Elmas Xantia V6 and Musical Stuff

[elma]

Aerial made now, I used two 105cm batons screwed into a cross and ran 1.5mm wire around the ends making a square. Connected the ends to coax cable and plugged in.
Considering it was a 10 minute bodge and I didn't do the maths it's working just great. I. Have great reception across the spectrum and no interference at all. Just need to waterproof the connection as it's outdoors and job done.

[CitroJim]

Excellent James, a good aerial is critical for good stereo FM reception...

Then you realise just how bloody excellent FM quality is... DAB can never rival it.

[elma]

That's a most handy review Jim. I always fancied one until you said that.

[Zelandeth]

All right, here's a quick insight into some of the musical stuff in this house...excuse the horrible photography, the lighting in the room I took them in is diabolical - especially on a day like today where there was nearly zero natural light.

First up, my first guitar. Encore EN-155BL.

For all it's a budget offering, it doesn't look or feel that cheap to me...the finish certainly doesn't look cheap! It's dusty as anything just now because the poor thing hasn't been out in forever (none of them have!), but being a clear finish rather than just a solid paint, it's got an almost holographic depth to it, especially in direct sunlight.

It's impossible to capture the depth of this on camera, but you get a rough idea here I think.

The only way I can really describe the sound of this guitar is "big" I think. It's nearly as loud as the twelve string, and has a lovely warm bassy tone.
It also has an unnerving ability to stay in tune. I think I've had to tune it maybe twice since I got it...in 2008 I think it was.

Next up the Eko Ranger XII Vintage...Not much to say there really...you know what one of these is!

Could really do with some new strings sadly, but still sounds lovely. Funny that quite a few places I've read seem to say that the Eko Rangers sound dull...In my experience the exact opposite always seems true...Guess it's one of those things that's down to taste to some extent.

Next up the pair inherited from my father.

Firstly the Thomson. Model Th 6 FK apparently, which last time I looked a year or so back I could find virtually zip about on the internet. All I know is that several people - including some serious musicians - have tried to buy it off my father over the years. Currently it's waiting patiently on a new set of strings and a *thorough* clean.

Secondly the Ibanez. Probably the most recognisable of the guitars here (or would that be the Eko? That headstock is quite iconic isn't it?), and possibly the prettiest. Once we get this room sorted out, yes this one will probably have a stand that's visible - because let's face it this thing's a looker. Or at least will be once I get time to get the nicotine residue off all the hardware - this may well be a task I throw at a specialist at some point. It has (hence the visible wear on the neck), and still can make all the right noises (totally need to build an amp at some point - target being loosely based on the Vox AC30 most likely) as well as looking good.

Really need to get a photo of this guitar in particular in decent light to show the depth of the grain and the gloss better.

Final bit of musical stuff just now - the mighty Hammond. Somewhere in the region of 300lb (or 22 stone) of proper tonewheel organ. Sadly it has a solid state amplifier - though adding a valve pre-amp to get that gritty overdrive we all know and love is an almost trivial task and will be done at some point. The gain for that will most likely be controlled via the rotary pot to the right of the lower manual as it's for a silly percussion effect that will never ever get used.

Really want to get someone in the house one day who can give this a proper workout! Both to show me what it can do - and to start teaching me how to use it! It can shake the house to its foundations though...It's also a laugh plugging an iPod into the line input socket and using it as possibly the world's heaviest MP3 player.

It's funny really that I've got virtually no real ability yet, however all of these instruments have a great deal of sentimental value, even those I've bought myself in addition to the obvious connection with those I inherited when my father passed away.

One thing's for sure...you'll never be far from a guitar or keyboard in this house!

There's also some interesting bits of hi-fi as well as the instruments in addition to the B&O hi-fi already mentioned.

I've got a second (I think) generation Bose Wave Radio/CD player which was the first of their things I encountered in person that manages to break physics with getting such a big and clear sound from a small box. That was however until I got the little Bluetooth speaker from them. It's about 6" tall, maybe 3" wide and about an inch thick. It can seriously fill a room. Even quite a big room - even playing *really* hard to reproduce recordings that had quite a loose mic setup so have a big sound stage. How the heck they manage that from something that could near enough fit in a pocket I have no idea. To be honest, it knocks the socks off several proper hi-fi setups I've had over the years!

