Whats your' latest gear acquisition?

[dabbler]

20210504_103059.jpg

The GigRig 9v Virtual Battery

Interesting little device that you plug in between your guitar pedal and power supply that imitates battery power. The idea is you get your desired fuzz tone without having to worry about changing a battery or unplugging your pedal when you aren't playing. Grabbed this to compliment my yellow hybrid tone bender. pretty neat - definitely prefer the sound with this vs the power supply (less compressed).

it also has an adjustable dial that let's you go from 9.6v alkaline to 6v carbon so you can do the dying battery sag thing. there's definitely something to it. the sag sweetens/tames the fuzz. i've been playing around with it a bunch and seem to like it set at about 3/4 of the way toward the 6v position. starts to mess with your head after a while though

very subtle differences overall, but a pretty neat tool if you are particular about these things

VERY interesting! What will they make next that I didn't know I needed?

[RiverDog]

New Blackheart BH5H (Little Giant head) day.

Figured it was about time I posted new gear. I bought one of these back around 2008 and had it for a few years before eventually selling it to a local and very talented guitar player. This and a Seismic 2x12 cab popped up on OfferUp the other day and it caught my eye. The guy was looking to sell or trade for a bass and I just happened to have an LTD bass I was looking to get rid of. I absolutely do not need another amp but I always had a soft spot for these great little beasties (I also own the Killer Ant which is so much fun!) so I had to reach out and the guy was all in.

The cab is nothing special, and has nothing-special speakers in it, but it's in nice condish. The amp is clean and has newer Sovtek and JJ tubes in it. Sounds great through my 1x12. (I don't have room in my little space to add the 2x12 right now.) Any other Blackheart owners or fans about?

20210504_173122.jpg

Coming soon: New Pedal Day

[RiverDog]

If I posted every pedal that crossed my door, especially lately, I would basically own this thread. That being said, I thought this pedal was worth posting because it's pretty cool and unique. The JDM Pedals Vindicator Germanium Fuzz/Boost is a Rangemaster on one side (first in the circuit) and a Tonebender on the other. These are hand-built in Germany and obviously of excellent quality. (Pro tip: if you want to buy one, ordering directly from the builder's website will save you $20 over Reverb and eBay.) On its own, the Rangemaster side isn't as gainy as I expected - my Naga Viper provides much more heat if I want it - but the way it interacts with and pushes the fuzz is really cool. I'm digging it. Stock photo because I'm lazy.

jdm_pedals_vindicator_angle.jpg

[Tonray's Ghost]

If I posted every pedal that crossed my door, especially lately, I would basically own this thread. That being said, I thought this pedal was worth posting because it's pretty cool and unique. The JDM Pedals Vindicator Germanium Fuzz/Boost is a Rangemaster on one side (first in the circuit) and a Tonebender on the other. These are hand-built in Germany and obviously of excellent quality. (Pro tip: if you want to buy one, ordering directly from the builder's website will save you $20 over Reverb and eBay.) On its own, the Rangemaster side isn't as gainy as I expected - my Naga Viper provides much more heat if I want it - but the way it interacts with and pushes the fuzz is really cool. I'm digging it. Stock photo because I'm lazy.


jdm_pedals_vindicator_angle.jpg

Germanium made in Germany certainly sounds plausible

[aullucci]

If I posted every pedal that crossed my door, especially lately, I would basically own this thread. That being said, I thought this pedal was worth posting because it's pretty cool and unique. The JDM Pedals Vindicator Germanium Fuzz/Boost is a Rangemaster on one side (first in the circuit) and a Tonebender on the other. These are hand-built in Germany and obviously of excellent quality. (Pro tip: if you want to buy one, ordering directly from the builder's website will save you $20 over Reverb and eBay.) On its own, the Rangemaster side isn't as gainy as I expected - my Naga Viper provides much more heat if I want it - but the way it interacts with and pushes the fuzz is really cool. I'm digging it. Stock photo because I'm lazy.


jdm_pedals_vindicator_angle.jpg

I've spent a fair bit of time lately looking through various Rangemasters and various Tonebenders. This is VERY interesting.

[glasshand]

Any other Blackheart owners or fans about?

I've got a modded Killer Ant myself! I admit I forget about it sometimes, but every time I plug into it I'm reminded of how much fun it is. I'm actually thinking of bringing it to a recording session this summer. If a Handsome Devil showed up around here, I would be hard pressed not to buy it for stage use.

[LightWingStudios]

Ever notice how PBS cries Poverty yet has managed to survive all these years?

