Scratch TW Express Build Bad Idea for Relative Noob?

[M Fowler]

Giving advice to you is a damn hard thing to do, especially when you don't appreciate it. Good luck.

[dreric]

Giving advice to you is a damn hard thing to do, especially when you don't appreciate it. Good luck.

+1

Why ask questions without first researching? Why ask questions only to turn member responses into answers that you've already formulated?

I appreciate your enthusiasm. I wish you well in all your builds. You may consider posting photos of your builds and asking for feedback on your layout and lead dress before you take on an express. You may have great skills ?? but just getting the heater wiring right on an express has humbled many.

Lastly $400 for a non-kit express seems at least $100 short for just materials not to mention your labor.

Eric

[Cliff Schecht]

Steve, you know me from TDPRI and can attest for the quality of everything that RJ sells. His website is www.rjguitars.net and I highly recommend you check it out before you give Ceriatone any money. Everybody around here will praise his products as much as I do, we all buy from him (and he puts our feedback right into his products). Good prices, quick shipping, just about everything you need for a TW clone and really an all around great guy to do business with. Seriously, shoot RJ a PM or an email and let him know what you are looking for!

[diagrammatiks]

was looking for that site. thanks cliff.

[overtone]

+1 on dealing with RJ.
Precise service, no nonsense, no hype, no garbage.

edit:
please bear in mind that carrying amp parts is not RJs day job. He is very quick, but he may be overseas at your moment of need. Plan ahead.

[amplifiednation]

Giving advice to you is a damn hard thing to do, especially when you don't appreciate it. Good luck.

I bet the old Steve h would have listened.

Steve the amp might be a bit much for blues. Build the rocket...the cleans are awesome and there is bluesy breakup throughout. Its still a loud amp and you can even add a switchable boost for more gain. Even reverb isn't so hard to add in. He is going to say the express is "too much".

+1 on RJ.

[The New Steve H]

Giving advice to you is a damn hard thing to do, especially when you don't appreciate it. Good luck.

I have no idea where that came from. I have been taking people's advice ever since I got here.

Why ask questions without first researching? Why ask questions only to turn member responses into answers that you've already formulated?

Again, I don't know whose posts you've been reading, but they certainly weren't mine. I've been taking the info I've received here and passing it on to my friend, and I'm grateful for all of it. As for researching, well, that's what I'm doing on this forum. I thought this was where people went to learn about making amps. If I can't ask questions on Internet forums, I'm out of luck. It's not like I can drive down to the corner amp store and consult a swami. It's this or nothing.

If people are referring to the way my friend has changed his mind, I have no control over that. Every time I think he has made a decision, he surprises me.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I've learned a great deal from everyone's responses, and I certainly didn't come here to make people angry.

[The New Steve H]

Thanks for the RJ link. I dug it up on my own last night after it was suggested to me.

[Cliff Schecht]

People here tend to get a bit annoyed when a person asks questions that can be answered by using the search function. Personally I think you've started some interesting threads but a few of them had answers that you could have found by searching. Do a search first, if you can't find the info you need then ask (i.e. don't expect us to do the work for you ).

As for the other comments people made (about taking advice), I'm not seeing where those are coming from either.. I think it's mostly about what I and others said above.

[The New Steve H]

Your points are sound. I do all sorts of searches. Sometimes they don't pay off, though. Often I search for answers, give up, post questions, and then find the answers about ten minutes later. That's irritating to me, let alone other people. I'm sorry about it, but it happens.

I have used a lot of forums, and personally, I don't get mad at people for asking questions that have already been answered. It's not like I'm the President and my time is so important I can't be bothered to type a few words. I think it's an inevitable fact of Internet life: new people bring old questions.

The only advice I remember rejecting, apart from things that came from left field, was the suggestion that I give up on my aluminum channel 5f6a chassis. And of course, that's the part of the amp that gets the most praise from people who see it. It came out so well, I can't believe it was my idea. If I had used a plain old box, I'd have yet another forgettable Chinese-chassis Bassman clone.

Besides, if all I wanted was to receive and obey orders, I'd be looking for a wife, not an amp!

I asked my friend to settle on an amp, once and for all. I won't bother anyone with questions until he makes a firm decision and orders something.

[Cliff Schecht]

I agree with what other people say, your friend really needs to be looking at a Rocket. When we say it has less gain than an Express, that's not saying that it in any way lacks in gain. The Express for most people has too much gain and they don't know what to do with it, the Rocket is a much better general purpose amp and can cover a LOT of territory (maybe more-so than the Express).

I play a lot of blues with my Express but I take extra precautions when it comes to my volume/gain levels as well as the overall tonality. The Express can tear your head off with sound if not set right while the Rocket is a very user friendly and easy to tweak. It's also less picky about speaker choice than the Express.

[Weathered]

I agree with everything Cliff said regarding finding the right amp.

Your friend may be wishy washy, but I think that this is where a little "customer expectations management" may help things. A lot of times, I think guitarists hear what comes through a mic and assume it's just that easy, but the Express is a demanding amp, both from the build and from the use. The gold comes when a builder/sales person is able to hear through the lingo and understand what is going on behind the scenes - that translation is a challenge, but can make or break a customer's satisfaction.

[The New Steve H]

I think he has made a firm decision to go with the Express, in spite of the info I passed on regarding the Rocket. If so, we'll be getting serious tomorrow and starting to source parts. Again, sorry if we drove people nuts.

[Zippy]

You might want to source parts for an Airbrake while you're at it.

[Reeltarded]

I think he has made a firm decision to go with the Express, in spite of the info I passed on regarding the Rocket. If so, we'll be getting serious tomorrow and starting to source parts. Again, sorry if we drove people nuts.

Seriously, you aren't driving me nuts, but I hate people spending sorry dollars.. you know.. sorry to have spent the money.

Dood, I think your friend is gear bi-polar. He isn't even searching for a sound. He's throwing darts in the dark, and you are the board.

It's fun, if you like building amps. If he really wants to save a few bucks off a couple hundred to start with, you should make him listen to crappy guitar players playing the amp he decides on, so he'll know what to expect when he plays through one..

Yes, I just kicked your buddy squarely in the nads, without ever having heard him noodle.

I was serious about making him watch crap. Serious.

Just between us. Come back and giggle with me when you get tired of him deciding.