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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 30, 2022 6:56:46 GMT
Stunning!
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2022 17:19:45 GMT
The other day I did some recording with Newtone Heritage 12's on my Lamorna and whilst I think the sound may be reasonable I did notice a lot of string noise much more than Elixirs produce. So much so that I had to edit some of it out but there is still a lot that you can hear. Having said that I do tend to obsess about string squeaks, pings and other spurious noises of that ilk. They are 6 weeks or so old now. Because of the clear benefits in comfort with the low tension I was considering trying the next gauge up but because of the string noise I'm not sure whether or not to just go back to my usual Elixirs Anyway we'll see but the video (a little flatpicking piece) will be posted in the plucky sometime soon Phil Hi Phil I tried the Heritage 12-51 set and found them just too light so spoke to Neil at Newtone about the next gauge up which, I think, are 13-56; I wasn't sure if they'd be a little too heavy. Neil confirmed that they would be the equivalent to a 'standard' 12-54 set which was what I was trying to get away from so no good for me. I have ended up with a 11-50 Masterclass set and they are just perfect in every way. They aren't low tension per se but they are slightly lower tension than a standard set of the gauge. I can heartily recommend them! Guy
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2022 7:18:46 GMT
You could look for Acus amps. I have owned the Acus Forstrings 5T. IMO the best sounding acoustic amps, beating even the much praised AER. They are small but loud enough for gigs. Maybe a preowned one would come in your price range. Great advice as I did end up with an Acus!! As my budget increased I started looking at other options and Acus seemed to offer amazing value for money relative to anything else on the market. I was poised to buy the Acus 5T and then realised it didn't have phantom power so went for the 6T which is just amazing. I did a short review in the Reviews section if you're interested.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 27, 2022 17:01:15 GMT
Great review - thanks for that - looks to be a great purchase! Congrats. Keith Thanks Keith. After having my budget upped a bit I was able to look for something completely different and the Acus was definitely a great option! Guy
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 27, 2022 12:04:14 GMT
I agree totally @papdon the Marshall acoustic amps are excellent and especially the AS50D. I have now bought an Acus and have just reviewed it on the Review page.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 27, 2022 9:25:42 GMT
I have been quietly looking around for an acoustic amp recently and have ended up with the Acus 6T. Thought I would share my impressions. The amp is a 130 watt and is a 2-way biamp. Frequency response is 50Hz-20Hz. The cabinet is ply with a 2-way bass reflex and has a 36mm flange on the base for a speaker stand. Speakers consist of a 6" woofer (90 watts) and a compression ring tweeter (40 watts). Weighs in at 10.5 kilos. Made in Italy and has a 2-year warranty. The amp has 4 separately adjustable channels. Channels 1 & 2 have a jack input or balanced XLR and also have switchable phantom power. Channel 3 has a jack input, Channel 4 has a stereo XLR with stereo in/stereo out controls and also RCA stereo in and outs. Channels 1, 2 and 3 have a Gain, Volume, High/Mid/Low EQ and also Reverb controlled by a single knob. There is a Master section that includes a switch for phantom power, Effects Return and Master Volume. On the rear of the amp is the mains socket, on/off switch and Ground Lift switch. The amp seemed to me to have everything I could ask for and a little more. Very versatile connections and masses of control over the sound. It is extremely well made and very solid. It is also extremely portable. The reverb is really very good with just the right range and subtlety. Not at all overpowering as is often the case. I found that the reverb was usable all the way up without any distortion or boomyness (is that a word?!). One of the most impressive aspects of the amp is the flat signal you get. Little or no colour at all; my acoustic (an OM with a K&K Pure Mini installed) sounds virtually identical to the guitar played acoustically. You can't really ask for more than that from any acoustic amp. The sound is rich and the EQ, like the reverb, has a gently graduated sweep making it incredibly easy to get a perfect sound. The controls are also solid and really smooth in use. The speakers handle lows without any distortion in the normal range of operation and the highs are sweet and not at all nasal or 'tinny'. I haven't yet used the amp with a condenser mike but look forward to it! There is loads of volume available should you need it and the amp would certainly hold its own in a pub or club. It is extremely easy to control the output using the channel Gain and Channel Volume together with the Master Volume. For me the stereo RCA and XLR outputs are all I need and work faultlessly. Haven't as yet needed to use the Ground Lift. As a bass player I have always had lots of noise from amps have had to desensitise my hearing over the years to zone it out. Even using my trusty old (90s) Trace Elliot TA100 and TA200 acoustic amps there was a fair bit of noise and the volume/gain was graduated up. The Acus is the quietest amp I have ever used, acoustic or otherwise. If it were not for the tiny blue light on the control panel it is almost impossible to determine if the amp is actually switched on! This is a huge bonus for any acoustic amp and for me the most impressive aspect of the Acus over any other acoustic amp I have tried or used. The clarity of the amp when fingerpicking is really extraordinary and likewise when flat picking. I very much look forward to recording using the stereo outputs. I am delighted with every aspect of the 6T and for the money it is as good as it gets in my opinion. The 6T retails for around £650 but can be bought for around £575'ish and a huge bargain at the price. I was originally going to buy the 5T, which is around the £475 mark, but found out at the last minute that it didn't have phantom power. I can't recommend this amp enough and if anyone is looking for a high quality, compact and portable amp then do try one.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 15, 2022 7:50:08 GMT
Lovely guitar and most impressive cutaway! It gives you amazing access to the fingerboard. I've lived in Ely for 20+ years and had no idea Jamie was in town!!! Lovely to have another luthier here in the Fens. Jamie is a lovely guy - recently a new father! I have always used friend and luthier Richard Bartram (http://www.richardbartram.com/) who is just a few miles north of Ely, and who builds exceptional guitars, mandolins etc, but you can't have too many luthiers!
