NAD: Voc AC15C1!

[kboman]

Wohoo, I finally made up my mind and now the amp is here!

My amp arrived from Germany on the 16th, but the post office didn't bother to tell me until the 20th. Gee, thanks. I had last week off as well and plenty of time to go get it, now I had to rush out yesterday before going to work. I really hate getting up any earlier than absolutely necessary! General information: it's not easy getting a 25kg carton on board a bus.

This is how I left it, complete with curious cat:

And this is how it looks out of the box:

Feline approval! All tags have been removed, to prevent feline molestation.

It sounds great, but I knew it would I can't wait to bring it to rehearsal and let it stretch its legs, I have to keep it really toned down at home. I'm using my Boss GT-8 as an effects board for now, but will replace it with stomp boxes one at a time as budget permits. It sounds really good like this anyway but the GT-8 is big, ugly and heavy and not completely convincing soundwise (the rotary is way too one-dimensional for example).

Will soon post a picture of the completed setup, the new guitar wall hanger just needs a pair of screws and everthing is closed here today and tomorrow (Midsummer weekend).

 

[Alfang]

The cat is sitting there thinking, "This will make an awesome scratching post when guitar boy isn't arround"

 

[Cagey]

Excellent! Congratulations on the New Amp Day!

Don't forget to put anchors in the wall for the screws your guitar's wall hanger will be attached with. Hate to see that fall down, go boom, like some people's guitars around here <grin>

Also, when it comes time to start adding discrete effects boxes, you can get a helluva lotta mileage out of MXR's 6 band graphic EQ.

For $69 (or maybe less if you shop hard), you end up with some highly effective tone shaping, as well as a boost. So much boost is possible, it'll act like an overdrive. It's got full bypass, but the thing is transparent enough that if you just zero out all 6 bands, you can't tell if it's on or off. So, if you find a tonal setup that works for you, you just ride the whole contour up or down to get more or less boost/overdrive. Sounds tons better than any pedal designed to do only that.

The little LEDs on each band's slide pot all turn on/off with the footswitch, so you know if it's in the loop or not.

It eats batteries like M&Ms, so if you decide to get one, get the adapter as well.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Congrats.

I usually order things delivered at work. It's always open during business hours and always someone there to receive it.

 

[mayfly]

The cat is sitting there thinking, "This will make an awesome scratching post when guitar boy isn't arround"

"especially that diamond looking part in the front..."

 

[kboman]

The cat is sitting there thinking, "This will make an awesome scratching post when guitar boy isn't arround"

"especially that diamond looking part in the front..."

Nah, he has a couch for that sort of thing that beats everything else in the house :icon_biggrin:

Re the MXR pedal, I was thinking of getting myself a booster at some point and an EQ pedal should have been an obvious way to go. Thanks for the tip! For overdrive I'm pretty set on some kind of Tubescreamer (very cliché, but I'm not going to argue with the sounds in my head) and as is the way with these things, I've taken a shine to one of the more expensive variants... A delay and some sort of modulation are also essential, I'm going to see how well my old Cool Cat is feeling these days. The proper Cool Cat chorus that is and not the plastic whathaveyou they make these days:

She's a looker for sure but I can't remember if it can be subtle enough for my current tastes. I haven't used it for like 8-9 years...

Delay will be the El Capistan from Strymon. Tape delay with tap tempo, and what is essentially a "Frippertronics mode"? Sold, madam. Obviously that's really expensive too...

Congrats.

I usually order things delivered at work. It's always open during business hours and always someone there to receive it.

Thanks! Ordering to my work would have been much more inconvenient I'm afraid as I commute by train. Maybe in the future, with smaller orders!

 

[Superlizard]

Re the MXR pedal, I was thinking of getting myself a booster at some point and an EQ pedal should have been an obvious way to go.

While the MXR 6-band is groovy (just grabbed one a few weeks ago), you should be aware that it will add some hiss, even at 0dB across the board.

Delay will be the El Capistan from Strymon. Tape delay with tap tempo, and what is essentially a "Frippertronics mode"? Sold, madam. Obviously that's really expensive too...

If you get one of those, you must let me know how it fares.  I've heard great things myself and am looking for the ultimate in tape-delay echo
tone for gigging without paying 1K for a Fulltone Tube Tape Echo.