[RiverDog]

Any other Blackheart owners or fans about?

I've got a modded Killer Ant myself! I admit I forget about it sometimes, but every time I plug into it I'm reminded of how much fun it is. I'm actually thinking of bringing it to a recording session this summer. If a Handsome Devil showed up around here, I would be hard pressed not to buy it for stage use.

Nice. What mods are done to it and who did them?

Agreed about the Handsome Devil. I'd love to get my hands on one.

[glasshand]

I've got a modded Killer Ant myself! I admit I forget about it sometimes, but every time I plug into it I'm reminded of how much fun it is. I'm actually thinking of bringing it to a recording session this summer. If a Handsome Devil showed up around here, I would be hard pressed not to buy it for stage use.

Nice. What mods are done to it and who did them?

Agreed about the Handsome Devil. I'd love to get my hands on one.

I actually did the mods myself - the KA is pretty easy to work on. I added two switches: one is a tone stack lift, and the other selects an alternate cathode bypass capacitor value, which gives you a slightly more Fenderish quality. Cosmetic mods included replacing the jewel with an amber glass jewel, replacing the switch with a larger paddle switch, and re-covering the amp in red and gold sparkle vinyl.

[RiverDog]

I've got a modded Killer Ant myself! I admit I forget about it sometimes, but every time I plug into it I'm reminded of how much fun it is. I'm actually thinking of bringing it to a recording session this summer. If a Handsome Devil showed up around here, I would be hard pressed not to buy it for stage use.

Nice. What mods are done to it and who did them?

Agreed about the Handsome Devil. I'd love to get my hands on one.

I actually did the mods myself - the KA is pretty easy to work on. I added two switches: one is a tone stack lift, and the other selects an alternate cathode bypass capacitor value, which gives you a slightly more Fenderish quality. Cosmetic mods included replacing the jewel with an amber glass jewel, replacing the switch with a larger paddle switch, and re-covering the amp in red and gold sparkle vinyl.

That sounds like a great setup. The red and gold sparkle rings a bell! I feel like you posted a pic years ago on the old forum? Throw up a pic here if you have one handy.

I'm off to search for mods for it.

[Chocol8]

a Rangemaster on one side (first in the circuit) and a Tonebender on the other.

That's strange because I though Tonebenders and Fuzz Faces needed to be first in the chain exposed to only a high impedance guitar signal. The output from the rangemast would have to be low impedance unless they did some weird magic in there.

[glasshand]

I actually did the mods myself - the KA is pretty easy to work on. I added two switches: one is a tone stack lift, and the other selects an alternate cathode bypass capacitor value, which gives you a slightly more Fenderish quality. Cosmetic mods included replacing the jewel with an amber glass jewel, replacing the switch with a larger paddle switch, and re-covering the amp in red and gold sparkle vinyl.

That sounds like a great setup. The red and gold sparkle rings a bell! I feel like you posted a pic years ago on the old forum? Throw up a pic here if you have one handy.

I'm off to search for mods for it.

Found the picture!

fire_ant.jpg

The "Fire Ant" isn't what you'd call a very flexible amp, but it sure is fun. As you can see, I have an Orange CR120H for gig duties, but it's hard for me not to look wistfully at tube amps too.

[Partscaster]

I got a EH-Freeze and tried it tonight for first time. I will say 2 hrs twisted away pretty fast for me, and 2 cats hid in the bathroom till I was done.

DSCN2628.jpeg

Great practice pedal.
Good for some Pink Floyd repertoire, thats been proven here tonight.

[RiverDog]

I actually did the mods myself - the KA is pretty easy to work on. I added two switches: one is a tone stack lift, and the other selects an alternate cathode bypass capacitor value, which gives you a slightly more Fenderish quality. Cosmetic mods included replacing the jewel with an amber glass jewel, replacing the switch with a larger paddle switch, and re-covering the amp in red and gold sparkle vinyl.

That sounds like a great setup. The red and gold sparkle rings a bell! I feel like you posted a pic years ago on the old forum? Throw up a pic here if you have one handy.

I'm off to search for mods for it.

Found the picture!

fire_ant.jpg

The "Fire Ant" isn't what you'd call a very flexible amp, but it sure is fun. As you can see, I have an Orange CR120H for gig duties, but it's hard for me not to look wistfully at tube amps too.

Noice! Ahh yes, the Fire Ant. So cool! Thanks for taking the time to find the pic. Very much worth it to see that bad boy again.

