Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Today the most critical part of tube rolling: the pre-amp. This tube can really shape the tone a lot, and some tubes have a 3-D special quality to them. They can also help tailor a sound.
Right now a NOS RCA 7025 is in place, a tube that came with the amp. A 7025 is a low noise variant of a 12AX7. One of the criticisms is that the design of the amp has a somewhat high noise threshold. Know that all amps kinda suffer from this low level hum at idle.
In practice when playing the noise threshold goes unnoticed, and my experience is that some Germain or Dutch made tubes are made to such tight tolerances that in effect they inherently are low noise.
The German Telefunkin tubes are my favorite, and even though expensive I think these are the best. The high cost I’m cool with because these tubes have a life expectancy of 10,000 hours.
If I play every day for 2-3 hours pretty much I’m one and done for decades. Pre amp tubes are not taxed heavily, but it would be a mistake to use one as a driver near the output section that kinda gets heavy duty use and pushes lots of current.
The final tweaking will likely happen today or over the next few days. Different tubes flavor the sound. To me the Telefunkin tubes are precisely detailed in a very German way, next are Amperex which could be Dutch or in England. These two are heavily favored for really costly use for crazy ribbon mikes used in the studio. Low noise and precision for supreme quality for vocals.
My Telefunkin’s are in use in my Matchless amps which are high gain amps, but I have some Bugle Boys which are Amperex. These tubes do very well with the trebles and present a clarity that is kinda wonderful. I also have a Mullard that tends to add a midrange voicing that might kill on this amp.
The goal of all this tweaking is for a smooth warm clean that is UBER articulat that offers a touch sensitivity. I think this is why I favor a rectifier that promotes sag and is less in your face. Pretty much I want a guitar to have a horn like quality As well as the range of a piano.
One feature is that the tone controls are only a treble and bass control with no mid control. I dial the bass to 8 and the treble to 7 1/2, and the way the controls interact together as they get turned up is to dial in more mids. The overall sound of this amp has a Fender 50’s tweed flavor, but with a surfy 1960’s lush and very wet reverb, and an interesting vibrato that sounds like a Univibe.
From Victoria this amp has been called one of its “Flagship” amps. Part of the marketing is that they say it is a bit of a cross between an old tweed Fender and a Valco amp. Perhaps an exaggeration because nothing grinds and distorts like an old Valco: think Jimmy Page on Led Zepplin 2.
For me I would describe it more as a Fender tweed on steroids with a huge envelope because the speaker is rated at 75 watts and it happens to have the 15 inch speaker that has a chime in the treble as well as the ability to create a tight bottom end. At 52 pounds some people see versatility in removing a power tube to drop down the power to bedroom levels. A huge and heavy amp, and since I already own a Valco for that for me impractical.
Also so people constantly tweak and experiment, but I think I will just dial in the amp and enjoy the amp using my mixed pair of 6V6 and 6L6 with the musical sag of a low power 5Y3 rectifier.
I kinda think that this amp for me is an ideal clean amp for Jazz, Jump Blues, and perhaps Rockabillie.
Originally there was a Weber 15 inch speaker offered, and maybe that speaker flavored the amp more towards a Valco. Reviews say that Weber was kinda dark sounding meaning lacking high end response. So in fairness I have the speaker that promotes the Fender sound and I am exploiting it.
Still early, but I think this is a mighty important amp for me. The build is point-to-point wiring and made in the USA. This company is known for it’s overbuilding and durability.
My tube chart provides forensics that my amp originally was a Regal 1 that utilized only one power tube, but it was upgraded into a Regal 2 that uses two output tubes. The white Tolex covering has permanent stains and the glue has loosened along one edge. I’ll dig in, but this amp shows some road wear.
I have some purple Tolex that was used on Marshall Plexiglass heads and cabinets made in the late 60’s if I ever decide to recover the amp or to make it “louder.” My friend Cris still has some of my stuff stored in bins/totes out in Long Island. Pretty much warehoused…
”Maggie” has a meeting in Washington DC, so I can do more field testing and not be confined to my basement which is a big mess.
Cal.
Right now a NOS RCA 7025 is in place, a tube that came with the amp. A 7025 is a low noise variant of a 12AX7. One of the criticisms is that the design of the amp has a somewhat high noise threshold. Know that all amps kinda suffer from this low level hum at idle.
In practice when playing the noise threshold goes unnoticed, and my experience is that some Germain or Dutch made tubes are made to such tight tolerances that in effect they inherently are low noise.
The German Telefunkin tubes are my favorite, and even though expensive I think these are the best. The high cost I’m cool with because these tubes have a life expectancy of 10,000 hours.
If I play every day for 2-3 hours pretty much I’m one and done for decades. Pre amp tubes are not taxed heavily, but it would be a mistake to use one as a driver near the output section that kinda gets heavy duty use and pushes lots of current.
The final tweaking will likely happen today or over the next few days. Different tubes flavor the sound. To me the Telefunkin tubes are precisely detailed in a very German way, next are Amperex which could be Dutch or in England. These two are heavily favored for really costly use for crazy ribbon mikes used in the studio. Low noise and precision for supreme quality for vocals.
My Telefunkin’s are in use in my Matchless amps which are high gain amps, but I have some Bugle Boys which are Amperex. These tubes do very well with the trebles and present a clarity that is kinda wonderful. I also have a Mullard that tends to add a midrange voicing that might kill on this amp.
The goal of all this tweaking is for a smooth warm clean that is UBER articulat that offers a touch sensitivity. I think this is why I favor a rectifier that promotes sag and is less in your face. Pretty much I want a guitar to have a horn like quality As well as the range of a piano.
One feature is that the tone controls are only a treble and bass control with no mid control. I dial the bass to 8 and the treble to 7 1/2, and the way the controls interact together as they get turned up is to dial in more mids. The overall sound of this amp has a Fender 50’s tweed flavor, but with a surfy 1960’s lush and very wet reverb, and an interesting vibrato that sounds like a Univibe.
From Victoria this amp has been called one of its “Flagship” amps. Part of the marketing is that they say it is a bit of a cross between an old tweed Fender and a Valco amp. Perhaps an exaggeration because nothing grinds and distorts like an old Valco: think Jimmy Page on Led Zepplin 2.
For me I would describe it more as a Fender tweed on steroids with a huge envelope because the speaker is rated at 75 watts and it happens to have the 15 inch speaker that has a chime in the treble as well as the ability to create a tight bottom end. At 52 pounds some people see versatility in removing a power tube to drop down the power to bedroom levels. A huge and heavy amp, and since I already own a Valco for that for me impractical.
Also so people constantly tweak and experiment, but I think I will just dial in the amp and enjoy the amp using my mixed pair of 6V6 and 6L6 with the musical sag of a low power 5Y3 rectifier.
I kinda think that this amp for me is an ideal clean amp for Jazz, Jump Blues, and perhaps Rockabillie.
Originally there was a Weber 15 inch speaker offered, and maybe that speaker flavored the amp more towards a Valco. Reviews say that Weber was kinda dark sounding meaning lacking high end response. So in fairness I have the speaker that promotes the Fender sound and I am exploiting it.
Still early, but I think this is a mighty important amp for me. The build is point-to-point wiring and made in the USA. This company is known for it’s overbuilding and durability.
My tube chart provides forensics that my amp originally was a Regal 1 that utilized only one power tube, but it was upgraded into a Regal 2 that uses two output tubes. The white Tolex covering has permanent stains and the glue has loosened along one edge. I’ll dig in, but this amp shows some road wear.
