cruisinon2

My first line of defense for intermittent switch issues is a blast of plastic-safe contact cleaner. Costs next to nothing, takes 0.47 seconds, and quite often solves the problem. Even if it doesn't work, it's very unlikely to make anything worse. I'd try that first.

Don't understand the reliance on dB meters. Been gigging since I was 16, never had one. Never had a problem leveling patch volumes either. I've got a dB meter on either side of my head. They work. Everyone else's will too...you just have to use them.

You're 100% correct. Playing notes and making music are NOT the same thing. Technical ability and a gift for crafting a melody and songwriting are two completely different skills. I'm no neurologist, but I'd bet money that those skills are housed in different parts of the brain. It's very rare for a player to have both in abundance. That's what makes the ones who've got both gifts such a treat to listen to...and there aren't many of them. I can listen to Zeppelin all day long. A list of memorable tunes as long as my arm. But let's face it, Jimmy Page is not a technical master. I've heard some live bootlegs that were downright dreadful...broken-hand kinda sloppy. He's a songwriter. And there are a million shredders (some famous, some not) who can play 64th notes at 210 bpm all day long without missing a beat, but (to me anyway) there's no music there. But give me a player who has chops, and can also write a hook...knows exactly when to pull back, or let it all hang out...that's good stuff.

SOOOOOOOOO close! You're right there! C'mon, just say it...nobody's looking. It's....a Pacifica! ;)

At this point, I'd settle for a reasonable explanation as to how this alleged "mechanical" issue can be magically transported from one string to another, simply by swapping piezo wires. A malfunction so stable, it's actually routeable. Not exactly what you would want for ad copy, but I bet it's publishable.

Muse....I tried. Really I did. Slipknot...Alice Cooper without the sense of humor. Their stage show is kinda like what I imagine a Broadway production of Lord of the Flies would look like. ;) BUT, that guy can sing when he wants to. Stone Sour is the goods. Linkin Park...meh. Smoldering remnants of the great rap/rock experiment. Good riddance. Even Kid Rock knew enough to quietly flee that mess, and he made his bones with that "style". Avenged Sevenfold...these guys I like Green Day...recycled Ramones, with better production Nirvana...Gen X may have thought Cobain could walk on water. Did nothing for me. Soundgarden...rocks. Love me some a Chris Cornell vocals. As for me: King's X, plus any or all of Ty Tabor's solo records (old) Metallica Eric Johnson SRV Ozzy Alice In Chains Extreme...minus "More Than Words". III Sides to Every Story is a great record. Zakk Wylde when he's channeling his Southern rock/acoustic alter ego, and not trying to make the 1st position pentatonic scale sound like a typewriter.

Well let's see...Ozzy talks to his shoelaces, Metallica hasn't had a decent album in years, plus Hetfield has decided that he's actually a singer...ugh. Their fans are all in their mid-late 40's and beyond. Hard to fill a stadium with a bunch of middle-aged dudes who've got kids at home. Maiden, who knows?...Dickinson had throat cancer, which may or may not affect his vocal abilities going forward. Plus, they have to pry him out of the cockpit long enough to rehearse...;) Seriously though, bands like that all seem to have more staying power elsewhere. We're fickle here in the states. Plus, theres the marketing machine behind it all that keeps redefining what "good" means. Most just gobble up what's dumped in their lap. And it has never, and will never be "cool" to like your Dad's music....that just ain't happening until the teenage mind undergoes a huge paradigm shift. I'm not holding my breath. P.S. I saw Maiden about 2 years ago. They still put on a pretty damn good show. Grew up on all that stuff...Rock On!

Nope. Firehawk and Amplifi are their iOS-based products.

That's what I'd do. Sounds aside, the Standards do nothing for me aesthetically. Despite official proclamations to the contrary, it's a Pacifica with Variax guts...

***"This point of view may seem somewhat harsh: But - I was excited about the digital age as well - I'm still waiting for it to bring me something other than Sh1tty music from a bunch of mediocre bands that don't have a full album of talent to offer........As was necessary to record in the old days."*** Lol...we're all still listening to stuff from the "good old days". But even then, there was a lot of filler material. I can count all the albums I would listen to start-to-finish on one hand. Here's how it is: the more aching joints you have when you drag yourself out of bed in the morning, the more "modern" music sucks. I guarantee that at some point Mozart's old man screamed at him to "turn down that miserable harpsichord $#!*" ;). The overwhelming majority of the record (mp3 now, I suppose) buying public is 18-25 years old. Been that way since Elvis, and isn't going to change. The industry knows this quite well, which is why that's where most of the marketing is directed. Most of us stop discovering new music past that age...spouses, kids, jobs, etc. It just happens. So the average person is still listening to whatever was "awesome" when they were idiot teenagers. Bob Seger can still sell tickets because a bunch of his fans from the 70's and 80's have yet to drop dead, but the only 20 year olds at his shows are scanning tickets and selling t-shirts. C'est la vie...

