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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 1, 2012 18:23:16 GMT -7
Wadda 'ya think? What's the first song would you play on this baby? That is wicked! First song??? I believe Terry Kath played an SG exclusively on Chicago Transit Authority, and he smoked it. With that in mind, how about South California Purples, or 25 or 6 to 4 off of their next album.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 1, 2012 18:13:20 GMT -7
But, if you want a guitar from Fender that is 100% par with what Don Grosh builds that is like I said before "Dud Free" you will pay much more and if you don't want to pay near $5k you will search high and low until you run into that special one. Eric Johnson might really know his likes of refinements better than anyone, but Fender cares about one thing when producing guitars and that is how many they can make and how much money they make. My guess is if everyone who knew the Grosh name could play one then there would be next to ZERO of these couple handfuls of used $1500-2000 guitars floating around. That would be my $1 USD that is now worth about $.05 of what it used to be. I have to go with asattwanger on this. I have a 1980 Strat that I bought new and a 1972 Les Paul Recording model I bought new, but the Grosh Bent Top Reserve that I acquired last year is just so far beyond both my Gibson and Fender. Plays better than any guitar I've ever picked up, the fit and finish is gorgeous, and the pickups, which Grosh makes, are great. I strongly recommend going with the stainless steel frets, as I was amazed at how much easier it is to bend strings on these. p.s.: Oohps! I typed the above before I read your post about buying the LSL. To quote Gilda Radner from her Saturday Night Live diatribes: "NEVERMIND!"
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 1, 2012 17:51:46 GMT -7
I have been missing my Z-Wreck cab with the blue and gold, so I decided to sell or trade my Shiva cabinet with the Vintage 30s so I can order a new cabinet. Since I recently bought a 65 Amps Stone Pony and have a Producer on order, I decided to order a 65 Amps 2 X 12 16 ohm open back with a blue and a gold; however, I spoke with Dan Boul about the cab before placing the order, and he strongly encouraged me to go with their recommended configuration of a G12H 30 and a gold, as their amps and cabs are designed to create synergy when used together (I suppose such is the case with all amp manufacturers). So that is what I've ordered. Now I'm beginning to second guess myself. It was the blue and gold that I started out to order, but I went with Dan's recommendation. I think I'm starting to get OC over this. Help please: Does anyone here have experience with mixing the gold with a G12H 30? Your thoughts/comments will be appreciated. Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 1, 2012 15:26:01 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum carman. I have a Remedy, and it will cover all the bands you listed, though you might need a pedal to get that circa '80s hot rodded Marshall sound Van Halen used on some of his leads. IMHO, the Remedy will cover just about anything but that and modern metal.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 1, 2012 11:57:08 GMT -7
Hey CatusKurt, +1 for you and the band, ++1 for the Remedy, and +++1 for the long legs on the other guitarist. Something Worth Trying: When you play the B-D-B-D in front of the E chord, try playing both the D on the fifth string and the open D on the 4th string together, slightly bending the D on the 5th string to put it slightly out of tune with the open D. I think this is what Paige did, as it gives that lick an extra bit of growl. YMMV, but give it a try and see what you think. You have a nice band by the way.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 26, 2012 19:07:53 GMT -7
Almost a year has passed and I have enjoyed it these 10 more months, but the decision has been made...again- Time for this amp to move on to another happy home. I WILL miss it dearly. I feel your pain Mark. As you know, I went through this same thing a few months ago. Yes - I miss the Z-Wreck tone, but if I had it back I would not play it because it was just too loud. If the doc can ever come up with a way to bring the volume down while retaining that tone, I'll jump back in immediately. In the mean time, I cannot reasonably keep anything I don't use.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 26, 2012 13:20:23 GMT -7
what I mean is, no active stuff, or super-hot metal pups, but hotter than normal. I have the Hot Texas Specials in my Tele (I think they run at around 9.5k impedance) and they sound GLORIOUS through the Remedy, yet still sound like a Tele. The Texas Specials for Strat are not that hot (6.5k ish) and are about he same as the Hot Vintage I have already. So, where to go next, without breaking the bank! ?? I don't play super clean and like that edgy growl and some without pedals if possible...... The Tele does it in spades, but I want that on my Strat..... Seymour Duncan Customs or Stacks? I'n hearing excellent reports on the STK (Hot Stack) range he does - humbucking, pretty hot (circa Les Paul territory) but still sound like a Strat. Any thoughts / experience? Don't know if anyone has suggested this yet as time is keeping me from reading through this whole thread, but Grosh winds their own pickups and they offer a '60s single coil based on their study of old strats, and also a Fat '60s single coil based on certain hotter old strats that they studied. You may want to check out the Fat 60s.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 26, 2012 10:16:01 GMT -7
Very impressive Hohn. Wish I had your wood working skills.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 26, 2012 10:14:00 GMT -7
No mention of trem I highly recommend a Gotoh or Callaham. When I get a few minutes I'm gonna send over a set of Fralin Vintage PU's to donate to the project. Even if you decide to go with Grosh or Kinman's or other PU the Fralins are worth hearing in that body. They've got a great lower midrange bump that gives a real thickness to the notes if that's what you're looking for. The Grosh single coils are a more "transparent", true vintage sound in my opinion. The Fralins always hit me as "vintage plus". The Electrajet body already has a thicker lower mid due to the body shape so the Fralins might be "too much" for some folks in that application. Interesting... Phil, are you using Grosh 60s single coils or Fat 60s in your Electrojet?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 26, 2012 10:09:38 GMT -7
Hey Mark,
Could you compare and contrast what you are hearing from that 4 X 10 open back cab compared with a 4 X 12 (preferrably a closed back 4 X 12).
Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 25, 2012 10:09:37 GMT -7
^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks, T-Rock!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 25, 2012 10:00:05 GMT -7
What the hell's next--Rickenbackers? Just goes to show, whatever it is, it sounds great through a Z! Very possible Jon - happened to me ;D Oh my Frank, she's gorgeous. Can you get The Byrds tone on Mr. Tamberine Man with that honey, or were those old Vox guitars? Can't seem to remember if they were playing Rickenbackers or Vox.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 25, 2012 9:52:36 GMT -7
I have been missing the 2 X 12 cab that came with my Z-Wreck, and have decided to order a new cab with a similar configuration and either trade off my Shiva cabinet or my Z-Best cab with the usual speaker config (now that I have a Z-Best with two greenbacks loaded at 16 ohm, I don't need the other Z-Best). So I want to order a 2 X 12 with one Celestion Blue and one Celestion Gold, but here's what has me puzzled: How can you put a speaker rated at 15 watts (the Blue) in a cab with a speaker rated at 50 watts (the Gold), and not blow the Blue when you crank it up? Can someone please explain this to me? Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Aug 9, 2012 16:28:24 GMT -7
Dean,
I cannot give you any advice about wiring a cabinet, but I can make a comment about 16 ohm cabinets. I recently ordered a Z-Best cabinet from Dr. Z loaded with two Celestion classic greenbacks and wired for 16 ohms. This new cab makes a significant improvement in the tone of my Remedy, compared with my other Z-Best, which is wired for 8 ohms and has the usual speaker config the doctor uses in the Z-Best. I don't know how much of the change in tone is due to the greenbacks and how much is due to a 16 ohm load (65 amps wires all their cabs for 16 ohm, as they assert it makes a significant difference), but I sure like how it upgraded the sound of my Remedy. That new cab with the Remedy delivers killer classic rock tone.
I also have a Bogner Ubercab that is wired for 16 ohm, and I like it significantly better than my 8 ohm Bogner Shiva cab. But it's not really possible to draw any conclusions with that comparison, as the Shiva is a 2 X 12 and the Ubercab is a 4 X 12.
Good luck with your project and let us know how it goes.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 18, 2012 18:43:56 GMT -7
Hey ADR,
Nice looking cab, but I second Stan's question. What speakers are in it?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 14, 2012 18:12:58 GMT -7
Lee,
I have it in my head to have Grosh build a Strat style guitar for me next year, since I am so smitten by the first guitar they built for me; however, Fat Sound Guitars, who sells both Grosh and Ron Thorn Custom Guitars, tells me I should check out a Thorn before I make a decision. So, would really appreciate, if you have the time, if you would post a detailed report of the sound, fit 'n finish, playability, and vibe of the guitar once you've spent some time with it. I imagine some other Z brethren might also be interested in such a report.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 14, 2012 17:58:43 GMT -7
Hey Kirk, I actually just got it last year so unfortunately I can't attest to its sound since birth. I can tell you this guitar is pretty special. With its Adirondack Spruce Top, Cocobolo Rosewood back and sides, ebony finger boad and curly maple binding this guitar is a work of art and sounds like heaven. Very nice neck with really great action. This guitar has plenty of volume and even tone. It works well with both finger and pick any kind of music. I also installed a K&K PowerMix Trinity system which sounds fantastic. She sounds like a honey, and I wish I could hear her. If you had been the original owner, I was keen to know how the sound changed over 10 years, as I hear a lot about guitars "opening up" as they age.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 14, 2012 17:56:41 GMT -7
Not as much of a looker as some of these... Oh, I don't know about that. It does not have a lot of bling, but then a lot of guitarists don't like bling on their guitars. What it does have is a cool vibe.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 14, 2012 17:50:55 GMT -7
Here's something you might want to consider. Awhile back I needed to buy a new guitar stand and at the same time decided to buy a five-guitar stand, similar to the RockStand AMS is discounting. I did a fair amount of research before making a purchase decision and found only two companies - König & Meyer and Genesis - that asserted their stands would not harm a nitrocellulose finish on a guitar. All the other manufacturers I researched were silent on the issue, which gave me pause. I was particularly concerned about the five-guitar stand I needed to purchase, as it was going into my safe to hold my best guitars anytime I was not using them, so the guitars would have long-term exposure to the stand. I bought the König & Meyer Guardian 17515-000-00, which has the translucent support elements (the 17515-000-55 has black support elements, which is not as protective). This stand has worked great for me. You can check it out at: products.k-m.de/us/Stands-and-accessories-for-instruments/Fretted-instruments/17515-Five-guitar-stand-Guardian-5-black-with-translucent-support-elementsWent with the Genesis GS-1000 for my single guitar stand and like it better than any stand I've ever owned. Just food for thought...