I have some purple Tolex that was used on Marshall Plexiglass heads and cabinets made in the late 60’s if I ever decide to recover the amp or to make it “louder.” My friend Cris still has some of my stuff stored in bins/totes out in Long Island. Pretty much warehoused…
”Maggie” has a meeting in Washington DC, so I can do more field testing and not be confined to my basement which is a big mess.
Cal.
Last edited:
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Front wheel of the Clubman is built and 90% tensioned. The rear hub is down to bits soaking to remove 50 years of hardened grease.
I have a set of chrome enamel pens on the way which I’ll use to patch the bubbled rusted and scratched bits of the chrome “socks” on the fork and rear triangle.
I’m still working out how to clean the paint better before building up the bike. There are a few places with bright orange stripes where a clamp or band protected the paint from the environment. This paint didn’t fade lighter, it became darker; possibly becoming porous and showing the black primer underneath. From my observations while cleaning, I think the paint is really dirty as it lightens a bit with some gentle scrubbing. I’m going to increase the amount of soap in my cleaning solution to hopefully use less friction and more floating of dirt and grease. While Dawn is a good soap, I may change to Bronners, which is the secret degreaser us bike mechanics use all over. Something about that stuff just pulls dirt off better than anything else that doesn’t contain an abrasive. My frame will also smell like lavender.
Brake pads are on the way, as well as new chainring bolts, chain, Williams 46t chainring, and enough NOS Normandy front axle kits to keep me rolling for 50 years or more. Funny that the garden variety Normandy Sport high flange hubs are so ubiquitous that they aren’t really desired. Millions of these hubs were produced from the 50s to the 80s and many of them are still rolling. They shine up so nicely and are an appropriate substitute for an Airlite, Bayliss-Wiley, or Simplex, which are not better hubs, but cost far more due to lower production. I could build three wheelsets with good Normandy hubs and Sun rims, for the cost of one set of Airlite or Simplex track hubs. Craziness.
While I have a set of white rubber hoods for my levers, I’m considering just wrapping the hoods in bar tape and coating the whole deal with a few layers of shellac.
I need to remove a recalcitrant crown race somehow. I don't want to scratch the chrome crown shroud. I suppose I could install a new one if the old one gets damaged. I’ve done this a thousand times before, so damaging the chrome shouldn’t be an issue.
The Stronglight headset is here, I’m just waiting on a set of bearings for the crown.
This “dream” build is an exercise in patience to say the least.
Phil
I have a set of chrome enamel pens on the way which I’ll use to patch the bubbled rusted and scratched bits of the chrome “socks” on the fork and rear triangle.
I’m still working out how to clean the paint better before building up the bike. There are a few places with bright orange stripes where a clamp or band protected the paint from the environment. This paint didn’t fade lighter, it became darker; possibly becoming porous and showing the black primer underneath. From my observations while cleaning, I think the paint is really dirty as it lightens a bit with some gentle scrubbing. I’m going to increase the amount of soap in my cleaning solution to hopefully use less friction and more floating of dirt and grease. While Dawn is a good soap, I may change to Bronners, which is the secret degreaser us bike mechanics use all over. Something about that stuff just pulls dirt off better than anything else that doesn’t contain an abrasive. My frame will also smell like lavender.
Brake pads are on the way, as well as new chainring bolts, chain, Williams 46t chainring, and enough NOS Normandy front axle kits to keep me rolling for 50 years or more. Funny that the garden variety Normandy Sport high flange hubs are so ubiquitous that they aren’t really desired. Millions of these hubs were produced from the 50s to the 80s and many of them are still rolling. They shine up so nicely and are an appropriate substitute for an Airlite, Bayliss-Wiley, or Simplex, which are not better hubs, but cost far more due to lower production. I could build three wheelsets with good Normandy hubs and Sun rims, for the cost of one set of Airlite or Simplex track hubs. Craziness.
While I have a set of white rubber hoods for my levers, I’m considering just wrapping the hoods in bar tape and coating the whole deal with a few layers of shellac.
I need to remove a recalcitrant crown race somehow. I don't want to scratch the chrome crown shroud. I suppose I could install a new one if the old one gets damaged. I’ve done this a thousand times before, so damaging the chrome shouldn’t be an issue.
The Stronglight headset is here, I’m just waiting on a set of bearings for the crown.
This “dream” build is an exercise in patience to say the least.
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
The wait is worth it, and rushing is bad. Think of this project as a dream come true, and don’t mess it up by rushing.
A novice would be in a hurry, and you are a pro.
What would be wrong with just using the rubber hoods as is? Give me the smut.
Cal
The wait is worth it, and rushing is bad. Think of this project as a dream come true, and don’t mess it up by rushing.
A novice would be in a hurry, and you are a pro.
What would be wrong with just using the rubber hoods as is? Give me the smut.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
After driving “Maggie” to the train, I came home to plug into the amp, but this time in a real room, and not in the basement.
I opened things up and wanted to really get to know what it can and cannot do in a real room. I played at low volume for a while and then dialed it to 6 out of 12. Oddly 6 1/2 would be 12:00 or halfway so really this amp goes to “13.” Things opened up more, yet the tone stayed clean and does not yet get “hair.” Before you know it an hour passed by and it was time for a lunch.
Basically I have a bit of headroom, but I might only be pushing 12 watts and maybe optimistically or delusionally perhaps 15 watts at most. The Eminence 1518 speaker though has a crazy high efficiency of 103.4 db. Anything near or over a hundred is mighty high, and a 3 db difference increase creates the perception of an audible increase in volume.
Actually for me this is good and what I want because I have other amps that get fuzzy and have hair. Basically I want a clean amp with great touch sensitivity and great dynamic range for full expression. It is really cool to not have to crank an amp into a sweet spot to maintain tone. It seems the Victoria has a bit of a range and the tone/sound is not fatiguing.
Still have not rolled the pre-amp tube yet. I wanted to create a real baseline to gauge from. Already the amp has a bit of what people call swirl which is an interplay between sag, the speaker and the dynamic response of the tubes.
I also am use to old vintage amps that don’t have reverb. For me this analog effect built into the amp is kinda new.
I also realized why Roy Buchanan faced the rear of his Fender amp towards the audience: the treble spike is less pronounce. I think I will steal and utilize his idea. It seems the cone on the front of the speaker focuses the sound too much. Hmmm…
Also from my idol Jeff Beck, I use a single pickup Telecaster called an Esquire because it only has a bridge pickup. My version is called a “Snakehead” because it resembles the very first electric solid body guitar Leo Fender made in 1949 that basically was a prototype. Mine is a “partscaster” where I bought the body on EBAY from some guy in upstate New York. The wood was advertised as one piece of old barn wood, and it features worm holes.
In studying Jeff Beck live performances towards the end of his career he played a Strat, and what I took notice is that he always played the bridge pickup as if it was an Esquire. On a Strat that pickup is deemed by many as unusable, and many a Strat have been modded with humbucking Gibson style pickups.
So pretty much I learned and observed that Jeff Beck only needed one pickup to be great and the rest and his sound was basically in his hands. I am trying to emulate him, and I’m on that journey.
BTW did you know that Jeff Beck also was a Motörhead?
