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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 8, 2007 19:07:10 GMT -7
UPS Ground pulls through! Got the doorbell just a few minutes ago, so haven't even sliced it out of the box yet - got to eat and pay homage to the better half for a while. Better to know which side of your bread the butter is on. Then after dinner... TONE!
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Post by myles on Feb 8, 2007 20:00:43 GMT -7
UPS Ground pulls through! Got the doorbell just a few minutes ago, so haven't even sliced it out of the box yet - got to eat and pay homage to the better half for a while. Better to know which side of your bread the butter is on. Then after dinner... TONE! Maybe a little writeup if you can on the SRZ-65 vs the 65 side of the 6545? Play with the master and compare them and play with the presence control too. I never had a chance to do that with the two amps at the same time in the same place.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 8, 2007 20:33:24 GMT -7
Maybe a little writeup if you can on the SRZ-65 vs the 65 side of the 6545? Play with the master and compare them and play with the presence control too. I never had a chance to do that with the two amps at the same time in the same place. Well yeah! I was just blazing on the SRZ-65 down in the studio and I thought the exact same thing. I can tell they are a slight difference, but without an A/B ... Hey, I just realized, I rewired my THD 4x12 stereo. I could hook both amps to that one cab, mic both sides, and use my Radial JX-2 to switch between them. Even better, I could hook them both to one of my 2x12's and use the Headbone. Yeah! That would be perfect - one mic, one cab, the ONLY differences would be the amps. Think I'll do that. The SRZ-65 is a mighty impressive amp. At first I wasn't sure, but with a bit of tweaking holy moley! It definitely has that late '60's sound that I grew up on. Played a bit of Cream and Jimi Hendrix down there and it's really sounding good. For once I have an amp that my PRS Singlecut sounds great through! Up till now, the Singlecut hasn't really been working out very well with any of my other amps. But I plugged it in to the SRZ and it's the Allman Brothers revisited! Very cool! Now I just need to decide on this cab thing - I'm broke so the one I want is out of reach just now! Fortunately I have some web development coming up that could earn me a bit of change..... Dang, my ears are ringing! Guess I got a little louder than I thought....
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Post by myles on Feb 8, 2007 20:54:39 GMT -7
Maybe a little writeup if you can on the SRZ-65 vs the 65 side of the 6545? Play with the master and compare them and play with the presence control too. I never had a chance to do that with the two amps at the same time in the same place. Well yeah! I was just blazing on the SRZ-65 down in the studio and I thought the exact same thing. I can tell they are a slight difference, but without an A/B ... Hey, I just realized, I rewired my THD 4x12 stereo. I could hook both amps to that one cab, mic both sides, and use my Radial JX-2 to switch between them. Even better, I could hook them both to one of my 2x12's and use the Headbone. Yeah! That would be perfect - one mic, one cab, the ONLY differences would be the amps. Think I'll do that. The SRZ-65 is a mighty impressive amp. At first I wasn't sure, but with a bit of tweaking holy moley! It definitely has that late '60's sound that I grew up on. Played a bit of Cream and Jimi Hendrix down there and it's really sounding good. For once I have an amp that my PRS Singlecut sounds great through! Up till now, the Singlecut hasn't really been working out very well with any of my other amps. But I plugged it in to the SRZ and it's the Allman Brothers revisited! Very cool! Now I just need to decide on this cab thing - I'm broke so the one I want is out of reach just now! Fortunately I have some web development coming up that could earn me a bit of change..... Dang, my ears are ringing! Guess I got a little louder than I thought.... Yes... the THD 4x12 is a great cab and that is how Carl Verheyen A/B'd the SRZ-65 against his plexi 50 Marshall watter. We just stuck the two head on top of the cab and wired one to each 1/2 of the cab. Yes to the amp being a loud puppy but if you measure it with a sound pressure level meter and set a different amp to the same dB level the SRZ will still sound louder. Great output transformer and a lot more harmonic content than is typical so the thing just seems even louder than it is. Fortunately, the master is ultra effective so you just set the tone and degree of crunch you want with the gain and the master set about 10:00 and then just "master it" up or down from there for the desired output level. There is some tricky stuff going on in the master volume curcuit so when it is turned down you do not suck tone as on so many other master volume setups. Happy playing and congrats!
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Post by dock66 on Feb 8, 2007 21:41:32 GMT -7
Congrats Steve! It is finally here.
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Post by skydog958 on Feb 8, 2007 22:24:26 GMT -7
One more happy customer. Hey dock, is your C-Gold in yet??
