The Combo Club

[hieronymous]

Lots has gone on since I last posted, but I finally have a couple of recordings of the Vox VX50BA! Actually I have a bunch, but this is the first that I have put the effort in to make presentable - I just wish I had taken a picture of the setup! Basically, the Vox with a Shure Beta 52A mic into Zoom H6. I also had separate mics on the guitars. I meant to do them as separate tracks and WAV files, but accidentally left it on mp3, in which case the H6 just makes a stereo mp3! Good thing I had the levels set relatively well (I think - I hope!) - I think they turned out ok even though I couldn't adjust anything on individual instruments after the fact.

I should add, I'm playing my '96 MIJ Fender Bass VI through a CAJ V-Comp tube compressor into the Vox, with the overdrive & compressor off. "Mirror Mage" I'm playing with my fingers, "Garage..." is a blue Dunlop pick.

These aren't necessarily good examples of the amp since you aren't hearing them just live & unadulterated in a room, but hopefully shows what it's capable of as far as sound goes. I still just love being able to walk down the street with it in one hand, with my bass and cable bag over my shoulder and Zoom H6 recorder in the other hand and I'm ready to go!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[G-Dog]

That's def some cool grooves, hiero! Glad you're enjoying your li'l Vox. It is SO light, isn't it!?!

I'm still loving my li'l ultralight, too. However, the day I've dreaded finally arrived yesterday. Due to a singer having the flu, we had a last-minute song change, to The Song where I previously would switch to a fuzzy tone in the raunchy "middle eight" on my (heavier) B-DEC amp!

There was no time to run home and get the B-DEC or my Bass Pod floor pedal, which weighs more than the Vox amp(!), and no opportunity in the song to switch on&off the Vox's overdrive just for that recurring chorus. Not even time to try more gain or higher volume settings!

So, I palmed a pick and used it to really dig in for that part, to try to get a raunchier tone. It was my most extreme technique to date, switching from modified fingerstyle to pick, and back and forth, and was, at least moderately, successful under the circumstances. It was not at all fuzzy, as the Vox could do so well, but it was a very aggressive tone and suited the dynamics I was going for. An overdrive footswitch would have helped a lot! I think, with more preparation, I can find a setting with overdrive that would give a soft enough fingerstyle tone while allowing a grittier tone with pick attack. Something to woodshed.

The greater disappointment was that the guitarist totally missed the overdriven tone of that chorus, too! With his massive pedalboard, and always using several effects on every song, I can only guess that he didn't remember this part of the song since he's fairly new and hasn't played it much. Yeah, he also played more aggressively there but, in my mind, it was overall a much milder version of the song than we've done before.

But, once again, the load in/load out was a genuine pleasure with the li'l 10 lb. Vox VX50BA.

 

[GonePlaid]

That's def some cool grooves, hiero! Glad you're enjoying your li'l Vox. It is SO light, isn't it!?!

I'm still loving my li'l ultralight, too. However, the day I've dreaded finally arrived yesterday. Due to a singer having the flu, we had a last-minute song change, to The Song where I previously would switch to a fuzzy tone in the raunchy "middle eight" on my (heavier) B-DEC amp!

There was no time to run home and get the B-DEC or my Bass Pod floor pedal, which weighs more than the Vox amp(!), and no opportunity in the song to switch on&off the Vox's overdrive just for that recurring chorus. Not even time to try more gain or higher volume settings!

So, I palmed a pick and used it to really dig in for that part, to try to get a raunchier tone. It was my most extreme technique to date, switching from modified fingerstyle to pick, and back and forth, and was, at least moderately, successful under the circumstances. It was not at all fuzzy, as the Vox could do so well, but it was a very aggressive tone and suited the dynamics I was going for. An overdrive footswitch would have helped a lot! I think, with more preparation, I can find a setting with overdrive that would give a soft enough fingerstyle tone while allowing a grittier tone with pick attack. Something to woodshed.

The greater disappointment was that the guitarist totally missed the overdriven tone of that chorus, too! With his massive pedalboard, and always using several effects on every song, I can only guess that he didn't remember this part of the song since he's fairly new and hasn't played it much. Yeah, he also played more aggressively there but, in my mind, it was overall a much milder version of the song than we've done before.

But, once again, the load in/load out was a genuine pleasure with the li'l 10 lb. Vox VX50BA.

Guitarists! Har-rumph!

 

[G-Dog]

Guitarists! Har-rumph!

Hey, you Grumpy Old ... Guy, you! That's my guitarist to grump about. Go grump about your own guitarist, you . . . . Wait! This ain't the GOFs. This is The Combo Club. So, ... OK, . . . . (ahem) ...

Yeah! Guitarists! Whatchagonna do, huh? Well, this one was also obviously thrown by the last-minute song swap, too, but he did a good job playing the right chords from the tab. Plus I got about 50 years on him, so, I guess I can cut him some slack on this one.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Somehow reminded here of the Vox VX50BA combo amp:

​

 

[ghostinthemach]

Hey, you Grumpy Old ... Guy, you! That's my guitarist to grump about. Go grump about your own guitarist, you . . . . Wait! This ain't the GOFs. This is The Combo Club. So, ... OK, . . . . (ahem) ...