I took it round to Jim's one day, so he'll vouch I think for the fact that I'm not over-talking the little red box. The temptation to take it to bits to try to understand the witchcraft it surely operates on is still fighting a war with the "if I break it, it'll cost me north of a hundred quid to replace it!" line of caution.

Instruments are probably the most interesting, but the general tech is always interesting too I think.

[elma]

I think I like your house Zel.
Too wasted from work today to write much coherent, will re read tomorrow with fresh eyes.

[CitroJim]

Ohh, I do like that Ibanez Zel

Talk to me about building an amp. I have built a few over the years, all valve and most recently I knocked up a valved spring-reverb unit of my own design using a very large 5-spring tank...

Spring-reverbs are the only way. I've never found a box of electronic effects that will come close to the sound of a proper reverb unit or for that matter, a decent valve amp...

Speakers are critical too...

[Zelandeth]

Ohh, I do like that Ibanez Zel

Talk to me about building an amp. I have built a few over the years, all valve and most recently I knocked up a valved spring-reverb unit of my own design using a very large 5-spring tank...

Spring-reverbs are the only way. I've never found a box of electronic effects that will come close to the sound of a proper reverb unit or for that matter, a decent valve amp...

Speakers are critical too...

Reverb module on the organ you'll be glad to hear is spring based. Thinking about it, curious to know how that could sound with a guitar fed into it...though would need a pre-amp of some sort, but sure I can get around that. Speakers look to me like the sort of thing you'd have expected to see in an amp cabinet of the period (1968/9 from memory).

[CitroJim]

Reverb module on the organ you'll be glad to hear is spring based. Thinking about it, curious to know how that could sound with a guitar fed into it...though would need a pre-amp of some sort, but sure I can get around that. Speakers look to me like the sort of thing you'd have expected to see in an amp cabinet of the period (1968/9 from memory).

Excellent! Now, feediong a guitar through it will be most interesting.. Combine that with a proper Leslie speaker and I reckon a very interesting sound awaits!

Just for completeness, here's my Lake Placid Blue Strat and my little vintage Fender Champ Valved of course

Own Work

I'm guilty of not having played it for months... I really must rectify that... Too busy winning all the medals on show in behind it...

[elma]

Jims amp is a stunning sounding mini Beast, we had a fun little jam on one of my visits.
Get some practise Jim, I'll bring mine down when I see you and we can make a terrible racket. It'll be fun.

Zel your Ibanez is a piece of art, would look stunning in the front room.
I particularly like the headstock on your fathers Thomson as well.
Your organ is fascinating, I personally would not have a clue what to do with it but I'd enjoy experimenting no end.

[KennyW]

Interesting guitar's and on a side note, Deep Purple's sound is the result of having blackmore's strat going through lord's Hammond organ and vise a versa.

I stopped playing guitar years ago but have been think of starting again!!!!!!!

Kenny

[CitroJim]

I stopped playing guitar years ago but have been think of starting again!!!!!!!

Kenny, you should! It's a great stress-buster

Get some practise Jim, I'll bring mine down when I see you and we can make a terrible racket. It'll be fun.

That's a brilliant one James.. I will and we will... It'll be great fun! Zel, come and join us and we'll have the beginnings of the FCF band

[elma]

Yes, definitely get down Zel. The noisier the better!

What should we practise? Might as well attempt to be a little melodic, any favourite tracks we could all learn? I'm thinking a bit of 12 bar blues and some lead to go over it is a nice simple start. Maybe we should try a bit of Dire Straits, I know we all have their albums and theres enough guitar in most of their tracks for 3 of us to play together.

[demag]

A little video might be nice....

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk

[CitroJim]

Dire Straits sounds good to me James and I've played a bit of theirs in the past... Local Hero is good but potentially not noisy enough!

Now, if we cold do justice to 'Telegraph Road' that would be amazing!

My usual fare on the guitar is Shadows stuff - again, noting of that is noisy but a good rendition of 'Apache' would be good and a big advantage is that I have the full scores for a lot of Shads music and those have multiple guitar parts with a particularly strong rhythm component...

We really need lead, bass and rhythm for a proper FCF band

[furriegurrie]

Your organ is fascinating, I personally would not have a clue what to do with it but I'd enjoy experimenting no end.

Too much information......