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 10, 2012 19:14:45 GMT -7
I sit here at my desk with my Remedy on a 1-12 Z cab w/ the Air Brake on top. ( I usually have my Maz Jr beside me )... I brought it downstairs yesterday to give it some everyday love for awhile. I was playing it full power no attenuation some last night and man does it sound great. Loud, but bearable. More acoustically dead down here. Then today, I choked it back to bedroom level then all the way to minimum on the volume on the Air Brake.... 2pm on the high volume and high noon on the normal volume....bass on 10 am, mid on 2pm, treble on 1pm...... The tone of the Les Paul was thick and juicy! ;D Lovin it. I don't use it like that much but all this talk about "tone suck" with attenuators is just plain not happinin' here. Glorious Rock Tones Abound! Just thought I'd share~ Mark, I'm with you. With my Brake Lite on 4, the Remedy is still a little louder than I'd like, but darn it has great tone and the BL just doesn't suck the tone out of it. Does it sound better without the BL? Sure, but it still sounds great with it.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 10, 2012 19:11:59 GMT -7
Very nice. Did you buy this guitar in 2003, and if so, how much did you find the sound improved over the last nine years as you played it in?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 10, 2012 18:40:05 GMT -7
Mine is my '77 D-35 Martin. It's not supposed to be a good year, but this one is loved by all that have played her. She's a keeper. What - no pics? How 'bout some pics?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jul 10, 2012 18:36:59 GMT -7
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 24, 2012 14:24:23 GMT -7
Don't mind T-Rock...he's like that. Oh I take no offense unless I perceive offense is intended, which is obviously not the case here. It sounds like T-Rock is passionate about tone and how to achieve it, and I can relate to that.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 23, 2012 11:06:06 GMT -7
IS this fkn thing on?? I have been SKREEMING Z-Best + G12M greenbacks for over 5 years. Dun.... Uuhhh... okay... guess I must have missed that. Have you thought about switching to decaf?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 23, 2012 10:55:50 GMT -7
Yeah... I too have difficult clients like you ......(and me )...... I too have been a pain in Dr Z's rear end, but he came thru for me big time with helpful info and personal attention. I play other friends amps from other booteek mfg's but in the long run, nothing stands out better than Doc's amps regardless of the price..... There's a reason for the choices of speakers and such Doc offers. If you want to venture beyond those recommendations, you might get a smidgeon more out of a different speaker, but for a considerable price increase..... Doc has already done the foot work for us.....trust his ears, or pay the price.... Before I respond, maddog, want to say I dig your avatar. Wile E. Coyote is my second favorite Warner Brothers character; only Colonel Foghorn Leghorn beats him, and barely. Well I will confess to being a bit OC and trying to optimize, which becomes OC in overdrive when its something I care a lot about. Yeah - I chose to adhere to Dr. Z's advice. If you pay for the advice of an expert, you'd better be certain of your position if you choose to ignore it. I am, in a sense, paying for Dr. Z's advice by buying his products, so I am going to take his advice. Can't wait to here this pair of Greenbacks at 16 ohm. Will be interesting to do side by side comparisons to my current Z-Best. Will post a report once I've had a chance to sort through it.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 22, 2012 21:49:24 GMT -7
After talking with Mike Gallow at Fat Sound Guitars several times about my speaker order, which kept changing (would not have blamed him if he gave up on me, but Mike hung in there with me courteously), we got it sorted out. I traded my Dr. Z 1 X 12 with a V30 to Fat Sound Guitars. The process went something like this: Ordered: A Dr. Z 1 X 12 with a Heritage Series G12M Greenback to get a 96 dB sensitivity. Told: Dr. Z advised against it, saying it would be to bright, and recommended the Classic G12M instead. Okay, but it brings the sensitivity up to 98 dB (drat ). Modified Order: To have the cabinet in 16 ohm. Told: Cannot get the 1 X 12 with a Greenback except in 8 ohm. Was not completely clear about why, but it seemed to have something to do with which speakers Dr Z did and did not stock. Okay - back to the drawing board. Modified Order: Found out the new