[tobijohn]

After reading a lot of excellent reviews on this product and curious as to how it compared to the Atomic Amplifire, for $80 I thought I'd give the IK I-Rig a try. It came with the previous version of Amplitude (4) and about a half dozen or so amp models (mostly Marshals). I think the product was primarily developed for use with Apple/Mac products and that's what was used with the reviews I read. I did not try it with Android but I found the Windows version really buggy and not particularly intuitive. One thing that really annoyed me is that the window it opens in is not resizable so I was constantly wacking the guitar against the edge of the desk as I leaned in closer to the monitor to make adjustments. I suspect they might have cleaned things up in the current Amplitude 5 version but even though the few amp models that were included did sound better than the ones in Amplifire , for $150 I'm not willing to find out. If you're Mac based already, I'd say it's pretty slick but be advised, just about everything is a la carte, so be prepared to spend a few hundred more if you want more than Marshal or American Clean tones.

EDIT: One big issue (and probably the biggest) that I forgot to mention when I initially posted is that there is latency. It's not a lot but enough to be distracting. It also might have been corrected by adjusting the frame rate but I had already packed it up to return before I discovered this.

[aullucci]

After reading a lot of excellent reviews on this product and curious as to how it compared to the Atomic Amplifire, for $80 I thought I'd give the IK I-Rig a try. It came with the previous version of Amplitude (4) and about a half dozen or so amp models (mostly Marshals). I think the product was primarily developed for use with Apple/Mac products and that's what was used with the reviews I read. I did not ty it with Android but I found the Windows version really buggy and not particularly intuitive. One thing that really annoyed me is that the window it opens in is not resizable so I was constantly wacking the guitar against the edge of the desk as I leaned in closer to the monitor to make adjustments. I suspect they might have cleaned things up in the current Amplitude 5 version but even though the few amp models that were included did sound better than the ones in Amplifier , for $150 I'm not willing to find out. If you're Mac based already, I'd say it's pretty slick but be advised, just about everything is a la carte, so be prepared to spend a few hundred more if you want more than Marshal or American Clean tones.

I have the older iRig and I think it's a pretty good, quiet interface. I didn't really care for Amplitude either, honestly. I think Bias was much better sounding for amp and pedal sims. I honestly even think GarageBand is better sounding. I use a Mac or iPad, btw, so no direct experience with Windows versions...

[Flatline]

Cheap Joyo 2.4Ghz wireless system. I was tired of rolling over cables in my chair and breaking them. I didn't have much to spend right now and watched a few videos about the cheap 2.4Ghz systems that can be had on Amazon for less than $40. I figured that worst case scenario I would return it.

I've used it for 2 evenings for about total of 4-5 hours on the initial charge and I'm impressed. It works without issue. I'd like to eventually get something better like the Line 6 or Boss setups, but for now this will work fine. I've not tried any recording so I don't know if it would introduce any noise into the signal.

image.png

[tobijohn]

Cheap Joyo 2.4Ghz wireless system. I was tired of rolling over cables in my chair and breaking them. I didn't have much to spend right now and watched a few videos about the cheap 2.4Ghz systems that can be had on Amazon for less than $40. I figured that worst case scenario I would return it.

I've used it for 2 evenings for about total of 4-5 hours on the initial charge and I'm impressed. It works without issue. I'd like to eventually get something better like the Line 6 or Boss setups, but for now this will work fine. I've not tried any recording so I don't know if it would introduce any noise into the signal.

image.png

Any particular reason you'd eventually want to upgrade if this is working fine? I was just looking at wireless systems for the same reason as well as the fact that the way things are laid out here, it would make it a lot easier to connect to other amps. TIA...

[tobijohn]

I have the older iRig and I think it's a pretty good, quiet interface. I didn't really care for Amplitude either, honestly. I think Bias was much better sounding for amp and pedal sims. I honestly even think GarageBand is better sounding. I use a Mac or iPad, btw, so no direct experience with Windows versions...

One thing I forgot to mention was the latency, there's a small delay between hitting the strings and hearing it. It's very slight but it's there and it's annoying after a while...

[Flatline]

Cheap Joyo 2.4Ghz wireless system. I was tired of rolling over cables in my chair and breaking them. I didn't have much to spend right now and watched a few videos about the cheap 2.4Ghz systems that can be had on Amazon for less than $40. I figured that worst case scenario I would return it.

