next room. Volume is controlled by the pots on the guitar and you can get to just a gnats butt above unplugged and still get sustain. While I'm here on the forum, I like to noodle as well and put it on the floor about 5 feet away and when I want to record an idea, the cassette recorder with condensor mic is right there. I have an early 60's 18 watt Magnatone Custom 413 tube amp with a 12" speaker in the family room and when I plug Smokey into it, its a kick in the pants. (They advertise, when plugged into an amp, its like a fuzz box but I've found with the right settings its more like overdrive.........AND......Its made in THE USA...........J http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Smokey-Mini-Amp?sku=483005&src=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0 http://www.smokeyamps.com/Smokey_Pages/smokey_images/smokeyvideo.MPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 I looked at those online one day, but didn't really trust what I read. But hearing it from you makes me trust it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickblues1 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I play this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hey, Svet -- does it seem to you that the reduced power rolls off treble? I always have to readjust tone with a step-down. I think its the reason I prefer an attenuator and just let the amp cook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubstar Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 my gibson sg is fun to play unplugged... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hey Gary, that is exactly how the Mercury is designed. The amp power isn't changed it is only reduced before the signal goes to the driver. See the link here : http://www.carramps.com/mercury.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Comprendo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Yes Sir, that is one of the features that I bought it for! It just sounds phenomenal at all dB levels! You really ought to hear one for yourself! Svet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Well, I couldn't justify the expense at this time, though I have been itching for an EL34 based practice amp for a long, long time. I broke down, though and bought a custom-build off the internet. Frenzel Amps, good reputation and good reviews, so I am taking a chance on an original design loosely based on the old Fender Champ but upgraded to a single 12AX7/EL34 design with a few other fancy features thrown-in. Since I'm already accustomed to using attenuators (NONE of my apartment complex neighbors have complained since I bought my first Ted Weber MicroMass - big plug) it doesn't bother me to not have the flexibility you describe, and which description has intrigued me since you first posted it. Probably prompted my purchase of this as a substitute out of subliminal macho envy. Incidentally, what speaker ships with the 12"?? I noted that a hempcone Eminence goes into the 10", but I didn't see a listing for the larger combo. As it happens, I recently swapped a pair of 16ohm Eminence speakers into a 2x12 that I've used with my Blackheart and Vox heads to great success (well, I think so anyway). One of them is a Cannabis Rex, which I thought would slightly raise the treble out of my favorite speaker, a Private Jack. Just for grins and giggles, I often pair the 2x12 with a 1x12 Celestion Goldback in a 4ohm quasi 3-way setup that has to be experienced to be understood. The Vox's AC30 emulation with my new Gretsch is as close as I've ever come to Harrison's early Beatles sound. What could be finer than tinkering with electric guitars and amplifiers and bragging...ah, DISCUSSING it with friendly people who share that bond. Ok, I have memories of an evening with a Macanudo, a hottub, a redhead and an Italian Barbarosa that was nothing but red velvet mist on the tongue that I'm probably more fond of, but that's not a story for this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sambora Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 One of the best ways to learn in my book, I can sit through football...VH1 or Eastenders and play along with whatever comes on and if you can play a pinched harmonic or finger tap and you can hear the unplugged version...just wait until you plug in! I have always played like this cos sometimes I can't bothered to turn on amp..GT-6 etc etc and it actually strengthens the fingers because you don't have the amp to help you, because an amplifier picks up even the sloppiest picking technique. The same with finger tapping, unplugged means that you have to finger and tap harder to bring out the notes. Well lesson over chaps..kettles on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Obscure Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I can play as loud as I want whenever I want. "Hey, who's the King of the House around here?" If I want to play unplugged or I'm too lazy to plug in, I pick up an acoustic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin_Dude Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Yes i play alot of times unpluged will make you a better player,can`t hide your mistakes that way . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I practice unplugged a lot. Not because there are little ones (when I had little ones, they napped through saxophone practice), or anyone else to disturb (Leilani doesn't mind, and often practices with me), or even TV to compete with (I haven't watched TV since the 1980s), but because it is easy to just pick up the guitar, check the tuning and play. I either pick up my Casino or my ES-330 depending on what I'm going to practice. The 330 is mellower and has better overtones than the Casino unplugged. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor_Nut Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I can play as loud as I want whenever I want."Hey' date=' who's the King of the House around here?" [/quote'] It's good to be king! I play primarily through a Womanizer-->>Pocket POD-->mixer-->computer and it has kept the rest of the household at bay.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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