dave251

I've got the "MagPi" dual passive pickup system available for install in your acoustic guitar. This is developed from the MagPi system that is currently used in my electroCoustic series of acoustic/electric guitars. Install is very simple( about 10 minutes ), assuming you can have the required 1/2" hole in the butt block of the guitar ready to go. You can see from the photos the magnetic pickup includes a balance control in addition to the volume control...both are located on the magnetic pickup mount. The mag is adjustable for height, and the soundboard transducer can be located for either optimum tone or gain before feedback...instructions are included. The system plugs directly into your amp with no preamp required. I HIGHLY recommend a Fender style tube amp with a full range pa style speaker....sounds incredible. Put a mic on the rig for PA use. Here's some direct to DAW recordings..... Aria "Selmer" Taylor Big Baby Washburn EA10(lam top) Here's photos.... http://www.electrocoustic.com/magpi/d10front.jpg http://www.electrocoustic.com/magpi/d10treble.jpg http://www.electrocoustic.com/magpi/d10bass.jpg

THE LATEST MP3 DOWNLOADS: Been busy lately with several updated recordings on the electroCoustic series of instruments. Just thought I would compile them into one post.... Here's the new electroClassic: classical tune: http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/crahan-classical.mp3 One in dadgad tuning: http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/crahan-newage.mp3 A bossa: http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/eclassic2.mp3 Here's a sample of the new prototype amp...basically just playing with a variety of recordings. Bob Ingram, the amp designer, is doing the playing. http://www.electrocoustic.com/workdtl/Clip_done.mp3 And the clip just finished yesterday, with guitar, bass and mandolin, all electroCoustics.... http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/All%20of%20Meando.mp3

How about a different model "Trad"...and then there's a new body shape, with a revamped "MagPi" system that utilizes a narrow aperture humbucker with a double piezo bridge pup...and of course the just released "electroClassic"..... The sunburst guitar has a KA "Ktron" pup at the neck...Kent's version of a Gretsch Filtertron...bright and clear for you rockabilly guys that want the acoustic edge.... The middle guitar is the new shape, although I'm still tweaking a bit. The new MagPi system sounds GREAT...and I'll be going to this on all future models, although the customer will still have the choice of a pickguard mounted magnetic. I'm going to be covering the dual blade pup with a matching cocobolo cover.... The "electroClassic" uses a standard jack style preamp, with a v/t circuit that I designed...in addition to a polymer piezo cable UST. I adapted piezo cabling typically used in the security business(as an undergound sensor). HIGHLY sensitive and accurate.... soundclip on the website.... http://www.electrocoustic.com/newimage/3protoslozsm.jpg

This ain't no guitar....but I will have a couple of new models coming in the next month. A nylon string, and my new ultra light model.... Anyway, an electroMando: http://www.electrocoustic.com/newimage/mando103asm.jpg

Myles- Need your opinion on "metal" bottle NOS tubes...6l6, 6v6, 12at7, 12ax7, and several others...these are all marked JAN. I will be reselling these for a friend...

Just unpacked the new Fender Pro Junior a while ago...I was bummed...sounded like a motorboat. I tried swapping places with the two 12AX7's...made it worse. Hmmmm. Pulled out the "bad" one, moved the other back to the preamp, and put a 12AT7 in the splitter hole....MUCH better, more quiet, although not as quiet as it should be...so it's going back. They'll ship me another. These tubes are labelled "GT" by the way... Even with all the noise, I like this little amp. Should be just the right thing for the neighborhood jam. Hopefully the next one they send will be a bit quieter.... BTW, one of our regulars here at the B&B is bringing me several boxes full of NOS tubes. I'll be going through them....most of them will be from the 50's and 60's, as his dad shut down the radio/tv repair about 1970...been hiding all these years. He's supposed to be sending me a list...so I'll let you all know what we've got.

Myles- I just ordered a Fender Blues Junior. I tried this thing in a shop yesterday and was blown away by the "clean" side of the amp....I don't know what this thing is all about, but I intend to find out, as this is the best Fender amp I've ever plugged my electroCoustic into.... Uses a pair of 12AX7's and and pair of EL84's. Can you recommend replacements for the stock tubes that will give me more clean gain(it was pretty good to start with). From reading your posts and articles, I feel like I should have you send me a "balanced" 12ax7(or maybe a 12AT7?) for the driver stage....at least. I do want to figure out the "point" at which the "tone" control centers....the amp sounds a bit boxy but it may just be the speaker/box combo that makes it this way. I've been looking at "modern" small amp designs for adaptability for my purposes...this one is as close as I've heard. Dave

www.acousticguitar.com Tons of info on acoustic pickups and such. JUst use their search engine. Several e-articles too....

Myles- Been a while...thought I'd fill you in on the electroCoustic amp project/progress... We've settled on a tube layout...#2 will have a pair of 12AX7's, a 6SL7 for the driver and a pair of 300B's for output. It will have a buffered EFX loop, and Hammond transformers. SS recto. We feel like we can eliminate the big filter choke...Brett routed around it on the first one and didn't have any added noise problems. We're going to DC for the filament heater... With any kind of luck we'll have this one together by midsummer...and in a cab ready for demo shortly thereafter...I'd like to be building my first "production" amp by the first of the year...this will be quite a plunge for this old woodbutcher...but I'd sure like to be able to build the whole shootin' match...guitar AND amp. Speaking of which...here's a pic of the latest delivery... We need recommendations on the best/most consistently available 12AX7 for our purposes....preamp stage and EFX buffering... Regards, Dave http://electrocoustic.com/newimage/kessler%20front.jpg

Myles- What would be the audible difference between AC heated filaments and DC heated filaments? We're getting ready to start on the second amp and this question came up.... Thanks,

An update on the acoustic/electric/300B amp project.... The buzz is gone; we added a 12AX7 to the to front end, rather than using the first stage of the 6SN7. Since Brett feels like we will have enough gain from the first stage of the 12AX7, we will try using the second half for the 300B driver...keeping our tube complement to a minimum. Most of the 300B experts claim the 6SN7 is necessary as the impedance match with the 300B is about right. Do you have any recommendations for a currently manufactured 12AX7? None of this NOS stuff, we need to be able to use these in a production environment. So, the current tube complement is: 12AX7 to 6SN7 to 300B; still using the 5U4 as rectifier. Brett will have the amp out on the first live job next Friday. Basically an "acoustic" situation with the addition of electric bass and pedal steel. He says it won't quite match the volume of his BF Deluxe yet...but it's real close.