More about tube amps

I figure I’m going to be sticking with my digital processor → clean solid-state amp setup for a long time. It’s flexible and reliable. I’m thinking that I want to get another 15W, 1×12 combo so that I can run the two amps in stereo off my Digitech RP350. This one little 15W that I have—Crate GTD15R—has seemed plenty powerful enough for every gig. (Heck, I was worried that it was going to be underpowered, but instead I’ve been told a few times to turn it down. ^_^) In the bigger venues, it’s either gotten mic’d or they plugged the (balanced) direct out of the RP350 into the house PA.

It’s also quiet enough for practice, since the tone is coming from the RP350’s digital magic rather than a cranked power section. Although, it’s the tiniest twist of the volume knob between loud-enough and too-loud for practice.

But I’m hearing the siren call of the tube amp. The elegant simplicity of guitar → amp. Perhaps with just analog reverb and tremolo. With nothing to mask the character of the individual guitar. Or any weaknesses in my technique.

I may have mentioned this here before, but—oddly enough—one of the things making me interested in tube amps are the RP350’s digital recreations of them. Playing with the ’59 Bassman, ’65 Twin Reverb, and Vox AC30 simulations really make me want to have the real things.

Other culprits include...

• GuitarNuts.com—Debunking Amplifier Myths
• Amptone
• Grailtone
• Gibson Tone Tips: Use Your Volume Control!
• Gibson Tone Tips: Match the Amp to the Gig

Some of the things they’ve told me...

• To get half the volume of a 50W amp, you’d need a 5W amp.
• 100W amps are overkill. A 30W amp can handle small and medium venues. In a large venue, you should just mic the amp. Bigger amps just mean more dangerous sound pressure levels and more people complaining that you need to turn it down.
• There’s little point in a separate, low-power practice amp. Even 5W is overkill for a practice amp anyway. Better to use a power attenuator to bring down the volume of your cranked regular amp.
• BTW, the reason for using the power attenuator instead of a master volume is that you get “better” distortion when you overdrive the power amp rather than just the pre-amp.
• When an amp starts to distort, the signal gets compressed. That is, when you get to a certain point on the volume knob you’re no longer increasing volume as much as increasing distortion. So you can change the tone on a cranked amp from clean to distorted through picking dynamics and the guitar’s volume knob rather than channel-switching. And since the volume knob isn’t giving you volume control anymore, that’s why they sell power attenuators.
• The first thing to do if you want to improve your amp’s tone is to bracket the distortion stages with EQ.

So, I expect before I know it I’ll have picked out one of these beasties to wrestle with alongside my digital toys.

Proof 4e devours souls

El Mahdi on ENWorld charted the 4e adventures on a PowerPoint slide. Since only the soulless are able to use PowerPoint, 4e must have devoured his soul. QED ^_^

(Of course, I only “keed”. For all I know, El Mahdi has never played 4e, and it was a management position that devoured his soul.)

^_^

The D&D “sweet spot”

One of the things that Wizards’ “fourth edition” of Dungeons & Dragons was meant to do is expand the “sweet spot”. It was felt that the experience of “third edition” in the middle of the characters’ careers was clearly superior to the experience at lower or higher levels. “Fourth edition” would reshape the lower and higher levels to play the same as this “sweet spot”.

I think, however, that one of the things that made D&D successful was the stages that the characters moved through. That the experience changed rather than staying the same. That’s exactly what kept many people playing D&D instead of many of the other later games.

And really, why bother with levels if you want this static experience game? For that matter, if you like the “sweet spot” of “third edition”, why not just play it and stay in that spot?

And if there were problems with the areas of “third edition” outside of the “sweet spot”, perhaps making them both unique and better would be a better fix than extending the “sweet spot”.

Another online discussion tip

If your reply has to do with the way someone worded something rather than what they meant, don’t bother posting it.

Thank you.

Dragon Warriors

I got my last Christmas present today. (It was bought with Amazon gift cards.) Dragon Warriors

I first learned about DW in 2005. I was pretty impressed then. So, I was happy to hear it was making a comeback. I was a little worried since it is being published by Mongoose. Turns out, though, that it is through Mongoose’s Flaming Cobra imprint, which apparently means that the real publisher, Magnum Opus Press, handled all the text.

So far, I’m really wishing I had discovered this game in 1986. That was when Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay came out. I guess it was my third RPG (behind Traveller and (A)D&D). Warhammer was a nice change from (A)D&D. There’s a lot I like about the game, but enough that I’m not crazy about. I think DW would’ve fit the bill better. In some ways, I could call DW a cross between classic D&D and WFRP.

In the introduction, Dave Morris (one of the co-authors) describes DW thusly...

Fantasy games like D&D—or, these days, World of Warcraft—belong to the George Lucas or Chris Columbus branch of role-playing. Dragon Warriors would be a movie by Guillermo del Toro or Tim Burton.

Incidentally, I think this book would make a good introduction to the hobby for the person doesn’t have a local group to join and must form their own.

So, member of my group, expect me to foist it on you at some point. ^_^

NAMM on YouTube

Many of the YouTube channels I subscribe to are covering NAMM. It’s really cool. Almost as good as going.

Even—unfortunately—including moments of interminable boredness. ^_^ I mean, sure, I can’t complain, but I have a really hard time understanding why Fender bothers with videos like CustomShop booth 01.

As a customer, I’m watching these videos to find out what the new products are, to hear them, and to see them in action. Showing me products without even telling me what they are is just kind of annoying. Watching a four-and-a-half minute video assuming that there was a point and finding none gets annoying after the fourth or fifth time.

Like I said. I can’t really complain. I get to vicariously attend the event and see the new gear and some cool performances for free. I’m just a bit baffled.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been really impressed by Premier Guitar. Great magazine. Great web site. Great YouTube channel.

Jobs his health

It’s Time for Apple to Come Clean—Executive Suite Blog—NYTimes.com

Jeesh! Let it go people. If you own Apple stock and you really think you need to know any more about the health of Steve Jobs and you don’t think he has been honest enough or forthcoming enough, just sell your stock.