I've used it for 2 evenings for about total of 4-5 hours on the initial charge and I'm impressed. It works without issue. I'd like to eventually get something better like the Line 6 or Boss setups, but for now this will work fine. I've not tried any recording so I don't know if it would introduce any noise into the signal.

image.png

Any particular reason you'd eventually want to upgrade if this is working fine? I was just looking at wireless systems for the same reason as well as the fact that the way things are laid out here, it would make it a lot easier to connect to other amps. TIA...

If/when this one craps out, but if it last longer than expected I may just get another of the same.

[zisme]

Jury is still out on these. Solid strings out of the box. We'll see how well they hold up. The balanced 10-48 set is interesting. Threw off my setup (I usually play 10-46) a lot more than I expected. Nothing a little tweaking couldn't fix. I do like the idea of a subscription service, because I know I need to change my strings more frequently than I do. A bit pricey at $12-14 a pack too. I'm not a convert yet, but I gotta hand it to them for their presentation. Shipped lightning quick too


Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[honyock]

Just sprung for one of the Monoprice V30 loaded 1x12 cabinets since they are 20% off this weekend. Needed a cabinet for my Epiphone VJ and this should fit the bill. I may sell the V30 and just use my WGS speaker that is in my Monoprice 15w and then return the Seventy80 to the Monoprice.

Thinking I might even sell the Monoprice 15w since it doesn't really do anything better than my other combos and since these are now listed at $250, it would be easy to sell it for what I have into it.

image.png

[Partscaster]

3 guitar cords made by Divine Noise. One 25ft coil/white, one 15ft/purple, one 10 ft/orange.
Mid-pricey, with life time warranty.

DSCN2630.jpeg

[tobijohn]

Well, you get what you pay for : $210 shipped to my door, a beautiful piece of wood in the shape of a guitar called a Firefly FFLPS, unplayable out of the box. If you were conducting a guitar tech competency exam, this is what you would use. Absolutely everything that needs to be adjusted so that it could be played, needed to be - relief, intonation, string height, pickup height, everything. On top of that, it will definitely need a fret level, I had to intonate to the 11th because of the full note shift at the 12th (also at the 3rd and a bunch more). A goodly number of fret ends will need attention as well. Speaking of string height, the treble side anchor just spins in its hole so no way to adjust it up or down.

In it's favor, the finish is stunning, no cosmetic imperfections, the tuners work well, the pickups can stand on their own, the nut is cut well, full size pots that have a nice feel to them with big orange caps and Switchcraft style toggle.

I guess I'll be moving this post to the "What's on your workbench" thread. I'm going to see if they'll kick back at least $25 for my troubles in making this thing playable. I know these issues come with the territory but I've been lucky with my last dozen or so cheapies. Despite all my bitching I don't regret the purchase, right now I'm just not in the mood for another project:

[sabasgr68]

This might be the first time I post regarding new gear. I´ll just give some details, but Ed @Mossman can share a more detailed description. Thing is that Ed got a wireless system from Lekato, and it´s actually very similar to @Flatline Joyo´s - for not saying the same, only with a different brand name -. The good thing is that you can get it for free if you catch up Lekato´s free offering on Facebook or Instagram. I was with Ed in the whole process, and it works this way: You buy the device, post a review on Amazon, and they refund 100% of the cost. Prior to that they ask you for your Amazon public profile, proof of purchase - the order number -, and the link to the review once you´ve done it, and that´s it. You can get one for free.

They offer several products for free with this method.

I knew about them thanks to @ID10t who owns one - the UHF version IIRC - and he´s very pleased with them, so I started to follow Lekato´s pace -Yes, there are several brand names on almost the same products: Getaria (@Tonray's Ghost got one), amoon (@nomadh ), etc., but only Lekato offered the free option -. I asked them several times about their free offerings, but of course, I was afraid to risk on ordering one and not having the refund - $40 represent good money here -. I told about it to Ed in one of our conversations, asking if it seemed legit to him - to see if that would help me get the push to do it -, and he said that he was actually giving some thought on getting one of those wireless transmitters, and that he could do it first to see the truth about it. He did his research, and, long story short, it´s true, they did refund 100%. Our model is the ws-80 2.4 GHz (BTW, yes, Lekato´s free offering worked as they said, @UrenragK ).

So, @tobijohn , you might want to give it a try. Just follow Lekato on facebook and look for their free offerings. They have UHF, 2.4 and 5.8 Ghz models. If you do follow them would you let me know? I told them that I will spread the word on their offerings in my guitar group, and in return they will still offer me some other free things, I just need to tell them who did it because of me - and anybody else who follow Lekato too from AGF, let me know, please -.

lekato 2.jpg