Cal
I opened things up and wanted to really get to know what it can and cannot do in a real room. I played at low volume for a while and then dialed it to 6 out of 12. Oddly 6 1/2 would be 12:00 or halfway so really this amp goes to “13.” Things opened up more, yet the tone stayed clean and does not yet get “hair.” Before you know it an hour passed by and it was time for a lunch.
Basically I have a bit of headroom, but I might only be pushing 12 watts and maybe optimistically or delusionally perhaps 15 watts at most. The Eminence 1518 speaker though has a crazy high efficiency of 103.4 db. Anything near or over a hundred is mighty high, and a 3 db difference increase creates the perception of an audible increase in volume.
Actually for me this is good and what I want because I have other amps that get fuzzy and have hair. Basically I want a clean amp with great touch sensitivity and great dynamic range for full expression. It is really cool to not have to crank an amp into a sweet spot to maintain tone. It seems the Victoria has a bit of a range and the tone/sound is not fatiguing.
Still have not rolled the pre-amp tube yet. I wanted to create a real baseline to gauge from. Already the amp has a bit of what people call swirl which is an interplay between sag, the speaker and the dynamic response of the tubes.
I also am use to old vintage amps that don’t have reverb. For me this analog effect built into the amp is kinda new.
I also realized why Roy Buchanan faced the rear of his Fender amp towards the audience: the treble spike is less pronounce. I think I will steal and utilize his idea. It seems the cone on the front of the speaker focuses the sound too much. Hmmm…
Also from my idol Jeff Beck, I use a single pickup Telecaster called an Esquire because it only has a bridge pickup. My version is called a “Snakehead” because it resembles the very first electric solid body guitar Leo Fender made in 1949 that basically was a prototype. Mine is a “partscaster” where I bought the body on EBAY from some guy in upstate New York. The wood was advertised as one piece of old barn wood, and it features worm holes.
In studying Jeff Beck live performances towards the end of his career he played a Strat, and what I took notice is that he always played the bridge pickup as if it was an Esquire. On a Strat that pickup is deemed by many as unusable, and many a Strat have been modded with humbucking Gibson style pickups.
So pretty much I learned and observed that Jeff Beck only needed one pickup to be great and the rest and his sound was basically in his hands. I am trying to emulate him, and I’m on that journey.
BTW did you know that Jeff Beck also was a Motörhead?
Cal
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal,
This bike comes from the era of the very beginning of rubber hoods for levers. Many folks rode them bare but there is another elegant method of wrapping which creates a hood with the bar tape itself. I did this on many old bikes I worked on and rode one of my own but it was nothing special like this Clubman.
So tonight I took care of the headset and installed the fork. Before doing that, I blasted some frame saver down all the tubes and rotated the frame around really well.
Fork is installed, stem and handlebar are in and set appropriately. Next up will be the bottom bracket and crankset installation. Still waiting on some new bolts for the crank. After that, I'll build up my rear wheel, install the brakes and it's nearly done. A set of SKS B45 "Bluemels" gray fenders are on the way. I'll paint them white to go with the white bar tape, white housing, and white toe straps. These bikes were delivered with white furniture as is my plan, the main issue is that SKS no longer offers the correct fender in white, only gray or black.
I'll definitely have the opportunity to ride this while on my vacation during the first week of October, perhaps sooner...
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Very cool.
I remember using cork tape on the bars and around the base of a brake to create a hood. What differs in your approach from way back in the day?
I think Snarky Joe has me pegged, and he is right I am stuck in the past. I confess I like/love the old stuff.
I think you have rarity in that bike. Surely is a conversation piece, and such history.
Anyways congrats on having a dream come true.
Cal
Very cool.
I remember using cork tape on the bars and around the base of a brake to create a hood. What differs in your approach from way back in the day?
I think Snarky Joe has me pegged, and he is right I am stuck in the past. I confess I like/love the old stuff.
I think you have rarity in that bike. Surely is a conversation piece, and such history.
Anyways congrats on having a dream come true.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I optimized the Victoria Regal 2 last night.
I pulled out the second tube, a 12AT7, V2, to see if it was just used for the reverb and or vibrato circuit, thinking this would be a separate circuit. I was right.
V1 is the pre-amp, and I discovered that the RCA 7025 low noise version of the 12AX7 gave me the most Fender like sound. Other pre-amp tubes shaped the tone rather dramatically. A British Amperex had enhanced treble, but the mids and bottom were somewhat light. A good tube for a dark sounding amp.
Meanwhile a Dutch Amperex “Bugle Boy” was a serious challenge to the RCA 7025 because it held a flatter response with more mids. The RCA 7025 had accentuated top and bottom with the mids scooped a bit. This is the classic Fender sound.
The amp still worked without V2, and this allowed me to know and further discover that the remaining two tubes were required to provide signal to the output tubes. Of course the last of these 12-pin tubes, dual triode, is used as the driver. Evidently V3 is used to amplify and mix in the built in effects of reverb and vibrato.
V3 the amplifier/mixer stage held a great effect on the tone shaping. That Amperex Bugle Boy went to great use there and added a good dose of mids to warm up the sound and add the interaction called “swirl” that not all amps have. Swirl I associate with great dynamics and touch sensitivity. This really-really opened up the sound.
The swirl is big enough that I had to switch on the vibrato to check if it was the vibrato making the warble/decay in the attack. The swirl kinda sounds like a very-very low level of vibrato. Turn on the vibrato and the effect is more pronounced.
The wonderful thing about class ”A” amps is their smooth compression that rolls off the top end that can make a guitar sound almost horn like.
I went back to V2, the 12AT7, that is used for the effects. Pretty much I tweaked the reverb and this too had a dramatic effect. I added more depth, and the adjustment knob gained more range. The reverb on this amp is kinda big and cavernous and it is not subtle at all. I tried a NOS tube and seemed to have dialed in perfect. EZ-PZ. Basically I added more smoothness and range.
Then I tube-rolled the driver. In V4. The driver basically in this part of the circuit is a current delivering device that feeds the signal to the power tubes. Of course this effects dynamics and touch sensitivity.
So now that this amp is dialed in, I am mucho pleased. This amp has headroom and a clean sound that my other amps do not have. That 15 inch speaker is efficient, and I learned why Roy Buchanan pointed the amp away from the audience.
Anyways it does not get better than this.
Cal
I pulled out the second tube, a 12AT7, V2, to see if it was just used for the reverb and or vibrato circuit, thinking this would be a separate circuit. I was right.
V1 is the pre-amp, and I discovered that the RCA 7025 low noise version of the 12AX7 gave me the most Fender like sound. Other pre-amp tubes shaped the tone rather dramatically. A British Amperex had enhanced treble, but the mids and bottom were somewhat light. A good tube for a dark sounding amp.
Meanwhile a Dutch Amperex “Bugle Boy” was a serious challenge to the RCA 7025 because it held a flatter response with more mids. The RCA 7025 had accentuated top and bottom with the mids scooped a bit. This is the classic Fender sound.
The amp still worked without V2, and this allowed me to know and further discover that the remaining two tubes were required to provide signal to the output tubes. Of course the last of these 12-pin tubes, dual triode, is used as the driver. Evidently V3 is used to amplify and mix in the built in effects of reverb and vibrato.
V3 the amplifier/mixer stage held a great effect on the tone shaping. That Amperex Bugle Boy went to great use there and added a good dose of mids to warm up the sound and add the interaction called “swirl” that not all amps have. Swirl I associate with great dynamics and touch sensitivity. This really-really opened up the sound.
