Anyone Remember Me?

[Harley Hexxe]

Hey Gang!

I was on Youtube today, and ran into SlimJim! What a blast of good memories!

Just when you thought it was safe on the internet again....here comes trouble! :banana-trip:

How is everyone? Safe and healthy I hope!

It's good to be able to come back here. I do have a working laptop now, that hopefully isn't going to blow up another screen, but then again, I have a new desktop on the way too, so I should be able to stay connected one way or another. I have a lot of catching up to do here, and a lot of old friendships to re-kindle.

Let's ROCK this joint!

Harley 8)

[MarshallJMP]

Hey Harley

Man I'm glad you're back with us, I really really missed you 

How are you?

[Slimjim]

It was great bumping into you again Harley. I subscribed to your YT channel in case you start posting up jams again, or some studio shots, whatnot. Any current JPEGs?

[Dante]

DAD GUMMIT

Welcome back, Brother!  :wave:

[rnolan]

 :whoohoo!: Hey Harley, good to have you back in touch  , I wondered where you dissapeared to. :wave:

[Harley Hexxe]

Thanks for the warm welcome back!

   The truth is, I've been quite busy with life getting in the way of all my fun, a lot of work, career changes and screwy laptop computers that quit 'putin, after a few months. I bought this one at a pawn shop back in September when I went down there to check on a Fender Cyber-Twin. (Yeah, I bought that too).
  Of course, as I mentioned in my post, I just recently bought a refurbished desktop PC from Amazon, and it's due here next week. If it's working correctly, with no issues, and I don't have to return it for another one, I'll be able to hook up my Focusrite to it, and get back in business again. That last PC I had it connected to is no longer supported by microshaft. Windows 7

I have definitely missed everyone here, and the Depot comes up in a lot of conversations in some of the most unexpected places. What brought me back here was a video I spotted with an awesome guitar player in Australia by the name of Leon Todd. He just got one of his MP-1's hot-rodded with the 3TM mod, and did a demo on youtube with it. On top of being a deadly guitar player, he's also one of the coolest people on the planet! Richard...have you heard of him? If not, you're missing out brother!

Speaking of 3TM mods and things connected with that...MJMP :wave: I set up a Skype account years ago so we could connect, but still haven't used it yet lol. We need to get connected, I have a lot of work I need to do

Slimjim, the feeling is mutual, it got me thinking about the Depot again, and I had to come back and check in. I'd been here a few times before, lurking and reading up on the more recent posts, but didn't say anything. Before I can post any kind of videos or anything, I need to buy a decent camera again when I can afford it, but first, I need to get the PC situation running solid. Priorities Bro

Dante! My brother from another mother :headbanger:  I'm glad you're still here! I've been keeping safe during this stupid pandemic as I hope you and everyone else has been too!

So...now comes the question. The old Depot is back? There are two ADA Depots now? It's cool to see that little Nick is running it. It seems he inherited a lot of the awesomeness that was his dad. I hope I get to know him as well as I knew Jurrie, that would be great!

Anyway, here's where I am with the latest of things. I've torn apart my studio downstairs and started packing to prepare for a move to a new place. But now, I'm not sure that's going to happen. You see, my landlord passed away a couple of months ago, and her son inherited this place, along with all her other properties,(multiple headaches). Since this building is in dire need of some major repairs, I figured it will never happen because I know her son and his wife were in no way prepared to get all this dropped into their laps like this. This place has been on the market for almost two years now, and hasn;t moved. Mostly due to the repairs needed here would be my guess. It's been risky to say the least since I've lived here, with the electrical system not being grounded, coupled with the roof leaking more every year, which is leading to foundation issues. Yep, it leaks down inside the  the back wall to the basement, seeps up onto the floor and runs to the floor drain. Also, it leaks into the garage from the front porch, (the garage is under the front porch on the East side of the house). And the outer garage wall is buckling.
However, just two days ago, a contractor came over to look at the place and give an estimate of how much it will cost to fix it up enough to sell it. If they actually do any of these repairs, I might pay an electrical contractor friend of mine to come over and re-wire and ground the fuse panel to the building, and I'll definitely stay a while after that. If not, then I'm going to scoot before the place comes down around me
Either way, I'll keep you folks posted. The truth is, this is one of the nicest apartments I've ever lived in, and I'd be hard pressed to find anything close to this. So I don't really want to move, but if it comes down to it, I will.
Anyhow gang, enough of my ranting and raving. Any major events with anyone here? I know I've missed a lot, but lets start with the highlights!

Harley 8)

[Dante]

Thanks for the catching up, been wondering where you were, what was going on...

I been working during the pandemic, I work at a print shop. I'm damn glad to have a job right now. We print food packaging, so we're essential, and I'm one of the few employees there that wears a mask religiously. I'm not worried about getting the Rona, I'll kick it's ass, but it'll kill my dad, and I want him around for as long as possible...I fear he doesn't have much time left. I don't need to lose another family member right now...

The bad: My entire family lives in Paradise, CA. You may recognize that name, from the massive Camp Fire that flattened the town in December of 2018. Everybody lost their homes, my sister's pets all died (she had two dogs, two cats, chickens, ducks). My folks lived in a 5th wheel, my brother moved into my 1-bedroom with me, my sister and her husband bought a trailer and lived in that. This went on for about 10 months...everyone living 'displaced' which is just a nice word for homeless. Suddenly, I don't ever wanna go camping again.

My younger brother died of a seizure on 9/11/19, then my mom died from complications of dementia on 9/8/20. Now, my 18-yr-old cat is getting put down next week, so I'm kinda numb with all this loss....Christmas was not easy.

The good: My sister built a new house on her old lot, and we spent the Holidays there. Dad bought one of the few houses that didn't burn, and has his 5th wheel parked outside just in case he has to bug out again.

Just in the last month, I sold an amp (Carvin V3 mini head and vert. 2x12 cab) one day, and promptly bought a MIM Strat the next day with the money ;) Love that guitar already. I have two 'Fat Strats' but, one is a Schecter and the other is (surprise!) an Ibanez.

Most of my ADA gear is crapped out. My MP2 is noisy again and too delicate to gig with, but it does have that cool blue display - haha. One of my Classics is FUBAR, by my own doing. One is in a box, headed for a certain mod shop across the pond very soon. Now, I'm running a small pedal board with a Boss MS3 for FX and controlling everything. My amp is a Peavey Classic 20mh with the corresponding 1x12 cab. Very nice amp, tweed, not a 'classic' sounding amp at all, it's a beast. I recorded a song with it a few months ago, it's doing all the chunky rhythms and the 2nd solo:

Now, I'm trying to get a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 50 combo to work for me...it's in the shop right now. Very noisy. But, if it works out, it'll be like having an ADA combo (which we know are rarer than hen's teeth). It's fully programmable, EL34 powered, and has built in delay, chorus, flange. If I throw my crybaby and my Pitchfork in front of it, I'm good 

Now....what are you gonna do with a Cyber Twin? haha

[Slimjim]

When I originally discovered the Depot and posted frequently in 2006-2008, the recession had forced me to close shop and hibernate. Little for me to do, I would read and reply frequently.

As those times improved, got back into work and not looked back. Pandemic has offered some free time, I'm associated with the medical field and that means when I'm needed, I have to be there. But more often than not, the Pandemic allows me additional free time.

In regards to Leon Todd, if you can participate in YouTube, his channel is interactive. He communicates and invites participation. I've been there for years for that reason and have learned a tremendous amount from him. It never ends. If you take the time to analyze some of his talking points, you will learn something new.

Dante you're going through a lot. Sorry to hear about your family, sounds like you're all very close. As well Harley, the issues you describe are difficult ones. I'm turning 50 and have worked construction my entire life, family of contractors, various specialties, all mechanical. I was blowing up gear left and right until I spoke with an electrician who sorted out my power supply issues. We went Solar with a 6.7kw system covering 50% of the roof space. This prompted me to rename my guitar channel to Solar Guitar Studio.

Thanks for checking in, I appreciate the update. Nice jam Dante, sounds like you've recorded the natural sound of your band, it was great to listen to and nice to see the joys of rocking out. Can't wait to hear more from Harley, but I understand a lot of things are up in the air right now.

[Harley Hexxe]

Dante,

   I'm sorry for all the loss you've been through, and the losses your family has sustained. I did hear about it through Vickie a little bit, but not the details you just posted here. Understandably, that does make a holiday season seem kind of dim. I can fully relate to that based on losses I've gone through at X-mas.
  I hope everyone can put their lives back together and get back to there they were, but don't write off camping altogether now!

   I'm currently working at Kenda USA, Martin Wheel division, as a Quality Control Inspector. I started there in the beginning of May as a temp, and got hired at the beginning of August, then went full time at the beginning of November. So, I'm pretty lucky to have that going for me. I believe they want to keep me around for a while.

I'm thinking I may have to send my other Classic to that same mod shop, and possibly send my stock and 3TM MP-1's as well for a complete cap job and have the MDRT's installed in both. I'm not sure I can do the cap job in the preamps myself. I could probably handle doing that in the Micro tube amps though. Not so much in there to get lost in, and most of them need new power resistors in them anyway. (Has anyone ever figured out why they keep blowing up so quickly)?

