tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43418368935484108192024-03-12T17:32:51.725-07:00the NOCTURNE Brain Blog ( previously Brain Seltzer)This is the occasional ramblings of TheNocturneBrain.com maker of Preamps, pedals and amplifiers for roots rock guitarists and bassists, also fans of Brian Setzer's style of rockabillythe NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-89779194146434366642016-11-24T14:34:00.001-08:002016-11-24T14:34:34.879-08:00The Nocturne MYSTERY BRAIN BS-301 takes the place of my ol' vintage RE-301 Roland Space Echo*I'll start by suggesting that you go get a mug of tea or coffee, Below is my typical ramble of words and thoughts thrown out on a given subject, this time is about my newest build; THE MYSTERY BRAIN BS-301 japanese vintage preamp and digi tape echo simulator!<br />
While I might not be the only one, I was the 1st one to take apart the long out of production, vintage roland re-301 space echo and redesign the little preamp in it to not only work w the proper impedance for a guitar, bass, steel, etc instrument, I also gave it a cool little bass cut control that isnt on a real space echo. There is a bass and treble control on an RE-301 but.. it only functions on the wet/affected signal. Not the preamp. I started that 9 yrs ago and only a handful of rockabilly and brain seltzer fans were curious, but then other genres of guitarists began to realize that even if you dont care about rockabilly or hollowbodies, this thing sounds pretty awesome w a tele, Lp n strat too.<br />
Over the yrs I have been asked over and over, why dont you just make the whole thing happen? Why not add a delay to it and complete it. Well, its 2016 and I finally have w the help of a brilliant friend who's very much into tape machines, more so the echoplex but never the less together I am able to bring you this Vintage Japanese Preamp/ Digi Tape Echo! I loooove japanese tape echo machines!!<br />
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(option: watch the 12 min video below..that might be shorter hah! )<br />
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A more involved version of the Dynobrain BS-301 preamp meets Atomic Brain and gets a cool Tape Echo w modulation!!<br />
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Ya so... 100% analog vintage tone, texture and dynamic replication of the 70's
Japanese RE-301 Space echo PREAMP w a boost mode, AND a digi Tape echo
sim using analog photocell modulation for chorus or vibrato in the
slapback.<br />
I've added a DB cut/clean switch if you want less saturated attack
going into the front of the delay circuit. This lo res digi tape
emulator has been tweaked to let the brawn and mids attack of the Brain
preamp hit it hard and saturate to the point of slightly overdriving the
slapback and giving more smear to the response. Slight but its there so
sweetly, an unusual quality not found in most basic digital delay
pedals. In addition there is a defeatable (toggles on and off)
modulation circuit that affects the wet signal of the echo repeats and
interacts with the emulators Mix, Repeat, and Time functions. This
allows subtle shimmer, dimensional chorus all the way to fast trem pulse
and off kilter vibrato at slower deeper rates. To be straight up, this
cool analog photocell modulation was added just to make the Brain Preamp
sound like my actual 301 Tape echo, I built this pedal around. All the
other fun stuff it creates is a bonus palette of effect and space. If
that isnt something you need on all the time, just turn it off and get a
smidge more delay time. Rates from about 15ms - 600ms tape delay
times. Bathtub funk to vintage Gallup and Scotty tape slap, to full
blown Brain Seltzer Orchestral Neo-Billy all the way to 70's/80's
vintage DMM'ish Edge vibe and Space Rock.<br />
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An added joy unique to this box is that the Abby Mode on the Atomic
Brain section, really takes on an almost light overdrive boost when the
Tape echo emulator is engaged and the Bass Cut is all the way to the
right at 5 oclock. Like the vintage bassman rig that clips in the upper
mids but stays fat and woody in the lows.. I swear this thing carries
that ghost but I want to be careful not to go down a path of hyperbole,
this wont turn you into Brain Seltzer, there's more involved haha. This
Mystery Brain BS-301 is solid 18 yr journey of chasing that particular
guitarists tone and texture, more so his unique pick attack and dynamic
control. Born out of love for my upbringing in vintage roots rock
(gospel, surf, Honky Tonk, neo-rockabilly) and STP, what? Yep, its been
developed on stage in front of weekly live audiences, honed and refined
for many yrs as a pedal builder. I've had many a space echo, and this
one has been torn down many times. Most recently the motor needed
servicing. More reason to just have a pedal version of this old beast!<br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIuK8_hDQvF/?taken-by=thenocturnebrain" title="early stage of the mystery brain, working out preamp into the modulation">https://www.instagram.com/p/BIuK8_hDQvF/?taken-by=thenocturnebrain</a><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJi4ZeUDQs3/?taken-by=thenocturnebrain" title="my space echo, 63' blonde bassman and gretsch">https://www.instagram.com/p/BJi4ZeUDQs3/?taken-by=thenocturnebrain</a><br />
<img alt="" height="329" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/13652032_1044408505596016_1189383187_n.jpg" width="329" /><br />
<img alt="" height="374" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/13643669_289035924788900_1409671424_n.jpg" width="364" /><br />
I've replicated the sounds and response of the famous japanese 301
space echo and for a limited time, even w the original NOS Toshiba
TA7136 analog op-amp.<br />
<img alt="" height="255" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/12965146_277701129228548_777312631_n.jpg" width="264" /><br />
Its hard to find these chips and there are chinese
fakes out there. I've been collecting my supply for 8yrs. Honestly
there is hardly any difference between this chip and the more modern
LM-741 variety. B#SS stopped using the TA7136 and moved to the LM-741
when production stopped on the TA chip and nothing was missed (ie my black label DS-1 pedal). If you'd
rather have the quieter and higher audio grade Burr Brown OPA chip, let
me know in the notes to seller and I'll put that in instead. Its my
preference, but if you want the fun of having the NOS chip, thats what
you'll get. :) I'm all about fixing the things that need fixing in the
original, so you will find top audio grade, low tolerance xicon or
vishay metal film resistors, metal film caps, even an audiophile burr
brown opamp in the front of the delay w vishay metal film tone cap. Not
to worry though, all the vintage feel, touch dynamics and response of
the original 301 are here. No Baloney just tone and once you stomp it
on, you will never turn it off. "Every guitar I own sounds like more of
itself, a more better pedal is what this is and I never turn if off" -
to quote Brain preamp owners.<br />
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The Second batch goes on sale Nov 25th at midnight here on my website:<br />
<a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/collections/pedals" target="_blank">http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/collections/pedals</a><br />
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<i>*thanks to Joe Carducci of Gretsch for filming and producing this
video, as well as Tim Harman of Tru-Arc bridges for being the
interviewer and guitar demo riffer. His Gretsch Jet sounds so good
through the Mystery Brain and my Moonshine '39 1x12 combo) ..also props
to Timmy on the Gretsch Bass, and Dave Miller for letting me use his
D-cut falcon, I want one!)</i><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/24n-yzWUjR4" width="560"></iframe>
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note: graphics logo done by the master of low brow Art & Album
covers all over the globe, Vince Ray @
http://www.thevincerayexperience.com/the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-60204355102810241372016-03-01T03:19:00.003-08:002021-01-04T21:13:07.664-08:00Why I ended up finally playing a Gretsch 6120SSU, Brian Setzer model guitar...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span>ne day long before MTV, I came home from school was watching a video show I think called MV3 w Richard Blade and this new trio called the Straycats came on. They were "neo-rockabilly" and</span><br />
