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Question: How many (and not to overuse the word) 'classic' rock records were done with an SM57 stuck in front of a Marshall as a Les Paul blazed on? Answer: More than you or I can count. The funny thing is, if you ever approached Jim Marshall at a NAMM show, and asked a technical question, he'd...

Oops, I messed up that one. Depending on the website or tube manual, the 12AU7 is 17 or 19 or 20. Not 40 as I spoke out of turn. :o Still, I'd try it for $5 and something to do on a lazy afternoon.

This isn't really a 'bass' amplifier; more a regular Marshall with a couple of larger value coupling capacitors. Maybe a different slope resistor in the tone stack. But it isn't a night-and-day different design. My best guess is that some techs don't like attenuators with some vintage Marshalls...

I would think 12AV7's are hard to find, but AES has them for $5 which it an interesting experiment. Just go by the gain factor, but also consider the current capacity; 12AX7 = 100 (1mA Plate current) 12AT7 = 70 (10mA Plate current) 5751 = 70 (1mA Plate current) 12AU7 = 40 (10mA Plate current)...

That's been every guitar player's hunt for the last 912 years. There's always a new pedal that is supposed to be a 'Dumble-In-A-Box', or whatever. You can now join that hunt; try every pedal out there, and in maybe 10 years or so think you are almost there. I know it's sacrilege, but you can...

I believe it's a losing battle. Think 80's, and think Steve Lukather, regardless of whose name is on the album jacket. That's a processed sound. There is likely a lot of preamp gain, some chorus, and it could even be sampled. Back then the guitarists came in with a dorm fridge sized rack, with...

I have a tablet, and I like it. However, I seriously doubt it will ever replace 'regular' computers for home recording. At least not with me. For starters, the teeny speakers won't be tolerable, so you're stuck with ear buds. Then the size is an issue. Even though I have a 10" tablet, that...

I believe logarithmic controls were supposed to work with how our ears perceive volume increases. Linear controls are more or less voltage dividers, and you don't see them often in guitar gear. I sometimes use them as tone controls in a guitar, because that's where the 'it's either on or...

OK, rather than get into a pissing contest, here it what I am trying to get across, and if you want to experiment and find out for yourself if you like it, great. If you would rather not, also great. But my Kung Fu is taking a rest. #1. I question no one's manhood. I said no one should worry...

It's no different than a very subtle stereo delay pedal, so if using delay 'sounds like ass', I suppose that's why ice cream comes in chocolate or vanilla. The fun for me is having that delayed or shifted part EQ'd different, or having an effect. Heck, I've done it on vocals, and it works for...

This problem is as old as Fender, but there are workarounds. It's the taper of the potentiometer, so trying different pot resistance values, or trying a linear instead of a log taper, or a different brand, or whatever it takes to make you as happy as possible is the only answer. Right now the...

I've never understood people who just blindly think uninstalling and reinstalling a program or Windows solves a problem. I've paid $$$$$ to supposed 'techs' to do this, and finally I said enough is enough. Especially when it doesn't solve the problem, but I still get a bill. There something...

That works well, and because it is almost humanly impossible to play it again exactly the same, there's a little something that makes the listener's ears prick up. What I've done a little different is just copy and paste the same track, so it is exactly the same. Then put a little time between...

I hate sounding like an a$$hole (well, not really), but if you are an admitted 'non-savvy' electronics person, you should start learning with a much simpler project. The schematic is out there, and you're going to have to bully your way through it and figure out where the signal goes south. You...

While they're about $40 or 40% more (up here in Canada, anyway), if I was just a drummer I'd go with the e604 just because of the clips. You eventually get tired of the mic stand jungle, and those clips are just so easy to use. Now to mic a guitar cabinet, an e609 is basically an SM57. Having...

I like Rydeens. Granted, I only played one kit, and it was a backline, so I had no choice. But I didn't mind them at all. Sure, start with trying different heads, tune them to taste, and then try and capture what you hear 'live' onto tape. That's the trick. There's more to this than just...

Just my late addition; I'm sure you know that click tracks have come a long way since that annoying 'tic, tic' that really does get on your nerves. It can be anything else, and have an accent. You just think of it as another instrument playing with you. But there are reasons many people insist...

That's a great old school approach. Don't use any reverb, and get a dry sound that reeks of 70's rock. If there's too much 'sustain', Levon Helm said that he would only tighten two lugs on a drum, and leave the others really slack. Apparently this was to try and mimic the calf skin heads he was...

Oh, the power supply is a definite possibility. Those caps get stressed constantly. But paper-in-oil is old. That mixer would probably be the size of a '52 Pontiac. Not many around these days, I'd imagine. The new stuff could have bad or even counterfeit capacitors; Capacitor plague - Wikipedia...

I never worry about SMT pedals. I used to be a snob like that, but then I started going after tones that weren't always a 'brown sound', and I use more of 'those kinds of pedals' now. If they die, I hope to have made at least $30 (or whatever I paid) worth of recordings with them. They're fun...