|
|
Post by sean on Mar 6, 2016 9:26:59 GMT -6
I thought I'd bring one of my favorite threads from TapeOp over to this board. This week:
Ludwig 1959 Gold Sparkle 20" and 12" drums. They need a little work (hoops repainted on the bass drum, some hardware) but I'm excited about them. I used to have my 60's Champagne Sparkle Ludwig's at the house but since I took them to the studio everyone's been playing and loving them, so I wanted a second kit from a different era and different sizes for the house. If anyone has a 14" floor tom in Gold Sparkle, let me know!
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. These were on sale for $117 on Amazon so I grabbed a pair. I wish I could justify 6 more pairs for the studio!
Waves Abbey Road Plates. I really like these, different (and in my opinion better) than the UAD EMT 140. I also bought the Valhalla Plates because I buy everything Sean releases but haven't spent time A/Bing them...but I did A/B against the UAD and prefer the Waves.
Stomp Under Foot Rhinosaur. I actually trade Matt at Stomp Under Foot a black face russian Big Muff I bought for $40 off Craigslist for this. It's his version of the Colorsound Bass Fuzz. It's awesome.
Pair of API 560. Another trade, for my CAPI VP28 pair. It was a good deal for me, because I just went ahead and bought a...
Pair of CAPI VP28 kits. To replace the ones that I trade.
|
|
|
|
Post by Johnkenn on Mar 6, 2016 10:38:16 GMT -6
Apollo 8 Blackface. Muuuuuch better convertors compared to the Silverface.
Dangerous D-box. I'd been threatening to get into summing for a while. Blown away by it. The DA might be the most impressive thing about it. I'm a new Dangerous convert.
Goodhertz plugs. Just killer
|
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Mar 6, 2016 11:20:11 GMT -6
It's been a slow year. So far a bunch of cabling and connection plates for the new studio I'm building... well, the new studio building I'm into for about $50K or $60K so far (only my accountant knows for sure, today) but I did pick up a Samar VL37 which is mind altering.  EDIT: Also purchased an old Gibson Tube Amp - 1961 Gibson Falcon Tube Amp GA 19 RVT. Only 204 of them were ever made, and this one is almost all original, and nicely shit-hauled. See attached.  |
|
|
|
Post by odyssey76 on Mar 6, 2016 19:01:47 GMT -6
'72 Guild D35. I've never played an acoustic guitar that fits me like this one. From the tone to the physical playability, I've finally found my elusive ultimate acoustic.
Abbey Road Plates - I completely agree with Sean. It's the best ITB reverb I've ever owned and I had Relab LX480 and still have Valhalla Vintage Verb. The Drum Room preset is fantastic.
I also have a Stam SA2A and SA4000 coming. It's going to be a good summer.
|
|
|
|
Post by jcoutu1 on Mar 6, 2016 19:27:45 GMT -6
'72 Guild D35. I've never played an acoustic guitar that fits me like this one. From the tone to the physical playability, I've finally found my elusive ultimate acoustic. Abbey Road Plates - I completely agree with Sean. It's the best ITB reverb I've ever owned and I had Relab LX480 and still have Valhalla Vintage Verb. The Drum Room preset is fantastic. I also have a Stam SA2A and SA4000 coming. It's going to be a good summer. I've never played these vintage Guilds, but have been very interested in checking them out. I like the idea of owning a top quality, locally made, vintage guitar. I'll keep my eyes peeled on craigslist try and score a deal. Thanks for the tip. |
|
|
|
Post by odyssey76 on Mar 7, 2016 5:57:58 GMT -6
'72 Guild D35. I've never played an acoustic guitar that fits me like this one. From the tone to the physical playability, I've finally found my elusive ultimate acoustic. Abbey Road Plates - I completely agree with Sean. It's the best ITB reverb I've ever owned and I had Relab LX480 and still have Valhalla Vintage Verb. The Drum Room preset is fantastic. I also have a Stam SA2A and SA4000 coming. It's going to be a good summer. I've never played these vintage Guilds, but have been very interested in checking them out. I like the idea of owning a top quality, locally made, vintage guitar. I'll keep my eyes peeled on craigslist try and score a deal. Thanks for the tip. Yeah give them a try. I've been wanting one for awhile. Look at reviews online. Hard to find a bad one for the D35's. Such well built, great sounding guitars. Recommended highly! |
|
|
|
Post by jazznoise on Mar 7, 2016 6:08:30 GMT -6
Not a buy, but building a transformer based impedance converter currently with some old Shure transformers I was allowed salvage in return for a mod job (client wanted the outputs separated on an old 4 channel preamp, payment was the big, lovely stereo output transformers). Should be nice for my ribbon mics!