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<br /> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I was totally grabbed by it, and I'd grown up listening to Billy Haley, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Elvis, but to me that was my parents music. This was gonna be mine (as well as the Blasters) and Brian Setzer played a big old Gretsch and Blonde Fender amp!</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> I knew I couldnt afford a real gretsch but I dreamed of having one someday, and just kept playing my Dads Fender Coronado & peavey amp till college and eventually moved onto Strats, LPs, Teles, PRS, Hamer,etc.. </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Then a million lifetimes later in the early 90s I got to play in a lineup of bands w this group called The Violet Burning and the leader, Mike Pritzl had a G6120 running into a faun AC30, drive boxes,delay etc.</span>. <br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">They werent rockabilly at all, totally alt rock and I couldnt believe how massive Pritzl's sound was w that gretsch. Later he moved onto a Vox AC50 head and marshall 4x12 and it got even better, oh man I couldnt stop drooling over what that guitar did. It was around that time too that I realized Brian Setzer had just reinvented himself w an orchestra and I picked up<br />the BSO's self titled album, Guitar Slinger album, and Dirty Boogie, and went apesheep over it, like obsessed out of my mind, crazy guitar fan. This was Gretsch w a freight train!</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">All these rockers w this elusive and expensive big hollowbody rock guitar, that played clean and dirty like tele and an es-335 in one guitar, but bigger and w more snarl. It was depressing to still not really get any closer to getting one after all those yrs of first paying attention to that big hollowbody guitwanger. Until a strange twist of fate, or divine circumstance happened to me...</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">One night while my wife and I were prayin together before bed about this and that, I just blurted out " Lord this sounds so selfish but I've wanted a Gretsch 6120 my whole life, if you can help me get an older beater I know </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I can fix it up like new" ..the wife was kind of like uh..ok? </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">It was sappy and one of those prayers you</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> kinda keep to yourself, but I was feelin really low and frustrated and mean it.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />A few months had passed, (this was 99') and I get an email from some guy responding to an add I'd placed in the recycler for a mesa boogie combo I'd picked up cheap, that I was selling and his response simply read "I dont know if youre open to trades, I'd really like this amp but I've just got a used gretsch hollowbody to trade. Let me know"..<br /> If you are one who believes in prayer or just one who believes in the universe aligning every so many decades in a persons life, you must at least know that for a guy like me at the time.. this was one crazy-ass, lucky moment or miracle about to unfold. I was in debt consolidation, my kid at that time was in and out of the hospital for childhood seizure disorder along w other things that were taxing our lives to the extreme.<br />Understand too that I was buying used gear at that time, fixing it up and selling it for my part of my income along w my weekly band gig. </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I needed to SELL the amp, not to trade it..but it seemed like something I needed to not let pass, my wife concurred. <br />So I packed up the amp to go meet this guy..<br /><br />Interesting side note is that I had $300 cash in a safe box that was my last bit of working capital, all the rest was tied up in the amp. My M.O. was buy low, fix up as new, sell the product, invest in another used piece of gear, keep 20% of each sale.. So like I said, I actually needed to sell the amp not trade it. None the less out the door I headed, but there was this little voice in the back of my head that said "take that $300 with you, you never know what else someone might be selling or willing to sell".. So I did. </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> I get to the guys apartment, and he's covered in tats w a pompadour and tells me that he's tired of being in a rockabilly band and is joining a hard core band so he wants a mesa. I plug in the amp for him, set it up for humongous crunch and he plays his tele through it and stops, goes: oh I want this! <br />Then he's like; "the guitar's in that case over there in the corner". I fully expected to see some old beat to crap instrument that would take me a yr to restore but instead there is a 1999 G6120SSU in the case. It was a yr old, and all that was wrong w it if you can call it wrong, was that the truss cover wasnt on it, the pkguard was off, and no knobs. He goes; "I was embarassed about the setzer stuff so thats in a bag there too." </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I kept my game face on to show no excitement, but just straight foward said sure its a deal. I wanted to pick the guitar up and walk out as fast as I could, get in the car and high tale it out of OC back home. I knew something crazy amazing had just occured.<br /><br />So as I take the case in hand and bid him farewell he goes; "Wait a second, didnt you tell me you led worship w a rock band for a living" and I was ya, I do.. <br />He goes; "well if you give me your amp, what are you gonna play through?" I said; "well, I'll just go direct to PA clean for a while until I can find some amp to<br />borrow"..so he goes " dude if you can give me $300, you can have this amp over here in the other room, I'm not gonna need it and I dont really play it" <br />..and we go in the other room, its a mint Fender custom shop designed Vibrolux Reverb amp. My eyes got big as dinner plates, but instantly I said "wooh this is a brand new amp, you could sell it at the drop of the hat for double" ..and he's like "hey if you can come up w that money its yours".. I start fighting back tears as I was already welled up inside because of this guitar I was holding in my hand and I pull out this money I'd taken w me and told him "for some reason man, I felt a leading to bring exactly $300 with me" ..he's like well, there YOU go man!!<br /><br />I think am a pretty tough character but man I cried while laughing while crying while laughing, like a little kid, all the way to the car. All the way down the freeway, and all the way to the front door at home because I was convinced that prayer had been heard, and it custom made for me! <br />It was too perfect, too well orchestrated to be anything less than a miracle and you still cant tell me otherwise. <br />I'd wanted a guitar like Brian Setzer as a kid in high school, I'd grown up playing rockabilly, taught to me by my father who loved Chet and his orange guitar. I'd wanted for years that orange Gretsch 6120 that Michael Pritz from the Violet Burning had.. and I prayed a lame, self centered prayer that I might find a beater gretsch to work on.. What do I end up with?<br />A 1 yr old Gretsch pro line Brian Setzer signature model guitar, a G6120SSU for what I had traded, a Mesa boogie amp I'd only paid $750 for. It was almost mint and they were going for a few thousand new ($4K list then?). <br />Also worth mentioning; the earlier model SSU's had a harder V shaped neck that I wouldnt be able to play because I was dealing w tennis elbow from the ovation acoustic I wrestled with for yrs, hated that neck. haha.. BUT the '99 Setzer SSU has a very soft V and thinner profile, super easy on the hand for thumb over players like myself, like shaking an old friends hand!! AND I HAD a new amp to boot for $300!.. a $1K mint Fender Custom Vibrolux!</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />A few yrs later in honor of that occasion, I had a tattoo (not the greatest looking, this one haha) put on my wrist w a scripture from the old testament bible book Isaiah 49:15,16 It was for me as a reminder, nothing more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />A once in a lifetime happenstance and therefore I am a made, Gretsch man! I use other guitars I've put together on stage now and then but the 99' SSU is the workhorse, my answer to a prayer guitar, that started a frienship later that yr w TvJones, then many yrs further down the road, inspired me to start <a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/">www.thenocturnebrain.com</a> pedal/amp biz for roots rockers and even actually get to meet Mr Brian Setzer in person backstage (I've worn that crazy story out, I know) and play his 59'.. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">its wild man, just wild! I'm a Gretsch lifer, thats my gretsch story.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span>gretsch deets: This is a 99' SSU but I've had it refretted by a pal at Fender custom shop with the same<br />
6105 stainless steel frets and dressing that setzer has on all his guitars (a little off the top, and bulbous ends). I've also rebuilt the harness with mogami cable and tvjones.com Brian Setzer Signature filtertrons along with some stickers, a custom bigsby handle from voodooholly and inlaid bakelite pickguard from TK Smith. dumped the mud switch for a pushpull tone knob. when its down its out of the circuit like the hotrod models.. So technically while its still a G6120SSU, its really a Tavo model Gretsch! :)<br />