 

[swarfrat]

Yup - I like my kitty too, but I'm thinking there might be cat blood mixed in with the oxblood. My nephew has an AC15 I've played a couple times. Came real close to buying it a time or two but passed it up once I started playing with it at less than full tilt.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Looking good!  And yes, that cat is up to no good when a comes to amps.  I quit getting carpet covered bass cabs.  They were dust and pet hair magnets, as well as makeshift scratching posts.  The cloth front is most vulnerable, but Tolex isn't a deterrent either.

 

[JaySwear]

I keep my amps up high to prevent feline molestation. But NICE AMP! Totally jealous here. I've been playing for almost 8 or 9 years now and still haven't owned a decent amp.

 

[kboman]

Well so far the cat is completely uninterested in the amp, the novelty wore off quickly I guess. I think it helps I put the uncomfortable GT-8 on the floor in front of the amp

 

[Cagey]

Judging by the picture, that cat is far from uninterested; she's just pretending she is. Look at her ears. She's listening behind her while looking forward and studiously ignoring the amp. Once it sounds like the coast is clear, she'll turn around and look. If the coast really is clear, then she'll know she can investigate properly. Cats are crafty little devils. They're not like dogs, who are very straightforward and wear their hearts on their sleeves, telegraphing their next move before they've even consciously figured it out themselves <grin>

 

[Alfang]

Damn Cagey, that was awesome, you should be one of them people that writes books, oh yeh, a writter

 

[kboman]

Just rehearsed 2+ hours with it today at considerably more volume than at home, and it sounds sweet. I need to figure out how best to position amp and myself to make the most of the sound (I don't want it to distort too early but still be able to hear it well), but that's just trial and error. Today I stood too far away, definitely.

By the way, I haven't really used tap tempo before and boy is it a great feature. I will never buy a delay pedal without it! El Capistan, you beckon...

It appears that the next addition to my rig may well be a used Way Huge Pork Loin (current model possible renamed to Pork Pie) overdrive pedal. It seems very flexible, and looks great. I'll just have to go over the financing once more :icon_biggrin:

Edit: Hey, another thing I've noticed but have completely forgotten to mention here - it smells great when it gets warmed up!

 

[Alfang]

So it's got that " New Amp Smell?"

By the way we've moved on, this thread is about that devious cat of yours now.

 

[kboman]

It certainly does. I hope it lasts a long time, it's intoxicating...

About the cat, it's a dude-cat (though fixed) and he's a very relaxed little guy. Sleeps a lot. When he wants attention he is very vocal about it (he's a burmese) and has a tendency to immediately flop on his back whenever you glance at him (this is a very successful strategy btw). Talk about a sucker for cuddling. He usually sleeps under my cover at night, stretched out along a shin. Favourite toy: a piece of string attached to a stick. He loves his piece of string and has special places around the apartment where he likes to chase it (on the sofa and on the bed especially).

So far he has been far more interested in the cardboard box the amp came in than the amp itself and has jumped into it several times with great confusion ensuing (the packaging material is still in it :icon_biggrin. I think my amp is safe from this cat... but in a couple of weeks we're getting a little lady cat to keep him company, and she has me more worried...! :sad:

 

[Nando Vallart]

Cool amp and cool cat! my girlfriend has 9 cats... All beautifulls! I was going to "stole" one, but the ones I most like are very pissing, not sure if more or less than average cat, but if you left your bermuda on the ground and they see it, you'll have to wash it :tard:

So, makes me thing my guitars, amps and future woods for guitar building are not well linked to them... You guys have the same problem or her cats are major-pissers? :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

Male cats will piss on anything. Females will, but it's very rare. Having them neutered generally eliminates the problem, although even if you do and you don't keep their litter boxes clean, they'll look for a cleaner place to go. Cats are very fastidious. Being carnivorous hunters, they instinctively don't want to have any odor associated with themselves because their prey may sense them early and avoid them.

 

[bagman67]

It appears that the next addition to my rig may well be a used Way Huge Pork Loin (current model possible renamed to Pork Pie) overdrive pedal. It seems very flexible, and looks great. I'll just have to go over the financing once more :icon_biggrin:

I played a Pork Loin in a guitar shop a couple weeks ago and I am all in favor of that pedal, if you must use a pedal.  It had a very natural sounding overdrive, not buzzy or too bass-y the way some do when they're trying not to be fizzy sounding.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Male cats will piss on anything. Females will, but it's very rare. Having them neutered generally eliminates the problem, although even if you do and you don't keep their litter boxes clean, they'll look for a cleaner place to go. Cats are very fastidious. Being carnivorous hunters, they instinctively don't want to have any odor associated with themselves because their prey may sense them early and avoid them.

All her cats are neutered... and they still piss :laughing7: