we’ve had an interesting couple of weeks. some new gear, mixed with getting other gear fixed has made recording interesting to say the least. we’ve had to try some slightly unconventional tactics, but the result’s been good so far. more on that later…

the may 30 show went really well, thanks for everyone that came out. we tried a lot of new songs, new ideas, and new setups which seemed to go over very well. it’s exciting to start playing live again. you get in the mindset of recording, and then to take these new songs out into the live world is something special.

sorry for the giant post/rambling…

some filmmaker friends of ours shot the last show, we’re editing film right now. surprises for everyone soon…

ben.

ps. spent some time at the DeCordova museum recently…

We’ve used various Fenders in the past, but this is by far the nicest sounding one I’ve heard.  It has the perfect Fender sound – and its reverb is just beautiful.  Once in the van, we made a beeline back to your recording space to give it a full run through at full volume.

Besides it being a damn loud amp, it sounds “just right”.  Just plug in and play – not much else is needed.  After spending a lot of time struggling, and not succeeding in getting the right sound for a few of our songs, this amp got us there in a few minutes.

One of the many good things about the Rick that Ben is playing, is the way it feeds back.  That’s also why he’s standing so close while he’s playing (i’m sure his ears will thank him later).  Once it’s starts to feedback, you get an amazing lush wall of sound which fills up space so nicely.

Now, if we only had an AB/Y switch that was quite so we could get both channels pumping at once.  We actually have 2, but they are way too noisy for your liking.  The Divided by 13 Switchazel looks real nice, but it’s also $275.00 – i think it’s going to have to wait.

Once we get the AC30 back (hopefully later in the week), these two amps will be singing together proudly.

Now the “30 day” clock is ticking…

There is supposed to be 3 springs stretched from one end of the tank to the other, but none (which is what we have) is decidedly less than the aforementioned 3.  I’ve read reports of other AC30 owners having similar issues, so it seems that the stock reverb tank is pretty cheap.

I spent awhile today trying to track a new one down, but I didn’t have much luck – at least not if i wanted one sooner than “a few weeks” anyway.   I think our best bet now is to bring it in the Mr. Amp Dr. and she if they can get it fixed sooner.

In the end, the amp needs to get looked at anyway, so I now is as good a time as any.  That Fender Twin we’ve been looking at may need to be aquired sooner rather than later to take the AC30’s place.

The AC30 is still periodically making some unsettling rattling noises, so it will need to see the amp doctor at some point, but I hope today sets a good precedent.

To help with some tone alternatives, we  may be aquiring a Fender Twin very shortly, which we’re all excited about.   The fender twin and an AC30 playing nice together, what more can you ask for?

As far as we can tell, the tubes look good, but I’m thinking that replacing and upgrading them anyway isn’t such a bad idea.  The tubes would not account for the reverb crapping out, but it would be one less thing to worry about.

On a side note, who the hell designed the layout of the newer AC30’s.  I highly doubt that it’s a similar design to was used during the classical vox years, becuase they make it pretty damn difficult just to get at the tubes.   I’m no amp designer, but c’mon – you can do better than that!

Trying to record it though, is a little bit more difficult.  It has a tone somewhere between a guitar and bass, though it definitely leans more towards the lower, bassier side, since most of the tone we user comes from a bass rig (Ampeg SVT-VR head and 6×12 cab).

Lately, we’ve found that we get the best recorded tone by also playing through a Vox AC30, which adds some bite, clarity and high end responce that isn’t there through the bass setup.

To record the bass side of things, we end up with 4 tracks; 2 mics (AKG D112 and Shure Beta 52), a direct from the SansAmp, and direct from the head.  On the AC30, we’ve found that a Rode NT5 right against the grill sounds great, helped out by the old stand by Shure SM57, and a Shure KSM27 a little further away.

Anyway, i’ll post some audio samples of what all this sounds like shortly.  But for now, it’s time to enjoy what’s left of a beautiful sunday evening.

On another note, as I was setting up Calculon in our rehearsal space today, I noticed that my “Drumstick Cemetery” is looking a little feeble right now, but it’s bound to grow to new heights shortly.  Some great things have come out of the cemetery; it must be handled with care and respect.

jen’s knocking out Fire Eater parts right now…

the Diana+ camera will be loaded today, photos will be posted soon.

current playlist:

• eulogies: here anonymous
• jose gonzalez: veneer
• kings of leon: because of the times
• yeah yeah yeahs: it’s blitz

on a side note, I have a moustache right now, I look like an extra from Almost Famous. photos later…