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One day long before MTV, I was watching a Video show w Richard Blade and this new trio called the Straycats came on. </div>
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<div data-redactor="1">
I
was totally grabbed by it, and I'd grown up with Chet Atkins as my dad
was obsessed w him, but I wasnt. Just now starting to appreciating
Chet. I knew I couldnt afford a real gretsch but I dreamed of having
one, just kept playing my Dads Fender Coronado till college </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
and moved onto Strats, LPs, Teles, PRS, Hamer,etc.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Then in the early 90s I got to play in a lineup of bands w this group called</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
The Violet Burning and the leader had a G6120 running into a faun AC30, drive boxes,delay etc.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<img alt="" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/93/215863440_c4376ab1b1_z.jpg" /> </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
[MEDIA=youtube]aApPUWkKjhs[/MEDIA]</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
They
werent rockabilly at all, totally alt rock and I couldnt believe how
massive his sound was. Later he moved onto a Vox AC50 head and marshall
4x12 and it got even better, oh man I couldnt stop drooling over what
that guitar did. It was around that time too that I realized Brian
Setzer had just reinvented himself w an orchestra and I picked up</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
the
BSO's self titled album, Guitar Slinger album, and Dirty Boogie, and
went apesheep over it, like obsessed out of my mind, crazy guitar fan. <img alt=":)" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" src="https://www.gretsch-talk.com/styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
One night while my wife and I were prayin together before bed about this and that, I just blurted out </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
" Lord this sounds so selfish but I've wanted a Gretsch 6120 my whole life, if you can help me get an older beater I know </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I can fix it up like new" ..the wife was kind of like uh..ok? It was sappy and one of those prayers you</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
kinda keep to yourself, but I was feelin really low and frustrated and mean it.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
few months had passed, (this was 99') and I get an email from some guy
responding to an add I'd placed in the recycler for a mesa boogie combo
I'd picked up cheap, that I was selling and his response simply read "I
dont know if youre open to trades, I'd really like this amp but I've
just got a used gretsch hollowbody to trade. Let me know"..</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
If you are one who believes in prayer or just one who believes in the
universe aligning every so many decades in a persons life, you must at
least know that for a guy</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
like me at the
time.. this was one crazy ass lucky moment or miracle about to unfold. I
was in debt consolidation, my oldest son at that time was in and out of
the hospital for </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
childhood seizure disorder along w other things that were taxing our lives to the extreme.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Understand
too that I was buying used gear at that time, fixing it up and selling
it for my part of my income along w my weekly band gig. I</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
needed to SELL the amp, not to trade it..but it seemed like something I needed to not let pass, my wife concurred. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
So I packed up the amp to go meet this guy..</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Interesting
side note is that I had $300 cash in a safe box that was my last bit of
working capital, all the rest was tied up in the amp. My M.O. was buy
low, fix up as new, sell the product, invest in another used piece of
gear, keep 20% of each sale.. So like I said, I actually needed to sell
the amp not trade it. None the less out the door I headed, but there was
this little voice in the back of my head that said "take that $300 with
you, you never know what else someone might be selling or willing to
sell".. So</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I did.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I
get to the guys apartment, and he's covered in tats w a pompadour and
tells me that he's tired of being in a rockabilly band and is joining a
hard core band so he wants a mesa. I plug in the amp for him, set it up
for humongous crunch and he plays his tele through it and stops, goes:
oh I want this! </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Then he's like; "the
guitar's in that case over there in the corner".. I fully expected to
see some old beat to crap instrument that would take me a yr to restore
but instead there is a 1999 G6120SSU in the case. It was a yr old, and
all that was wrong w it if you can call it wrong, was that the truss
cover wasnt on it, the pkguard was off, and no knobs. He goes "I was
embarassed about the setzer stuff so thats in a bag." I kept my game
face on to show no excitement, but just straightfoward said sure its a
deal. I wanted to pick the guitar up and walk out as fast as I could,
get in the car and high tale it out of OC back home. I knew something
crazy amazing had just occured.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
So
as I take the case in hand and bid him farewell he goes "Wait a second,
didnt you tell me you led worship w a rock band for a living" and I was
ya, I do.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
He goes; "well if you give me
your amp, what are you gonna play through?" I said "well, I'll just go
direct to PA clean for a while until I can find some amp to</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
borrow"..so
he goes " dude if you can give me $300, you can have this amp over here
in the other room, I'm not gonna need it and I dont really play it" </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
..and
we go in the other room, its a mint Fender custom shop designed
Vibrolux Reverb amp. My eyes go big as plates, but instantly I said
"wooh this is a brand new amp, you could sell it at the drop of the hat
for double" ..and he's like "hey if you can come up w that money its
yours".. I start fighting back tears because I was already welled up
inside because of this guitar I was holding in my hand and I pull out
this $300 I'd taken w me w a "for some reason man, I felt a leading to
bring exactly $300 with me" ..he's like well, there you go man!!</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I
think am a pretty tough character but man I cried while laughing while
crying while laughing, like a little kid, all the way to the car. All
the way down the freeway, to the front door home because I was convinced
that prayer had been heard, and it custom made for me! </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
It was too perfect, too well orchestrated to be anything less than a miracle and you still cant tell me otherwise. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I'd
wanted a guitar like Brian Setzer as a kid in high school, I'd grown up
playing rockabilly, taught to me by my father who loved Chet and his
orange guitar. I'd wanted for years an orange Gretsch 6120 that Michael
Pritz from the Violet Burning had.. and I prayed a lame, self centered
prayer that I might find a beater gretsch to work on.. What do I end up
with?</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A 1 yr old Gretsch pro line Brian
Setzer signature model guitar, a G6120SSU for what I had traded, a Mesa
boogie amp I'd only paid</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
$750 f0r. It was almost mint and they were going for a few thousand new ($4K list then?). </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Also
worth mentioning; the earlier model SSU's had a harder V shaped neck
that I wouldnt be able to play because I was dealing w tennis elbow from
the ovation acoustic I wrestled with for yrs, hated that neck. haha..
BUT the '99 Setzer SSU has a very soft V and thinner profile, super easy
on the hand for thumb over players like myself, like shaking an old
friends hand!! AND I HAD a new amp to boot for $300!.. a $1K mint
Fender Custom Vibrolux!</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
few yrs later in honor of that occasion, I had a tattoo (not the
greatest lookin, this one haha) put on my wrist w a scripture from the
old testament bible book Isaiah 49:15,16 It was for me as a reminder,
nothing more. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<img alt="" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/12749900_791013971031631_1307349796_n.jpg" /> </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
once in a lifetime happenstance and therefore I am a made, Gretsch man!
I use other guitars I've put together on stage now and then but the 99'
SSU is the workhorse, my answer to a prayer guitar, that started a
frienship later that yr w TvJones, then many yrs further down the road,
inspired me to start the pedal/amp biz for roots rock and actually get
to meet Mr Brian Setzer in person backstage.. its wild! #gretschmafia
thats my gretsch story.</div>
</div>
<div data-redactor-wrapper="1" style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">
<div data-redactor="1">
One day long before MTV, I was watching a Video show w Richard Blade and this new trio called the Straycats came on. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<img alt="" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" src="https://theselvedgeyard.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/brian-setzer-stray-cats-gretsch-guitar.jpg" /> </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
[MEDIA=youtube]5hwsWhftfCg[/MEDIA]</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I
was totally grabbed by it, and I'd grown up with Chet Atkins as my dad
was obsessed w him, but I wasnt. Just now starting to appreciating
Chet. I knew I couldnt afford a real gretsch but I dreamed of having
one, just kept playing my Dads Fender Coronado till college </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
and moved onto Strats, LPs, Teles, PRS, Hamer,etc.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Then in the early 90s I got to play in a lineup of bands w this group called</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
The Violet Burning and the leader had a G6120 running into a faun AC30, drive boxes,delay etc.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<img alt="" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/93/215863440_c4376ab1b1_z.jpg" /> </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
[MEDIA=youtube]aApPUWkKjhs[/MEDIA]</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
They
werent rockabilly at all, totally alt rock and I couldnt believe how
massive his sound was. Later he moved onto a Vox AC50 head and marshall
4x12 and it got even better, oh man I couldnt stop drooling over what
that guitar did. It was around that time too that I realized Brian
Setzer had just reinvented himself w an orchestra and I picked up</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
the
BSO's self titled album, Guitar Slinger album, and Dirty Boogie, and
went apesheep over it, like obsessed out of my mind, crazy guitar fan. <img alt=":)" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" src="https://www.gretsch-talk.com/styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
One night while my wife and I were prayin together before bed about this and that, I just blurted out </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
" Lord this sounds so selfish but I've wanted a Gretsch 6120 my whole life, if you can help me get an older beater I know </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I can fix it up like new" ..the wife was kind of like uh..ok? It was sappy and one of those prayers you</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
kinda keep to yourself, but I was feelin really low and frustrated and mean it.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
few months had passed, (this was 99') and I get an email from some guy
responding to an add I'd placed in the recycler for a mesa boogie combo
I'd picked up cheap, that I was selling and his response simply read "I
dont know if youre open to trades, I'd really like this amp but I've
just got a used gretsch hollowbody to trade. Let me know"..</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
If you are one who believes in prayer or just one who believes in the
universe aligning every so many decades in a persons life, you must at
least know that for a guy</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
like me at the
time.. this was one crazy ass lucky moment or miracle about to unfold. I
was in debt consolidation, my oldest son at that time was in and out of
the hospital for </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
childhood seizure disorder along w other things that were taxing our lives to the extreme.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Understand
too that I was buying used gear at that time, fixing it up and selling
it for my part of my income along w my weekly band gig. I</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
needed to SELL the amp, not to trade it..but it seemed like something I needed to not let pass, my wife concurred. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
So I packed up the amp to go meet this guy..</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Interesting
side note is that I had $300 cash in a safe box that was my last bit of
working capital, all the rest was tied up in the amp. My M.O. was buy
low, fix up as new, sell the product, invest in another used piece of
gear, keep 20% of each sale.. So like I said, I actually needed to sell
the amp not trade it. None the less out the door I headed, but there was
this little voice in the back of my head that said "take that $300 with
you, you never know what else someone might be selling or willing to
sell".. So</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I did.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I
get to the guys apartment, and he's covered in tats w a pompadour and
tells me that he's tired of being in a rockabilly band and is joining a
hard core band so he wants a mesa. I plug in the amp for him, set it up
for humongous crunch and he plays his tele through it and stops, goes:
oh I want this! </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Then he's like; "the
guitar's in that case over there in the corner".. I fully expected to
see some old beat to crap instrument that would take me a yr to restore
but instead there is a 1999 G6120SSU in the case. It was a yr old, and
all that was wrong w it if you can call it wrong, was that the truss
cover wasnt on it, the pkguard was off, and no knobs. He goes "I was
embarassed about the setzer stuff so thats in a bag." I kept my game
face on to show no excitement, but just straightfoward said sure its a
deal. I wanted to pick the guitar up and walk out as fast as I could,
get in the car and high tale it out of OC back home. I knew something
crazy amazing had just occured.</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
So
as I take the case in hand and bid him farewell he goes "Wait a second,
didnt you tell me you led worship w a rock band for a living" and I was
ya, I do.. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
He goes; "well if you give me
your amp, what are you gonna play through?" I said "well, I'll just go
direct to PA clean for a while until I can find some amp to</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
borrow"..so
he goes " dude if you can give me $300, you can have this amp over here
in the other room, I'm not gonna need it and I dont really play it" </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
..and
we go in the other room, its a mint Fender custom shop designed
Vibrolux Reverb amp. My eyes go big as plates, but instantly I said
"wooh this is a brand new amp, you could sell it at the drop of the hat
for double" ..and he's like "hey if you can come up w that money its
yours".. I start fighting back tears because I was already welled up
inside because of this guitar I was holding in my hand and I pull out
this $300 I'd taken w me w a "for some reason man, I felt a leading to
bring exactly $300 with me" ..he's like well, there you go man!!</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I
think am a pretty tough character but man I cried while laughing while
crying while laughing, like a little kid, all the way to the car. All
the way down the freeway, to the front door home because I was convinced
that prayer had been heard, and it custom made for me! </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
It was too perfect, too well orchestrated to be anything less than a miracle and you still cant tell me otherwise. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
I'd
wanted a guitar like Brian Setzer as a kid in high school, I'd grown up
playing rockabilly, taught to me by my father who loved Chet and his
orange guitar. I'd wanted for years an orange Gretsch 6120 that Michael
Pritz from the Violet Burning had.. and I prayed a lame, self centered
prayer that I might find a beater gretsch to work on.. What do I end up
with?</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A 1 yr old Gretsch pro line Brian
Setzer signature model guitar, a G6120SSU for what I had traded, a Mesa
boogie amp I'd only paid</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
$750 f0r. It was almost mint and they were going for a few thousand new ($4K list then?). </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
Also
worth mentioning; the earlier model SSU's had a harder V shaped neck
that I wouldnt be able to play because I was dealing w tennis elbow from
the ovation acoustic I wrestled with for yrs, hated that neck. haha..
BUT the '99 Setzer SSU has a very soft V and thinner profile, super easy
on the hand for thumb over players like myself, like shaking an old
friends hand!! AND I HAD a new amp to boot for $300!.. a $1K mint
Fender Custom Vibrolux!</div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
few yrs later in honor of that occasion, I had a tattoo (not the
greatest lookin, this one haha) put on my wrist w a scripture from the
old testament bible book Isaiah 49:15,16 It was for me as a reminder,
nothing more. </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<img alt="" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" src="https://scontent-sjc2-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/12749900_791013971031631_1307349796_n.jpg" /> </div>
<div data-redactor="1">
<br /></div>
<div data-redactor="1">
A
once in a lifetime happenstance and therefore I am a made, Gretsch man!