Yeah! Guitarists! Whatchagonna do, huh? Well, this one was also obviously thrown by the last-minute song swap, too, but he did a good job playing the right chords from the tab. Plus I got about 50 years on him, so, I guess I can cut him some slack on this one.

Guys, I might need a referral for the the GOF’s. Ive been grumpy a lot lately and I recently turned 66. Got kinda too much interest in old musical gear that fewer everyday have any interest in

Somehow reminded here of the Vox VX50BA combo amp:

​

...and that appears to be with very little gain

 

[G-Dog]

Somehow reminded here of the Vox VX50BA combo amp:

​

YES! A very apt analogy. Both punch way above their weight class.

Guys, I might need a referral for the the GOF’s. Ive been grumpy a lot lately and I recently turned 66. Got kinda too much interest in old musical gear that fewer everyday have any interest in

...and that appears to be with very little gain

Here you go, ghosty. Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

Go in with both barrels blazing! Tell 'em GonePlaid sent you!!

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

I said I wasn't going to do it, but I think I may buy another Peavey bass combo. I played my number one bass through a few different amps this weekend and discovered, as a consequence, that I love my tone through my Max 115 (when combined with my Vox MV50CL, of course). Now Peavey has come out with the next generation of the Max bass amps and I want the 208!

Here is a link for your consideration: https://www.bassplayer.com/gear/peavey-max-bass-amp-series-wins-editors-choice-award

 

[GwenOnBass]

And does the view that current Peaveys look and sound very little like the vaunted 70s and 80s Peaveys belong in GOFs?

Ayup.

Does not detract from just how cool the Peavey 208 combo is ....

 

[Count Bassie]

Somehow reminded here of the Vox VX50BA combo amp:

​

Wow, well played, young lady!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Wow, well played, young lady!

She never even looks back to see if he's down. Just walks back to the register.

 

[Count Bassie]

She never even looks back to see if he's down. Just walks back to the register.

She nailed it square, probably noted his state as he went down... she's done that before.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Lots has gone on since I last posted, but I finally have a couple of recordings of the Vox VX50BA! Actually I have a bunch, but this is the first that I have put the effort in to make presentable - I just wish I had taken a picture of the setup! Basically, the Vox with a Shure Beta 52A mic into Zoom H6. I also had separate mics on the guitars. I meant to do them as separate tracks and WAV files, but accidentally left it on mp3, in which case the H6 just makes a stereo mp3! Good thing I had the levels set relatively well (I think - I hope!) - I think they turned out ok even though I couldn't adjust anything on individual instruments after the fact.

I should add, I'm playing my '96 MIJ Fender Bass VI through a CAJ V-Comp tube compressor into the Vox, with the overdrive & compressor off. "Mirror Mage" I'm playing with my fingers, "Garage..." is a blue Dunlop pick.

These aren't necessarily good examples of the amp since you aren't hearing them just live & unadulterated in a room, but hopefully shows what it's capable of as far as sound goes. I still just love being able to walk down the street with it in one hand, with my bass and cable bag over my shoulder and Zoom H6 recorder in the other hand and I'm ready to go!

hiero, glad to see ya stopping by the old watering hole. Thanks for the fun-to-listen-to pieces. I'm listening to them as I write this and must say you have a really low-fi, sixties vibe going. Kinda jazzy, but with a point! Really liked the tone you had too. This Vox amp seems as at home with a guitfiddle as a bass; maybe more so due to its size. Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel as if I'm hearing some of that organic tone coming from the NuTube. Maybe it's your tube compressor, but something's making me envision nickel hamburgers and mini skirts. Pop back anytime and run a bass through next time so I can hear what all the fuss about this foxy Voxy is!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[iagtrplyr]

I said I wasn't going to do it, but I think I may buy another Peavey bass combo. I played my number one bass through a few different amps this weekend and discovered, as a consequence, that I love my tone through my Max 115 (when combined with my Vox MV50CL, of course). Now Peavey has come out with the next generation of the Max bass amps and I want the 208!

Here is a link for your consideration: https://www.bassplayer.com/gear/peavey-max-bass-amp-series-wins-editors-choice-award

Doctor I! Gee, this was the day for old friends to pop back in the clubhouse and mention something interesting to the rest of us. Now Doc, we respect your unique rig mixing pieces of equipment that only you could combine and make work, but the new Peavey line? I haven't heard it yet and must admit the 2 X 8 combo is the only one that interests me at all. For the price, 200 watts (GC shows this, your article says 150 watts), angled speakers (kinda cool), and decent features, what's not to like? I see it comes in at 33 lbs, which is lighter than your current Max combo, but there's a lot of competition in its $400 price range. Have you had a chance to audition it yet? I would do so if it's possible before making the buy unless you wish to audition it at home. Then I say, go for it! Keep us posted, Doc.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Doctor I! Gee, this was the day for old friends to pop back in the clubhouse and mention something interesting to the rest of us. Now Doc, we respect your unique rig mixing pieces of equipment that only you could combine and make work, but the new Peavey line? I haven't heard it yet and must admit the 2 X 8 combo is the only one that interests me at all. For the price, 200 watts (GC shows this, your article says 150 watts), angled speakers (kinda cool), and decent features, what's not to like? I see it comes in at 33 lbs, which is lighter than your current Max combo, but there's a lot of competition in its $400 price range. Have you had a chance to audition it yet? I would do so if it's possible before making the buy unless you wish to audition it at home. Then I say, go for it! Keep us posted, Doc.

