par4dcourse Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Shit Fuck Damn Hell, and any other four letter words I can't think of right now. Wife got me an old hollow body electric guitar when the house down the block was auctioned. My first ever guitar years ago was similar and I like to restore guitars anyway so I happily went to work. Two weeks of elbow grease later, it looks good, has new strings, and I'm ready to try it out. Just need a 20 buck guitar-to-USB adapter to play through the 'puter. No, We've spent enough this month and since I'm not a pro guitarist I don't need an amp of any sort. I'm seething. Why give me the damn thing and then stop me 20 bucks shy of hearing the finished product. (Repeating explicatives above) Thank you for listening, and we return you to your regularly scheduled program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExFundiDCLawyer Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Shit Fuck Damn Hell, and any other four letter words I can't think of right now. Wife got me an old hollow body electric guitar when the house down the block was auctioned. My first ever guitar years ago was similar and I like to restore guitars anyway so I happily went to work. Two weeks of elbow grease later, it looks good, has new strings, and I'm ready to try it out. Just need a 20 buck guitar-to-USB adapter to play through the 'puter. No, We've spent enough this month and since I'm not a pro guitarist I don't need an amp of any sort. I'm seething. Why give me the damn thing and then stop me 20 bucks shy of hearing the finished product. (Repeating explicatives above) Thank you for listening, and we return you to your regularly scheduled program. Of course I don't know your situation, but my response - drive to the store, pull out the debit card, and spend the $20! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemybrain Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yeah. What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted March 4, 2011 Super Moderator Share Posted March 4, 2011 Tell her you have a paying student coming in (that's playing professionally!) and you have to make a good impression. So what if the student cancels shortly after you make the purchase. It's a game, see? With 41 years of marriage to the same female comes a little survival wisdom. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george caitlin Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I agree with the other posters - unless you've been out of work for the last 15 months, or are a uncontrollable, pathological spender with huge debts you can't afford already, go ahead and spend the 20 bucks. Really, what I can't understand is why your wife would even know about the final parts that you need to finish the project. How would she get in the position to be the arbiter of whether you spend 20 bucks? Sounds like there is more to your story than you have told us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Ah, it was my fault after all. Says she just brought me the guitar to "see if it was worth anything." How silly of me to think it was for me. Me and a rubber room are closer every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If its a month thing I would just wait till next month, and in the meantime, if I had one play into the real amps, which sound better imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted March 5, 2011 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2011 Ahhhhhhh, Par! I'll lend you the $20.00 bucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Ah, it was my fault after all. Says she just brought me the guitar to "see if it was worth anything." How silly of me to think it was for me. Me and a rubber room are closer every day. These are the signs of a true marriage. My wife got me for the same reason. I showed her. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 With 41 years of marriage to the same female comes a little survival wisdom. These are the signs of a true marriage. My wife got me for the same reason. I showed her. mwc I think I'm seeing the problem. I usually go through one every few years (I like that new wife smell) but this one's been around over ten. I'm into negative equity territory now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 30 more years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freespirit Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you are a spendthrift, appreciate that she tries to keep the books in order. Shovel some snow for an extra $20.00 and buy the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathlene Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 If I ever get in a marriage where 20bucks is an issue, shoot me now. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 If I ever get in a marriage where 20bucks is an issue, shoot me now. My sentiments exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dB-Paradox Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Funny thing, I just spent over $400 bux on a new Fender Squier and a cheap amp. My wife had Z-E-R-O say in it! I don't normally make big purchases, but lately, I've been doing what I want, when I want...she can't have ALL the fun after all! I agree with ExFundie...drag her into the store and make her watch you as you make the damn purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted March 7, 2011 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2011 If I ever get in a marriage where 20bucks is an issue, shoot me now. You got it right Kath! Smart cookie you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chosendarkness Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Spend around $200 on little tube amp like the Epiphone