I use other guitars I've put together on stage now and then but the 99'
SSU is the workhorse, my answer to a prayer guitar, that started a
frienship later that yr w TvJones, then many yrs further down the road,
inspired me to start the pedal/amp biz for roots rock and actually get
to meet Mr Brian Setzer in person backstage.. its wild! #gretschmafia
thats my gretsch story.</div>
</div>
the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-55540269878385580522015-10-27T16:15:00.001-07:002015-10-28T15:42:48.856-07:00<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey hey! Its been a while since my last post and a lot has occured in that time frame, including theGretschPages.com having a major crash and data loss. One of my favorite websites and the biggest resource for all things Gretsch Guitar!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gretschpages.com/media/img/header/logo2012-small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://gretschpages.com/media/img/header/logo2012-small.png" height="105" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So much info I'd posted about Brian Setzer is gone forever</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">so I feel the need to post today with some "Re-info" on Brian Setzer's tone. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was attempting to explain to a young Setzer fan, who was asking me "What Drive pedal does Brian Setzer use", that as a general rule, Setzer doesnt use pedals on stage and thus my email response to him here:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m trying to share with you that Brian Setzer <u>DOES NOT</u> use a drive pedal. Yes you saw him on the instructional video with a silly little pedal board, but that was the <br />exception to the rule because around that time of the Straycats reign you can research that The Stray Cats<br />had dissolved again and he was doing that solo tour with the albums “Live Nude Guitars” , “The Knife Feels like Justice” . </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At this point in his career he was playing with Telecasters, Rickenbackers and a custom<br />Guild guitar that was going to be a signature model. I own one of his guild guitars (you can see the pic on my<br />Instagram page).<br />So with songs like Radiation Ranch, Burnin on the Cross of love, it was a very 80s sound AND.. he was sitting with Robert Plant of Led Zep, w their band “The Honey Drippers” and he was playing a gibson es-295. So… yes, a pedal board using a tubescreamer, boss chorus, octave and wah pedal were seen with him, and when the Straycats got back together to record one more album (i remember it being “chooo choo hotfish” ooops "Original Cool") he was performing some of his solo tunes with<br />them and he had the pedal board on stage at various gigs.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(“Rockin by myself”</span></span> happened in 93')</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As a side note, he did an album outside of the BSO w a japanese artist on <b>13</b>, and in studio he used a supro with a rat pedal and tubescreamer for a couple of song. Also on Wolfgangs big night out he employed a wah pedal for a tune.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Early in the BSO, there was a dunlop trem on stage but was used more for splitter between dual blonde amp rigs.<br />BUT.. as a general rule when playing live he doesnt use pedals. He doesnt like them.<br /><br />The sound you are hearing is a very specific set-up, I have spent over 15yrs documenting his sound and this is what he uses:<br />a) 1963 Blonde Fender bassman 6G6-B amp w high gain 12ax7a preamp tubes, small bottle 6L6 power tubes. 212 closeback bassman cab loaded with Ipswitch England made Celestion Vintage 30s. (NOS JAN Phillips 6L6WGB or NOS Tungsol 5881)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />B) vintage RE-301 (not the farty bloated sounding 201 model) space echo<br />C) 50-100ft guitar cables (I’ve seen slightly shorter cables than 50' btw)<br />D) Gretsch maple hollowbody w TVjones.com Filtertron pickups (except for the rare use of a 57’ sparkle jet w DeArmond dynasonics)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Now what you need to know about this set up is that The Blonde 6G6-B amplifier has a presence control and a tapped treble control. You’ll notice that the way Setzer places the controls on the amp, he plugs into the normal channel (before the space echo days he plugged into the bass channel and used a boss Dm-2/3 analog delay or Deluxe memory man when on rockpalast straycat tour in europe).<br />Brian sets the treble control right up past 5-6 (bass around 2-4, vol 5-7) and thats where the tapped treble control opens up a bit more gain, and he usually has the presence control above 8-9 which is not an eq control at all but rather is based in the power section and reduces negative feedback as its turned up (a vox AC30 does a similar thing but those brits have it wired backwards and call it “Cut”). So when this control is opened all the way, it lowers the headroom of the amp and makes the amp more dynamically controlled by the attack of the player and it will overdrive when pushed.<br /><br />This is further enhanced by tonal characteristic of an all maple hollowbody with the bright and twangy Filtertrons that are low in impedance but have a rising presence in the upper mids. Together it can be an upper mids hammer when it goes through the RE-301 space echo that is colored in its upper mids EQ character as well.<br /><br />When this specific guitar, and specific preamp (the mechanical tape echo is inconsequential to the inherent tone coloring, except the the effected wet signal/tone of the slapback) punch into the normal channel of the 6G6-B blonde bassman w its higher gain preamp 12ax7a tube, and the amp set as I shared, it increases the saturation of the amps phase inverter and power section. It then<br />feeds out through the Vintage 30 speakers that have an upper mids bump in their sound and you get an overdrive sound in the higher register of the guitar while the low mids and bass stay clean and woody.<br />Worth mentioning, the RE301 is created to be a line level effect for keyboards and PA system insert. So to simply plug into it with a standard 15-18 foot guitar cable and the low impedance guitar pickups, sounds like mud. Strangely when you plug in a 50ft or longer cable there is finally an impedance MATCH and the instrument sounds bright and punchy. Voila, Brian Setzer’s sound.<br /><br />Now, because of this set up with the 6G6-B Blonde bassman.. the player can play clean or dig into the guitar strings and overdrive the amp. Brian Setzer’s sound comes from this rig recipe. its NOT an overdrive box.<br /><br />Yes I make the Brain preamp pedals<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="font-family: serif;"><u> </u></span></span>and what I am doing is providing a circuit that recreates the RE-301s basic preamp in a small box and giving it really good impedance matching, and great noise reduction with high quality audio components compared to the original, so you dont need the long cable. <br />I’ve added a bass cut that allows you to dial down the bass, as the real RE-301 space echo does not have a preamp echo on the input and its a full range preamplifier.<br />You will see a bass and treble knob on an RE-301 space echo but those eq controls are only affecting the “Wet” signal of the reverb, and mechanical tape echo. They are not part of the input preamp that we spoke of earlier. There is a recovery section on the RE-301 with a dB cut boost and I’ve set mine static for best overall performance w a wide variety of amplifiers. Add a good<br />quality echo pedal after my preamp and youve got your own space echo that is more dependable and affordable than a vintage RE-301.<br /><br />So based on your picking dynamic you can move from a travis picking finger style with your thumb (tucking the pick in your palm like Setzer) and get the same gritchy clean sound as when you revert back to the flatpick or nashville claw technique.. Brian Setzer controls his clean to overdrive sound with his pick attack and volume control on the guitar, thats it. Occasionally he will walk over to the space echo and turn the input gain up and change the slapback setting longer, when he does sleepwalk or pulls out the flatblack gretsch for a trio rockabilly set.<br /><br />My Brain preamp pedal will allow you to garner this similar response from your guitar and non master volume tube amp. I do make the Billy Brain which was designed for master volume amps. </span></span><br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am </span></span></u></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>in no way affiliated w Brian Setzer, FMIC products or Roland</u></b>.. I am merely a #1 fan of rig that Setzer uses and I make pedals to help guitarists have a dynamic edge to their own rigs! What I have shared is for information purposes!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">side note: I original made the Brain Seltzer preamp pedal, and I still do, its just now called the Dynobrain. Same pedal with a few updates to make it work w a large variety of amps and pedals. visit www.thenocturnebrain.com for more info</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b><br />You may find Mr Brian Setzer playing without his beloved bassman but he is RARELY found without the space echo or his signature gretsch guitar.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJY3Yjss5GU</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">more info from a buddy on his blog:<br />http://www.gad.net/Blog/2011/06/07/how-to-capture-brian-setzers-tone/</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ps. a nice demo by the amazing Rodney Gene Jr, put a good set of headphones on..dont listen through a stupid phone or lap :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">POST THIS ALL OVER THE EUROPEAN & JAPANESE INTERNET FORUMS!! :) :) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rockabilly Rules!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tavo Vega<br />www.thenocturnebrain.com<br />https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-surrender-at-carters-glen/id408681371<br /><br />ps. I am very open to correction and will edit as necessary.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-53983937088255643882014-12-22T14:07:00.001-08:002014-12-29T00:44:23.146-08:00WE THREE KINGS by Tavo & The Flat Black Thrillers<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBoJBYcMyRQ" width="480"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Download some Christmas cheer, my 5 song EP is avail on both<br />Amazon.com and Itunes. Tavo Vega & the Flat black thrillers "White Nights n Blue Lights"</b></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-87915786789610884832014-11-12T18:30:00.002-08:002015-04-10T01:56:22.598-07:00Part III Ghosts from the past & The MOONSHINE '39 Pre War inspired EH-185 style Guitar Amp!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carrying over from last week's Blog post, I mentioned that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">what also emerged in the middle of my Paul Bigsby - Jim Harvey - Fred Gretsch mash up of guitar building fun, was a new amplifier creation for production in both a 1x12 combo, and a 6"x9"speaker loaded head cab called the Shinebox. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bought</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> a pair of 1939 and 1941