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 14, 2022 11:24:41 GMT
Lovely guitar and most impressive cutaway! It gives you amazing access to the fingerboard. I've lived in Ely for 20+ years and had no idea Jamie was in town!!! Lovely to have another luthier here in the Fens.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 10, 2022 13:32:47 GMT
Pity about the AER (which would hold value and sound better than much of the competition - Tanglewood may still do their "copy" of the AER, which sounds great) but this might be of interest to you - www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/SubZero-60W-Acoustic-Guitar-Amp/NE7SubZero is a house brand for Gear4Music. My mate Glyn has one and it is certainly amazing value for money, good spec and gives a reasonable sound on guitar and vocal. The NUX one looks great and has more flexible eq than the Subzero, but not having heard the NUX it's hard to comment sensibly. Much depends on what you want to use it for really ... Keith Yes, I would have loved to buy the AER and, as you say, a MUCH better investment. I did see the Tanglewood and wondered if this was a good buy and fantastic to know that they sound great. That is in my price range and so worth a look. I might even be able to find one locally to try. The SubZero is just ridiculous value for money and frankly I would have probably written it off on price alone. However, the layout and is virtually the same as the NUX but with slightly larger speakers and it has a 3-year warranty which is nothing short of amazing, so by the looks a much better deal than the NUX which is twice the price. I will check a couple of online videos out this afternoon, likewise the Tanglewood. Really appreciate the input Keith......thank you!
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 10, 2022 13:21:27 GMT
Thanks Jeff, that's really helpful and reinforces my view that whatever Marshall do they do well. I like the fact that the ASD50 has 2 x 8" speakers, has the potential to offers slightly more low end than 5" or 6" drivers. I think the Trace Elliots had 5" drivers. Yes, I agree, front facing controls are really helpful particularly if you angle the front of the amp which I tend to do. Nice to have a positive view from someone that has actually owned a Marshall acoustic amp! I also meant to say that I found some acoustic amps I tried had such clarity that they highlighted all the shortcomings of my playing whereas the Marshall seemed to achieve a good sound while being a lot more forgiving. That's probably down to my inexperience of getting the EQ and settings right as I very rarely use an amp, but I just found the Marshall was easy for me to get good sound. I hope that helps. Jeff It does help Jeff and I totally understand what you mean. I have played through many acoustic amps but only owned the aforementioned Trace Elliots and I have found that some are a little bit toppy for my taste and require serious EQ'ing. I was told the Marshall was a little mellower than some and your comments confirm this!! Thank you. Guy
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 10, 2022 11:22:19 GMT
I had a Marshall AS50R, which I believe was the model prior to the ASD50. It suited me very well and I thought was quite a lot of amp for the money compared to everything else I looked at. It was quite large, but that wasn't a problem for me as I didn't have to carry it about, and I found it worked well with different types of acoustic pickups. I also liked the controls etc being on the front panel as opposed to other amps having them on top, but appreciate that may not be so convenient if the amp is place on the floor. I don't know anything about NUX acoustic amps, but they look attractive and appear to be good value. Jeff Thanks Jeff, that's really helpful and reinforces my view that whatever Marshall do they do well. I like the fact that the ASD50 has 2 x 8" speakers, has the potential to offers slightly more low end than 5" or 6" drivers. I think the Trace Elliots had 5" drivers. Yes, I agree, front facing controls are really helpful particularly if you angle the front of the amp which I tend to do. Nice to have a positive view from someone that has actually owned a Marshall acoustic amp!
