I have a copy of the Who song Magic Bus on vinyl. I also at some point purchased it digitally. Regardless of any other elements of the music, there's at least one great tonal moment at the climax of the song when an electric guitar track comes in all 'KWUNG-WONG', really forward in the mix. It's probably a Hiwatt or a Fender, maybe with one of those P90 SGs. It bites real nice on the front of the note, it blossoms well and it occupies a really broad frequency range, from loads of low end to the high end bite that really lets you know you're plucking a steel string. Well, funny thing is, the tone of that part is totally neutered in the digital version, some trick of modern mastering I guess. Interesting withdrawl of balls.

Anyway, I was enjoying some similar tones last night with my R4(not an astromech droid but Gibson speak for a 1954 Reissue) and my Showman and the Weber 12F150s. I'd been having trouble implementing those speakers and their cab on account of their efficiency. They're loud. I couldn't get enough distortion without being too loud. I kept reverting to using my 4x10 with AlNiCo Webers. They're smaller for starters, a little older, and because they use AlNiCo magnets, they're compressed. Over a certain amount of input power, they won't get any louder. They delivered the right volume at the right level of gain and distortion. Problem was I liked the detail and low end potential of the 12s, plus I got them to use with that amp in a specific project, plus the feet on the Showman aren't tall enough to clear the handle on the top of the 4x10(shit bugs me!). What happened was, I replaced the 12AX7 I was using as the driver tube with a Fender typical(post Brown face anyway) 12AT7. It has 60% of the gain of a 12AX7. The preamp tube for the one channel I use I left in there, a 12AX7. The effect of the change is that I can achieve the level of distortion I want from the preamp, but the driver is delivering 40% less of that signal to the power tubes than it was previously. It means I can get more preamp distortion at a lower volume and thus can enjoy the detail and 'thrust' of the new 12s without blowing away my new bandmates. Our tentative name is now 'The Bad Touch'.

As for my droid, I ditched the Faber bridge. The bridge itself was ok but unnecessary, as I didn't really have any problem with the intonation previously. What wasn't working out was the fancy studs I got to hold the bridge on. Basically instead of a cast stud with a lip to hold the bridge in place, the stud is simply a fat machine screw that holds the bridge tight against some washer or washers which are held tight against the body. The idea is that the string vibration interacts more efficiently with the vibration of the body. Dampening is reduced and sustain is increased. It works better for straight tailpieces and not tailpieces used as bridges since you are limited to the height of any combination of the provided washers. I needed something between 5.5mm and 6.5mm options. My action was just a little too high and stiff, which sucks when you're leaning to deal with a slightly larger neck profile. I switched back to the stock stuff and got my action right, so I'm nice and loosey goosey and bendy. The neck is super straight with almost no relief, so I got a little buzz but no more than I'm accustomed to. I'm hanging with it because I think the super straight neck is what makes the intonation so agreeable. Plus there's a certain amount of buzz that's crucial to get that BITE!

RSMLDM