I live in a remote space, so I won't have a chance to try it before I buy it (if I do). It seems that psychoacoustic feature works well with the Hofners. That tone with the Vox preamp works well.

 

[iagtrplyr]

So I played my rig in the classroom today as my project displaying low frequencies for our sound unit. Had a lot of fun with it too. Played my lowest and highest notes while having an oscilloscope running on our board. Of course, even our highest note is nothing compared to a guitar's, but the kids could tell the difference, both by hearing it and watching the scope. I had a couple of students run down to the end of our hallway (20-25 yards maybe) and listen for the open E string.

We also set a jar of water on a cart in the back of the room and had observers watching for vibrations. The Rumble 100 with Vintage on and volume at nono did not disappoint, though one astute 4th grader said he thought it sounded better with the "magic button" off. Yeah, it was too difficult to explain the vintage description so I said it brings a fuller tone out and quipped it was kinda magical.

I then broke into song so they could hear what the instrument does along with higher-frequency sounds. Then I'd cut out and they were surprised how the bottom dropped right out, especially with our no-bass media speakers. All in all, it was fun to play to each of the three classes and when people asked what the heck I was doing I could say it was "for science." I use that all the time...

Our music teacher had a chiro appointment today so we're gonna play after school tomorrow. The Jazzer is staying overnight at school and it feels as if something's missing. The Funny thing was how small the 100c looked in the room today. Probably because I'm used to the Stage 800's size now. Still brought the bottom though. Here's a pic of the rig this afternoon:

 

[hieronymous]

So I played my rig in the classroom today as my project displaying low frequencies for our sound unit. Had a lot of fun with it too. Played my lowest and highest notes while having an oscilloscope running on our board. Of course, even our highest note is nothing compared to a guitar's, but the kids could tell the difference, both by hearing it and watching the scope. I had a couple of students run down to the end of our hallway (20-25 yards maybe) and listen for the open E string.

We also set a jar of water on a cart in the back of the room and had observers watching for vibrations. The Rumble 100 with Vintage on and volume at nono did not disappoint, though one astute 4th grader said he thought it sounded better with the "magic button" off. Yeah, it was too difficult to explain the vintage description so I said it brings a fuller tone out and quipped it was kinda magical.

I then broke into song so they could hear what the instrument does along with higher-frequency sounds. Then I'd cut out and they were surprised how the bottom dropped right out, especially with our no-bass media speakers. All in all, it was fun to play to each of the three classes and when people asked what the heck I was doing I could say it was "for science." I use that all the time...

That is so cool! I bet the kids loved it. I had a cool physics teacher in high school - unfortunately I was a troubled student, but I remember how he would try and engage me. For a final project he let me plug my bass into an oscilloscope!

Thanks for listening to my tracks too!

 

[GwenOnBass]

So I played my rig in the classroom today as my project displaying low frequencies for our sound unit. Had a lot of fun with it too. Played my lowest and highest notes while having an oscilloscope running on our board. Of course, even our highest note is nothing compared to a guitar's, but the kids could tell the difference, both by hearing it and watching the scope. I had a couple of students run down to the end of our hallway (20-25 yards maybe) and listen for the open E string.

We also set a jar of water on a cart in the back of the room and had observers watching for vibrations. The Rumble 100 with Vintage on and volume at nono did not disappoint, though one astute 4th grader said he thought it sounded better with the "magic button" off. Yeah, it was too difficult to explain the vintage description so I said it brings a fuller tone out and quipped it was kinda magical.

I then broke into song so they could hear what the instrument does along with higher-frequency sounds. Then I'd cut out and they were surprised how the bottom dropped right out, especially with our no-bass media speakers. All in all, it was fun to play to each of the three classes and when people asked what the heck I was doing I could say it was "for science." I use that all the time...

Our music teacher had a chiro appointment today so we're gonna play after school tomorrow. The Jazzer is staying overnight at school and it feels as if something's missing. The Funny thing was how small the 100c looked in the room today. Probably because I'm used to the Stage 800's size now. Still brought the bottom though. Here's a pic of the rig this afternoon:View attachment 3345832

This is all kinds of awesome.

 

[Count Bassie]

This is all kinds of awesome.

Dude get that Snark-thing offa there!

Lol, j/k. Good post!

 

[GonePlaid]

I'm aware there are 2 camps AFA tuners, on or off the headstock. Take a look at the D'Addario NS Micro.

No, I don't work for them<EDIT> as you might guess, mine stays on behind the black headstock.