cruisinon2

This is just a link to the typical procedure

http://www.exit45.com/VaxII

Wow...I will forever remain mystified at the patience required to pull off something like that, and I had front row seats for a custom build that I had done for me years ago...saw it in various stages along the way, so I get what's involved, but when you lay it all out in pics like that it's crazy. Hats off to anybody who can do that!

I get cranky when the cable box doesn't respond to the remote fast enough... ;)

Thanks for reminding me of that!  It's probably a year since I've been inside the spring cavity - just plain forgot that was there.  That is indeed the obvious place to connect in the new pickups.  I also didn't realize they relied on the metal bridge parts for ground return.  That doesn't thrill me at all.  Doesn't take much build-up of corrosion or crud around the bridge pieces to start affecting a hi-Z source like the piezo pickups.

lol...Bridge Crud would be a great Low-Fi/ Emo band name. :lol:

Well I got my problem sorted out.  The fix was a bit of a duh moment, and I'm almost embarrassed that it took me as long as it did to figure out how to correct it.  

 

What I had to do is change the global string volume settings from the edit menu.  I searched the forums and heard people talking about how this acts as a type of pre gain.  Lowering it by 5-6db did the trick. 

 

I didn't even know that setting was there.  I don't use workbench all that much, probably because I can't connect through my HD500 and have get out a separate interface, and just never noticed that setting in the edit menu.  

 

I had been adjusting the the string volume on the patch, but that didn't do anything to help the problem.  

 

As to why the signal was so hot and clipping I couldn't say.  My JTV-59 never had that issue.

 

So all is well again thankfully!

It seems that there is considerable variation with piezo output...it's also odd that along with the 2.0 update, the default global string volumes are not all at 0db. I toggled back and forth between 1.9 and 2.0 a few times, just testing things out...each time I reflashed 2.0, the volumes werwe set at  0db, -3.1db, 0db, -6.0db, 0db, -6.0 (low E to high E). I've got them all set at -6db now, plus some individually tweaked models.

Remove one that is not stripped and take it with you to a good hardware store that has metric setscrews.  Relieve the string tension before moving those screws and I would replace them all because the originals are junk and the  tools that come with the JTV are garbage.

Jeez...why do I get the feeling that I'm gonna be replacing the whole bridge at some point, if not an entire transplant? :wacko:

Nuts, eh? Well that makes two of us.

 

It may be, that we are just blind. Maybe we've missed the small print, where Line6 says that "in our infamous L2m we have 800W in 2 ohms, but we've managed to create a 128ohm speaker system which of course reduces our loudness a bit". ;)

LOL...OK, I give up. It'll either melt your face off, or it won't. Oh, what a glorious mystery... :D

I agree with you that the L2m should be fine, and that plenty of people have stated that it is really loud and plenty loud enough for a live band - so the OP should be fine with it.  :)

 

But I disagree that we can assume it's louder than a 50w tube combo just because it has a declared power of 800w - the wattage alone does not equate to the actual volume that can be achieved. You also have to take into account the ohm's of the speaker(s) it is running into.   4 ohm speakers will give more watts than 8 ohm speakers.  Our band had a Yamaha CP2000 power amp - a 2000 watt amp - and the manual states that this amp will provide 650W + 650W into 4 ohm stereo or just 450W + 450W into 8 ohm stereo, 2000W into 4 ohm bridged and 1300 into 8 ohm bridged.    Watts don't necessarily equate and more watts doesn't necessarily mean louder.  That's all I was trying to say.    :)

It's always easy to make discussions more complicated than they need to be...and that's the territory we're crossing into now, lol. :)

All of what you said is true, but it doesn't really apply here. Impedance missmatches are a whole other ballgame. Mixing amps and cabs with different impedance ratings can certainly present problems. But the 50w Peavey combo and L2M are self-contained units, so this isn't an issue. And while an absolute apples to apples comparison might not be possible without getting out the calipers and decibel meters, I still say that if you're looking at 2 amps on paper, and one is 50w and the other 800w...it's such a divide that you'll get a pretty good idea which one will be louder [assuming no impedance issues] without even plugging them in. But who knows...maybe I'm nuts.

Yes - you would think that 800 watts vs 50 watts is quite a difference and in mathematical terms it is, but in terms of determining the loudness of a particular amp it really is meaningless.  This has confused the heck out of me over the years but I know from experience that the watts declared do not equate to the loudness.  I bought a 150 watt reference amp for home recording use, and it runs through some Tannoy reveal monitors and I often have it turned up to max and it sounds like a moderately loud hi-fi and it is not as loud as my Sessionette 75 watt solid state guitar combo with 1x12 turned up to about a quarter.  Same with my DT25 - just 25 watts max apparently - but it is plenty loud enough to play in a live band situation to get above the drums and everyone else.  I also have a B210D - 200 watt active PA speaker - that gets loud but has to be almost at max to compete with the DT25 in terms of volume and punching through the mix.