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 8, 2007 22:33:29 GMT -7
Yes... the THD 4x12 is a great cab and that is how Carl Verheyen A/B'd the SRZ-65 against his plexi 50 Marshall watter. We just stuck the two head on top of the cab and wired one to each 1/2 of the cab. Yes to the amp being a loud puppy but if you measure it with a sound pressure level meter and set a different amp to the same dB level the SRZ will still sound louder. Great output transformer and a lot more harmonic content than is typical so the thing just seems even louder than it is. Fortunately, the master is ultra effective so you just set the tone and degree of crunch you want with the gain and the master set about 10:00 and then just "master it" up or down from there for the desired output level. There is some tricky stuff going on in the master volume curcuit so when it is turned down you do not suck tone as on so many other master volume setups. Happy playing and congrats! Thanks Myles. I set up the Headbone here and did some A/B'ing between the 6545 and the SRZ-65. I wasn't prepared for the difference - it is quite stark. I'm wondering about the tubes in the 6545 because it is SO different. Here I'm comparing a brand new amp with hand selected tubes to a used amp with God-only-knows what tubes are in there. I think I'm going to do some swapping here because right now, they sound very different. Not just in gain either - the 6545 has WAY more bottom, but not nearly as much sparkle. Part of that is the presense control, but even with the presence all the way down the SRZ still seems more chimey. I think I have some 12AX7's here of decent lineage, so I'll do some swapping around. I want to give the 6545 an even chance here!
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 8, 2007 23:20:26 GMT -7
FYI for those who record such, I have #34 here.
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Post by DRZ on Feb 9, 2007 3:59:30 GMT -7
One more happy customer. Hey dock, is your C-Gold in yet?? Not yet. My skid of Golds is on the "Water" and i should see them by months end, along with the new 65 watt speaker re-issue. Z
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Feb 9, 2007 7:00:03 GMT -7
Congrats, Steve. I've been playing the crap out of #11 for the last week. I've found the same thing as some others here: with the master above 11:00 or so and the gain at 10:00-1:00 it's an incredible amp. It's also *loud*. Good thing I got that Air Brake last year. Still, I've never played an amp with a master volume that sounded this good. I've always been a die hard "no master volume!" guy, but to my ears there's *no* tonal degradation as you turn down the master. Sure, with the master at 9:00 and the gain at 3:00 it's got more preamp distortion and less power amp drive. Still, it's a great, usable sound with way more dynamics than you'd expect, with no loss of high end or presence. It's unbelievable. I wish I had this 20 years ago when I was playing even more hard rock/heavy metal.
PDW
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 9, 2007 9:00:17 GMT -7
Congrats, Steve. I've been playing the crap out of #11 for the last week. I've found the same thing as some others here: with the master above 11:00 or so and the gain at 10:00-1:00 it's an incredible amp. It's also *loud*. Good thing I got that Air Brake last year. Still, I've never played an amp with a master volume that sounded this good. I've always been a die hard "no master volume!" guy, but to my ears there's *no* tonal degradation as you turn down the master. Sure, with the master at 9:00 and the gain at 3:00 it's got more preamp distortion and less power amp drive. Still, it's a great, usable sound with way more dynamics than you'd expect, with no loss of high end or presence. It's unbelievable. I wish I had this 20 years ago when I was playing even more hard rock/heavy metal. PDW I was playing mine last night without the Airbrake, and I think I'll go ahead and plan on using it. It is a seriously loud amp, but an attenuator will help a bit there. I have so much testing to do now... ACK!
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Post by dock66 on Feb 9, 2007 10:22:22 GMT -7
One more happy customer. Hey dock, is your C-Gold in yet?? Hey Matt,my C-Gold is in but my 112 Vintage cab from Jdesign has not arrived yet.In the mean time I've been swapping C-Gold and G12H and C-Blue back and forth.So far every thing I've used with C-Gold sounds great.I do like C-Gold and C-Blue in Z best...heck I also like G12H and C-Gold .For me C-Gold is thumbs up so far.Watch the volume on SRZ65,it can get really LOUD when you let it out.
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Post by dock66 on Feb 9, 2007 10:29:03 GMT -7
I see the good Dr.Z is in the house. Hi Doc.
One question Doc, Can a single C-Gold handle SRZ65 at full blast?
I was a little careful when I used mine,well didn't want flush $$$ down the drain pipe .
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Post by kruzty on Feb 9, 2007 10:39:19 GMT -7
I assume you mean Gold. I guarantee a Blue won't last long.
