RSS 2.0 (all entries)
iTunes (audio/video)
Facebook
YouTube
Flickr
deli.cio.us
shawn (at) phantompower.org
August 20th, 2010
I added some wheels to my new Line 6 Spider IV guitar amplifier. Now, it’ll be much easier to move the amp around. I ordered the casters (wheels)
The amplifier on its side, with the new wheels resting on top.
I had to eventually turn the amplifier over completely, in order to get the wheels attached.
Fast forward to the last wheel.
A short video of the amp being moved about on its new wheels.
(A few more photos can be seen here.)
May 23rd, 2010
it’s a Sunday audio blog. Here’s a picture of Jen’s new Mac Mini:
Here’s a picture of my new Telecaster:
Here’s a picture of my new (non-working) guitar amp:
Don’t forget to check out GeminiDragon.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 11:41 — 6.7MB)
May 2nd, 2010
Awhile back, I wrote about some of the problems I was having with my Line 6 Variax guitar. I concluded, at the time, that I was going to stick with the Variax, even though I wasn’t completely happy with it. And indeed, I gave it a good try. I spent quite a few hours experimenting with the guitar’s different settings, while connecting it directly to the special Variax port on my Line 6 PODxt Live effects processor. I made some good progress. I had set up a nice clean tone using the Variax Model-T (Telecaster) setting, and a cool distortion tone using the Lester (Les Paul) setting, along with some amp modeling and effects supplied by the PODxt Live. And then, out of nowhere, the guitar started giving me real problems. Read the rest of this page »
March 14th, 2010
I think we’ve finally got that sewer gas problem under control. After moving some stuff around, I discovered this open drain pipe, hiding in the hallway:
We went to the hardware store later that day and picked up another Qwik Cap. Now the pipe is capped and so far, so good:
I seem to have come through my respiratory infection. Haven’t completely recovered, but feeling much better. Unfortunately, Jen’s come down with similar symptoms and she’s pretty sick. Guess that was inevitable. She’s holding off for now, but she may go and see a doctor if things don’t improve soon. We were invited to a party tonight but we had to cancel, which is disappointing. But, she’s in no shape to go anywhere right now. We spent the day at home. Watching TV and playing Viva Pinata. Read the rest of this page »
February 15th, 2010
My mom always said it’s best to wait and get what you want. Even if buying something else sooner would make you feel better today. And I’m keeping that advice in mind right now. Back in 2007, on somewhat of a whim, I purchased a Line 6 Variax 300 electric guitar. I ordered the guitar from a mail-order vendor, as there are no Variax dealers in my area. Normally, I wouldn’t acquire a guitar in this fashion. But I was intrigued by the Variax’s guitar-modeling electronics, and I really wanted to try one out. Overall, I liked the guitar. I was impressed by the electronics. But over time, I grew tired of playing the instrument. I just wasn’t really happy with the playability of the neck and fretboard. They reminded me of cheap guitars that I played years ago. (Which makes sense, as the 300 was meant to be the entry-level Variax.) I tried replacing the Variax neck with a Telecaster neck but it didn’t really work. And by the time I came to accept that reality, I had already sold the Telecaster body from whence the neck was taken. (It should be noted that I really liked that Telecaster. It was kinda dumb, what I did. But, that’s what guitar-induced mania does to a man. At least, that’s what I tell myself to cope with that dumb decision.) I eventually sold the neck as well, as I had no real reason to keep it. I went back to playing the Variax 300 in its stock form. But still, I was never really happy with it. Read the rest of this page »
October 7th, 2009
When Jen records a podcast, it’s time for me to clear out. I’ve jokingly stated before that it’s as if she’s “sent me away,” and that sounds kinda bad. But it dawned on me tonight that it’s actually kinda nice. It’s almost like doing me a favor. I actually have to move away from the computer! So while Jen was doing some recording tonight, I spent that time hanging out in our back room. And that’s when I realized that it might just be the funnest place in our home. Not only is there TV:
But there’s also video games. And a guitar! And an iPhone!
I think I’ll just live back there from now on. It’s pretty awesome!
September 23rd, 2009
I thought this video was pretty cool:
So I made a video response:
In my video, I talk about guitars I own and guitars I used to own. You may even catch a few pictures in there of me with hair. Download the mp4 version for better quality than the YouTube embed. I’m working on these video compression settings to try and make improvements. Still have a lot to learn in that area.
Podcast: Download (40.2MB)
June 24th, 2009
I realized recently that my desk was in pretty sad shape. I think that, over time, it had become overloaded with too much stuff. There were cables and wires everywhere, creating small jungle-like thatches that would’ve challenged even the most formidable of machete attacks.
Last Saturday, I decided to tear the whole mess apart, with the hopes that I could reassemble it into a more orderly situation. This is how it looked in the beginning:
January 26th, 2009
Things are looking up for this year’s RPM Challenge. I’ve completed my guitar repairs (scratch that off the to-do list), though they didn’t go quite like I’d hoped. Back in 2007, I purchased a Line 6 Variax electric guitar because I was intrigued by the instrument’s capabilities. Of course I could only afford the low-end model, and the low-end model comes with an equivalent neck. I loved the guitar’s electronics, but hated the feel of the neck. Never shying away from an opportunity to destroy two perfectly good guitars, I removed the neck from my old Fender Telecaster (loved that neck!) and made some DIY modifications that allowed me to swap out the stock Variax neck for the Tele neck. I learned later that this isn’t really an advisable move, as the Telecaster has a different body design than the Variax. But, I had already made the switch and things seemed to be going OK. And then I started getting dead frets on the guitar’s low-E string. I made some adjustments to try and fix the problem, but nothing worked. I did some research online and found a great video tutorial on how to do electric guitar setups. I was particularly interested in the video about fret filing, as I believed that’d be the solution to the dead fret problem. It looked easy enough! I ordered some special fret files from Stewart MacDonald and picked up a few other things from a local hardware store. Once I had everything together, I began filing down the frets, and it seemed like I was making progress. The initial dead fret problem was clearing up. But then, other frets started to go and no matter how much I filed, I couldn’t get them to sound properly. Figuring that I had probably hit overkill with the filing, I decided to give in, and swapped the Tele neck out for the original Line 6 neck.
Read the rest of this page »
Line 6 Variax with modified Telecaster neck, on the operating table.