Gibson EH-185 amps that were both apparently barn finds. Well, maybe they were city cellar finds or suburban attic discoveries by whomever ended up selling them to me. They sure didnt bother to do much of anything other than put the amps as found, into a shipping box and sending them to me literally "As Is".</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I always end up with the "AS IS" stuff and spend way too much time and money giving old spirits a new haunting ground so to speak. Although that must be what drives me because I've got a house full of beat up old 50s and 60s furniture, lamps, tiki kitsch, clocks, phones, stereos, tape decks, stoves, indoor bbq's, the list goes on and includes my money pit 54' Buick Century. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sounds silly but when you get this stuff into your hands your head spins with all the "what was and could be again" scenarios.. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I do know though that I sure as heck have never had one of those amazing stories of stumbling upon some cherry piece of guitar equipment that has been sitting in some clean corner, or under a bed, in a condition not far from how it was originally purchased brand new. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Deke Dickerson has that kind of luck, not me. I end up with the bargains that served as tire chocks for farm equipment. Both these amps came from different parts of the country yet they both had assorted bits of animal fur, mice droppings, dried up roach carcasses and HAY in them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was significant work involved to carefully clean them, replace most of the capacitors, stray resistors and a fair amount of wiring. I was not interested in a museum restoration or taking them on tour. If they could survive the local stage I play on weekly with various guitars and speaker cabs for testing purposes, I would have what I needed to</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">begin recreating a new amplifier based on these gibson EH-185 amp heads.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These ancient amps (75 yrs is ancient for an electric guitar amp) have been given new life. Basically ghosts in the corner that live and breath again in this world through 1x15 speaker cabs, 2x12 cabs, 6x9 cabs, even a 1x8 cab.. They are resurrected old relics and I have poked and prodded, blasted them for hrs, performed with them publicly</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and ultimately reproduced my own version of an amp based them in the form of a modern boutique amp called the </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">MOONSHINE '39. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This amp has the voice, dynamics and tonal textures of 75 yr old american made, vintage iron from Kalamazoo, Gibson Octal tube amplifier. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the help of Jer DeLisle and Mercury Magnetics, my Grigsby guitar has got one cool tweed tube amp voice that is far earlier a sound that any tweed amp Fender would put out for at least another 9 years. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its the sound of Charlie Christian's amp, the sound of Junior Barnard's & Eldon Shamblin's amp with the Texas playboys, </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tiny Grimes and Django Reighhardt. There are plenty of others but that sound they got is what I am after in this Moonshine amp.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />While I was able to grab something obscure like the Gibson EH-185 amp head and restore it, it ultimately is something from Gibson's past that they've long since abandoned and unless you are lucky enough to find one of these antique babies to fix up, you'll never get the sound just right.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If it matters to you, like it does to me to play through this type of amp, you will understand why its taken time, passion and investment to make it happen.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You can check out the Nocturne Moonshine '39 combo and amp head on my website for more info. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thenocturnebrain.com/moonshine.htm" target="_blank">www.thenocturnebrain.com</a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">below I'm going to just post in the vids about the amp with the help of players like Matt Codina of <a href="http://www.codinaleather.com/" target="_blank">www.codinaleather.com</a>, Tommy Harkenrider of <a href="http://tommyharkenriderguitar.com/" target="_blank">tommyharkenriderguitar.com</a> and Buddy Dughi of <a href="http://www.thehotrodtrio.com/" target="_blank">www.thehotrodtrio.com </a></span><br />
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* Gibson is a<br />
registered trademark<br />
of the Gibson guitar corp.the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-6363449920054626472014-11-07T14:27:00.001-08:002014-11-07T16:37:55.696-08:00A Rolling stone, Gunpowder Green Tea, and MOONSHINE '39<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll continue where I left off from yesterdays Blog post, especially since I havent posted too much this year. Its long but a worthy read. Grab a cuppa and sit tight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I find inspiration from something or someone, that lifts me out of the bunker I've taken up shelter in too long, it always causes me to want to find where its own genesis culminated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I need to pop the hood, unscrew the back plate, pry open the manhole cover, grab a pick axe and shovel to dig..whatever is needed to get to the base of its existence to better understand what makes this muse I've discovered, tick, as it were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to Momo from <a href="http://themomozone.com/site/?page_id=17">themomozone.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He has taught me that its imperative to Move forward when inspired, to "do something NOW!" because 100% action = 100% reaction, 100% of the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">so.. What do you then begin to work out in your own formations of creativity that characters like these (Deke and TK from the last blog) have inspired, with the skill set you possess? Is it enough for you to just accept their art and put it on a shelf to admire, or</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">do you meditate on it, wade into it all the way up to your nose so that it saturates you and begins to influence your response to things around you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that you have become too comfortable with or have taken for granted?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In my own life I often become a Jack Skelington of sorts from the animated holiday flick "A Nightmare before Christmas" when he stumbles mistakenly into</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the land of Christmas time and it possesses him. He has to tear it all apart to understand it and wants to recreate it in his world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Does this make sense? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's a for example; every morning I get up and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">walk over to the kitchen sink to fill up the tea kettle with filtered water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then I light the stove, let the water heat up to a boil. I take a mug from the cupboard, tear open a packet of organic Numi Gunpowder green tea and drop it in the mug and pour the water fresh off the boil into it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm on auto pilot and yet everytime I have that first mug of tea, I savor it and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">remind myself that I will survive my second year of being coffee free. Its ritual.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then one day I'm off on a business trip up in Truckee and I stumble into some dumb hippie whole foods store to avoid the evil Starbucks for the masses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I find the cafe in the back and order what I know, what I am both familiar with and comforted by. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The ritual.. my Gunpowder organic tea. Except this time and in this new environment the tea has a different company name. More eyebrow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">raising as it is handed to me with two sticks across the top and a strange hammock looking tea "pouch" of sorts and its filled with what looks like, balls of leaves rolled up. I sit at my table, checking my email and glancing back at the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">weirdness in my cup. Its like some sort of vegetational hairball from rabbits, and its starting to expand in this funky tea hammock. I feel confused and am sure</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">these crunchy granola people got my order wrong like some bad episode of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Portlandia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I go back to the counter and tell them, I asked for gunpowder green tea. They smile and begin to inform me that Gunpowder green tea is actually whole leaf tea that is picked from the plant and immediately rolled up into tiny</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">balls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I did not know this, even though every single day of my existence I was already having this very thing. Albeit in a less exotic packaging and the tea balls in the Numi Organic Green Tea must be micro sized.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now I have to go home and read about it, and I want to recreate the same little experience I had up on hippie mountain. Now the morning process of procuring said hot beverage is more involved. I found my "loose leaf" version of Gunpowder green tea in rolled up balls, but it came with toasted rice. Now I have to find out what the hell toasted brown rice is doing in my tea.. I discover its a very traditional thing and my interest in this new process is piqued.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Inspiration has struck within something I was already involved in. the Tea was there, the boiling water, my favorite thin lipped and heavy based mug, all there and known.. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But now there is this new way of doing it, new media and a muse </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">has arrived to spurn my morning ritual into an experience. Plus now I dig this side note in the tea, the toasted brown rice. I want to find out when this started, did the Japanese come up with it first? I love Japanese culture, I love</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">japanese women, I love martial arts and have since I was kid in high school studying Goju-Ryu karate, a mix of Okinawan hard style and the softer Kempo style.... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The rabbit holes start appearing from this simple shift in what I was already doing. Then I wanted to start digging to see whats down in there!