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 10, 2022 9:20:30 GMT
I was considering buying an AER amp from a forum member but after consultation with the other half was told we couldn't afford it! I can only obey, albeit reluctantly. My only forays into acoustic amps were with the old Trace Acoustic TA100 and TA200 models dating back to the 90s. Great amps and fantastic Alesis onboard effects but never that impressed with the very small and slightly flimsy controls on the front panel. So, had a look around at what else was available out there and was impressed with Marshall's ASD 50. However, I stumbled across a NUX acoustic amp (Stageman 50) which seemed to have nothing but good things said about it and was just about within budget if I shopped around. This is it: www.nuxefx.com/stageman-ac50.html It's made in China but other than amps like AER I think that 99% are also probably made in China! I was wondering if anyone has tried these amps? The features on the amp seem remarkably good and with the optional foot pedal you can access reverb and chorus as well as a built in drum machine and a looper! Watched a few Utube reviews and it does appear to sound remarkably good and extremely versatile too. If nobody has stumbled across these amps, which I suspect will be the case, any advice on decent quality new or used acoustic amps would be much appreciated. Guy
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Post by surfguy13 on Feb 27, 2022 9:16:01 GMT
I too have had the black finger thing on the odd occasion with Newtones, but also in the distant past with various other strings. I wonder if it might be more to do with the state of the fingers than the strings? Amounts and acidity of sweat and oils on the fingers vary considerably from day to day and throughout the day. Have never had any tarnished Newtones, wound or plain. In fact I have had only two duff strings from them in over 20 years of using them almost exclusively. The first was a dull sounding A string on installation - yes, I did fit it correctly - I sent the string back to Malclom (it was some years ago!) and received a written apology plus two replacement sets. More recently, though still a while ago, I had a D string that didn't intonate properly - it was almost a semitone flat by the 12th fret when first installed. The rest of the set was fine. I detuned it completely and retuned - same result. As I had a spare odd one I put that on instead and all was well. Didn't bother to "complain" - it was obviously a one-off incident as other sets from the same batch were had been fine. I'll forgive them. Keith Yes, I agree Keith, it isn't just Newtones and I have had similar issue with black fingers from many different types of string over the years including bass strings. I also wondered whether it might be due to my hands rather than the strings but when recently tried the DR Sunbeams I had no black finger at all! I mentioned slight tarnishing on the Newtone stings, both Heritage and Masterclass, but I must stress that this was only on the high E and B and didn't seem to affect the sound quality at all and neither did it reduce the life of the strings. I was given several sets of DR Sunbeams and 2 of those sets had tarnishing on the high E and B straight out of the packet. To be frank a bit of black finger and the occasional slight tarnishing on the unwound strings doesn't bother me at all and I will continue to use Newtones as they are superb strings and just as importantly......British! Also because Keith has always been extremely helpful when I have had queries about their strings.
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Post by surfguy13 on Feb 27, 2022 9:06:23 GMT
It seems strange that Santa Cruz don't offer any info on string gauge. It seems to me that it would do no harm to list the gauge of each individual string, and string tension, in their low and medium tension packs. I have to say that I would not buy a set unless I knew the gauge of each string if for no other reason than comparing them to existing strings. It's all very well saying gauge means nothing, and that may well be the case, but just using the terms Low and Medium tension doesn't offer a potential buyer with any information on the string they are buying. Newtone goes the extra mile with their Heritage low tension strings and not only provides the gauge of each string but also the tension of each string in lbs and the total tension of the whole set. They have 5 different sets of low tension strings as well as the DADGAD sets so I feel I am making an informed decision when buying a particular set. All I can say is that in terms of the thickness of each string they ,to my eyes,look the same as the newtones,they fit the nut perfectly and play more easily.I realise this is not what you are after surfguy but my fingers tell me that they bend more easily than the newtones and that suggests the overall tension on the neck is lower.I have had no fret buzz and can only assume that the neck relief hasn’t changed so for me the actual measurable guages and the actual measurable tension on the neck is not something that bothers me.Good luck again in your research all the best Kevin Thanks for that Kevin. Wasn't in any way rubbishing Santa Cruz parabolics, it is just that when you are trying to determine the right gauge of string to suit your guitar, and your dodgy arthritic hands in my case, I really need to know exactly what gauge each string is or I am potentially not comparing like for like....if that makes sense? I have a digital caliper which I have used for years to measure bass strings et al and it works perfectly, but find that it's OK for the low E and A on a guitar, and will give me a fairly true measurement but for the D,G, B and high E but it is not as precise. Probably due to the fact that the calipers were reasonably cheap! So, I
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Post by surfguy13 on Feb 26, 2022 9:10:10 GMT
It seems strange that Santa Cruz don't offer any info on string gauge. It seems to me that it would do no harm to list the gauge of each individual string, and string tension, in their low and medium tension packs.
I have to say that I would not buy a set unless I knew the gauge of each string if for no other reason than comparing them to existing strings. It's all very well saying gauge means nothing, and that may well be the case, but just using the terms Low and Medium tension doesn't offer a potential buyer with any information on the string they are buying. Newtone goes the extra mile with their Heritage low tension strings and not only provides the gauge of each string but also the tension of each string in lbs and the total tension of the whole set. They have 5 different sets of low tension strings as well as the DADGAD sets so I feel I am making an informed decision when buying a particular set.
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