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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Things you never suspected

6/22/1999 2:29 PM
Mark Hammer	Things you never suspected Normally, my net use consists of checking in to this BBS, and to the schematics pages of a few of the frequent contributors (RG, Jack, Aron, etc.). I try to restrict my net use as much as I can. Indeed, I seldom venture outside the FX and DIY Guitar forums on Ampage. Since the (I hope) "hiatus" of the traditional Ampage frames interface, all the various forum topics have been collapsed into one big soup du jour. The recency of this "scotch tape and elastic band" format (and accompanying archive) gives a reasonably accurate sense of the relative volume of material on the different forums. Never having visited the various amp-specific forums before, I was astounded at the sheer volume of postings regarding amps, in comparison to FX and other non-amp topics. I'm not sure what this means, but several candidate ideas come up for pondering: 1) There are more amp tinkerers out there than other kinds of tinkerers. 2) Amp tinkerers have more to say (or take more time and space to say it). 3) Amp maintenance and mods are generally opaque to many, necessitating lots of suggestions, countersuggestions, and trial and error (hence postings). 4) People can shrug off a poorly chosen $80 fuzzbox, and just buy another, but are reluctant to shrug off an amp costing $800 (or more) that doesn't deliver exactly what they want. 5) Amps are 60% of the variance (or more) of what people "hear in their minds" when it comes to tone, and they devote themselves accordingly to it. 6) There is more to tweak, and more to go wrong with amps than with other things in the musician's arsenal. 7) Amps behave more predictably and so there is more dependable advice to disseminate about amps than about other things. There are plenty more outrageous inferences one could make. These are but a few. As much as I miss the old interface, and eagerly await its return (As does Steve, I'm sure. This doesn't strike me as the period of his life which will be reminisced about as "the time when I got all the sleep I needed."), I have to admit that every once in a while when things go terribly wrong, you start thinking about stuff you never suspected, and you appreciate the serendipity. Serendipity is a wonderful thing. I thought I was getting arthritis and would soon lose the opportunity to regain my guitar chops that have lain dormant the past 2 years. Last night my wife caught part of a TV commercial for an anti-cholesterol drug I'm on, and damn if it doesn't turn out that the muscle pain and weakness is a side effect of the drug. Go off the drug and the pain and weakness goes away. Robin Trower, watch out. The Hammer's frethand vibrato is back in business!

6/22/1999 2:29 PM

Mark Hammer

Things you never suspected

Normally, my net use consists of checking in to this BBS, and to the schematics pages of a few of the frequent contributors (RG, Jack, Aron, etc.). I try to restrict my net use as much as I can. Indeed, I seldom venture outside the FX and DIY Guitar forums on Ampage.

Since the (I hope) "hiatus" of the traditional Ampage frames interface, all the various forum topics have been collapsed into one big soup du jour. The recency of this "scotch tape and elastic band" format (and accompanying archive) gives a reasonably accurate sense of the relative volume of material on the different forums.

Never having visited the various amp-specific forums before, I was astounded at the sheer volume of postings regarding amps, in comparison to FX and other non-amp topics.

I'm not sure what this means, but several candidate ideas come up for pondering:

1) There are more amp tinkerers out there than other kinds of tinkerers.

2) Amp tinkerers have more to say (or take more time and space to say it).

3) Amp maintenance and mods are generally opaque to many, necessitating lots of suggestions, countersuggestions, and trial and error (hence postings).

4) People can shrug off a poorly chosen $80 fuzzbox, and just buy another, but are reluctant to shrug off an amp costing $800 (or more) that doesn't deliver *exactly* what they want.

5) Amps are 60% of the variance (or more) of what people "hear in their minds" when it comes to tone, and they devote themselves accordingly to it.

6) There is more to tweak, and more to go wrong with amps than with other things in the musician's arsenal.

7) Amps behave more predictably and so there is more dependable advice to disseminate about amps than about other things.

There are plenty more outrageous inferences one could make. These are but a few.

As much as I miss the old interface, and eagerly await its return (As does Steve, I'm sure. This doesn't strike me as the period of his life which will be reminisced about as "the time when I got all the sleep I needed."), I have to admit that every once in a while when things go terribly wrong, you start thinking about stuff you never suspected, and you appreciate the serendipity.

Serendipity is a wonderful thing. I thought I was getting arthritis and would soon lose the opportunity to regain my guitar chops that have lain dormant the past 2 years. Last night my wife caught part of a TV commercial for an anti-cholesterol drug I'm on, and damn if it doesn't turn out that the muscle pain and weakness is a side effect of the drug. Go off the drug and the pain and weakness goes away. Robin Trower, watch out. The Hammer's frethand vibrato is back in business!

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