Well, I suppose if they really need to satisfy the techy part if the equation, but still want to pay an actual human for a guitar lesson, there's always Skype...no need to move off the couch. Fine-tune your chops and elevate your blood sugar simultaneously!...'Murica!!! ;).

No, I Don't. He's a cranky elitist with an axe to grind. That lengthy diatribe was a vehicle for showing the world his collection of pricey tube amps, and talking about his golden ears. He ain't sitting up nights, whipping himself into a frenzy out of any genuine concern for the violation of intellectual property that isn't even his. You can't copyright "tone" any more than you could a key signature, or declare that Stephen King is the only guy allowed to write twisted horror novels. It's absurd.

If the title of the thread is any indication, I'd have to say "yes"...;)

http://stoneworkspicks.com/ Experimented with these on a whim 6 or 8 months ago after having used Jazz IIIs exclusively for years. Tried a few from other online sources too, just to see what differences there were, if any. Kept coming back to these. This guy makes traditional teardrop picks, and a jazz size, very very close to the Jazz III dimensions. Thicknesses vary. I have about 6 of them now in varying thicknesses...love them to death. Not going back to a plastic pick. They glide across the strings, they'll last for years before you'll notice any change in the bevel. Jazz IIIs, at nearly a buck apiece, will last what? A few days to a week? Since I have no patience to file or sand then back into usable shape, theses things are a bargain. Doesn't hurt that they're just pretty things to look at, too.

...or removing bellybutton lint, debating the relative merits of grass vs. astro-turf, or whether or not Oswald acted alone. ;)

Self-appointed saviors of all things pure and virtuous are the most irritating people on earth...

I think the world has much bigger things to worry about. So we're gonna try and copyright a thoroughly amorphous and subjective concept like "tone" now? Who's going to author the legal definition of "sounds like a Marshall"? As it is, you can't get 2 guitar players to agree on the color of $&!*. Shall we allow headphone companies to sue each other because two pairs of cans have a similar frequency response? Or let Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore battle it out in court over who invented "blue"? Please... Besides, the world will never be rid of purists and tone snobs who will insist to the bitter end that everything digital sucks. The "real" amps aren't going anywhere. If they did, what would there be to model/profile?

Two things contribute to ear fatigue: Volume and duration of exposure. Your ears don't care what the noises are coming out of...run a snowblower long enough, and you'll get ear fatigue.

Amen. 4 pieces of plywood, a back panel that's usually press board, speakers, a handful of screws, and about 4 yards of Tolex. They're about as unsophisticated as it gets...wouldn't surprise me if some cabs are entirely press board. I recently refinished a 4x12 Marshall 25th Anniversary cabinet. Sanding off 30 year-old glue is not fun ;). Considering that I had never done it before, and was just following a tutorial I found online, it turned out rather well. Looks brand new. Nothing magical inside, though. Speakers and a brace in the middle.

I wouldn't give up just yet. Took me quite a while to get comfy with the 500X. There's a lot going on in there. Cab and mic options will do more for you than EQ...especially the cabs. Don't think that you're stuck using whatever cab a given amp model defaults to...mix and match. You'll be surprised what you can come up with.

Advantage? None that I can see...unless you really NEED it to look like a guitar amp. That seems to be of critical importance to some...

If it's anything like the stock neck on the JTV69, then it's got the profile of a baseball bat. The profile, or the width and shape around the back of the neck (as opposed to nut width) is probably what's giving you grief.

I seriously doubt it matters either way. However, if you don't want to be ambushed by a dead battery at an inopportune moment, I'd take it out when you're done and charge it...especially if you're only going near the guitar once or twice a week.

I'm inclined to agree. I've never been as happy with a rig, as I am with this one. For someone who spends a lot of time playing covers, to be able to come as close as I get to reproducing this or that tone, is astounding...and it can't be done with any one "amp in a room". That's fine if you're Angus Young, and you only need the one tone that you've had for 40 years...doesn't help me, though.

Yes...I was being facetious ;). But the one thing that most seem to agree on, is that modeling isn't quite there yet for the whole "amp in a room" thing. Those who will settle for nothing but that sound and feel are not gonna be happy until it is. A dog that isn't too bright will still be loyal, and defend you to the death, but you're never gonna be able to teach him to bring you a beer. Use what you like until the tech evolves to your satisfaction. Till then, it's an exercise in futility.