The all-new Pod X3 Live has been launched and it’s cheap! Well, it’s cheaper than the Pod XT Live when I bought that one new in about the week it came out in Europe. I’ve got one put on hold and I’m picking it up later this afternoon.I’m all excited!
Saturday, the inlaws helped my put my studio together (amongst other things). Today, I finished most of the job and the result is below. It still needs an actual computer (which is on my list and which I will buy once I’m more up-and-runny so I can figure out which one I want.
LTR: two folding chairs (matching the carpet tiles), cover of the Pod XT Flightcase, office/lounge chair, computer keyboard I, external soundcard Tascam, TFT screen I and II, desklight, organisers, a TV for dubbing movies etc, lots of nifty and useful stuff neatly organised into crates, a Samsom Q7 mic and to the far left, cases and covers of various instruments and sizes.
FRONT: Mixing desk, 12 channels, with foldback and main out. In front of that, keyboard II and mouse II and in front of that, the Pod XT, riddled with useful stuff like extra strings, extra cables and duct tape.
There’s two keyboards since that way, I can control the PC from where my Pod XT is lying. Missing in this picture is my Yamaha Keytar which Joop has on a loan.
And since they have all been very nice girls, here is a picture of the Axe family!
LTR: Spanish nylon string, Jackson Fusion EX, Jackson SL-1 CS, Hamer 5-string bass, original Venezuelan Handcrafted quatro, Fender somethingth anniversary acoustic guitar and trying to back out of the picture is the 1/2 sized strat. Not in this picture: the white Jackson Fusion SS which is being turned into a JackAx.
Having this new project to work on means that my small studio project is on hold. It’s a “small studio project since it means me renovating the attic to host a small studio.”So far, thermal insulation is almost installed but will have to wait until next weekend. After that, finish insulation and maybe put up the climate plastic which will make sure the timber (Pirates!) won’t rot behind the hydrophobe insulation. On top of that, drywall and on top of that sound insulation.
It’s gonna be a while but I hope to have it finished by the end of Summer. Then I can haul all my instruments upstairs, move in a new PC and the two flatscreens I spared for this purpose and start jamming!
Here’s my to-do list for the attic.
I’ll keep you posted … or not :)
I went ahead and bought a Variax 600. It was sold to me as a Variax 300. I only found out it was a 600 today.
The hardware SUCKS! It’s the worst guitar I’ve ever played on. I don’t know what it is. The neck is not my thing and it needs adjustment. I don’t like the frets - I’m used to the jumbo frets on my Jacksons. It only has 22 frets. The tremolo is non-locking so it’s bound to detune after a single divebomb and you can only go “down” with the tremolo, not up. I’m a little surprised, actually. I would’ve expected this from the 300, but not from the 600 which is, after all, their midranged guitar.
It’s a good thing I’m not keeping the Variax. Well, I’m keeping the electronics and I’m gutting the Variax, but I’m so not keeping the hardware. I’m going to sacrifice my Jackon Pro Fusion EX to be fitted with the Variax electronics. We’ll have to check if the Jackson actually has enough room on board, but I sure hope so. I’m not doing the conversion myself. I’m going to have a local but reputed luthier look after it.
I’ll post my findings when I’m done. In the worst case, I’ll end up with a gutted Variax and a Jackson full of cavities that aren’t supposed to be there. Stay tuned!
After lugging my Pod XT Live around for … at least two years, I’ve finally come around to building a case for it. I always lugged it around by the handle, which is not really a handle but more something to prevent Bigfoots from stepping on the knobs when switching patches. I either wrapped the power supply around the pod or kept it in a separate case which was always a sure way to get some extra stress when setting up because I couldn’t find the power supply or the cord of the power supply would be knotted.
I had my eye on a certain case for a long time, but that case had been discontinued. I’m not exactly carpenter material so building a case myself would be costly. Very costly, because there’s a high chance of me having to buy every separate piece twice because I tend to ruin stuff real quickly.
This week-end, while shopping for a 19″ rack to put my Sennheiser EW300 IEM and the Shure PGX-14 in, I noticed that the case I was looking for had become available again in a different size.
It arrived today and since I worked all night, I got off from work early today. The case is a DAP Showmaster 48 case. It’s actually designed to be used for lighting equipment but the detachable lid and low front make it ideally suited for a floorboard.