   I'm still messing around with the Cyber Twin, trying to see if I can get the kind of tones I want to hear out of it, but so far, it's not living up to the hype.
There are a lot of tones programmed into it from the factory, but they all sound so thin and small. Some of that may be useful in recording situations, but for a live gig, no way. I've made a few edits and gotten some sounds that sound more like you'd expect from a Twin with effects added, but I still have a lot of tweaking to do yet. To be honest, I get a lot more awesome tones from the Cyber Deluxe I have, paired with the old Vibrolux Reverb, and that amp is so much more flexible with the editing than the Twin. I may not keep it, we'll see.

  Cool video by the way So...what happened with Tragically White?

    Harley 8)

[Harley Hexxe]

In regards to Leon Todd, if you can participate in YouTube, his channel is interactive. He communicates and invites participation. I've been there for years for that reason and have learned a tremendous amount from him. It never ends. If you take the time to analyze some of his talking points, you will learn something new.

  I agree! Leon is a very cool personality, and he does make some good points, which I give a lot of consideration to. I've only heard of him this year and have checked in when I have time to see what's going on.

So that solves the mystery of the Solar Guitar Studio  I wondered if maybe you got a hold of some good mushrooms or something that sent you on a celestial trip. Now that makes sense.

  I hate not knowing what might happen here, but I expect the worse, and hope for the best. After my new PC gets here, and I get it hooked up and running, I may go back downstairs and start setting up the studio again. I just have a standard computer desk up here in the dining room, not suitable for the rack gear. I did however buy a wooden desk at a yard sale a couple of years ago, and I intended to modify it for my studio desk. If I bought a blank door to lay over top of it, and built a platform with rack rails on the supports under that, I might have a pretty good set up there....hmmmm, where did I put that hammer?

Harley 8)

[Dante]

Y'know, I tried a Cyber Twin at a local shop and came away with the exact same impression....thin sounding...I'm like, what? How on Earth can you get a Twin to sound so thin? So, when I read that you had one...I was waiting to see if you could coax some thickness outta that thing. Now, I wanna check out the Cyber Deluxe...and I blame you ;)

Man, I can relate to the unstable housing situation...back when I was in Tragically White (thanks for bringing that up), I'd just ended a relationship of 15yrs but was still forced to live with the ex for a couple years, until she had a roommate to keep her afloat. I couldn't leave her hanging. It took a couple years before she got the 'right person' and I was in limbo. Then, I moved into a 1br place of my own with NOTHING (no furniture, no dishes, just clothes and music equip). Shortly after that...I lost my job. Was on unemployment for 6 months, lived on savings for another 6. That year off let me get my head straight and re-organize. Then, the landlord sold the place and my rent went up.

That very same week, I landed a job (Not the right job, but a job right now). That kept me afloat for 3 years while I collected 2nd hand furniture in garage sales, bought appliances at the thrift store, and lived as cheaply as I could. Then, I got my current job, bought a house near work, and the fire hit Paradise...now you're all caught up.

Stick with it. One day at a time. Plan for the worst, expect the best...or at least, the best you can. Lately, I have avoided making plans....life just comes in and changes them anyway...

Bought my 'computer' desk at a garage sale for $3. It was a kid's desk with a door on top! haha. Then, I found a big 6' table at another garage sale and now I have room on the desk for the computer and enough to work on a guitar (like a workbench). The new strat is on the desk now, getting a killswitch installed  :headbanger:

Good luck finding your hammer!

ps. Tragically White had a bit of drama. The other guitarist was getting HAMMERED at every gig. We couldn't 'kick him out' because he started the band. So, the rest of us started a new band, The Tone Monkeys. We were the best damn cover band in town for 3 years, until the singer got married. Then, he didn't have permission to play in a band anymore  :o.  Well, as of last month....WE'RE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER. (when the plague is over)

[Harley Hexxe]

Y'know, I tried a Cyber Twin at a local shop and came away with the exact same impression....thin sounding...I'm like, what? How on Earth can you get a Twin to sound so thin? So, when I read that you had one...I was waiting to see if you could coax some thickness outta that thing. Now, I wanna check out the Cyber Deluxe...and I blame you ;)

Man, I can relate to the unstable housing situation...back when I was in Tragically White (thanks for bringing that up), I'd just ended a relationship of 15yrs but was still forced to live with the ex for a couple years, until she had a roommate to keep her afloat. I couldn't leave her hanging. It took a couple years before she got the 'right person' and I was in limbo. Then, I moved into a 1br place of my own with NOTHING (no furniture, no dishes, just clothes and music equip). Shortly after that...I lost my job. Was on unemployment for 6 months, lived on savings for another 6. That year off let me get my head straight and re-organize. Then, the landlord sold the place and my rent went up.