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">See where I'm going? :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For me as a singer, songwriting, guitarist kind of musician, with a business on the side making guitar pedals and amplifiers..</span> I <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">was already waving the banner of support to independent craftsmen and trying to keep my own consumerism as american based as possible. I was already passionate about vintage roots rock, hotrods and the atomic era. I was immersed in making products that rockabilly, honky tonk, surf, and tiki culture were heavily influencing in my own hobbies and music craft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I already was very familiar with and constantly listening to music by Deke Dickerson and Big Sandy in my Ipod rotation of shop tunes. I just wasnt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">aware that these very artists; Deke and TK Smith were sharing their own muses in their creation. When I woke up to what these cats did outside of strumming and singin, the lights were turned on and I got tuned up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The obsession and side roads (rabbit holes) led me to create my own guitar build ideas, using the info shared on the Bigsby Files blog, the Paul Bigsby book and TK Smiths blog plus his personal time to help me put some cool guitar hotrodding into effect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see, I've been busy man making stuff. Creating and learning, listening and evolving. Seeking out the musicians to whom PA Bigsby was building for and drinking in those cats music and influences. Paying attention to their recordings and their tone and their attack. I want it in my blood and the transfusions are taking. :) Now I have this mutation in my soul of rockabilly, honky tonk, funk, jazz, punk, bluegrass, western swing, bebop and jump blues pumping through my veins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> TK Smith primed it with his passion for recreating a new vision of PA Bigsby for guitarists now, and his vintage gibson amp collection along with his vids of licks from Charlie Christian, Django, Jimmy Rivers and Junior Barnard have my mind in a whirl of; "what if I take this wood, and that metal, and this body shape, and that neck, and these pickups.. and I take that amp sound and that style of strumming with these strings,etc etc.." A bit insane, border line mad man? No.. rather pure INspire-ation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The the guitar pics I shared above you see a progression. And below you see where I have arrived. With the help of Deke Dickerson and his <a href="http://www.bigsbyfiles.blogspot.com/">bigsbyfiles.blogspot.com </a>he led me to the AMAZING story of a man that had his paradigm shift when he moved to southern california and began to experience the California western swing front, and he was grabbed by PA Bigsby. In this fascinating story archived by Deke Dickerson on his blog Musings of a Muleskinner he shares about the life of one JIM HARVEY and his beautiful instruments. You HAVE to read it, click the link after you finish my blog read and fall in love.. </span></div>
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<a href="http://muleskinner.blogspot.com/2010/11/tough-old-men-and-birdseye-maplethe-jim.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tough old men and birdseye maple- The Jim Harvey Story</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because of this story and Deke bringin my attention to a particular double neck guitar of Jim's</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">my idea of mixing a Bigsby style guitar and vintage Gretsch Roundup (jet) became a realization once I got the ball rolling with one of TK Smiths fantastic Smith guitar necks, his CC II pickups, and a body built by Marc Rutters (www.ruttersguitars.com) from a 54 roundup template. I took my picts of PA Bigsby guitars, Jim Harvey guitars and asked for a flat top version of the gretsch body using birdseye maple cap on sugarpine. The sugarpine has a unique "knocky" semi hollow sound to it that I love. I put it all together with</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a custom Tru-Arc bigsby bridge from another gear shaman; Tim Harmon, and a reconstituted B-7 (Marc helped big time on this, pulled the pins, drilled the bar and milled the bottom of the plate flat) and look what my obsession delivered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like it or not, you are witness to 100% action = 100% reaction, 100% of the time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This guitar is all me because I live for gretsch guitars and love telecasters, more so telecasters that are a bigsby influence. Dare I say TK Smith influence. :) So you have a Gretsch roundup body but its top is flat and bolted to neck like a telecaster, I love bolt on necks. All the controls and bigsby are Gretsch and then this Smith neck is shaped like TK's 47 epiphone like Junior Barnards of the Texas Playboys. The headstock and style all ooze PA Bigsby but are different enough that they are pure TK Smith. The Pickups look and respond like a vintage gibson Charlie Christian pickup down to the big ass steel bottom plate but Paul Bigsby's tone is totally there too. In the next blog I'm going to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">share what also emerged in the middle of the guitar building fun, as I bought</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a pair of 1939 and 41' Gibson EH-185 amps because of TK Smith turning me onto them. It was natural as a guitar electronics company for me to want to bring this ancient amp into new light. a 2 1/2yr journey with that led to the production of the MOONSHINE '39 amplifier. <a href="http://thenocturnebrain.com/moonshine.htm">http://thenocturnebrain.com/moonshine.htm</a> . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can hear a comparison vid between my original Gibson EH-185 amps that I used as the models to build the Nocturne MOONSHINE '39 amp combo and shinebox head. Masterful jump blues / rockabilly guitarist; Tommy Harkenrider of www.tommyharkenriderguitar.com was so cool to demonstrate them with</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">his Grez guitar. At the end of the demo, Tommy picks up my Grigsby guitar and gives it a try through the 6x9" shinebox amp head. More on that later.</span><br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-73258778347845070522014-11-06T20:08:00.001-08:002014-11-07T13:05:51.330-08:00How Deke Dickerson and TK Smith changed my Guitar picking world.<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Several yrs back I stumbled into a Guitar Geek Festival off site of the annual NAMM show I attend every winter, as I was already a fan of </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Deke Dickerson's music </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://dekedickerson.com/shopping/merch3.php" target="_blank"> http://dekedickerson.com/shopping/merch3.php</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and was hoping to catch him live. Walking into the joint, I suddenly realized what I was in for with the collection of odd man out guitars and amps, I was just slack jawed and smitten by the sheer history of it all</span>. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It really was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a guitar geek festival and I drank up every bit of data I could, as my paradigm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of roots rock music shifted once again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was here at this Geek Fest that I discovered another musician that I had admired from the earlier days of the band, Big Sandy, was up to far more than</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">just pickin and grinning after leaving the Fly Rite Trio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">TK Smith had a small Display Placard that caught my attention immediately with</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">its creative inlay on a bakelite back board, card holder. This hit me nostalgic as</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had run a sign and acrylic fabrication shop in the late 80s doing things like this for the medical industry. I was really interested to found out more about his stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(couldnt find an early picture, this display of TK's is more recent pic, Geek Fest picts are courtesy of my friend Dolly </span><cite class="_Rm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the<b>rockabillysocialite</b>.com )</span></cite><br />
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<cite class="_Rm"></cite><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After that show I wish I could say I immediately ran to discover the treasures awaiting me on Deke's blog "Musings of a Muleskinner" </span><a href="http://muleskinner.blogspot.com/"><cite class="_Rm"><b>muleskinner</b>.blogspot.com</cite></a><br />
<cite class="_Rm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">..</span></cite><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">but I was knee deep in my own business building guitar preamps and amps with the Nocturne Brain Co. and at that time,focused primarily on the rockabilly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">aspect head first with gretsch guitar artists. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was a few Geek Fests later that I started falling head over heels with the Bigsby guitars after purchasing the book about Paul A. Bigsby</span><br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51v8YuWcTYL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51v8YuWcTYL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="320" width="252" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">which of course was so delicious a meal, I needed more and I jumped into</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Deke Dickerson's </span><a href="http://bigsbyfiles.blogspot.com/">The Bigsby Files</a> . <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This website is something I just kept reading and studying over and over. It actually has some great rabbit holes, particularly the Jim Harvey stuff but I'll get to that later. For me the story of Paul Bigsby being first a motorcycle mechanic here in my beloved Southern California back when my own folks were children, and meeting up with a favorite western picker and singer, Merle Travis was pure magic to me. Then creating a new tail piece for Merle's guitar, and ultimately making the first solid body electric guitar as well as just being a bonafide industrial artist, seriously impressed me. Not just casually either, I couldnt stop thinking about all the artists that he affected and how I could identify as a guitar gear tinker myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I guess where this goes next is more than coincidence because one day I found myself looking for hairpin legs to attach to an atomic era coffee table I had been building, as well as seeking out a good bullet planter ( I live in 55' post & beam Rancher and am also obsessed with all things Atomic era) searching the inner-nets when I stumbled on some Atomic Living site and found some amazing furniture pictures that turned out to be made by TK Smith as well as fascinating MCM concrete screens and metal work! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">h<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tksmith/4160565184/in/faves-88017382@N00/" target="_blank">ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/tksmith/4160565184/in/faves-88017382@N00/ </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This led of course straight to TK's blog, a brand new rabbit hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I did want to find out about him first and foremost and the one thing that cemented a bromance with his industrial art side was that he is a lifer Buick automotive man like I am. He has a fantastic story on his site about his father's car that is now his by fate.</span><br />
