BigWheeledWagon

Wow. That does indeed inspire gear lust. Unfortunately, the upgrade costs more than the amp. Yeah, the amp I'm working on is a Champ 600.

This is a followup on my previous post about modifying my Fender Champ 600. So, I'm looking at replacement speakers (I'm forgoing the kit and just getting individual parts that best suit my needs -- I'm also going to grab some NOS tubes if I can find a good deal), and will probably go with a Weber -- the question is ceramic or AlNiCo? Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm leaning toward the AlNiCo because as I understand it, though my understanding is fairly limited, they tend to be warmer, more harmonically complex, and tend to break up a little easier.

Yeah, I've been really happy with it. I put new tubes in the day I got it, and it has quickly become my primary recording amp due to the ability to get it to breakup at relatively low volumes. I can't imagine it would be much good in a performance situation, but I don't play out anymore. My old Bassman 10 has quickly fallen into disuse. I should probably look into selling it, but I can't quite bring myself to part with it.

We ran into several of the camera-folks near us at the show, and they gave us the impression that they had been taping the past several shows at that point for some sort of project. I certainly hope the footage of the Ryman show surfaces before too long -- it was a fantastic show. The band really tends to go all out when it plays the Ryman -- the St. Patrick's Day, 2006 show was pretty amazing, too.

I've always had the opposite feel for the album -- it feels like lat spring/early summer to me (nothing to do with the name, though). I think this is largely a personal thing, though. I bought the album in May of '99 right around the time I graduated from college, and it became the soundtrack to that time period in my life. Thus, I've always associated it with warm May/June evenings and that bittersweet time period. Also, although the lyrics of the album are incredibly dark, the music contrasts the lyrics for the most part and is lush and warm. Also, the Beach Boys' influence gives me tha

Thanks -- I'm still not sure if I'm going to try it myself or not, but it's nice to have a vote of confidence. What caps would you recommend as an alternative? Anyway, I appreciate the replies -- as usual, the regulars here in "Solid State Technology" have proven to be a valuable resource. When I post something here, I generally have a pretty good idea of who is likely to respond, and ya'll have never failed to offer solid advice or to help me look at an issue in a different light. I doubt I could have built my custom strat this past year without all the help. Thanks guys.

That's my biggest fear as well (well, other than the whole electrocution thing). I've been pretty successful soldering inside guitars, but circuit boards scare me. Years ago, I attempted to mod a tube screamer TS9 with the old TS808 chip. It did not go well. Perhaps I can convince a more technically inclined friend to do this.

So, I'm considering taking my little Champ 600 practice amp up a notch, using this kit (the premium one): http://www.specialtyguitars.com/champ-upgrade-kits.html So, I know I can handle the speaker replacement and tubes(obviously) no problem. I've wired guitars, but this is a whole new level, especially considering that I'll have to deal with stuff like draining the caps (which could result in electrocution if I screw that up). So, is this something I should take on by myself, or would that be crazy? The kit would still be worth it for the speaker and tubes, but if that's all I'm going

I also had sinus surgery, and it has had some impact on my migraines, though I still get them. Of course, I didn't get the surgery to help with migraines -- I got it to deal with a chronic sinus infection. The surgery was great at getting rid of the infection and preventing future ones by clearing away all the scar tissue from previous infections that blocked my sinuses and created repeated sinus infections (and eventually one that wouldn't go away). At times, sinus pressure seemed to trigger a migraine, so that trigger is no longer in play, but I still get a migraine once or twice a month

Another vote for the computer. I've struggled with the 4-track, and the computer is much better. In this day and age, some software and an interface can be had for not much more than the 4-track and will allow you so much more freedom.

I've been there too. Don't give up. I often find that just playing an instrument without really thinking about it often yields some results (sort of the like the musical version of stream of consciousness writing). Also, playing an instrument with which you're less familiar can often inspire a new song (same thing goes for alternate tunings -- I think the older thread mentioned that). Who knows, maybe you'll just wake up some morning soon with a melody in your head. Anyway, good luck.

I have been considering upgrading my studio with this particular mixer -- your endorsement may have just sealed the deal. Thanks.

Looks like musician's friend has a scratch and dent sale going on for the 5W model. Don't know much about Blackhearts, though. If you're looking for a 5W amp, though, and if you have a little more cash, may I recommend the Swart Space Tone?: http://www.swartamps.com/amplifiers_tweed_tone_6v6se.htm

I brought it up last week when it first aired in the "Wilco Heard Out and About" thread (yeah, I know, it's not really out and about, but . . . ), and I think at least one other person mentioned seeing it -- not sure what that indicates about the ratings for the show. I agree, it's always cool to hear Wilco, but hearing "Being There" era Wilco stuff made me particularly happy. Not sure if I'm going to stick with watching "True Blood," (it's no "Buffy") but playing Wilco doesn't hurt.

Not out and about, but "Far, Far Away" is playing in the background of the HBO show "True Blood" as I type this.

While the two are very different instruments, it will still be helpful to have learned the lap steel before advancing to the pedal. While the pedals and knee levers will certainly add a whole new level of difficulty, learning the basics of playing with the steel bar, muting/dampening strings, etc. will surely have you in a better position to learn the pedal steel than you otherwise would be. As for making due now, you can probably get a lot of the sounds you are looking for with the lap steel and a volume pedal, but there are just some aspects of the pedal steel that just can't be reprodu

Those are some interesting-looking guitars. I must admit that I, too, am now curious about these guitars. I see that the company is based in Illinois, but I wonder if the guitars are made there or are assembled cheaply in China. Of course, at one time Sears owned the company and sold them through their catalogue. Anyway, my interest is piqued if anyone has any information.

I'm glad to hear that Jeff is returning to working on a more studio-based album. I love the performance aspect of the band, but I can get that when I see them on tour. After the last couple of albums, I miss the dense studio creations of YHF and Summerteeth, and I'm really curious to hear what kind of contributions the new lineup can bring to the studio.

"Do or do not. There is no try." Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Putting aside any issues of national pride, I think that if they made them domestically, the same problems that bother you in the first place would not exist.

We also got a black lab puppy a few weeks ago. We named him Lennon. Before I even offered any suggestions, my wife said, "We are not naming him Wilco or Tweedy." The little guy loves music. Whenever I play guitar, he sits down at my feet and stares up at me with his head cocked to the side.

I think Oceanman has found the solution to your problem.

Despite now being a pretty worthless publication, Rolling Stone mentions Wilco playing a new song at Lollapalooza and has a nice picture of Jeff's Nudie suit (which appears to be different than the one he wore earlier this year in Nashville): http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/inde...t-lollapalooza/

Maybe there should be something about this subject in the announcements section or some other appropriate place so that we can avoid this coming up on a regular basis -- just a friendly reminder that discussions of the address of the loft, personal residences, telephone numbers, etc. should be avoided (if this is already up somewhere -- I apologize in advance). I know lots of folks (many of them new to the board) who bring these subjects up mean no harm and have no intent of stalking, etc., but, as we've all discussed many time, we should be considerate to both the privacy and safety of the g

So, I've decided to give this a try as well -- I ordered a pack of acoustic strings. I think I'll try it out on my old Gibson Dove. It's got a really heavy low end (enough so that it can be a bitch to record and requires a little creative microphone placement), so I think it will sound pretty good high-strung. Hopefully this will inspire some new songs, but at the very least it should add a little texture to some recordings. Most of the discussion here seems to have centered around high-stringing acoustic; has anyone tried this with electrics? I've spotted packs of Nashville tuning string