hammond 1650g

[funkmeblue]

there wasn't a overdrive pedal. I might of used a wah at some point on that track but no overdrive. Added some delay in the mix. That's the amp right into a 1x12 boogie with an mc90. honest, volume was about 2 o'clock. I live alone and ain't scared to crank her up. I have the same track I recorded with my strat, Ill post it when I can find it.

[funkmeblue]

here is the strat

[Thunderfunk]

Anyway, I'll end this with a question Dave. In regards to the wire comments you made, with you recalling a personal conversation with KF? Do you think it possible that he said what he said to you because he didn't want to share the info? Or because you were making PC board amps and using stranded wire at the time that he didn't want to seem like an amp snob or a smarty pants? Burn me down again if you like, and right now Dave, but I assure you this is a serious question. I realize that you may think that you have answered this question already, but believe me, until right now, I have not asked it. Yes, it is hard to let go of the wire subject but only because he spent some energy talking about it. Did you read the Dave Hunter book, BTW? More words on wire, yes. Take care.
rooster

Sorry if I took offense at your transformer challenge. The aggravation comes from saying something, and having people twist it around and then accuse me of saying something I never said, and then having to try and explain in ever more detail.... blah, blah, blah... It's just a waste of my time.

If some of the posters would even think about what they're saying, it should become obvious that they don't make any sense. Why would I say Ken used cheap wire if it wasn't true? Wouldn't I tell you that Ken used some secret Mojo wire and you can only buy it from me? Or am I just trying to screw up your builds? Or am I implying that MY builds are better becasue I use the good stuff, and Ken didn't? All these are paranoid responses. Everyone should just chill.

Why did Ken tell me used cheap wire? Because that's what he used. I asked him what type of wire I needed to use to build the amps that I built for him. That's how I know he wasn't bullshitting me. Do you think he wanted me using the wrong stuff? Remember, he wanted these amps to look EXACTLY like he built them. Anyone who owns a real Trainwreck knows the type of wire he used, and would agree I'm accurate. The reason WHY he used cheap wire is the interesting part, and it's because that's what they had at the (hardware?) store when he went to buy some. Sorry. No secret wire.

Dave

[rooster]

Well, OK, I have been enlightened then. ....But now another mystery unfolds....

Didn't you just say in another post that you HADN"T made any TWs? Sorry, so then this last post confuses me. If you were saying that you weren't busying yourself cloning Ken's work for your personal profit (?) - then I think I might assume now that at one time you helped him get some product out. Sure, I can see his health issues here and you coming to help him. Are you saying this is the case? If you said this before somewhere I didn't catch it. Sorry if you did and I missed it.

OK, then here's a two-parter for you, Dave. If you did make some TWs, do you recall how many? Is this something you don't want to talk about? Man, and now my mind is just starting to wander.... Did he send you the boards and chassis, etc.., or did you go there? This is all kind of a crazy actually, Dave, so forgive me my crazy reaction.

Too, I take it you have not seen the Dave Hunter book at this point. Beyond the wire, he talks about selling Billy G a TW called 'Sarah' - named after his grandmother I think. Wow, considering what you said about GW and Billy G, wouldn't it be interesting to find out that - although its a stretch perhaps - that Billy G is actually playing an amp that you did build? That would be a very intersting twist if it were true, although learning that you built some TWs is very intersting, too. So, can you fill me in? Thanks.

[rooster]

FMB - Woah, that is interesting. The gtr sounds so quiet and not roaring enough. So then tell me, how exactly did you mic this up and get it to your hard drive? And here it would good to know if you have an 'extensive' home studio or something much smaller.

Yeah, sorry to assume like that but recorded gtr is my second hobby.

[funkmeblue]

I'm still learning. I record everything direct to a boss br532 with no effects. The mic is an old"er" akg d1000e. I then throw it into the computer with an older version of cool edit pro. Mix it from there and add a little delay to either the left or right to give it some space

[funkmeblue]

a book about trainwreck's would be a great idea...hint, hint

[rooster]

FMB - OK, I get some of it. That mic is a condenser mic. What you need to do next time you record is put that mic a bit back into the room, so it picks up the gtr cab bouncing sound around the room. 6 -10 feet might do it, and hopefully the room is a bit lively.

Oh, and when you say the amp is at 2 o'clock, is your gtr turned up, as well? Whatever volume your amp is at, if the gtr is turned down, your TW is going to sound, well, not typical. Is this what you were doing? I forgot to ask this. At any rate, come solo time, whatever volume the amp is at, the gtr is on '10' - that's the rules. Again, your recorded solo sounds like the gtr went thru an OD pedal so change something - that's my suggestion anyway.