Valve Junior and hear what the guitar is really supposed to sound like. She obviously doesn't realize how much people usually spend on gear, and it's alot more than $20 and a lot more than $200 as well. Which is stupid imo, it's not the gear it's how you play it. I play all the time and don't spend more than $300 on a guitar, which is cheap.. Amps are usually at least $1000 but it's ridiculous to spend that much unless you gig. A little 15 watt tube amp like the Junior is perfect for home playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsy79 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I agree with the other posters - unless you've been out of work for the last 15 months, or are a uncontrollable, pathological spender with huge debts you can't afford already, go ahead and spend the 20 bucks. Wise advice--it really does depend on the situation. I argued with my ex-husband about 10 or 20 dollars because he spent every dime we had, which left it very difficult to make ends meet. We were struggling and no, $20 wouldn't make a difference in and of itself, but $20 here and $20 there did. He didn't realize how fast it could add up. This is why he's an ex. However, in my marriage now, it is a totally different ballgame. He isn't spending us into the poorhouse, so he can drop $500 without even mentioning it to me and I don't give a rat's ass. He did that recently and I said, "Oh, that's nice, hon." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 To expound on the situation: For those who don't know my situation, I live off disability (heart/diabetes) and she has been unemployed for a year and a half now. Money was tight even when both of us worked, so it's like a Playtex girdle now. My first ever guitar was a similar hollow-body electric. I play several instruments, some of them adequately, but I have forgone actually owning any, except my battered old "Willy style" acoustic guitar. Had it been clear at the onset that it was just a restoration project to be sold, I wouldn't have poured heart and soul (bad choice of words) into it. She's not the warm giving sort (at least where I'm concerned) and it was stupid of me to assume she had faltered. It was also silly of me to be hurt, but nonetheless............ Thanks to all who have/will comment(ed). The clown needs a pick-me-up sometimes. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagickMonkey Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Spend around $200 on little tube amp like the Epiphone Valve Junior and hear what the guitar is really supposed to sound like. She obviously doesn't realize how much people usually spend on gear, and it's alot more than $20 and a lot more than $200 as well. Which is stupid imo, it's not the gear it's how you play it. I play all the time and don't spend more than $300 on a guitar, which is cheap.. Amps are usually at least $1000 but it's ridiculous to spend that much unless you gig. A little 15 watt tube amp like the Junior is perfect for home playing. I believe the Valve Jr. is only about 5 W RMS. Maybe pushing 10W as you push it close to square-wave distortion. I've got a somewhat similar amp - a Peavey Valveking Royal 8. Same output tube, and probably similar supply voltage. Of course, even a 5 Watt amp is loud enough to piss my wife off. I've been thinking about building a FireFly amp. It uses a 12AU7 as a power tube, so you can get cranked power stage distortion at even lower volume. I think it's rated at about 2 W, which would still be percieved as more than half as loud as a 5 Watt amp, but still a bit quiter anyway. Have you ever heard of the Ruby amp. It overdrives very nicely for a solid state amp and even quiter than the Firefly would be. Sounds kinda nice through decent speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagickMonkey Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 So which interface were you looking at? I just ordered a cheap Behringer Guitar Link. It works as an additional "sound card". The sound hardware on my laptop has too much latency for playing through it, even with ASIO drivers. If your computer hardware can record with low enough latency, it is almost trivial to build a buffer amp to match the low impedance of your guitar speakers with the somewhat higher impedance of the mic or line-in input on your computer. You probably could get the parts you need at radio shack. Then again, when you're done, you will probably spend more than $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 7, 2011 Author Share Posted March 7, 2011 So which interface were you looking at? I just ordered a cheap Behringer Guitar Link. It works as an additional "sound card". The sound hardware on my laptop has too much latency for playing through it, even with ASIO drivers. If your computer hardware can record with low enough latency, it is almost trivial to build a buffer amp to match the low impedance of your guitar speakers with the somewhat higher impedance of the mic or line-in input on your computer. You probably could get the parts you need at radio shack. Then again, when you're done, you will probably spend more than $20. I hadn't considered latency. Shit. My old Tascam guitar to midi rig drove me nuts with that lag. On the other hand, I'm a retired EE, so I should be able to build a small solid state rig, just to piss her off. Now where did I put that output tranformer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagickMonkey Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 So which interface were you looking at? I just ordered a cheap Behringer Guitar Link. It works as an additional "sound card". The sound hardware on my laptop has too much latency for playing through it, even with ASIO drivers. If