80s Metal Settings on my AD30VT

I added an Eminence Ragin Cajun speaker to my Vox Valvetronix AD30VT because I wasn't happy with the stock speaker at anything other than low bedroom volumes. The RC made the clean amp models sound nothing short of glorious. The high-gain models are a different story. The RC has so much extra low end that the amp almost sounds like it's got a blanket on it. I've been trying to get a decent 80s metal tone out of it but with only limited success. In the past day or two I may have hit on a solution.

I use the UK70s (aka Marshall Plexi) model with the gain, treble, and master volume dimed, the volume and mids at noon, and the bass all the way off. I also add a bit of delay. I can only imagine that it would sound absolutely nasty with the stock speaker, but it's great with the RC. For a little more edge or as a solo boost, I add the overdrive channel on my Thesis 96 overdrive. I've got the tone and level at noon and the gain all the way off. The switches are set for normal TS-808 mode (silicon diode clipping with mid-range hump). It adds a nice bit of snarl and some helpful compression. The Thesis 96 has so much more output and is so much brighter than a stock TS-808 that those settings brighten and punch things up quite a bit.

I hope these settings keep me happy for a while because quite frankly I was getting sick of searching. I was thisclose to getting a metal pedal.

New Gear (Since I Last Posted)

I know it's been a long time since I last posted. This summer I made some gear acquisitions, one of which will seem very strange given the previous post. I sold that Floyd Rose DST-3 and my Fender Showmaster Celtic H in order to get a Jackson DK2M in Inferno Red. Here's a pic:



I added a set of Schaller strap-locks, a fourth spring, a Floyd Rose trem stop, and a Ping-made arm. I've had this now since the middle of June. Let me tell you, I love it dearly. It's like I've finally found my match. I thought for sure I'd miss my old guitars, especially after investing so much time in the Floyd, but I really don't.

I also got a new overdrive/boost pedal, custom made for me by my friend, Duh Voodoo Man. It's a modified version of the BYOC Overdrive 2 with original artwork. Here's a pic:



The Overdrive 2 is a TS-808 circuit at its heart with all the popular mods. Mine has the ability to switch between three different tone settings and three clipping modes (TS-standard silicon, MOSFET, or no clipping diodes) and a Burr Brown OPA2134 op-amp. There's also a classic JRC4558D op-amp that I could swap in if I wanted. The op-amp is socketed for just such an occasion. Inwardly there are trim pots for maximum and minimum gain. Mine is set to have roughly double the gain of the stock TS-808.

So for much less than the price of a TS-808 reissue, I got an overdrive that has all the classic features plus a ton that the original doesn't have. And it's got a clean boost on top of it. It's a seriously cool pedal.

Completed DST-3 Mods

I think I've finally put the finishing touches on the mods to my Floyd Rose DST-3. Here's the run-down and cost of everything I did. Basically, everything connected to the pickguard (including the pickguard itself) was changed. All three pickups are new. A push-pull pot was installed for a neck-on mod. The five-way switch is new too. The only part of the wiring that is stock is the jack and the leads going to it.

Here's the total cost. Applicable taxes and/or shipping costs are included.
$149 Floyd Rose Discovery DST-3
$25.27 for the switch, 500K push-pull pot, knob, and switch tip (all All Parts)
$92.83 for the Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon
$125.98 for two Dimarzio Area '61s
$11.29 for black pickguard
---------
$404.37 grand total

Naturally, I did not charge myself for doing all the soldering. I suppose you technically could add another $11.29 because I bought another pickguard that looks just like it, except for two humbuckers, in case I want to do something that way in the future. For the price I figured, why not? I also added Schaller strap locks, but I do that to all of my guitars. I don't remember what I paid for them, but it wasn't much. Not a bad price overall when you consider that the original sale price on these guitars was $399. So basically for $5 more I got a guitar that looks a lot better, is more flexible, and sounds cooler to boot.

Here's a picture:


Here's what it looked like before surgery:

Liberation Fonts

Over the past couple of Slackware releases, Pat and co. have been setting up the fonts to automatically use the Liberation fonts as replacements for the Microsoft Times New Roman, Arial, and Courier New. In the past I reversed those changes and installed the MS fonts. However, I've really wanted to get rid of anything like that. Since the Liberation fonts are metric-compatible with the MS ones, I decided to give them a go. So far, I've been pretty happy with them. I see no reason to go back now.

IMD Final Lick Pt 2

Even though I haven't posted about this in a couple of weeks, it doesn't mean I haven't been practicing. I've really been working at that fast descending lick. I think I finally have the notes under my fingers properly. Unfortunately, it's a struggle to even play it at half speed right now. I used Audacity to drop the speed by 75% just so I could figure out the timing better. It sounds ugly slowed down that much, but I could figure it out. My birthday, aka my goal date, is less than a month away . . .