Went Kinda Old School For A While...

[László]

I have had the past few days off, and same for the next few. Well, give me a little too much time, and I'm going to move everything around in my studio just because I get bored.

For years, I've had separate heads and cabs, and have run the heads on stands or tables near my workstation, while I run the cabs in another part of the room, or even in my storage room, etc. But since I'm not recording for a bit, I figured I'd go old school and put the heads on top of the cabs like I did back in the old days.

It's kind of fun doing this, though my small 1x12 PRS cab vibrates so much when the HXDA 30 is cranked when sitting on top, that it rattles the tubes; you can hear that right through the speaker! Sit the head on a stand, and that doesn't happen, so it's not like there's anything wrong with the tubes.

I hear the same thing to a lesser degree on the Mesa Lone Star combo when that's cranked. This is the kind of thing that drives me absolutely nuts and reminds me of one of the reasons I put my amp heads on stands or tables in the first place.

But those heads on their matching cabs sure look great!

 

[andy474x]

But those heads on their matching cabs sure look great!

Function be damned, I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses free time in a fun and non-productive way!

 

[bodia]

Function be damned, I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses free time in a fun and non-productive way!

All over this. Thinking about a scotch and sparkin' a stogie. Might even read a book while I'm enjoying the stogie.

 

[László]

Well, I don't drink or smoke, but I do move equipment around just for fun. Which is much, much weirder!

I also fixed the toggle switch on my CU22 30th Anni PS model that kept popping out of place - it wouldn't stay put in the neck pickup position, kept bouncing into the middle position! I'd been putting that off.

Doing even simple surgery on a Private Stock guitar like this - I mean, it was a very simple thing to fix, just bend the spring into position a little - really kinda freaked me out. On a "regular" PRS, no worries. On a PS? I had visions of dropping a tool on the finish, etc.

Sure, I could have sent the guitar in and the PTC would have taken care of it, but too much can happen in shipping for me to pack and ship a guitar in cold weather, when it's a simple adjustment.

Anyway I fixed it in just a few minutes. Now I'm out of little studio chores. I might have to start redecorating.

 

[alantig]

Doing even simple surgery on a Private Stock guitar like this - I mean, it was a very simple thing to fix, just bend the spring into position a little - really kinda freaked me out. On a "regular" PRS, no worries. On a PS? I had visions of dropping a tool on the finish, etc.

I hope you wore protective gloves while doing this!

 

[László]

I hope you wore protective gloves while doing this!

Yes, that's exactly the type of protective glove I use when I work on my guitars, how did you know?

 

[alantig]

Yes, that's exactly the type of protective glove I use when I work on my guitars, how did you know?

It just seemed obvious. The potential for finish damage would force you to be even more careful. Kind of like juggling knives forces you to pay more attention to which end of the knife you grab, a secret told to me by the great retired juggler Miles "Lefty" Thompson.

 

[László]

It just seemed obvious. The potential for finish damage would force you to be even more careful. Kind of like juggling knives forces you to pay more attention to which end of the knife you grab, a secret told to me by the great retired juggler Miles "Lefty" Thompson.

I think he was once married to the famous retired knife thrower's assistant, Jane "Eyepatch" Cyclops.

 

[Alan Manning]

And if I recall correctly her father was Cutthroat Cyclops from ye old London town.

 

[László]

And if I recall correctly her father was Cutthroat Cyclops from ye old London town.

Arr, matey!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I hope you wore protective gloves while doing this!

I've had to wear sh!t like that. Works better with the old PRS poly finish in my experience.

 

[rugerpc]

I hope you wore protective gloves while doing this!

Goes well with this strap...

 

[László]

Goes well with this strap...

Oh, I see, it's a guitar strap.

I thought for a second it was a strap-on. Glad you didn't post a pic of that.

 

[László]

So back to the actual topic, for a moment...

I decided today to put the HXDA on my DG 2x12 to see if it wasn't just the little 1x12 cab that was vibrating enough to make my tubes rattle with the HXDA sitting on it. And the answer is that the amp sounded great, no tube rattle, no unexpected sounds or weirdness at all.

The amp is working fine.

So now I'm back to the idea of getting another 2x12 PRS Grissom cab for the HXDA, or maybe their closed back 2x12. I'd save a few bucks and just get a 2 heads/1 cabinet switch box, but there are times I'd like to have both amps going at once.

My entire studio life is a meaningless pain in the butt. But I really wouldn't know what else to do with myself.

 

[rugerpc]

My entire studio life is a meaningless pain in the butt joyful macro and micro tweeting of gear. But I really wouldn't know what else to do with myself trade it for anything!

Fixed it for you...

 

[László]

I like the way you think, Bill!

Thanks for that!

 

[vchizzle]

Tube rattle is one of the most annoying things to me. Just grates on me. It does look so much cooler to have head on cab though. Think I've said it before, but I've not had a head on cab for like 10 years. At home I do, but I'm not playing at the volume level to cause a huge issue. I know some guys that put high density foam between head and cab too. Damn, I need some more amps and cabs.

 

[László]

Tube rattle is one of the most annoying things to me. Just grates on me. It does look so much cooler to have head on cab though. Think I've said it before, but I've not had a head on cab for like 10 years. At home I do, but I'm not playing at the volume level to cause a huge issue. I know some guys that put high density foam between head and cab too. Damn, I need some more amps and cabs.

Yup. It drives me crazy. Doesn't happen with the DG cab, and I suspect that it might be just that the 1x12 vibrates a lot and jiggles around on my padded and carpeted floor, because it's so light weight. Truly a "grab and go" cab, but of course, I don't go anywhere but my own studio these days. LOL

I'd like to reduce the number of stands, tables, speaker wires, and scattered cabinets I have cluttering up my studio, though.

So I was kind of hoping just putting them on the cab would help with that. And in the case of the Grissom amp, it's fine.

 

[vchizzle]

Yup. It drives me crazy. Doesn't happen with the DG cab, and I suspect that it might be just that the 1x12 vibrates a lot and jiggles around on my padded and carpeted floor, because it's so light weight. Truly a "grab and go" cab, but of course, I don't go anywhere but my own studio these days. LOL

I'd like to reduce the number of stands, tables, speaker wires, and scattered cabinets I have cluttering up my studio, though.

So I was kind of hoping just putting them on the cab would help with that. And in the case of the Grissom amp, it's fine.

Well, that'd kinda mess up your "super switcher" plan if you put heads on cabs!

 

[László]

Well, that'd kinda mess up your "super switcher" plan if you put heads on cabs!

Sure would! They're just on the cabs temporarily.

I would like to use the desk they've been sitting on as an actual desk, to work on guitars, use for an auxiliary computer, work on the pedalboard, etc.

So I'm back to the idea of having an open-back shelf unit to hold the cabs made with wheels, that I can just wheel to wherever I want, easily get to the backs of the amps, etc.

Sort of like a road case, only without the metal road case parts, or a front or back, since I won't need to move the heads anywhere now that I'm doing all my sessions from my own studio.