In a perfect world, you would have a dynamic mic (SM57) close up on the 12, off axis a bit, and the condenser out in front 6-10 feet. Then you could blend the two tracks. Typically you would keep that 57 dry in the mix, and add a bit of delay to the condenser track - if it needed it. Sometimes, if you have the right room you could keep the condenser dry and add a bit of reverb/delay to the 57, returning the efx track at a lower level and off to one side for some spread. If you've got the tracks, split the gtr track and keep one dry with the other one slightly efx'd. (The point here, overall, is to make the gtr track sound like it is live in a room - so put some 'room' on the track via the mics. Solo gtr has to be close to the center of the soundstage, and with what EQ you might have, remember that 4.3K is reserved for the instrument that you want the listener to focus on. In other words, those rythmn tracks you played to should have the 4.3K EQ dipped and the 4.3K EQ of the gtr pumped up a bit.

Well, I realize this is pretty complicated because those types of drum tracks typically come right down the middle along with the bass gtr. Hm, so try to find a place close to the center but off to one side slightly for the gtr.

OK, there's my thoughts. What I am saying is to put some life into your gtr track by capturing some of the room on the track. Led Zepp was the best at this for my money - the gtr tracks, yes, but also the drums. OMG, Bonham was the King of recorded drums and thank you Jimmy Page for this! So, FMB, if you are really playing that amp at volume 2 o'clock, I want to hear the sound of the paint falling off the walls. That's the ticket. I look forward to your next track...

[funkmeblue]

I was working the volume control through out the song, sometimes it's full up and sometimes halfway or more or less
and the akg d1000e is a dynamic microphone, there answer to a sm57

[rooster]

FMB - Oh, man here I thought you had a C1000. That mic you have is old and thin overall by design, not something anybody uses for recording a gtr cab. Its the one with a little switch on the body? I have one, too, but I am not sure why.... If you are dirt poor, try it again and make sure you have that switch set for max bass! If you are slightly flush, buy a SM57, its the typical mic of choice in so many recordings - you can't go wrong here.

OK, getting a room sound with this mic will be next to impossible. You should consider getting a condenser mic. Make sure that Boss deck has phantom pwr - ??? Does it? You need this for a condenser. Provided this is on the deck, check out all the possible Chinese condenser mics for $100. Man, there are so many. Look too at the Rodes NT1-A for $200. These are pretty cool and the older ones are Aussie built - can't say where the current ones are built, probably Australia. I have a couple of these that I use all the time for overheads and the like. Pretty OK mic in so many ways, again, can't go wrong. If you play acoustic gtr or plan on siinging, a condenser like this - large diaphram - is the ticket. A pencil condenser - if its and omni pattern - could be OK, too. Again, many inexpensive models to choose from - just make sure it is an omni pattern because of your applications.

OK, that's all I got. Go spend some $$ and let me hear what you ended yup with. First order of business isfinding out whether that Boss deck has two channels of phantom - and I hope it does but don't know. Good luck with this, FMB.

[rooster]

Dave - I realize I have addressed other issues here on this post besides the ones you last presented. Grown men sharing their sound clips is important, so I want to honor that. However, I do not want you to think that I have not been waitng patiently to hear back from you regarding your time spent with Ken and some of what was involved with that. Frankly, as you said earlier in another post, 'everybody wants to know what I know' - and on this subject - here in this forum - you are very correct. I hope my questions are something you can answer here. If not publicly, you are welcome to PM me. Thanks.

[Thunderfunk]

Didn't you just say in another post that you HADN'T made any TWs?

I meant I didn't build any Trainwrecks OUTSIDE of building them for Ken, meaning I didn't even tell anyone I built amps for Ken for 9 years, until after his death. I didn't want to affect any perceived value of his product. I didn't even want the impression of ripping Ken off. Think of it as the opposite of what Gerald does.

OK, then here's a two-parter for you, Dave. If you did make some TWs, do you recall how many? Is this something you don't want to talk about?

I have no interest in answering these questions as it might affect the value of some amps owned by collectors. I did the assembly and wiring... Ken finished them. They are real Trainwrecks. They sound like Trainwrecks. I had access to orignal amps for a side-by-side comparison as I went, so you won't be able to tell the difference from any physical standpoint. That's all that really matters. When Ken was down, and financially abused by his "friends," I helped him make some money and finish some commitments to deliver some amps. Ken paid me very well to do this. I'm satisfied.

Dave

[rooster]

Dave - OK, nuff said. And this explains a lot about your relationship with Ken, and his amps, too, of course. Historically - in the world of great amps - this is kind of huge to me, and it also stresses the importance of your opinion regarding TW amps. ........I mean if you were a 'nobody' doing this on the side, it would mean much less to me. But you are David Funk and you know your stuff. How very interesting.

OK, I will stand back now, prepared to be dazzled by your input here regarding TW amps. You have made your point with me, David.

........Um, can I ask a question already? As an amp builder of some status, did you ever look at the .1 coupling cap to the phase inverter (on the Express, for example) and ask Ken why he physically positioned it this way? Did he bend the leads here so it didn't require two more solder joints - or did he clip the leads and add wire - as everybody cloning them does? To me, this is just a weird thing, frankly. Since I do things differently on mine, I know the position of the part is not important to good sonics. Thanks, I have wondered about this and didn't know who to ask.