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Chapter Two: Guitar Center...Zzzz
As a follow-up to my last posting on our fun trip to the QC last Saturday, I wanted to take you to our local Guitar Center and then back home to another brick 'n mortar, Tegeler Music in Clinton. In a word...
meh.
Okay, onto more fun things. I'm gonna do a little Show and Tell with you all concerning my latest pickup. Alright, let me go back and provide a tad more detailabout our afternoon exploits. Though it kept us busy, it surely wasn't like the old days when the anticipation of getting my hands on a Strat or Tele and plugging it into the latest Line 6 (onboard tuner) was all I could think of in the days leading up to the trip south. Yeah, getting old does have its drawbacks but it also gives you keen insight into what's really going on inside of those box stores, and it's apparently not much.
Our local has been recently updated where the strings are now out in the middle of the sales floor instead of behind the counter with the pedals and Fast Fret. No biggie but couldn't they have sent an advanced warning? What wasn't a shock was the fact that there were once again no lefty basses or guitars to mess with. It's like they knew I was coming and hid the good china or something. I did see a nice selection of basses though. They each had a Rogue and Hofner hollow-body, a Gibson SG bass, a nice selection of various Fenders, and an Ibanez seven-stringer that boggled my puny mind to how the heck you'd be able to stretch the fingers across what looked like a clothing washboard. I couldn't decide if you plucked the thing or scratched across it!
Speaking of relics, I did come across the Yorkville Bass Master 200 combo I'd previously mentioned. It was literally buried under two or three other combos in a stacking attempt that would leave anyone with OCD heading for the nearest bridge. I lost all interest in trying to shed the layers to actually audition it, but after a careful inspection of the front I could see the years of wear and tear placed on its chassis. No thanks. They also had a Laney combo which is about as rare around these parts as Doc Intrepid not using VOX equipment, but it didn't ring my bell either. Then, for you nostalgia types, they were selling a Peavey Mark VI head, rat fur at no extra charge. What I can say I was impressed by, and I have no idea of its manufacturing year, was that all its knobs and buttons were intact, including the equalizer in the middle of the panel. Usually, there's always something missing, am I right?
So we walked around the place wondering where our youth had gone when with a turn of a corner we found it front and center. Records! It may have been a tiny section, but GC is selling 180-grain vinyl LPs including titles by Bowie, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, and even Frampton's live album. Nice, I thought to myself until I came across the price. Nothing short of hawking a kidney was going to allow me to purchase an album. Oh yeah, and the fact that I haven't had a turntable for thirty years, but I digress. I mean, $49 for The Wall. Are they kidding? And that wasn't the craziest part of it either. This young lady at that section of the store who was younger than the cereal bowl I eat out of each morning mentioned to me that I could get add a protection plan for the album I wanted that would allow me to return it for a replacement if I scratched or broke it, no questions asked. I politely asked her why she wasn't working at our downtown Woolworth's in 1974 when I grabbed similar albums for $4.99? I really could've used the protection plan then. She looked at me rather puzzled. Seriously though, we now are insuring our records? What'll be next, a combo amp with a built-in computer that can give me the tone of most any world-famous bass amp of the last 60 years? I mean, come on...
As I left GC I bid it a fond farewell with the thought of returning one day to grab whatever's left during their 80% off Going Outta Business Sale. I dunno, maybe it'll hang on, but unless they get themselves a left-handed bass for me to torture innocent ears I'll just shop in town at Tegeler's Music. Scroll down for more.
Before I hit Tegeler's, I do wish to admit we did stop off at Best Buy to look for...get ready...CDs! Not me, it was John looking for aa music disc. Sadly, he'd had better luck finding a $99 version of The Carpenters, Closer to You on vinyl. That store moved into the 21st Century and forgot to tell me. I admit it, I'm one of the reasons it's gotten so depressing to shop outside of your home. Just don't tell my grandchildren because they still look up to me.
We headed north and I said to John that we should see our buddy Don, the owner of Tegeler's, a trusted musical mecca, though he never actually sold a lefty bass either. This was always my last place I stop at when I want to look for that hidden gem sitting on the floor and I was especially excited because upon checking their website the night before I gazed upon a brand new Eden 500-watt Terra Nova head (perfect for the Ampeg cab I just inherited) that was being let go for a few magic beans. Seriously, they had a demo model, of which no one ever demos basses, that was in perfect condition for $429.99! It's like a $600 retail and would've been a legitimately great way to end what had become a depressing day.
I opened the front door, immediately looked over in the amp corner, and turned a happy smile into a frown when I didn't see any silver-colored amp heads around. The one amp I maybe wanted and it was gone. The kid salesman, Don's son, couldn't even tell me whether it was sold or not but thought maybe it was. Here's what I missed: "This is a new Eden TN501 bass amp head on display in the store. It has been used a couple of times for demo purposes but is still in excellent condition and sounds great. It may not have the original box anymore but it still comes with."
Of course, there was an Eden E300 display model for $259.99, but I wasn't interested. At that point, I was ready to go home and contemplate my life. Should I have chosen taxidermy as a career? Should I have spent more time learning how to crochet? Should I send in the next Publisher's Clearinghouse sweepstakes ticket?
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew what to do. Exhibit A is below for your approval. Pics coming.
The End
View attachment 3590575
I do believe there will be some earth-rumblings out your way today...
Aaaccck!!! It's the VX50BA's flashy little brother! Still "stuck n the 60s". Semi-approved. While I wanna read your review, I don't think you should encourage them to slight the bass amp while making such an obviously more competent guitar amp.
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If it was me, after playing with the Superbeatle a bit I'd run both of your Vox amps together. You could plug into VoxBA and then run its line out to the Superbeatle. You would then have a nifty 208 with a lot of style!
Yer preachin' tuh thuh choir here, iago! As I keep tellin' TB, my li'l foxy Voxy has done brung it on several occasions. The same guts in a bigger cab has got to be even better. That's the comparison I look forward to reading about.
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Yep, the looks are obviously a big huge selling point. In fact, that's the only part of it that can possibly live up to the memories evoked. But, if it can "punch above it's weight" (and some of us know first-hand that the li'l VX50BA certainly does that), then it can be more than just a pretty face.
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That'll be very interesting to find out! While it could be useful if the Beetlehead gets more volume out of a really good cab, it would also be kind of a shame if that's the case. Ya know?
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?? The Mini Beetle guitar amp is highly respected? Is that in the review? Of course it'll garner Beatles fans, but actual respect? Well, 25 watts alone, 50 with extension cab, is much more respectable in the guitar realm than for bass. (BTW, is the Beetle guitar cab available separately anywhere, yet?) I know I'd be more tempted by the Mini Beetle guitar amp, with extension cab, especially if closing up the backs could make it a viable bass rig!!! (Effects notwithstanding.) Just my current 2¢.
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I'm not sure how pleasing the tone will be, but recall that the line out for the VX50BA is preEQ. So the line out to the Superbeatle will contribute no colour. All of the EQ will come from the Superbeatle itself. The tone you will get will then depend on the individual tones of each amp and how you decide to combine them. Will they attempt to do the same thing? Will one run treble and the other bass? Is one scooped and the other mid-heavy? This could take awhile to figure out!
I don't know what it means exactly. It sound like you can only plug that particular jack into the amp. I'm not sure if that then rules out situation where that cord is plugged into one cab and then you run another cab off of that one (in series?). You may have to get the 85 lbs Traynor cab I'm getting with 210 and 115! I was supposed to get that cab today, but it didn't happen.