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Post by dock66 on Feb 9, 2007 10:45:42 GMT -7
I assume you mean Gold. I guarantee a Blue won't last long. Thanks Kruzty. Yes, C-Gold. C-Blue would have been down the drain by now.
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Post by myles on Feb 9, 2007 12:19:32 GMT -7
Yes... the THD 4x12 is a great cab and that is how Carl Verheyen A/B'd the SRZ-65 against his plexi 50 Marshall watter. We just stuck the two head on top of the cab and wired one to each 1/2 of the cab. Yes to the amp being a loud puppy but if you measure it with a sound pressure level meter and set a different amp to the same dB level the SRZ will still sound louder. Great output transformer and a lot more harmonic content than is typical so the thing just seems even louder than it is. Fortunately, the master is ultra effective so you just set the tone and degree of crunch you want with the gain and the master set about 10:00 and then just "master it" up or down from there for the desired output level. There is some tricky stuff going on in the master volume curcuit so when it is turned down you do not suck tone as on so many other master volume setups. Happy playing and congrats! Thanks Myles. I set up the Headbone here and did some A/B'ing between the 6545 and the SRZ-65. I wasn't prepared for the difference - it is quite stark. I'm wondering about the tubes in the 6545 because it is SO different. Here I'm comparing a brand new amp with hand selected tubes to a used amp with God-only-knows what tubes are in there. I think I'm going to do some swapping here because right now, they sound very different. Not just in gain either - the 6545 has WAY more bottom, but not nearly as much sparkle. Part of that is the presense control, but even with the presence all the way down the SRZ still seems more chimey. I think I have some 12AX7's here of decent lineage, so I'll do some swapping around. I want to give the 6545 an even chance here! Steve, I was never able to play the two amps side by side but in my mind I found them a bit different. There may be different voltage on the plates of the two amps, the output transformer may or may not be the same, the front end of the SRZ may be a bit more gainy with different voltages, or other things. The Doc would be the man on this. They both used E34LS or at least that is what I have in my SRZ and what I found in most 6545's. If they have the same output tubes at the same general bias then this could be ruled out as a big factor. I think it is some of the above factors and I think that "generally overlooked in most amps" presence control in the feedback loop is a factor. If you ever want any tubes spec'd so you know what they really are doing to compare more evenly let me know. I'd be happy to do this for you. GT normally charges $10 per tube for me to run though my battery of tests and generate the reports but for an effort like this I would not charge .... just pay the shipping no matter how many tubes (10 or less hopefully with my current workload) you have if you are interested. On output tube testing you will get a sheet comparing two tubes at a time against spec and a curve trace on each tube showing both at the same time and how well they match over the entire operating range of the tube, not just at idle. You also get a curve trace on preamp tubes showing the two sides.
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Post by myles on Feb 9, 2007 12:22:00 GMT -7
Congrats, Steve. I've been playing the crap out of #11 for the last week. I've found the same thing as some others here: with the master above 11:00 or so and the gain at 10:00-1:00 it's an incredible amp. It's also *loud*. Good thing I got that Air Brake last year. Still, I've never played an amp with a master volume that sounded this good. I've always been a die hard "no master volume!" guy, but to my ears there's *no* tonal degradation as you turn down the master. Sure, with the master at 9:00 and the gain at 3:00 it's got more preamp distortion and less power amp drive. Still, it's a great, usable sound with way more dynamics than you'd expect, with no loss of high end or presence. It's unbelievable. I wish I had this 20 years ago when I was playing even more hard rock/heavy metal. PDW Carl Verheyen was also a die hard no master fan until his SRZ. By the way .... turn the master to 3:00 or even all the way and watch what happens with the gain at 9:00-10:00
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Post by myles on Feb 9, 2007 12:28:32 GMT -7