|
|
|
|
Post by levon on Mar 7, 2016 7:27:28 GMT -6
Oh man, way too much, says my credit card. Some drum parts, DW double kick pedal, Ludwig 12" tom, Tama 10" piccolo snare, Sabian Max Stax, some tom and cymbal stands, a TK Audio BC1-S and that's only this month. I better put a lid on it.
|
|
|
|
Post by iamasound on Mar 7, 2016 7:51:31 GMT -6
I was able to buy a new Microtech Gefell umt 70s that really works super nicely with my voice. The other was a 1991 Levinson Blade R4 for super cheap that was cherry-picked for parts but that my guitar tech is able to bring back to factory spec, as he is the guy here in Basel that sets up all of Levinson's new guitars when they come in from the factory. They work out of Gary Levinson's old workshop and have lots of the old and original bits and pieces. I got lucky.
|
|
|
|
Post by sean on Mar 7, 2016 8:01:49 GMT -6
I've had a lot of luck with UMT 70S. They are a little susceptible to RF so I always use a quad microphone cable. I've only had that issue with one studio I work at though. Try it on electric guitar, you might be impressed!
|
|
|
|
Post by superwack on Mar 7, 2016 9:43:22 GMT -6
I've had a lot of luck with UMT 70S. They are a little susceptible to RF so I always use a quad microphone cable. I've only had that issue with one studio I work at though. Try it on electric guitar, you might be impressed! There is a simple mod that gets rid of the RF I'm Gefells. If I recall correctly it involves lifting the ground on the XLR (or the pigtail if you have an older mic) there is a thread at GS about it and I think drBill talks about it as well. I had my UM70s done by a tech in LA and it's been dead quiet ever since |
|
|
|
Post by schmalzy on Mar 7, 2016 10:20:33 GMT -6
Two things:
A late-70s (I'm told - the serial number seems to agree but I've not done a bunch of digging) Ludwig Super Sensitive 6.5"X14" snare drum. Decent aesthetically. It sounds awesome, the snares can be really chunky and rattly or really snappy. I'm digging it, for sure.
My first patch bay. Man, that's awesome. It makes things so much easier. I don't even have it completely dealt with and wired and it's already improved my situation.
|
|
|
|
Post by jcoutu1 on Mar 7, 2016 10:44:28 GMT -6
Tonelux Tilt - Simple unit for quick eq moves. Center frequency around 700hz. Turn right and it boosts the highs and cuts the lows, turn left and get the opposite result. These originally sold for $2200, now they're $800 for 8 channels in a single rackspace.
Sennheiser HD650 - Really great set of phones. Open back. I have a set of AKG Q701, which are also pretty great, but these are totally different. Rounder top and thicker in the midrange than the AKG's. Really handy to have a couple different pairs of high end headphones.