The swirl is big enough that I had to switch on the vibrato to check if it was the vibrato making the warble/decay in the attack. The swirl kinda sounds like a very-very low level of vibrato. Turn on the vibrato and the effect is more pronounced.
The wonderful thing about class ”A” amps is their smooth compression that rolls off the top end that can make a guitar sound almost horn like.
I went back to V2, the 12AT7, that is used for the effects. Pretty much I tweaked the reverb and this too had a dramatic effect. I added more depth, and the adjustment knob gained more range. The reverb on this amp is kinda big and cavernous and it is not subtle at all. I tried a NOS tube and seemed to have dialed in perfect. EZ-PZ. Basically I added more smoothness and range.
Then I tube-rolled the driver. In V4. The driver basically in this part of the circuit is a current delivering device that feeds the signal to the power tubes. Of course this effects dynamics and touch sensitivity.
So now that this amp is dialed in, I am mucho pleased. This amp has headroom and a clean sound that my other amps do not have. That 15 inch speaker is efficient, and I learned why Roy Buchanan pointed the amp away from the audience.
Anyways it does not get better than this.
Cal
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
“Maggie” is away, and the grandson is sick still. Yesterday he went to the doctor, and I will have him by myself today.
It will be interesting: a 65 year old man; and a one year old toddler.
Time to get ready. He demands full attention.
Cal
It will be interesting: a 65 year old man; and a one year old toddler.
Time to get ready. He demands full attention.
Cal
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
My experiment of switching V1 and V3 for improving the tone shaping further failed. Oh-well. I reverted back to what I developed earlier. Not a bad thing. Oh-well. I had fun experimenting…
This amp at 52 pounds is heavy enough to be at the limit. Understand that a Fender Twin Reverb weighs in at around 80 pounds and can approach 100 pounds with heavy duty speakers like JBL’s or Altec’s. For me this is the price/penalty one has to pay for clean headroom.
The tone is mighty rich and sweet even though clean. Distortion and breakup is not desired, and I am sure this amp will inspire my playing. I kinda love that it still has a fullness even when turned down, and the sweet spot is really a range and a zone. No hair or fuzz, and so pure. Nothing to hide behind. Surely this amp will take me places…
The grandson became Hellboy after lunch. His partial recovery was only momemntary, and I cuddled him to comfort him.
I hope today he is better And is not another episode of Hellboy II.
My quads are sore and tight from bringing the Victoria amp up and down the basement over the past few days. I may have to do it again to balance the strain on my left leg since I favored my right. I don’t want this imbalance to take set.
Also have been toting the grandson around, and he is like a 25 pound kettlebell. The tiny love handles are disapating, as my core is getting ripped.
I think the modeling will also disabate. Our agent is going down a dead end, and “Maggie’s” 15 minutes of fame as an influencer is gone. Anyways now she is a writer. Anyways for us modeling is a deadend and I kinda wrote it off. We signed a three year contract though… Oh-well…
Even though retired, things are not so relaxed. I had enough time to do a quick lawn mow. The weekend is expected to be rainy, so I go with the flow.
Also I am hoarding and stockpiling more 11-speed XTR. I need a front/left shifter to have a complete drivetrain to be able to build out yet another bike, just in case another frame falls from heaven. Plus I have extra rear derailleurs, both mid-cage and long-cage so it would not be hard to build a 1x11 also besides another 2x11. I sit on a stockpile of 11-speed XT cassettes thanks to Phil’s advice.
A shift to 12-speed would require new wheels and hubs, and this expense I feel I do not need. Also truth be told a 3x7, or 3x8 still is a great range of gearing for what I do. I feel the 7 and 8 speed drivetrains age well and are mucho durable And are less maintenance.
I love to have a true granny gear when I need it. I would rather ride up a hill and struggle rather than walk up a hill pushing a bike.
Wish me luck with the grandson. Hopefully this plays out. He has been sick since Saturday. Monday he was taken to the doctor, but all they did were tests.
Cal
This amp at 52 pounds is heavy enough to be at the limit. Understand that a Fender Twin Reverb weighs in at around 80 pounds and can approach 100 pounds with heavy duty speakers like JBL’s or Altec’s. For me this is the price/penalty one has to pay for clean headroom.
The tone is mighty rich and sweet even though clean. Distortion and breakup is not desired, and I am sure this amp will inspire my playing. I kinda love that it still has a fullness even when turned down, and the sweet spot is really a range and a zone. No hair or fuzz, and so pure. Nothing to hide behind. Surely this amp will take me places…
The grandson became Hellboy after lunch. His partial recovery was only momemntary, and I cuddled him to comfort him.
I hope today he is better And is not another episode of Hellboy II.
My quads are sore and tight from bringing the Victoria amp up and down the basement over the past few days. I may have to do it again to balance the strain on my left leg since I favored my right. I don’t want this imbalance to take set.
Also have been toting the grandson around, and he is like a 25 pound kettlebell. The tiny love handles are disapating, as my core is getting ripped.
I think the modeling will also disabate. Our agent is going down a dead end, and “Maggie’s” 15 minutes of fame as an influencer is gone. Anyways now she is a writer. Anyways for us modeling is a deadend and I kinda wrote it off. We signed a three year contract though… Oh-well…
Even though retired, things are not so relaxed. I had enough time to do a quick lawn mow. The weekend is expected to be rainy, so I go with the flow.
Also I am hoarding and stockpiling more 11-speed XTR. I need a front/left shifter to have a complete drivetrain to be able to build out yet another bike, just in case another frame falls from heaven. Plus I have extra rear derailleurs, both mid-cage and long-cage so it would not be hard to build a 1x11 also besides another 2x11. I sit on a stockpile of 11-speed XT cassettes thanks to Phil’s advice.
A shift to 12-speed would require new wheels and hubs, and this expense I feel I do not need. Also truth be told a 3x7, or 3x8 still is a great range of gearing for what I do. I feel the 7 and 8 speed drivetrains age well and are mucho durable And are less maintenance.
I love to have a true granny gear when I need it. I would rather ride up a hill and struggle rather than walk up a hill pushing a bike.
Wish me luck with the grandson. Hopefully this plays out. He has been sick since Saturday. Monday he was taken to the doctor, but all they did were tests.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
No episode of Hellboy II today. Basically he was a happy toddler that is an eating machine.
Glad the grandson is back to himself. Now “Maggie” is home we will have him one more day tomorrow.
I discovered the 1977 Stingray bass I was thinking of unloading in a trade is better to keep. The value has appreciated more than I thought/expected, and I guess because of inflation people are seeking out hard assets like my bass.
Pretty much this bass is worth a few ounces of gold.
I think I will hold onto it as a hedge against inflation. Prices will only go up from here, and what I own is highly collectable.
Anyways the new Victoria amp is really great and I’m glad I have it. The rare 1964 black face Vibroverb is likely more power than I ever will need. It is a “player’s” grade/condition so the potential for appreciation is hampered by not being all original and not in the best condition.
Like in real estate where they say the three most important things that matter are: location; location; and location. With vintage gear the three things are: original condition; original condition; and original condition.
The Vibroverb is a rare amp though, and was made for only two years.
If I can get the pair of Jensen C12Q’s that I have stored art my friend Cris’s house in Long Island I can change two resistors in the power supply to drop more voltage and effectively lower the power of the black face Fender Pro Reverb I found being thrown out on 1st Avenue in Madhattan into a Vibrolux amp that is driving two 12 inch speakers instead of 2-tens.