I see the good Dr.Z is in the house. Hi Doc. One question Doc, Can a single C-Gold handle SRZ65 at full blast? I was a little careful when I used mine,well didn't want flush $$$ down the drain pipe . Hopefully the Doc will chime in here too but I would not use a single C Gold behind this amp. You may get away with it in a close back cab but never in an open back at higher levels. Maybe at moderate levels for single note lead work but for power chords or crunch chords it would if iffy from my point of view. The SRZ-65 on my bench exceeds 65 watts. Here are their specs and it does have a 50 watt capacity General specifications Nominal diameter 12", 305mm Power Rating 50W Nominal impedance 8§Ù and 15§Ù Sensitivity 100dB Chassis type Pressed steel Voice coil diameter 1.75", 44.5mm Voice coil material Round copper Magnet type Alnico Frequency range 75-5000Hz Resonance frequency, Fs 75Hz DC resistance, Re 6.4§Ù & 11.8§Ù Mounting Information Diameter 12.2", 309mm Overall depth 6.5", 165mm Magnet structure diameter 5.0", 128mm Cut-out diameter 11.1", 283mm Mounting slot dimensions 0.31", 7.9mm ¨ª Number of mounting slots 4 Mounting slot PCD 11.7", 297mm Unit weight 9.3lb, 4.2kg
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Post by zimmer on Feb 9, 2007 15:37:00 GMT -7
By the way .... turn the master to 3:00 or even all the way and watch what happens with the gain at 9:00-10:00 Turn the master all the way and watch what happens? Like, neighbors call the police, windows rattle in their frames, knick-knacks are walked off the shelves, and the dog hides under the bed? ;D I realize this isn't necessarily meant to be a house amp, but I'm home during the day sometimes, when most of the world is at work. There's plenty of opportunity to disturb the peace. Or I need a house outside of town. The amp has a lower noise floor, with notes that bloom and evolve, in a way more than anything I've ever heard. It's rich and very detailed at any volume. My best guitar sounds better than ever, and my marginal guitar has earned a trade-in status with the dealer, as it's imperfections are no longer forgiven. This amp is a revelation for me, and it was tough to go back to work today after the last two full days with it in the house. I've used a Menatone Blue Collar and a Hellbilly with nice results, too. I'm still experimenting with a variety of settings, because there doesn't seem to be just one sweet spot.
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Post by sonicgator on Feb 9, 2007 16:37:14 GMT -7
Congrats on the amp Steve! How does it initially compare to the Flexi-50?
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Post by myles on Feb 9, 2007 16:53:27 GMT -7
By the way .... turn the master to 3:00 or even all the way and watch what happens with the gain at 9:00-10:00 Turn the master all the way and watch what happens? Like, neighbors call the police, windows rattle in their frames, knick-knacks are walked off the shelves, and the dog hides under the bed? ;D I realize this isn't necessarily meant to be a house amp, but I'm home during the day sometimes, when most of the world is at work. There's plenty of opportunity to disturb the peace. Or I need a house outside of town. The amp has a lower noise floor, with notes that bloom and evolve, in a way more than anything I've ever heard. It's rich and very detailed at any volume. My best guitar sounds better than ever, and my marginal guitar has earned a trade-in status with the dealer, as it's imperfections are no longer forgiven. This amp is a revelation for me, and it was tough to go back to work today after the last two full days with it in the house. I've used a Menatone Blue Collar and a Hellbilly with nice results, too. I'm still experimenting with a variety of settings, because there doesn't seem to be just one sweet spot. Oh come on .... you can try it for 15 seconds ;D
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Post by myles on Feb 9, 2007 16:54:13 GMT -7
Congrats on the amp Steve! How does it initially compare to the Flexi-50? That would be a great question for Carl Verheyen as he uses Flexi 50s and is a THD endorsee.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 9, 2007 19:08:35 GMT -7
Congrats on the amp Steve! How does it initially compare to the Flexi-50? Interesting question. They are altogether different amps. I think the Flexi has more gain on tap, but the SRZ doesn't suffer for that. The SRZ sounds more authentically like those great Marshall tones from the '60's, but the Flexi doesn't suffer in that area either. They are both world class amazing amplifiers, in their own right. I'll keep and use both, in different situations. I really LOVE the Flexi in a blues context, but I think the SRZ will be more used in a Rock context. Not that those roles couldn't be reversed - with a bit of tweaking both could serve in either role. For some reason I have developed this mental impression that helps me explain the kind of distortion I hear with an amp. Maybe it's because my father was a carpenter, but the metaphor of a saw blade going through different kinds of wood really reminds me of the kinds of distortion you get with amps. To me, the SRZ distortion is like a nice crosscut saw cutting through a good firm piece of oak. The Flexi is more like a a chainsaw cutting through bark.
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Post by zimmer on Feb 9, 2007 19:35:09 GMT -7
Yep, I have tried it, for about two minutes. It's the right thumb that was far too powerful to be used, so to speak. It was a fine moment, but I need to take it to a space, like a church, and open it up there.
That may be possible on Wednesday next week.
Meanwhile, it's back to playing.