Aston Origin - haven't tested yet. Purchased from VK with a free Rycote shockmount. I got the mic in the mail from VK, but no shockmount. VK told me that Aston was shipping the shockmounts when the mic was registered. I contacted Aston about the mount, the said it would ship my way. A week+ went by, still no mount or tracking info, so I contacted Aston again. 2 days later, shockmount arrived by USPS 2-day shipping. Obviously, the mount hadn't shipped until I contacted them the second time. Anyway, open the mount and it's threaded for Europe with no adapter for US stands. I contacted Aston AGAIN, and he apologized that the adapter wasn't included, they were supposed to come with one, but the factory screwed up, so it'll be coming. Mic looks great and the customer service response has been prompt, but the lack of attention to detail has left a bad taste in my mount. Perhaps a bit less marketing and a bit better QC is in order. Anyway, I have an acoustic/vocal session next week, so will be testing then and able to update.
|
|
|
|
Post by ragan on Mar 7, 2016 11:36:24 GMT -6
GAP COMP-3a - I love it. Really locks stuff in place in a nice, vibe-y way. I may get a second.
Heritage OST-4 and Great River Harrison 32c - I've always resisted getting into the 500 series game but I really wanted the Harrison EQ. I LOVE this EQ. Filters are amazing and you can push the frequencies around like crazy and it just sounds 'right'. When budget allows I'll get a second.
Fender MIM Jazz Bass "Special Edition" - this thing is great. Best MIM bass I've ever picked up. I think the "Special Edition" just means it's got an ash body and a natural finish. It's really nice though. I'm actually developing a rea affinity for some of the better MIM Fenders. The Baja Telecasters are amazing.
Second Neutrik patchbay - finally got around to getting another one and getting everything patched in. Every in and out on the Apollo, D Box, the Burl, my pres (well, the outputs anyway), all my hardware stuff. So much easier to switch from tracking to mixing to summing, etc. Huge workflow upgrade.
Oktava MKL-2500 - really nice little mic. I did the common mods (removing the resonator discs and inner headbasket mesh) and I bought several 6AK5's from Bowie and kept the one I liked best in there. Impressive mic for small coin (I'm actually selling it but it's just because it's redundant to me).
Behringer Cable Tester - man, is it about time I had a cable tester. I've been making a lot of cables for the patchbays and this thing is friggin great. Can't believe I've gotten by without one.
Rickenbacker 360/12 MapleGlo - this was a few months ago but it's always been one of my dream guitars. I'm so taken by it. In fact, I'm going to go stare at it...
|
|
|
|
Post by jfoc on Mar 7, 2016 11:50:32 GMT -6
Traded in my P bass & Tele ( and a bunch of misc mics) for a Ric 6 stringer.
Just ordered a crimson audio mogaines from front end audio today with the 15% off deal
contemplating picking up a champ style amp once ive paid off my car insurance
|
|
|
|
Post by joseph on Mar 7, 2016 20:39:42 GMT -6
'72 Guild D35. I've never played an acoustic guitar that fits me like this one. From the tone to the physical playability, I've finally found my elusive ultimate acoustic. Abbey Road Plates - I completely agree with Sean. It's the best ITB reverb I've ever owned and I had Relab LX480 and still have Valhalla Vintage Verb. The Drum Room preset is fantastic. I also have a Stam SA2A and SA4000 coming. It's going to be a good summer. My friend has an old Westerly D40, has a rugged no bullshit sound that is pretty unique. |
|
|
|
Post by noah shain on Mar 8, 2016 1:33:32 GMT -6
Just built a pair of CAPI LC53a w/Litz trafos and SL 1731/SL red dot combo.
Lengthy detailed build but there's a few more of these in my console's future.
Really nice. Better than any API I've used before.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2016 3:01:11 GMT -6
In the last two months:
RJR SSL Clone
Stam 4000 Clone
12 Guage Blue 12
Solomon Lofreq (subkick sorta deal)
Presonus Central Station
Avantone Mixcubes
'72 Tele
Stam LA2A
Fostex Subwoofer
And I have a line on a distressor.
I'm off to a good start.
|
|
|
|
Post by rowmat on Mar 8, 2016 3:23:22 GMT -6
Since December..
Mercury Brüder Tube Preamp (V72s/V76M)
Boxed pair of near mint Neumann KM85's.
Pair of brand new Neumann KK84 capsules to convert the KM85's to KM84's. (Keeping the KK85 capsules as they are good for hi-hats, close mic'd acoustic guitars, mandolins etc)
Neumann KM54 tube mic (original nickel capsule) and N52T power supply.
New custom built 19" racking for outboard (1x 3 bay 42RU rack & 1x single bay 14RU rack)
|
|
|
|
Post by iamasound on Mar 8, 2016 4:51:30 GMT -6
I've had a lot of luck with UMT 70S. They are a little susceptible to RF so I always use a quad microphone cable. I've only had that issue with one studio I work at though. Try it on electric guitar, you might be impressed! There is a simple mod that gets rid of the RF I'm Gefells. If I recall correctly it involves lifting the ground on the XLR (or the pigtail if you have an older mic) there is a thread at GS about it and I think drBill talks about it as well. I had my UM70s done by a tech in LA and it's been dead quiet ever since I had heard that some folks have had interference issues with the older model but so far I haven't with this newest edition. Although I am still learning it's ways and experimenting with placement with my guitars and percussion instruments, I have found it to be so very nice and quiet. When I have some time will incorporate it as the side mic to the MG m930 that I also recently acquired as the complimentary mid. Thanks for the advice and if noise ever becomes an issue I now have the antidote.  |
|
|
|
Post by EmRR on Mar 8, 2016 9:13:28 GMT -6
Resotune II drum tuner and a pile of replacement Rogers collet noses.
|
|
|
|
Post by sean on Mar 8, 2016 10:54:11 GMT -6
Let us know how you like the Resotune. I have a Tune Bot and I think it's super handy. Does the Resotone measure lug tension as well?
|
|
|
|
Post by EmRR on Mar 8, 2016 11:12:48 GMT -6
I haven't used it a lot, but it seems to work very well. It doesn't need to measure lug tension. It does clear lugs individually through frequency measurement, and will auto-adjust to a stronger tuning point if it finds one on first pass.
|
|
|
|
Post by sean on Mar 12, 2016 21:20:33 GMT -6
I picked up a XQP 531 De-Esser for $200. Great piece! Super smooth, "X" setting seems to be working best for me. Really transparent, I think it'll get a lot of use. I know a lot of people just edit out ess's in a DAW but I think for tracking or on a heavily compressed vocal this will be just as good, I'm sure I'll find other uses for it too.
Otherwise just some stuff for fixing up a drum set...hardware and heads and shit.
|
|
|
|
Post by dandeurloo on Mar 12, 2016 23:21:05 GMT -6
The Great River EQ-2NV has been a huge asset to my studio. It can do anything and everything. I am shocked how much I use it just for the HPF and the stepped input gain switch. I guess it is my Great River/Neveish version of the Missing Links. I wish I would have bought this Eq long ago! I also picked up a JDK R24 eq. It is built better then I expected and after some modding has turned out to sound nice. Still not close to the EQ-2nv or a few other eq's I have but sounds great for the money and mods I have into it. I still have plans to dig into it a little more when I have time. This eq is for fast tonal shaping and has wide bells. The top does sound surprisingly good. The main knock on it is, it always sounds bloated in the bottom. Which for certain things may be perfect. I think this could be a great drum tracking eq. I also finally had time to finish my PTP C12 build based around one of Chunger's kits. I have been using a Tim C. capsule in it that I had in a cheaper Advanced Audio mic. This mic is much better use for the TC capsule. I also have a Eric H capsule coming to compare. I am excited to finally have one of Eric's capsules to listen to! Overall, I am really happy with this mic, I do think it is a little dark. I need to compare it to a few other c12 type mics to know. It sounds more linear, with extended top and bottom compared to some of the other mics I have with the Nuemann mid range. It has great reach and the 9 patterns makes it great for tracking acoustic instruments. I also got a cool pair of vintage TX from Noah S. They sound really cool. I now have a few pairs of vibey/strange 1:1 type transformers that are really useful. I need to either wire them to my patch bay or figure out some slick way to quickly get in and out of them. I also recently picked up a Behringer cable tester on the recommendation of drbill. I have yet to use it. I am sure it will make life a little easier. I think that is most of the recent little gear additions. |
|