Creamback should be tonally similar to the Classic Greenback, except with a lower sensitivity (97 dB) and higher power rating (65 Wrms instead of 25). Told: Dr. Z does not use this speaker. Okay... hhmmm... Modified Order: Ordered a pair of the Classic G12M Greenbacks in a Z-Best wired for 16 ohm. Told: Success! It will be delivered within a week! Should have it by next Friday. My original desire was to lower the minimum volume of the Remedy a bit more when it is cranked with the Brake Lite set on 4, hence a 1 X 12 with a 96 dB Greenback as recommended by John and others here on the forum. Since that could not be acquired with a 16 ohm speaker, started rethinking the whole thing. If I like the Z-Best with the Greenbacks at 16 ohm noticeably better than my current Z-Best with a Celestion Vintage 30 and a Celestion G12H30 at 8 ohm, I will trade the older cabinet, probably for a 2 X 12 with one blue and one gold. That was the setup in the Z-Wreck cabinet, at 16 ohm, and it really sounded nice. Now that cabinet is gone, and I miss it. Afterthoughts: Once again, Mike Gallow and Fat Sound Guitars were great to work with on this project. At one point, frustrated at my inability to purchase a low sensitivity 1 X 12 16 ohm cabinet, I started to recall the famous retort by Mr. Ford (i.e., Henry, not Gerald): "They can have any color they want, as long as it's black," but in fairness, both Dr. Z and Mike hung with me to find something that would work for me. Ultimately, though it will probably require one more trade, in the long run I believe they brought me to an optimal solution.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 17, 2012 11:19:46 GMT -7
When you say our Remedy is louder than your Z-Wreck, is that with it on half power? Oh Yes! ;D Full Power Baby...that's the only way to rock the Remedy!! 40 watts w/ SS rectifier vs 30 watts w/ tube rectifier. The Remedy is way louder to me. And more IN YOUR FACE!! Actually, I played it full power at first all the time. Then I tried half power and liked that too. Then I read some stuff...and I might be wrong, but I think half power all the time may wear the tubes differently...I mean put more wear on 2 of the output tubes. So I just use full power all the time and don't worry about it. I can just dial the volume back on the AirBrake. (Btw....I have an AirBrake and a BrakeLite and like the AirBrake better. It's got more control and it seems to sound smoother to me.) Now back to the Z Wreck. I just got thru playing the Z Wreck thru some other cabinets. All I can say is I hope you tried that before you sold yours. The 'Wreck thru my 1-12 Z cab with a Tone Tubby AlNiCo was AWESOME!! Almost as fat as the Wreck cab and not near as loud. I think I'll use that rig at a gig I have coming up. Ooohhh... this trade is done, so I don't want to even think about the possibility that a cab change might have solved the problem. Actually, I think this will work out fine. I always loved the sound of late '60s Ampegs for chord work. Tried one for a couple of weeks decades ago and gigged with it, but did not buy it because it did not give me a satisfactory lead tone. But oohhh those rock 'n roll chords. I've always thought Keith Richards' chord tone from Let It Bleed through It's Only Rock and Roll was just about perfect (think "Brown Sugar" or "Honky Tonk Woman"). So now 65Amps has made a Stone Pony that takes that great old Ampeg tone to another level. With the Stone Pony giving me that great Ampeg sound plus some and the Remedy giving me a killer plexi sound, I should be fixed up. Well, if you are running the Remedy at full power, now I understand why it is louder than the Z-Wreck.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 16, 2012 20:01:03 GMT -7
With only 1 greenback, sound like you'll be running the Remedy at 1/2 power. Absolutely - half power only. I ordered the Dr. Z 1 X 12 with a heritage greenback to get the sensitivey down to 96db, but Mike at Fat Sound Guitars called me back and said Mr. Zaite strongly suggested that speaker will just not sound good in a 1 X 12, and that I should go with the classic greenback at 98db instead. Of course I follow the doctor's advice, so I changed to the classic.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jun 16, 2012 19:57:26 GMT -7
Tough call, but I totally understand your decision. I have to say, I'm pleased that I was able to own one of the finest amps ever conceived or built, and I feel rather privileged in that regard. Still having some fun with the Remedy and Maz Jr too. That's a great way of thinking about it Steve.
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