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Post by dock66 on Feb 9, 2007 20:31:30 GMT -7
I see the good Dr.Z is in the house. Hi Doc. One question Doc, Can a single C-Gold handle SRZ65 at full blast? I was a little careful when I used mine,well didn't want flush $$$ down the drain pipe . Hopefully the Doc will chime in here too but I would not use a single C Gold behind this amp. You may get away with it in a close back cab but never in an open back at higher levels. Maybe at moderate levels for single note lead work but for power chords or crunch chords it would if iffy from my point of view. The SRZ-65 on my bench exceeds 65 watts. Here are their specs and it does have a 50 watt capacity General specifications Nominal diameter 12", 305mm Power Rating 50W Nominal impedance 8§Ù and 15§Ù Sensitivity 100dB Chassis type Pressed steel Voice coil diameter 1.75", 44.5mm Voice coil material Round copper Magnet type Alnico Frequency range 75-5000Hz Resonance frequency, Fs 75Hz DC resistance, Re 6.4§Ù & 11.8§Ù Mounting Information Diameter 12.2", 309mm Overall depth 6.5", 165mm Magnet structure diameter 5.0", 128mm Cut-out diameter 11.1", 283mm Mounting slot dimensions 0.31", 7.9mm ¨ª Number of mounting slots 4 Mounting slot PCD 11.7", 297mm Unit weight 9.3lb, 4.2kg Thanks Myles for the response. ;D Really appreciate that very much. I was sooooo careful with C-Gold and SRZ65,did not want to push it before I hear the thumbs up .
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Post by DaSkip on Feb 9, 2007 21:19:26 GMT -7
I checked with bank yesterday and the check has not been cashed. Dang, I feel like I mailed a shop in Hooterville (it's in Chicago). I mailed the check Priority Mail on the 31st of last month. They haven't received it yet. wtf....When this is resolved, I will be writing the Post Master General and asking why this zip code has such poor service? Even the shop says that "the US Mail service s*cks there". Of course I heard all of this after I mailed the check. You would think that they would state that they prefer FED-X or UPS. At least I don't have to climb a telephone pole to call them. :Kickin'Alf&RalphsAss:
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 9, 2007 21:34:44 GMT -7
I checked with bank yesterday and the check has not been cashed. Dang, I feel like I mailed a shop in Hooterville (it's in Chicago). I mailed the check Priority Mail on the 31st of last month. They haven't received it yet. wtf....When this is resolved, I will be writing the Post Master General and asking why this zip code has such poor service? Even the shop says that "the US Mail service s*cks there". Of course I heard all of this after I mailed the check. You would think that they would state that they prefer FED-X or UPS. At least I don't have to climb a telephone pole to call them. :Kickin'Alf&RalphsAss: Go to the bank, pay the $30 to cancel the check, open a PayPal account and it will be payed for in minutes.
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Post by myles on Feb 10, 2007 18:15:09 GMT -7
Hopefully the Doc will chime in here too but I would not use a single C Gold behind this amp. You may get away with it in a close back cab but never in an open back at higher levels. Maybe at moderate levels for single note lead work but for power chords or crunch chords it would if iffy from my point of view. The SRZ-65 on my bench exceeds 65 watts. Here are their specs and it does have a 50 watt capacity General specifications Nominal diameter 12", 305mm Power Rating 50W Nominal impedance 8§Ù and 15§Ù Sensitivity 100dB Chassis type Pressed steel Voice coil diameter 1.75", 44.5mm Voice coil material Round copper Magnet type Alnico Frequency range 75-5000Hz Resonance frequency, Fs 75Hz DC resistance, Re 6.4§Ù & 11.8§Ù Mounting Information Diameter 12.2", 309mm Overall depth 6.5", 165mm Magnet structure diameter 5.0", 128mm Cut-out diameter 11.1", 283mm Mounting slot dimensions 0.31", 7.9mm ¨ª Number of mounting slots 4 Mounting slot PCD 11.7", 297mm Unit weight 9.3lb, 4.2kg Thanks Myles for the response. ;D Really appreciate that very much. I was sooooo careful with C-Gold and SRZ65,did not want to push it before I hear the thumbs up . You are welcome. I think after the Verheyen project we did today that if you keep the volume below maybe 11:00 and the gain below noonish the Gold would be a pretty cool speaker that could probably be used safely in a single speaker config. They are very efficient speakers so you would not have to turn up the amp much anyway!
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Post by dock66 on Feb 11, 2007 13:26:23 GMT -7
Yes Myles,I kept the vol and gain below noon,just to be on a safe. ;D
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Post by myles on Feb 12, 2007 11:57:23 GMT -7
Yes Myles,I kept the vol and gain below noon,just to be on a safe. ;D I bet that sounded pretty terrific.
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