your computer hardware can record with low enough latency, it is almost trivial to build a buffer amp to match the low impedance of your guitar speakers with the somewhat higher impedance of the mic or line-in input on your computer. You probably could get the parts you need at radio shack. Then again, when you're done, you will probably spend more than $20. I hadn't considered latency. Shit. My old Tascam guitar to midi rig drove me nuts with that lag. On the other hand, I'm a retired EE, so I should be able to build a small solid state rig, just to piss her off. Now where did I put that output tranformer? Are you using the OE to prevent grounding issues? I bet you could scavenge one from an old phone handset. I guess if you're a retired EE, then you don't need advice from me about building a source follower buffer amp from Radio Shack parts. hehe. I hope to be an EE if I'm not retirement age before I get my degree. School takes for fucking ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chosendarkness Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Spend around $200 on little tube amp like the Epiphone Valve Junior and hear what the guitar is really supposed to sound like. She obviously doesn't realize how much people usually spend on gear, and it's alot more than $20 and a lot more than $200 as well. Which is stupid imo, it's not the gear it's how you play it. I play all the time and don't spend more than $300 on a guitar, which is cheap.. Amps are usually at least $1000 but it's ridiculous to spend that much unless you gig. A little 15 watt tube amp like the Junior is perfect for home playing. I believe the Valve Jr. is only about 5 W RMS. Maybe pushing 10W as you push it close to square-wave distortion. I've got a somewhat similar amp - a Peavey Valveking Royal 8. Same output tube, and probably similar supply voltage. Of course, even a 5 Watt amp is loud enough to piss my wife off. I've been thinking about building a FireFly amp. It uses a 12AU7 as a power tube, so you can get cranked power stage distortion at even lower volume. I think it's rated at about 2 W, which would still be percieved as more than half as loud as a 5 Watt amp, but still a bit quiter anyway. Have you ever heard of the Ruby amp. It overdrives very nicely for a solid state amp and even quiter than the Firefly would be. Sounds kinda nice through decent speakers. Cool! I love low-wattage tube amps! You're right the epi couldn't be 15 watts, that would be very very loud. I use an old 50's PA amp with about 30 watts for gigging. It was converted to a guitar amp by an 80 year old amp tech. I don't use pedals, just crank it up and destroy! At home for recording I use a POD gx interface, works on PC and MAC. Has good amp models, cost $100 new a few years ago. I don't know what cheap interfaces they have now. Don't buy a used interface though, you won't be able to register it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagickMonkey Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Spend around $200 on little tube amp like the Epiphone Valve Junior and hear what the guitar is really supposed to sound like. She obviously doesn't realize how much people usually spend on gear, and it's alot more than $20 and a lot more than $200 as well. Which is stupid imo, it's not the gear it's how you play it. I play all the time and don't spend more than $300 on a guitar, which is cheap.. Amps are usually at least $1000 but it's ridiculous to spend that much unless you gig. A little 15 watt tube amp like the Junior is perfect for home playing. I believe the Valve Jr. is only about 5 W RMS. Maybe pushing 10W as you push it close to square-wave distortion. I've got a somewhat similar amp - a Peavey Valveking Royal 8. Same output tube, and probably similar supply voltage. Of course, even a 5 Watt amp is loud enough to piss my wife off. I've been thinking about building a FireFly amp. It uses a 12AU7 as a power tube, so you can get cranked power stage distortion at even lower volume. I think it's rated at about 2 W, which would still be percieved as more than half as loud as a 5 Watt amp, but still a bit quiter anyway. Have you ever heard of the Ruby amp. It overdrives very nicely for a solid state amp and even quiter than the Firefly would be. Sounds kinda nice through decent speakers. Cool! I love low-wattage tube amps! You're right the epi couldn't be 15 watts, that would be very very loud. I use an old 50's PA amp with about 30 watts for gigging. It was converted to a guitar amp by an 80 year old amp tech. I don't use pedals, just crank it up and destroy! At home for recording I use a POD gx interface, works on PC and MAC. Has good amp models, cost $100 new a few years ago. I don't know what cheap interfaces they have now. Don't buy a used interface though, you won't be able to register it online. I've never tried any Line 6 gear, but I've heard nothing but good things about their stuff. I've got a few pedals I've played with and a few preamps (not pedals, 'cause I didn't buy stomp switches for them) that I've built. But when I use them with my little Valveking, I generally just use them as treble boosters. I've got a JFET treble booster design that I've been working on that puts out an almost 18Vpp signal. When I put it in front of my Valveking and tweek the bass cut, it FUCKING KILLS!!! I've got it in a little metal enclosure with a solderless breadboard inside. I might play around with my tone control design before I solder it together into a permanent build. If I get it to where I like it, I'll go ahead and buy a good stompbox enclosure with a proper stomp switch for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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