The Vibrolux used Jensen C10Q’s.
This would be too cool and what a back story: rescuing a vintage amp from the trash in NYC. I would expect an earlier breakup, yet a fuller sound than a 2x10 Vibrolux. The two-12’s will have more midrange and a bigger bottom. An interesting custom concept.
Know that a Vibrolux is priced highly because it is the Goldilocks size: not too big; not too small.
The shorted electrolytic cap blew the fuse in the Pro Reverb, and likely this spared the power supply tranny. The fix is EZ-PZ and not costly: some new caps.
This amp is like the Victoria with a reverb and vibrato.
Understand that I used a Tele vintage single coil pickup to do the tone shaping of the Victoria. This pickup can be shrill and overly bright where it can hurt your ears. An analogy is getting stabbed with an ice pick in the ear. Anyways a hyper bright and articulate pickup that is very-very unforgiving was used because it is hard to curb and master.
My other guitars I’m sure will also sound great if the “Snakehead” sounds great.
In today’s walk I went down to the riverfront with the grandson using the jogging stroller. I caught up with some fishermen who caught some hand sized white perch using frozen shrimp as bait. In the Hudson I would not need a fishing license.
At Charles Point which is closer to my house they are rebuilding a fishing pier. I know where to take the grand daughter now once the pier is completed. But for now behind the train station is fine.
Cal
Glad the grandson is back to himself. Now “Maggie” is home we will have him one more day tomorrow.
I discovered the 1977 Stingray bass I was thinking of unloading in a trade is better to keep. The value has appreciated more than I thought/expected, and I guess because of inflation people are seeking out hard assets like my bass.
Pretty much this bass is worth a few ounces of gold.
I think I will hold onto it as a hedge against inflation. Prices will only go up from here, and what I own is highly collectable.
Anyways the new Victoria amp is really great and I’m glad I have it. The rare 1964 black face Vibroverb is likely more power than I ever will need. It is a “player’s” grade/condition so the potential for appreciation is hampered by not being all original and not in the best condition.
Like in real estate where they say the three most important things that matter are: location; location; and location. With vintage gear the three things are: original condition; original condition; and original condition.
The Vibroverb is a rare amp though, and was made for only two years.
If I can get the pair of Jensen C12Q’s that I have stored art my friend Cris’s house in Long Island I can change two resistors in the power supply to drop more voltage and effectively lower the power of the black face Fender Pro Reverb I found being thrown out on 1st Avenue in Madhattan into a Vibrolux amp that is driving two 12 inch speakers instead of 2-tens.
The Vibrolux used Jensen C10Q’s.
This would be too cool and what a back story: rescuing a vintage amp from the trash in NYC. I would expect an earlier breakup, yet a fuller sound than a 2x10 Vibrolux. The two-12’s will have more midrange and a bigger bottom. An interesting custom concept.
Know that a Vibrolux is priced highly because it is the Goldilocks size: not too big; not too small.
The shorted electrolytic cap blew the fuse in the Pro Reverb, and likely this spared the power supply tranny. The fix is EZ-PZ and not costly: some new caps.
This amp is like the Victoria with a reverb and vibrato.
Understand that I used a Tele vintage single coil pickup to do the tone shaping of the Victoria. This pickup can be shrill and overly bright where it can hurt your ears. An analogy is getting stabbed with an ice pick in the ear. Anyways a hyper bright and articulate pickup that is very-very unforgiving was used because it is hard to curb and master.
My other guitars I’m sure will also sound great if the “Snakehead” sounds great.
In today’s walk I went down to the riverfront with the grandson using the jogging stroller. I caught up with some fishermen who caught some hand sized white perch using frozen shrimp as bait. In the Hudson I would not need a fishing license.
At Charles Point which is closer to my house they are rebuilding a fishing pier. I know where to take the grand daughter now once the pier is completed. But for now behind the train station is fine.
Cal
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Austintatious
Well-known
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Both front and rear hubs for the clubman are fully overhauled; new axles, cones, washers, nuts, and balls front and rear. The front wheel is built and in the bike. It's still not at full tension. I set it in the fork to keep it off the floor and to also check my brake reach. I have plenty. Rear hub is not laced, but has been rebuilt and the axle spaced out to fill the frame perfectly at the natural resting point of the rear triangle. Interesting that this is one of the first bikes in years where I didn't mess around with rear triangle spacing. My Miyata is spaced out to 124mm when it was 120mm native. Univega used to be a 120mm rear triangle since it is from the days of sticking road bike components into square geometry mountain bike frames. Both of those were 5 speed rear.
The clubman is being set up with a flip-flop rear hub, rolling 19 or 21 teeth fixed, and 16/20 teeth on a 2-speed Suntour BMX freewheel. This is the same freewheel that I'm using in the Mtn Trials bike. I love the 2-speed option with just a small amount of chain deflection. The clubman is a road bike with 27" wheels native, so it has long stays and will easily accommodate the slight left-right move of the chain. The crankset is the kicker, I only have about 3mm of adjustment available. Speaking of the crankset, those original bolts are on very tight and I may have to drill them out. I think the ends were peened over as a form of thread locking. If I can't get them off, I can use the ring. It's not pretty, but it is 46 teeth, not 48 as had previously counted, whoops. I'm still holding out for a 44 tooth ring, but I may have to get one from the UK and spend a ton on it. I suppose what I could do instead, is just get stronger. I used to ride 48/21 fixed, then 48/19. I was invited to race with the Temple team at the Trexlertown velodrome during the 2009 Collegiate National Track Championships, but that wasn't my event and I didn't have any gear on me; one rider offered me his sweaty bib, and I cheerfully refused. Here's an album of photos from that day:
So I could ride 46 x 19 or 21 fixed, and 16/20 freewheel. I've been commuting on the Miyata this week and that has a 51/42 set of chainrings with a 6-speed Suntour Winner freewheel. I need to count all the teeth in my freewheel so I can figure out the gear equivalents (or near-equivalents) on the clubman, then ride those. On my commute, I average just over 15mph, which is 2mph faster than the average speed of a commuter car in Philadelphia for a cross-town commute. When commuting in the car, I never get past an average speed of 13mph. That's frustrating crawling on the freeway, in the rain, with who knows what honking bozos risking lives playing racecar, and I know that I could be going just as fast or faster on a less-stress-inducing path along the Schuylkill. I'll be riding tomorrow too.
Next up for the clubman will be to build the rear wheel, tension and true the front wheel, and get the bottom bracket installed and adjusted. The crank is still soaking in penetrating oil in the hope that I can remove those bolts. I have a set of bolts on the way in the mail as I write.
It's coming together quite nicely.