 

I agree - I think the L2m will be loud enough for a live band (and I have seen plenty of threads where people have reported it as loud) but I cannot say with any degree of certainty that it will be as loud or louder than the Peavey 50watt tube combo.  The L3m is rated at 1200watts and I think has a larger speaker (I haven't checked the specs recently), so will obviously be louder and pack more of a punch. 

 

Ideally the OP needs to try both and see which one compares with his amp - perhaps he can get them both on a 30 day return promise via mail order and send back the one that he doesn't need.  Personally I think the L2m will be fine but he needs to try it to be sure.

 

:)

Well a protracted debate isn't gonna help anyone.  But to declare wattage comparisons meaningless is, quite frankly...meaningless. If the number never mattered, every spec sheet in the world would read "Power: We don't know, and it doesn't matter anyway.". I've owned a million pieces of gear over the years too, and in the typical guitar amp range of 25w to 150w, yes there is wide variation in perceived volume that isn't always linear with wattage, especially when comparing tube vs. solid state. But the day I meet an 800w PA amp that can't out-thump a 50w combo, tubes or not, I'll eat my hat.  And given the tendency of people to complain around here, if the Stagesource line were so anemic that it can't beat out an amp with 1/16th the rated power, people on this forum would be screaming from the rooftops about it all day long...Line 6 would never hear the end of it. That, and Peavey 2x12s would be impossible to find, and the price would triple... ;)

What is it with this lollipop thing?

Most forums will have some wretched, PC-driven, lawyer-authored means of protecting the delicate sensibilities of users from "bad" words. Hence this stupid "lollipopping" auto edit function. Thank you, oh benevolent Line 6 patriarchs, for protecting us from ourselves!

.. :P

Remember we are comparing tube watts with solid state watts - and the L2M only has a 10" speaker - and we don't know what the Peavey 50 watt is running into - is it a 1x12 or 2x12 combo?  So I don't know what the actual dbs would be for each.  You would hope that the L2m can compete and hold it's own but I guess you don't really know unless you do a side by side comparison.  Having said all that - the L2m is designed to be used in a live band situation so it must be plenty loud enough to cut through and get above the drums, and I have seen threads on the forums where people have reported the L2 speakers as really loud.    

ok, but we're still talking about 800 watts vs 50 watts...thats quite a difference. We've all played through 50 watt tube amps that can melt concrete, and will embarass their 100 watt or even 150 watt solid state counterparts, but I can't see it being an issue in this case. These things are really PA speakers that can function as  guitar amps. If its not the loudest thing in the room, it would be of no use as a PA, which is its primary function.

Hi,

Was recently given an iPhone 4 for Christmas. I found out that the device was compatible with Sonic Port and since GarageBand was included on the phone and Mobile POD was a free DL, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Sonic Port. I also purchased Audiobus, so I could use both apps (GarageBand and Mobile POD) at the same time. That is what started this whole problem which I'll get to next: To my horror, I discovered that Apple doesn't support using these apps at the same time on iPhone 4, rendering the marriage of Mobile POD and GarageBand null and void. You can use one...or the other, but you cannot use Mobile POD and GarageBand as a couple, which really, really sucks, since GarageBand's guitar rigs are among the fizziest, processed, crapola sounding amp models on planet earth. What to do?

 

I've been looking for an iPhone 4S on the cheap, since its chip set is supported with these apps by Apple, but haven't had any luck yet. So that's one option. The other would be to get an iPAD mini, which has a much bigger display, and at my age, a more readable display is a plus. Here's my question: does the iPAD mini support using the AudioBus app to marry Mobile POD and GarageBand?

 

Other than that, if anyone has other suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks.

Can't say for sure it it'll work with the Mini, but it does work with my 5th gen. iPod. Some of the tones are great, but the battery life when running even just Mobile POD and Sonic Port is LAUGHABLE. Get's even worse with garage band going at the same time. Now I'm sure that the iPad mini has a larger battery than the iPod 5, but I don't know by how much.  From fully charged, I can drain it dead in less than 2 hours, and the iPod is only a few months old, and doesn't get used all that much. It's also kinda ridiculous that Mobile POD can't run in the background, so you're not forced to have the screen on all the time, which is any device's biggest battery drain. So don't be too upset that it ain't working with your phone...I suspect the iPhone battery is of similar capacity, if not the same as the iPod. iPad Mini results might be a little better, I suppose.

