3100
Frankenfretter,
Ya, we do have some of the same stuff: I have a new style V Jr. w cab currently hooked up to my Epi So. Cal. cabinet for awesome tone even straight up, an old-ish Marshall Valvestate VS30R without a tube just straight ss that I want to put a new speaker in - I think it is worn out, dried out, bought Charity's grandson a new Peavey Royal 8 and thought it was a great tube amp worthy of some mods like a new speaker and something else I read about but it sounded real real good with a lot of tonal variety out of just those few knobs if you messed with them. I have a Egnater Tweaker on the way, supposed to show up on Thursday, which is supposed to be a lot like the Night Train, and want to get a pickup booster - either a Boosta Grande or preferably at this point, a Seymour Duncan "Pickup Booster" that fattens up single coils in addition to the boost function.
I DO like the black trim you put on the Agile cherry burst flame. Where did you get that stuff? Rondo? I'd like to do that. Nice pickups. My Xavier XV500 has stock GFS hot crunchy PAT humbuckers, chrome covered that sound really good and push the tube amp into very early overdrive even on the clean channel, which I like. I'll use my strats for clean headroom. I like a driving LP type guitar. How do those GFS pickups sound? Better than the stock Agile alnico fives? Are the GFS's ceramic magnets?
Question: How do you use your Boosta Grande? Do you use it with both the ss and tube amps? How does it work? Do you crank it up to max boost or find a happy medium?
My understanding is that it hits the tube preamp with a stronger signal that sends it into earlier preamp overdrive at lower volumes. Is this correct or do I have it wrong. I'm thinking it gives you less clean headroom if you crank it up to high boost values.
I spent some time at a local guitar store tonight and helped a guy pick out a new guitar - he got an Ibanez ART100 in beautiful deep maroon trans stain over the natural mahogany top. Great sounding guitar. Sounded better than some SD JB and 59 equipped LTD's. Passive HB's, beautiful sound a little less hot than the SD's but really toneful. One great sounding and playing and looking guitar for less than three hundred. Nice starter guitar. I helped him pick one out and worked it thru the voices of a Super Champ XD. He played a Viper, ART300, and LTD EC256, but the Ibanez ART100 had them all beat in the same price range, we both agree'd. He went home with the guitar. It felt good to help someone sort thru the dilema of picking out the best guitar from several. I advised him that how it sounds, feels, and playability should probably take precedence over preconceived ideas before going into the store, price, and brand name. I advised him to get a solid brand name because he is going to get into a band and that the audition would look at his equipment brand names as well as him, quality of his gear, etc. Then I asked him if he wanted to play thru a band quality Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and he said yes. He liked that but the Peavey Delta Blues two ten inch speaker one he liked better - better distortion channel and just better sounding amp.
Which brings me to: when I got home I got my Limitted Edition lacquered tweed Hot Rod Deluxe with Jensen P12n speaker out of my guitar room and bought it to my bedroom where my amp wall is. I plugged that in and played my G and L Tribute series ASAT classic tele thru it and it sounded WAY better than the stock one at the store. Even the overdrive channels sounded great. Then I plugged in my Fender mahogany FMT dual SD humbucker set neck black cherry burst telecaster into it and it really sounded nice. Sometimes getting the premium version pays off in the long run - this sounds so much better than the stock HRDX.
By the way, the Deluxe series Fender amps have all been replaced with a new Deluxe III version with an audio taper volume knob and better distortion channel; and all the old Hot Rod series are all being blown out - the Hot Rod Blues Jr's, Devilles, Blues Deluxes, and Hot Rod Deluxes. I don't know, my distortion channel is one of the best I've played, but it is a special edition with a big buck speaker. I got that HRDX for like 400 dollars in a Music 123 sale promotion that they misprinted, but they stood behind the ones they sold for 400 - it was supposed to be on sale for 799. Lucked out majorly on that lacquered tweed beautiful amp, real lacquered tweed - not contact paper photo finish immitation tweed looking, like on the Peavey Delta Blues awesome fifteen inch speaker amp I have. I didn't even notice the contact paper for months until it started curling.
My Hot Rod Deluxe amp will aggravate any LOUD drummer, which was my main reason for getting it. I can't stand an arrogant drummer yelling to you, "Hey man, why don't you get a real amp!", because your current amp isn't loud enough to cut through his slamming. Why don't these drummers learn some dynamics and try to learn how to play at volumes other than full tilt boogie? My pro drummer friend does that - slammer thing all the time. He's good, but only knows how to slam.
I cranked that HRDX to the max this evening and it shook the house. I plan on playing it a lot. It has not been played at all in over a year and before that only slightly for a couple years. I guess I was trying to "save" it. I'm not saving things anymore, I'm going to enjoy things. I also think playing stuff is better for it than letting it sit there with no current flowing thru it.
I'm getting the 3100 cherry burst flamed maple top Wednesday morning at nine thirty - picking it up at the Fed Ex place. Putting on new tens and then take some pictures. Hopefully I will get them posted. I will probably spend a few hours messing with the 3100 before doing anything else. My anxiety is right up there and I hope I get a real nice one, well set up, low action, buzzless. I talked to a tech today and he said he would do a complete set up for me on Thursday when I bring it in to show it to him.
By the way, I played an Epiphone Prophecy LP with dirty fingers Gibson pickups the other day - awesome guitar, great sound.
Also, I'd buy an Ibanez ART100 in a minute, without even questioning it, if it sounded like the one we were playing tonight - great inexpensive guitar. Same price as the 3100 I bought - 299 brand new not a B stock, lucked out.
I'm looking forward to another really heavy LP type guitar, although that Ibanez ART100 LP type was mahogany but thin bodied and very light compared to my Epiphones and Michael Kelly Patriot Custom.
I will let you all know how that Tweaker amp turns out, in my opinion. It comes in to Fed Ex on Thursday. I can always send it back and get a Bugera V22 or a Jet City twenty watt head if I think it isn't all it's claimed to be.
I have been wanting an Agile for a long long time and I'm glad I waited it out until I could afford one of the nicer models. I hope I get a good one and don't have to go thru the send it back for one that doesn't have any problems, like I had to do with my Xavier XV500 - but the one I eventually got is a very nice guitar that could use a few minor upgrades to make it a major guitar.
Well, enough anxiety venting. I'll let you guys know how the Agile looks, feels and plays in the morning or afternoon.
oke