I bought two carpet tiles at a discount store (black, of course) and glued and stapled them to the bottom. I used 14mm staples which were actually a bit too long. I would use 12mm staples next time. If you have a lot of stomp boxes, you won’t actually need to repeat my second and third step. Seen to the fact that the Pod XT Live has a low profile, however, I needed to find a way to raise the Pod so the front stomp pedals would be above the front lid. To do so, I put in a second layer of carpet and stapled that as well.
Next up was installing the Pod XT securely inside the case. The bottom of the Pod XT sports a number of rubber feet. The screws in these feet are just long enough to attach the feet. I was wary about putting in longer screws and thus securing the Pod XT through the bottom. There were two reasons for this. The first one would be that it’s hard to actually drill holes in the case at the exact place of the holes in the Pod XT Live. I could’ve actually traced the positions on a piece of paper and then tape the paper to the bottom of the case and use a nail to indicate where the holes were, then drill them. But that’s too much work. Other problem would be that, if my screws would have been too long, there’s no telling what I might destroy inside the case.
So I settled for velcro. But the Pod XT has feet at the bottom, making it so that I couldn’t just stick the velcro to the bottom of the Pod. So I cut out more carpet tiles so that they would fit in between the feet of the Pod. I stapled these to the rest of the carpet (this is the point where 14mm staples aren’t too long ;) ). I stuck velcro to the bottom of the Pod and stuck it on. The velcro holds the pod, even when I hold the whole case upside down and shake it. I used lots of velcro and I used alternating horizontal and vertical patterns for maximum security.
I did the same to the power supply of the Pod and the extension cord inside the case. A strip of velcro and voila, instantly secured and easy to remove.
I bought a very handy three outlet power extension cord (how’s that for a mouthful?). It has a sort of recession around the sides where you can loop the cord around when you’re not using it. I used this recession to loop the excess cord from the Pod’s power supply around. It fitted snugly and it sure clears up a lot of the mess.
There’s still a gap to the right of the Pod. It’s there so I can put in the Boss PW-10 I’ll be getting by the end of the month (when the dealer gets a fresh supply).
Depending on the size of the Boss PW-10, there’s room for either my DI-boxes or the Shure PGX-14. or maybe both, if I can find a way of actually building in a second level.
All in all, it was about an hour’s worth of work. It’s sturdy, it looks good, it decreases the time necessary to set up and did I mention that it looks good?
Here’s the result.
The front which is actually the lid.
The back which is slightly ruined because the staples I used to fix the carpeting with were just a millimeter too long. They don’t actually protrude but they push some of the wood out the back.
The actual setup.
First off, I played the Sennheiser EW-300 G2 IEM tonight. They’re great. I never thought I’d enjoy these while rehearsing as much as I did tonight.
I went early so I could set the system up and fool around with it. Installation was actually easy. I looped an XLR from my Eon G2-15 to the back of the IEM transmitter, plugged it in, set the mode to “mono” on the transmitter and … nothing happened. I turned off the “pilot” mode on the receiver and voila, instant signal!
When the others arrived and we went into the first set of songs, I was told that my speaker was way too loud. I hadn’t noticed. I turned it down, turned the volume on my IEM up a bit and continued playing. Halfway, I checked the peak level on the transmitter and they were a bit high. I dialed the transmitter to “sensitivity” and lowered it. That was all I had to do. It was simply fantastic. I have no buzz in my ears like I usually have. We all know that a buzz in your ears means they’ve been damaged so I’m glad to be rid of the buzz. All the studio sound was reduced to maybe a third of what usually pounds on my ears, and I could hear myself perfectly clear. All in all, I’d say this was worth the money.
The other system I had in mind was the Shure IEM system. It was more expensive but had a hybrid XLR-jack connection, which is good. The Sennheiser only has XLR. Then again, the Shure doesn’t have all the options the Sennheiser does. And while the Sennheiser is a lot more intimidating at first sight (what with all the options and elaborate menu-structure), it’s actually as plug and play as the Shure system is. So, my wallet dictated me to buy the Sennheiser although I’m not a huge fan of Sennheiser - but that’s an entirely different story.
As to the other gear I’ve ordered this week-end.
A DAP Showmaster 48 case. I’m not actually having or going to buy a showmaster 49, but it’s ideal for an effect board. It’s 723 mm wide and 360 deep on the inside which means it’ll fit my Pod XT live perfectly. On the side, I’ll have room for the VWAH and there should still be room for the two active DI’s I also purchased. There’s room for a power supply or powerblock and the lid actually comes off (but only if you want it too ;)). There’s also a slot in the back the opens so you can send all the wires through without having them spilling out over the floor. The front is not too high so I won’t have to actually put the pod on a riser inside the case. All in all, I’ve been looking for this one but it had been discontinued for a while. I’m happy they brought it back.