Dante,
   I did figure out how to get a more realistic tone out of the Cyber Twin. In the Amp editing menu, there is a control to flip one of the speakers out of phase. I did that and it was a world of difference! I'm not sure which one of the speakers is out of phase on a traditional Twin, but either one produces the same result. 

About the Cyber Deluxe: You can find them pretty cheap but there's a rub or two you should be aware of.
First, As a stand alone combo amp, it isn't bad. It's much better when you use it with another combo amp by way of the Expansion output on the back. This way, you can get the full benefit from the stereo effects built into the amp itself. Personally, I like using the stereo chorus and panning delays, it drives drummers a little bit batty when they hear your sound moving from one side of their kit to the other and back again  :o

Editing the Cyber Deluxe is as easy as you can get, it's definitely a LOT more comprehensive than the Cyber Twin. With the Twin, I can only choose between preset combinations of effects with the guitar tones I've chosen, and I can only adjust the effects to a more desirable level. With the Deluxe, you can choose whatever effect is available in the amp, assign it, adjust it, and add another if you want, and so on until you get the full monty you're looking for, save it and recall it with a MIDI controller. With either of these amps, I would recommend the Cyber Foot Controller. Here's why: The Cyber Foot Controller has an effects bypass button as well as all the other buttons you'd expect plus, two pedals. One pedal controls the effects parameters you assign to it, the other controls the Master Volume on the amp, (totally worthless, and not assignable to any other parameters). You don't get as many locations to save your presets in these Fender amps as you do the ADA gear, but the effects bypass button essentially doubles your presets if you have it. On the Twin, there is a jack on the back for a single button foot switch to bypass these effects. The Deluxe doesn't have that on the back.

Both of these amps came with a four button foot switch so you could save and assign your four favorite presets, and recall them without the Cyber Foot Controller, only the Twin came with the single button foot switch as well.

One other pitfall of the Cyber Deluxe is the built in tuner is worth  :poop: It's not Fender's crowning achievment. I added a Petersen Strobostomp HD tuner onto my pedal board, and that was the best purchase I made last year. Nothing can beat them! If you do get a Cyber Deluxe, I have an extra Cyber Foot Controller if you're interested.  I'll warn you though, that's the biggest MIDI controller I've ever seen!

I can't believe you and Kathy broke up, I thought you two were solid    Sorry to hear that man!
On the upside though, I love yard sales, you never know what you'll find.

A kill switch in a Strat? Wire all your pu tones to the first tone pot, pull the 2nd one, and put your kill switch there.

Wow! It sounds like you had a lot of fun with the Tone Monkeys. The singer didn't have "permission" to play in a band anymore?  It sounds like he made a bad choice!

Oh well, I have to go fix my kitchen sink right now, so I'll get back with you Dante. It's good to catch up with you

Harley 8)

[Iperfungus]

Welcome back Harley!

You know what?
The Depot is a Sanctuary and the guys here became true friends, since I bought my MP-1 in 2016 and started posting.
You, Phil, Dante, Richard...I learned a lot from you all about ADA stuff and music, more generally speaking.
It would be great to have one week to spend together somewhere, drinking beer and playing guitars very, very loudly!

I've read about you're last tribulations and yes....this year has been very complicated for many reasons.
I feel lucky...I've a job, I can do it remotely...my wife can do the same....we have a home to stay safe.
Very, very lucky.
But, at the end, we start back talking about guitars and ADA stuff and amps and tubes...and all the troubles are gone away: we're the same, old bunch of old stuff addicted!

[Peter H. Boer]

Hey Harley,

Welcome back to the Depot  8)
Greetings from the low end  :banana-guitar:

[Dante]

A kill switch in a Strat? Wire all your pu tones to the first tone pot, pull the 2nd one, and put your kill switch there.

I usually remove the volume pot just below the humbucker in my fat Strats - keep hitting it with my hand. I put the killswitch there, moved the volume down one hole, set up the tone to be a master tone. The Schecter knob is farther away, it also has a master vol/tone, the Ibanez has a hole showing, but I don't wanna drill out the front of the guitar to put a switch in it (goes through the body, not a pickguard).

Why a killswitch? Well, I usually only use it at the and of a tune, for the machine gun effect with my HH guitars....just turn the neck pickup off and toggle it that way. I miss it with my Strats.

Very nice to catch up with you man, GOOD LUCK WITH THE SINK, lol