Phil
The clubman is being set up with a flip-flop rear hub, rolling 19 or 21 teeth fixed, and 16/20 teeth on a 2-speed Suntour BMX freewheel. This is the same freewheel that I'm using in the Mtn Trials bike. I love the 2-speed option with just a small amount of chain deflection. The clubman is a road bike with 27" wheels native, so it has long stays and will easily accommodate the slight left-right move of the chain. The crankset is the kicker, I only have about 3mm of adjustment available. Speaking of the crankset, those original bolts are on very tight and I may have to drill them out. I think the ends were peened over as a form of thread locking. If I can't get them off, I can use the ring. It's not pretty, but it is 46 teeth, not 48 as had previously counted, whoops. I'm still holding out for a 44 tooth ring, but I may have to get one from the UK and spend a ton on it. I suppose what I could do instead, is just get stronger. I used to ride 48/21 fixed, then 48/19. I was invited to race with the Temple team at the Trexlertown velodrome during the 2009 Collegiate National Track Championships, but that wasn't my event and I didn't have any gear on me; one rider offered me his sweaty bib, and I cheerfully refused. Here's an album of photos from that day:
So I could ride 46 x 19 or 21 fixed, and 16/20 freewheel. I've been commuting on the Miyata this week and that has a 51/42 set of chainrings with a 6-speed Suntour Winner freewheel. I need to count all the teeth in my freewheel so I can figure out the gear equivalents (or near-equivalents) on the clubman, then ride those. On my commute, I average just over 15mph, which is 2mph faster than the average speed of a commuter car in Philadelphia for a cross-town commute. When commuting in the car, I never get past an average speed of 13mph. That's frustrating crawling on the freeway, in the rain, with who knows what honking bozos risking lives playing racecar, and I know that I could be going just as fast or faster on a less-stress-inducing path along the Schuylkill. I'll be riding tomorrow too.
Next up for the clubman will be to build the rear wheel, tension and true the front wheel, and get the bottom bracket installed and adjusted. The crank is still soaking in penetrating oil in the hope that I can remove those bolts. I have a set of bolts on the way in the mail as I write.
It's coming together quite nicely.
Phil
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Austin,
Even eating migrating Striped Bass during the spring spawning eating is not recommended for children or women. Basically considered not safe to eat, and that men should limit their consumption to one fish per month. Also this is somewhat dependent on where the fish is caught and size.
For me I’m cool with catch and release. I don’t eat fresh water fish.
The thing I like about fishing in the Hudson, because the waters are considered brackish I don’t need a fishing license.
There are people who eat fish caught in the Hudson. Also know that in Stripers it is in the older/larger fish that contaminants concentrate. Smaller fish are safer to eat.
Anyways there is plenty of life in the Hudson despite the remnants and legacy of pollution.
Our fishing would be for recreational purposes, or for bait.
If I ever wanted to do fresh water fishing for consumption, I would head north into the Adirondack Park, a wilderness where the trout fishing is world class. Not that far away. Too bad about my Cold Agglutinin Disease, where I have to limit my exposure to the cold, ice fishing would be fun otherwise.
Oh-well.
Because of the grandson’s illness and childcare I did not get the opportunity to go fishing while “Maggie” was in D.C. I think I will make up later next week. I tied some new double hooks and bought some plastic scented “Gulp” with twister tails that the sharpies use.
I also have some new jigs to try our. I have my 7 foot 8 inch Fenwick, and a shorter 6 foot 8 inch slow pitch jigging rod to experiment with. Pretty much the long rod has the action for long fall jigging, and the shorter rod is ideal for slow pitch jigging.
I need to buy some 50 pound leader as a bit of insurance from the possible bluefish strike. I would hate to loose a $12.00 jig on a bite off.
Retirement lately has been busy…
Cal
Even eating migrating Striped Bass during the spring spawning eating is not recommended for children or women. Basically considered not safe to eat, and that men should limit their consumption to one fish per month. Also this is somewhat dependent on where the fish is caught and size.
For me I’m cool with catch and release. I don’t eat fresh water fish.
The thing I like about fishing in the Hudson, because the waters are considered brackish I don’t need a fishing license.
There are people who eat fish caught in the Hudson. Also know that in Stripers it is in the older/larger fish that contaminants concentrate. Smaller fish are safer to eat.
Anyways there is plenty of life in the Hudson despite the remnants and legacy of pollution.
Our fishing would be for recreational purposes, or for bait.
If I ever wanted to do fresh water fishing for consumption, I would head north into the Adirondack Park, a wilderness where the trout fishing is world class. Not that far away. Too bad about my Cold Agglutinin Disease, where I have to limit my exposure to the cold, ice fishing would be fun otherwise.
Oh-well.
Because of the grandson’s illness and childcare I did not get the opportunity to go fishing while “Maggie” was in D.C. I think I will make up later next week. I tied some new double hooks and bought some plastic scented “Gulp” with twister tails that the sharpies use.
I also have some new jigs to try our. I have my 7 foot 8 inch Fenwick, and a shorter 6 foot 8 inch slow pitch jigging rod to experiment with. Pretty much the long rod has the action for long fall jigging, and the shorter rod is ideal for slow pitch jigging.
I need to buy some 50 pound leader as a bit of insurance from the possible bluefish strike. I would hate to loose a $12.00 jig on a bite off.
Retirement lately has been busy…
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Keep on at it. A big payoff of accomplishment lays ahead.
Sounds like a true dream bike. Also stiffer gearing might be divine intervention. Perhaps all for the best. Strength training is not a bad thing.
I wonder if I need a similar bike meaning a two-speed. Mine would be with a 52/40 chainring. I already have a black anodized Paul “Melvin” for chain tension. I would go with a 63 gear inch low and a high in the low eighties for a high. For a shifter I have a spare Suntour XC pro left shifter.
This would be a bike to try and go fast to do intervals with.
Bloodshot eyes and testing/building the threshold of pain. I want to be a tough old guy that is capable of savage bursts of energy.
I also have enough spares to even go 1x11 XTR to have a convertible bike. I need another frame to drop from heaven.
Cal
Keep on at it. A big payoff of accomplishment lays ahead.
Sounds like a true dream bike. Also stiffer gearing might be divine intervention. Perhaps all for the best. Strength training is not a bad thing.
I wonder if I need a similar bike meaning a two-speed. Mine would be with a 52/40 chainring. I already have a black anodized Paul “Melvin” for chain tension. I would go with a 63 gear inch low and a high in the low eighties for a high. For a shifter I have a spare Suntour XC pro left shifter.
This would be a bike to try and go fast to do intervals with.
Bloodshot eyes and testing/building the threshold of pain. I want to be a tough old guy that is capable of savage bursts of energy.
I also have enough spares to even go 1x11 XTR to have a convertible bike. I need another frame to drop from heaven.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The reverb on the Victoria is a profound over the top sound, and the decay is short. This effect is as if the echo was more like a long tunnel rather than a deeper reflection of sound like say a huge cavern or empty indoor stadium.
This effect is controlled by the single 12AT7 or V2. This tube has a gain of 60, and I have a 12AU7 that I dug out of my stockpile of NOS tubes that has a gain of only 17 to lessen the effect severely to try. Also I have a pair of 6072’s which is a version of a 12AY7 that has a gain of 44, and also 2 NOS 5751’s, but these 5751’s have a gain of 70.
Might be interesting to experiment and see if I can tune/tweak the reverb into probably three different sounds using gains of 60, 44, and 17 to have a range. The 5751’s would with their gain of 70 would only put the reverb more in your face, so I don’t think it will be a good idea.
Also if I wanted a longer decay I can secure a 6-spring version from Antique Electronics for a reported $26.00. WOW, a possibility of six versions of this effect. How useful, and not only that EZ-PZ.
The present stock setup with a 12AT7 is kinda cool. A strong effect, but at times I imagine I would enjoy the ability to tone it down and for the effect of a slight echo in a lonely place to be mild and subdued. The knob for reverb has limited control. Changing gain by exchanging tubes, while not great for on the fly is alright for me. Know the effect has a foot switch for just on and off.