Also purchased are 2 Active DI’s so I won’t have to rely on the venue to actually supply me with DI’s.
A complete 19″ 4he rack. I purchased a 2he drawer to go with it, and an extra 19″ mounting panel. This way, I can put the EW300 and the PGX-14 in the same rack and put all cables etc. in the drawer underneath.
When I gig, I’ll only need to bring the 19″ rack, the Showmaster case and two guitars. Oh, and a big with gig clothes. That’s a while lot better than bringing the EON-15 G2, a mount, the pod, a small case for cables and to hold power supplies and two guitars. Setting up should be a lot easier now. Since I can leave everything connected and in place in the Showmaster case, setting up should be as easy as putting down the case, opening it up, finding a power outlet and plugging into it. A lot less cable hassle altough I’ll get MORE cable hassle with the extra wireless and the two DI-boxes. But my back is going to thank me for not having to carry the EON around all the time.
I’ll post a picture of all the new gear when it arrives.
In two hours, I should be the proud owner of a brandnew, spanking Sennheiser EW-300-IEM G2 (boy, that’s a moutful) In-Ear monitor system. I’ll probably spend a few more euro investing in decent in-ear plugs.
In the past, I’ve run into the same problems all other musicians have on stage. I couldn’t hear myself, had trouble hearing the rest of the band and when you run around and you’re away from the sweet spot of the floor monitors, all you hear is the drums and the crowd.
No more problems for me, hearing myself over the monitor while still being able to mix in the band at a decent level. And I’ve got three of four rehearsals to practice using the thing before hitting the stage on 10 March! I’m all excited now. Extra good thing is that I don’t have to lug my trusty EON-15 G2 around anymore. I’ll be able to plug straight into the PA and plug myself straight into the In-Ear Monitor as well. All I’ll need then is a feed back from the PA with the band on it.
I’m looking sooo forward to using this puppy on stage!
Imagine… You’re giving goodhearted advice to someone who tells you he’s proud of the fact that a particular string on his instrument lasted a whole year before finally giving up and breaking. You’re telling this particular person that it would not be a bad idea to change strings every once in a while - it prevents them from breaking, it plays smoother, they stay in tune better and they have more sustain. And then, said person, interrupts and speaks the already legendary words …
I never put new strings on my bass because I think it sounds bad
What do you do?
I went for a visit to the bathroom.
My PW-10 has been delayed! It’s not available right now in the Netherlands and it has been rescheduled for the end of March :(
I’m one not so very happy puppy. At least they’re playing Dream Theater on the radio …
I’ve had and cherished my Jackson Fusion EX for almost 10 years now. In that time, it has been a trusty companion - even more so when I learned how to set the intonation and the bridge.
It’s survived moving three times. It’s been with me through good and bad times and even survived a fit of unprofessional attitude in which I threw it on the floor. It’s got a dent to mark that occasion but that only made it more characteristic and my own.
Unfortunately, something better has come along. I had been scouting for a guitar for over a year now, checking out the classifieds all over the internet. When I buy a guitar, I either want a very very good deal or be able to feel it before I buy it. I didn’t get any of the good deals and the ones I did get to feel were sub-standard - either badly maintained or just not worth the money.
But finally, I decided on a new axe. Granted, it’s the most expensive one I’ve ever owned but it’s certainly worth it. The baby is a Jackson Soloist SL1-CS. No-one is sure what the CS stands for. Officially, CS means “Custom Shop” but apart from the colour, there’s very little custom about it.
It’s got an original Floyd Rose which plays like a dream, perfect setup and it plays light as a feather. It’s made in the US (sadly, not in San Dimas) but the quality of this guitar has made me revise my thoughts on the Fender-owned Jackson.
I can’t wait to take this puppy to rehearsals and I surely can’t wait to get the puppy on stage!
My two Fusions won’t be abandoned or orphaned. They’re going for a serious look-over at a guitar-tech and they’ll come back as good as new. I’m even contemplating having the white Fusion taken care of. The idea would be to buy a Line6 Variax 300 (which is just the same, electronically, as the Line6 Variax whatever) and rip it and put all the electronics in the Jackson, making it a hybrid guitar - allowing me to have realistic acoustic sounds at my disposal during gigs or rehearsals. And I won’t have to switch guitars in between. How cool would that be?
Ars Non Postulat Causam