It's a great idea, but the Sonic Port really needs it's own power supply. Relying on the iOS device is simpler, but not terribly practical...and they sell this thing as a gigging tool as well as recording. As long as you don't mind charging your iWhatever between sets I guess...but as a all-in-one DAW/amp/interface, it doesn't really work, unless you don't mind stopping your gig/ recording session in the middle because you ran out of juice.

Quoting from http://line6.com/support/topic/5447-why-no-replacement-piezo-elements-for-jtv69/page-3?do=findComment&comment=39112

 

QUOTE

...https://app.box.com/s/uwegswh7110bippmzkgf...

UNQUOTE

What I'm talking about is not under the bridge, or related to circuit boards or soldering...it's on the top surface of the bridge itself, between the front of the low E string saddle and the post where the bridge pivots [directly behind the post actually]...I'll try and take a pic of it. Should have done it at the time before I put everything back together.

Currently I am running the Pod HD500 into the power amp section of my peavey combo 50 watt tube amp. I've been wanting to go FRFR for a while now, so my question is would the L2M be loud enough to replace my amp or would I need the L3M. Thanks

 

 

 Well I've never played through one, but the L2M is an 800 watt amp...if it can't bury a 50 watt combo [tubes or not] in terms of volume, then something is very wrong with the Stagesource line.

Sorry - wrong tweeze :-)

 

BTW, I had read somewhere that the Ghost piezos were less "quacky" than others, despite the hotter output. But, I will comment with real data once I get them installed.

My (biggest) issue wasn't the quack, but the fact that several of my saddles sounded very dead and/or had reduced volume. I had cleaned the pockets out and reseated them, put on new strings, etc, but nothing seemed to help. I had thought about getting the individual replacement saddles, but I think the Graph Tech saddle looks to just be a better design. I don't want to be replacing saddles on a regular basis... Hopefully the Graph Tech Ghosts work well...

Good luck with it...seems like soldering straight to that board underneath the bridge would be much easier. Not sure what would be gained by stripping and splicing wires together...then again, I'm no expert.

Anybody know why this wouldn't work?

I used a single edge blade and very carefully cut the insulation enough to be able to remove it with my finger nails.  I did not have any tool that would strip that stuff cleanly.  Nice thing about tefflon insulation is that it won't melt when you solder the wires.  I should have taken a pic of my completed bridge before I reinstalled it.  The 500 used a flex circuit between the bridge and the PC board.  I soldered all of the wires to the flex circuit right under the bridge.

Yes, that is the circuit board I was referring to. Pic link: https://app.box.com/s/uwegswh7110bippmzkgf

 

I talked to Gray at Graph Tech and he thought this approach would work well. He noted that the Ghost saddles tend to be a bit hotter than the LR Baggs. So... I went ahead and ordered a set! Will post to this forum when I get them installed and tested.

 

The reason I asked about the grounding scheme is that there isn't an apparent separate ground lead with the existing JTV saddles, although I haven't removed the RTV to look more closely.

 

Out of curiosity - what kind of heated tweezers do you purchase, Iknowathingortwo? Looking at Amazon right now...

 

 

 

Dunno about the tweezers...that was somebody else, lol.

If the graphtech's are hotter than the jtv piezos, i'm wondering if that would exascerbate some of the issues that people have had with piezo "quack"...we all keep lowering string volumes to compensate, wouldn't this make it worse?

  The 500 used a flex circuit between the bridge and the PC board.  I soldered all of the wires to the flex circuit right under the bridge.

The 69 has a small circuit board fitted to the fron t of the sustain block right under the bridge. Each piezo lead is soldered to it. Is this what you were referring to? If so, seems like this is the easiest route...

To be fair many a politician goes into politics to help.

The honest ones don't get very far except if you are Ron Paul.

Those willing to take "incentives" from Lobbyists  get ahead fast.

 

USA inc

Earth Inc 

 

You gotta laugh LOLOL

 

 

 

Wish I could agree with you. Honesty has little to do with it. Its all about the love of power. Truth is...and i'm paraphrasing someone here, just can't remember whom... is one of few endeavors in which it is possible to achieve wealth and power with absolutely no merit whatsoever. If they wanted to help, they'd join the peace corps, or the fire department, or they'd go be a physician in some third world cesspool. They want money and dominion over the lives of others, while producing nothing tangible...other than bills for room service and helicopter fuel (that I pay for).

Think of it like writing your Congressman...you might feel better, being "part of the process", as it were. But your letter will only be read by a staffer who will send a form letter response, whilst your elected representative is off playing golf, diddling interns, and pretending to give a damn about the economy. ;)

OK...mountains out of molehills time. I was changing string on my 69, had all the strings off. When I was wiping down the bridge, I noticed that directly behind the pivot point by the post nearest the low E string there's  a small raised semi-circular "bubble"...for lack of anything better to call it. Its part of the bridge itself, nothing stuck to it. It's symmetrical...doesn't look like damage or wear. Could be a flaw in the chrome, or maybe its supposed to be that way?