I would expect with lower gain in the pre-amp (V1); or the mixer (V3); or the driver (V4) that there would be less treble bite, additional smoothness, and perhaps an increase in midrange emphasis. Touch sensitivity and dynamics should improve, but power likely will get traded off.
This is where the 5751’s might be useful. V1, V3 and V4 are all basically 12 pin tubes that are dual triodes with a gain of 100. The gain of 5751’s are only a 70.
Might be worth the trade off, and it would be great to have versatility and the flexibility to tailor the sound at my disposal. In retrospect my other vintage amps seem to be specialized and more like one-trick ponies. What thy do they do well, and their sound is classic. This Victoria though has a very-very broad range and offers many-many great sounds.
This is all great fun. Lots f possibilities here and interaction. Don’t forget I’m an analog man…
So some more experimenting tonight. I’ll be doing the testing in the basement since “Maggie” is home.
I can also see mounting and having two different reverb pans so I can have both short and long decays. It would be EZ-PZ to put the amp in standby and just change a pair of plug connections to the main chassis to have it all. How creative and crazy is that?
Might be able to mount the second spring reverb pan directly to the bottom of the pine base and use the OEM stock pan with it’s Tolex soft enclosure as a cover and protector. Maybe even develop a false second bottom. Hmmm… Ampeg mounted raw spring reverb pans to the bottom of the enclosures without any cover or protection BTW.
Mighty clever: two different reverbs with three different ranges of intensity. Mighty-mighty great. In theory genius, but let’s see if my imagination is bad like at times that Snarky Joe suggests. I know DEvil Christian would think it clever even if it does not work. Anyways this is my idea and I’m not copying anyone.
Anyways this is using skills I developed at Grumman where I built prototype electronics in research labs. A fun job that was mucho creative. No limit to wasting tax payer’s dollars, and in fact pretty much an unrestrained resource. I was really good at problem solving and mighty clever. Imagine a trained artist in a high tech industrial setting. Mighty crazy.
Anyways this is why I say, “Crazy is good.” Also perhaps Snarky Joe is correct, no one else could do crazy like I did.
Don’t forget I worked at Los Alamos, the Secret City, on a Ronald Ray-Gun Star Wars project that was a Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in their boost phase. Not only that I helped build out a rather large Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Labs to create a Quark Gluon plasma to recreate the Big-Bang when the universe was first created.
Not many people get to go crazy like I did. Again funded by tax payer’s money.
Cal
This effect is controlled by the single 12AT7 or V2. This tube has a gain of 60, and I have a 12AU7 that I dug out of my stockpile of NOS tubes that has a gain of only 17 to lessen the effect severely to try. Also I have a pair of 6072’s which is a version of a 12AY7 that has a gain of 44, and also 2 NOS 5751’s, but these 5751’s have a gain of 70.
Might be interesting to experiment and see if I can tune/tweak the reverb into probably three different sounds using gains of 60, 44, and 17 to have a range. The 5751’s would with their gain of 70 would only put the reverb more in your face, so I don’t think it will be a good idea.
Also if I wanted a longer decay I can secure a 6-spring version from Antique Electronics for a reported $26.00. WOW, a possibility of six versions of this effect. How useful, and not only that EZ-PZ.
The present stock setup with a 12AT7 is kinda cool. A strong effect, but at times I imagine I would enjoy the ability to tone it down and for the effect of a slight echo in a lonely place to be mild and subdued. The knob for reverb has limited control. Changing gain by exchanging tubes, while not great for on the fly is alright for me. Know the effect has a foot switch for just on and off.
I would expect with lower gain in the pre-amp (V1); or the mixer (V3); or the driver (V4) that there would be less treble bite, additional smoothness, and perhaps an increase in midrange emphasis. Touch sensitivity and dynamics should improve, but power likely will get traded off.
This is where the 5751’s might be useful. V1, V3 and V4 are all basically 12 pin tubes that are dual triodes with a gain of 100. The gain of 5751’s are only a 70.
Might be worth the trade off, and it would be great to have versatility and the flexibility to tailor the sound at my disposal. In retrospect my other vintage amps seem to be specialized and more like one-trick ponies. What thy do they do well, and their sound is classic. This Victoria though has a very-very broad range and offers many-many great sounds.
This is all great fun. Lots f possibilities here and interaction. Don’t forget I’m an analog man…
So some more experimenting tonight. I’ll be doing the testing in the basement since “Maggie” is home.
I can also see mounting and having two different reverb pans so I can have both short and long decays. It would be EZ-PZ to put the amp in standby and just change a pair of plug connections to the main chassis to have it all. How creative and crazy is that?
Might be able to mount the second spring reverb pan directly to the bottom of the pine base and use the OEM stock pan with it’s Tolex soft enclosure as a cover and protector. Maybe even develop a false second bottom. Hmmm… Ampeg mounted raw spring reverb pans to the bottom of the enclosures without any cover or protection BTW.
Mighty clever: two different reverbs with three different ranges of intensity. Mighty-mighty great. In theory genius, but let’s see if my imagination is bad like at times that Snarky Joe suggests. I know DEvil Christian would think it clever even if it does not work. Anyways this is my idea and I’m not copying anyone.
Anyways this is using skills I developed at Grumman where I built prototype electronics in research labs. A fun job that was mucho creative. No limit to wasting tax payer’s dollars, and in fact pretty much an unrestrained resource. I was really good at problem solving and mighty clever. Imagine a trained artist in a high tech industrial setting. Mighty crazy.
Anyways this is why I say, “Crazy is good.” Also perhaps Snarky Joe is correct, no one else could do crazy like I did.
Don’t forget I worked at Los Alamos, the Secret City, on a Ronald Ray-Gun Star Wars project that was a Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator to shoot down Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in their boost phase. Not only that I helped build out a rather large Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Labs to create a Quark Gluon plasma to recreate the Big-Bang when the universe was first created.
Not many people get to go crazy like I did. Again funded by tax payer’s money.
Cal
Last edited:
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Cal,
When I shift the Mtn Trials, I have to get off the bike and move the chain over by hand. This is how it was done before Tullio Campagnolo invented the Cambio Corsa shifter (another "dream" setup of mine.) Look up how that bike is shifted and you'll understand how crazy the early days of the big European tours were. Before that, everyone rode fixed gear and carried a spare wheel on their back so they could have effectively 4 speeds, 2 on each wheel.
The clubman will shift the same way as the Mtn Trials, with the exception that I will need to loosen the rear wheel then move the chain, to accommodate proper chain tension. I’m not sticking a tensioner on that bike. You can look up "Suntour 2 spd freewheel" on ebay to find a few. White Industries makes the Dos Eno freewheel as well, but the gearing spread is not as wide, so it's not as advantageous. You could always do a classic flip-flop with 2 vastly different size freewheels on the hub, chain tension provided by a tensioner, then possibly a front shifter to create a "dingle-speed". The old Suntour freewheel takes an old school narrow 2-prong tool. I can lend you mine if you need it.
I'm home today, called out sick because I was up all night coughing and have some serious sinus thing going on. I'll get a covid test done soon just for protocol purposes. Since I work in a healthcare facility with mostly older adults, it's prudent that I stay away from work. That said, I'll do some light chores around the house and work on the clubman more. Considering that I have a good 6 hours free, I may get a lot done on the bike today.