I rarely use the tremolo bar, and no dive-bombs when I do. Doesn't seem to be causing any problems, and you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it. Could easily have been there since day one. No tuning stability issues or anything like that, so I'm inclined to let a sleeping dog lie. Just curious if anyone else has noticed this.

 

 

 

- Question:  Now when I create a second amp to be able to layer them, the signal in my right channel dissapears and doesn't come back unless I change the input 2 setting in the input/output menu from "mic" to "same".  Any idea what the issue is?

 

 

It's because with input 2 set to 'mic', there is no signal reaching the second amp path. Its looking for a mic signal that isnt there. So if you have amps A and B panned hard left and right, the right channel will drop out under those circumstances.

don't worry!..

 

it's a normal behaviour..

the usb fw version number shown into the system utilities page is updated as soon as you connect your POD by USB to the computer and it get recognized..

 

every time you turn on your POD it will show all zero numbers for the usb fw untill you connect it to the computer again

So I guess it's not a defect...it's a "feature", lol.

Ive been trying to upgrade my JTV 89F to use workbench HD. In the middle of it, it disconnects and say check that wires are connected or something like that. The interface it came with begins to flash red. I pull the battery and reconnect the cord again, Still does the same thing. Any help would be nice.

Just to be clear, is it that initially everything is connected fine, green lights on the USB interface etc., the download starts, and then the connection craps out? If that's the case, the only suggestion I have is make sure the battery is charged enough. If you can't get a connection in the first place, and you have a cord in the 1/4" jack, then the USB interface may have died. Some have had issues with that.

The only thing I'd say is you might want to look at the 120 or 150. If your nephew progresses quickly, starts jamming with a drummer, etc....those 75 solid state watts might not cut it for long. You dont want him to outgrow it too fast. It'll just cost more money in the long run.

I don't want to lower the variax output, but just to lower the HD variax input.

 

I don't think thats an option. But lowering the global string volume should have the same effect. No need to adust each model individually. You might even find that you like the models better. Many have lowered the string volume to get rid of the piezo 'quack' or 'plink' that is sometimes heard with hard picking.

125% agreement.

 

The Internet in general and Internet forums in particular have legitimized bad manners and behavior, and the ability to say things to and about people you'd never say in public. Not good.  I mean, I agree that pros and cons need to be discussed in any product support forum, and I never take it personally if someone hates a product I love (or am ambivilent about), yet lots of people seem to for some reason.  As if someone else's experiences either validate or invalidate our own.  Very strange behavior if you think about it.

 

Part of it, I believe is that you are not getting a 3 dimensional picture of someone's repsonse or posting.  What was intended (at times) as humor is received as negativism at times.  When you are having a face to face discussion, body language and facial expressions are a big part of communicating.  Online, they are both missing completely.  And the emoticons only help so much.

 

It's kind of sad really for someone my age (55) because I predate this stuff and have lived on both sides of the Information Age.  I recently removed Facebook and Twitter from my mobile phone for this very reason, telling my "friends" to either call, or email if needs be and that at least my life wasn't best expressed in terms of a "status update"

 

/rant....

Well I'm a little younger than you (42), and it's mainly my generation spearheading this nonsense. And I won't even discuss how most of my age group functions as "parents"...it's embarassing. And Facebook can go Tweet itself, and vice versa.  I have neither, and wouldn't if they were paying me.

 

Perhaps the "PRO" designation refers to:

 

1. a prefix, having anti- as its opposite, used to form adjectives that have the general sense “favoring†the group, interests, course of action, etc., denoted by the headword: pro-choice; pro-American; prowar; pro-digital amp modeling.

 

2. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, with the meanings “forward,†forming esp. verbs denoting forward movement or location (proceed; progress), advancement (promote; propose), or bringing into existence (procreate; produce); “before, outside of†(profane); “in place of†(pronoun).

[< Latin prÅ-, pro-, comb. form representing prÅ pro¹]

pro-² ,

a prefix, occurring orig. in loanwords from Greek, with the meanings “before, beforehand, in front of†(prognosis; prophylactic; prothesis), “front part, extremity†(proboscis), “primitive or embryonic form,†“precursor†(prodrug; pronephros; prosimian, proamplification).

 

3. a prostitute

 

If a modeling amp "models" in a forest, and there are no tone-snobs (yes, I'm one too, so don't go getting all offended, all ye who read this post) there to hear it, does it sound convincing?