Phil
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Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Jeff Beck really specialized on playing the bridge pickups in the beginning and end of his career. In all the early Yardbirds videos I saw him play that famous Esquire with the forearm tuck like a Strat. Later in life he played a Strat and in every video I ever saw of him playing a Strat he only used the bridge pickup.
Jeff Beck also played with out a pick which somewhat tames the treble, but also limits the attack, but he did not suffer from having great dynamics and control of his tone. For the most part his tine was in his hands.
Anyways I admire him greatly and would like to emulate him. He developed his tone, discipline and his technic on just bridge pickups as far as I know And have seen in my study. I guess I will have o look into the era of BlowBy Blow where he played a Les Paul.
Another guitar player I admire is Mick Ronson. You probablely don’t know him by name, but he was the guitarist with David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust years. His tone and trademark was this cocked way sound that he amped up that had this rawness. As far as distortion goes to me this is musical and not fatiguing.
I discovered from MIke Ellerd, the head of the Fender Custom Shop, that he can simulate the tone of a cocked way with the simple use of a capacitor. The effect s a chopped top, but when cranked up to the threshold of distortion, it offers a very touch sensitive quality to the compression of signal that occurs. It seems to disparate the harshness and overbrightness that I hate that causes my ears to bleed.
So I wonder if Jeff Beck used a simple cap to achieve his sound and to develop his style?
Mick Ronson died of Cancer. Sadly his manager became wealthy, and Mick struggled with paying his medical bills. Of course the world misses Jeff Beck, a player’s player. The level of control Jeff Beck had is beyond anyone alive I know of today.
Although dead these players inspire me greatly like no others. The guitar parts from those Ziggy Stardust era really defined Bowie’s music.
An unknown soul, yet still a hero.
Cal
Jeff Beck also played with out a pick which somewhat tames the treble, but also limits the attack, but he did not suffer from having great dynamics and control of his tone. For the most part his tine was in his hands.
Anyways I admire him greatly and would like to emulate him. He developed his tone, discipline and his technic on just bridge pickups as far as I know And have seen in my study. I guess I will have o look into the era of BlowBy Blow where he played a Les Paul.
Another guitar player I admire is Mick Ronson. You probablely don’t know him by name, but he was the guitarist with David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust years. His tone and trademark was this cocked way sound that he amped up that had this rawness. As far as distortion goes to me this is musical and not fatiguing.
I discovered from MIke Ellerd, the head of the Fender Custom Shop, that he can simulate the tone of a cocked way with the simple use of a capacitor. The effect s a chopped top, but when cranked up to the threshold of distortion, it offers a very touch sensitive quality to the compression of signal that occurs. It seems to disparate the harshness and overbrightness that I hate that causes my ears to bleed.
So I wonder if Jeff Beck used a simple cap to achieve his sound and to develop his style?
Mick Ronson died of Cancer. Sadly his manager became wealthy, and Mick struggled with paying his medical bills. Of course the world misses Jeff Beck, a player’s player. The level of control Jeff Beck had is beyond anyone alive I know of today.
Although dead these players inspire me greatly like no others. The guitar parts from those Ziggy Stardust era really defined Bowie’s music.
An unknown soul, yet still a hero.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
Get well soon.
We have a stockpile of free government supplied Covid quick tests. They have come in handy, even though not the most accurate.
Again these are being supplied again. Part of me says our government needs to not waste money, but then again only certain people will benefit from this program. I hate to see money wasted, and I wish for the better good.
I would suggest having a stockpile to protect yourself and others.
Also know at my CVS they were giving away Covid Rapid Test kits that were government supplied. Like I said we paid for such waste.
I grabbed also a supply of government supplied K-95 masks that were also given away at my local CVS.
My allergies have kicked up. I have a drip, but yesterday I was fine. Might have what the grandson had, a 4-5 day virus.
The kid had Covid and RSV testing Monday. Nothing positive. His throat was a bit inflamed, and this curbed his wanting to eat.
The White Industry freewheels utilize some 2 or 4 tooth full that maintains some relationship between the chainrings and rear pair of cogs. Useful if you have a perfect chain length and don’t require a chain tensioner. Perhaps ideal if you have horizontal drop outs.
In my case I basically use a 2x1 approach with using a “Melvin” chain tensioner so I have the ability to have a high and a low range by just being able to shift front chainrings on the fly.
Dragsters and funny cars only use two speed ”Crash boxes” for transmissions, and in a ways centrifugal force is harnessed and utilized to function like a torque converter. UBER wide slicks become taller to initially provide traction and then after a launch offer a higher gear multiplication. Of course more that 5000 horsepower is required and a quarter mile is covered from a standstill in under 4 seconds.
Two speed is great for the rolling hills on my training loop within Peekskill. I would have to avoid Hudson Street the monster climb from the train station. The alternate climb would be a grunt anyways. It is longer, but not so steep. Pain is certain as well as bloodshot eyes from anaerobic climbing.
The nice thing is that a descent home allows recovery. Another lap on a strong day is possible. A lap is about an hour.
The grandson is still recovering sleep that was lost over his 5 days of illness.
Cal
Get well soon.
We have a stockpile of free government supplied Covid quick tests. They have come in handy, even though not the most accurate.
Again these are being supplied again. Part of me says our government needs to not waste money, but then again only certain people will benefit from this program. I hate to see money wasted, and I wish for the better good.
I would suggest having a stockpile to protect yourself and others.
Also know at my CVS they were giving away Covid Rapid Test kits that were government supplied. Like I said we paid for such waste.
I grabbed also a supply of government supplied K-95 masks that were also given away at my local CVS.
My allergies have kicked up. I have a drip, but yesterday I was fine. Might have what the grandson had, a 4-5 day virus.
The kid had Covid and RSV testing Monday. Nothing positive. His throat was a bit inflamed, and this curbed his wanting to eat.
The White Industry freewheels utilize some 2 or 4 tooth full that maintains some relationship between the chainrings and rear pair of cogs. Useful if you have a perfect chain length and don’t require a chain tensioner. Perhaps ideal if you have horizontal drop outs.
In my case I basically use a 2x1 approach with using a “Melvin” chain tensioner so I have the ability to have a high and a low range by just being able to shift front chainrings on the fly.
Dragsters and funny cars only use two speed ”Crash boxes” for transmissions, and in a ways centrifugal force is harnessed and utilized to function like a torque converter. UBER wide slicks become taller to initially provide traction and then after a launch offer a higher gear multiplication. Of course more that 5000 horsepower is required and a quarter mile is covered from a standstill in under 4 seconds.
Two speed is great for the rolling hills on my training loop within Peekskill. I would have to avoid Hudson Street the monster climb from the train station. The alternate climb would be a grunt anyways. It is longer, but not so steep. Pain is certain as well as bloodshot eyes from anaerobic climbing.
The nice thing is that a descent home allows recovery. Another lap on a strong day is possible. A lap is about an hour.
The grandson is still recovering sleep that was lost over his 5 days of illness.
Cal
Austintatious
Well-known
Would you believe six hundred million for those "FREE" tests ?
Biden Administration Announces $600M to Produce COVID Tests
The Department of Health and Human Services says orders can be placed at COVIDTests.gov starting Sept. 25.
time.com
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Austin,
What ever happened to free market capitolism?
Do we know of expected shortages?
New strains certainly evolve, but is this jumping the shark?
Cal
What ever happened to free market capitolism?
Do we know of expected shortages?
New strains certainly evolve, but is this jumping the shark?
Cal