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<a href="http://tksmith.net/2012/04/18/the-miraculous-story-of-my-53-buick/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://tksmith.net/2012/04/18/the-miraculous-story-of-my-53-buick/</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My Grandpa Vega had a buick, My Dad had a buick and when he met my mom, she was stuck on the side of the road with a blown out tire on her BUICK! My dad was on the way to a gig with his band and the rest of that is a story for some other time, but I ended up happening 2yrs later.. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8eaechy5Lw/VFwH7SF0KLI/AAAAAAAAAW0/dzNFj2Ueh_4/s1600/1957Buick%2C%2BTavo%2Band%2BTavo%2BJr.%2Btaken%2Bin%2BMarch%2B1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8eaechy5Lw/VFwH7SF0KLI/AAAAAAAAAW0/dzNFj2Ueh_4/s1600/1957Buick%2C%2BTavo%2Band%2BTavo%2BJr.%2Btaken%2Bin%2BMarch%2B1966.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All to say, TK Smith's story about his family buick history and his own 53' was near and dear to me, along with the fact that my own mama's maiden name is SMITH!! :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I absorbed all the info on his blog about cars, and atomic lamps, atomic ranch house furniture, hand made cabinetry, carve kitchen serving trays, etc.. It was only natural to want to meet this character and buy some of his guitar pickups and a custom pickguard for my own 52' tele that I'd previously installed a Lollar CC in the neck with bigsby B-16 vibrato. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I wasnt prepared to find out that Mr. Smith shares a kindred spirit for keeping things handcrafted in America the old fashioned way, when I drove out to his shop an hr down the freeway towards Palm Desert. I probably scared him when I walked into his shop and started bubbling on and on about all his machinery being vintage american built, but it was so much like the Sign shop I had owned when I was a young guy. I was totally like a kid in a candy store.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Despite my drool, he disassembled my telecaster, cut down the Bigsby and installed a set of his early Bigsby style Aluminum Pickups.</span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/10733881_300939610114380_3333293431812760119_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/10733881_300939610114380_3333293431812760119_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I dont remember why we ended up having to go over to his house during the install, but it involved a final soldering of the pickups into the control plate/pickup selector. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8LUrmZ7TpQ/VFwiTPD6AgI/AAAAAAAAAXE/Cjwl8iwdnJM/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8LUrmZ7TpQ/VFwiTPD6AgI/AAAAAAAAAXE/Cjwl8iwdnJM/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I cant even describe the fanboy wall of joy that over took me with my geeked out obsession for all things Atomic, but this McGiver of a man had completely remodeled a vintage Ranch house and his signature industrial artistry was all over this pad. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dude, I was floored. But this was all
for divine circumstances to set a new course for me in my own journey as
a musician and manufacturer of guitar electronics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">*You can get a quick tour of the Smith Ranch here on the brick house website</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.the-brick-house.com/2010/05/house-visit-2/" target="_blank">http://www.the-brick-house.com/2010/05/house-visit-2/ </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">TK Smith is a purveyor of vintage gibson amplifiers and I'd never seen any before much less actually plug in and play them, but here they were and this guy loves them. </span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GW9SzJ4855s" width="459"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That love is obviously infectious because once I got to fire up a Pre-war Gibson EH-185 with my first "bigsby-ized" telecaster, it was like being a kid again, kissing a girl for the first time in the school bus on the way to 1st grade (another story for another time). I couldnt think of anything else man, and when I latch onto something that is ALL I want to see, breathe, eat, and sleep until I have uncovered everything about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The sound of a bigsby style guitar and that early 40s pre war tweed Class A amplifier had an elusive sound that I had been after for years!! I'm not a great guitar builder and actually at best an over the top guitar assembler, but I've got a penchant for design and a golden ear for guitar tone. I probably live for the "sound" of guitars and amps on recordings more than I do wanting to learn how to play what I hear..but thats what drives me, and Mr Smiths gibson amps made the lights come on to what I'd been scratching my head over to get such a dynamic old school picking response from clean and crisp to fully on reedy woolly overdrive with just your wrist and that pick. That raw sound of Charlie Christian attacking the notes, the twangy barrage Jr Barnard wrestled out of his amp, it was so unique. You would think it would be obvious with the resources on google but it just wasnt on my radar at that time even though I'd been wandering in the general direction of it for decades. Go figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">TK Smith and Deke Dickerson are directly responsible for opening my world to a door to the past that is much farther down the hall from the rooms that I was raised knowing about and experiencing with my fathers rockabilly and my own neo-rockabilly history. Those brothers have given me a hands on lesson of american roots music, art and industry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">oh and I should mention...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On
Amazon.com you need to get a copy of Deke Dickersons " A Strat in the Attic" and sit
down in a nice chair and eat that book up. It is really a great read
front to back, and I am currently awaiting arrival of his new "A Strat
in the attic 2" that just shipped yesterday to me. More unraveling is
expected!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Also on TK Smith (be sure to visit tksmith.net btw)</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently
there have been some insightful articles written about him </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">check these out: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fretboard Journal #32, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here's a snippet from their website:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/magazine/tk-smith">http://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/magazine/tk-smith</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and just out on gearphoria.com another great piece</span><br />
<a href="http://gearphoria.com/e-mag/v3n2/#/34/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://gearphoria.com/e-mag/v3n2/#/34/</span></a><br />
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<cite class="_Rm"></cite><cite class="_Rm"> </cite>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-53890210934673328322014-06-19T14:53:00.000-07:002014-06-19T14:54:39.085-07:00Ever wondered about Brian Setzer's tone? GAD's take on Setzer's tone is quite interesting... What is in his rig, is his amp stock, is<br />
it modified?? well?? click and enjoy<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_173485454"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.gad.net/Blog/2011/06/07/how-to-capture-brian-setzers-tone/">http://www.gad.net/Blog/2011/06/07/how-to-capture-brian-setzers-tone/</a><br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-89859274550025364342013-10-17T21:54:00.001-07:002013-10-17T21:55:11.743-07:00I thought I'd revisit the Brian Setzer "brain seltzer" & "dyno brain" pedals I made for the man himself..<span style="font-size: large;">Had a flashback, thought I'd share it here..</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">some 3yrs back I had a life quaking experience getting to actually meet my guitar hero, Brian Setzer in person. It wasnt some random coincidence or side of the concert hall waving as his limo drove by. Rather I was personally invited to come meet him backstage after his concert in Palm Desert and it was there he handed me his 59' gretsch and said "play somethin". That moment has rocked my mind every day since and I still grin ear to ear thinking about it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Whats even more near and dear to my heart is that he ordered my preamp pedals that I make, and paid for them! He has more Roland RE-301 space echo units than probably anyone on earth yet he decided</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">to give some rockabilly guy sitting in the shop behind his house making pedal box versions of the RE-301 space echo preamps, a bit of joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I felt like the silversmith to the King of Neo Rockabilly getting those two pedals ready for Brian Setzer, I was floating the entire week. I made him two, one was a lime gold Brain Seltzer and the other, totally new at the time a Dyno Brain in silver sparkle..</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I dont know if he ever took them to a gig but he did let me know through a friend that he really liked</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">them and they sounded great. Thats more than enough for me and says much about Mr. Setzer's character. He didnt have to invite me and my wife back stage to hang out with him, or let me hold his</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">59' Gretsch, nor did he have to order a nocturne brain pedal.. but he's more that just a legendary grammy winning rock god, he a regular guy at heart and a fellow guitar freak that loves gear.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was a privilege to create these two pedals for Brian Setzer.</span><br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-41664540669626573652013-08-26T15:46:00.000-07:002013-08-26T15:55:17.526-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zaceI2tYAuk/Uhvbnqv4-yI/AAAAAAAAATk/Y4bCaEqNY6o/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zaceI2tYAuk/Uhvbnqv4-yI/AAAAAAAAATk/Y4bCaEqNY6o/s400/Image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Put together a 9 minute video regarding the new Nocturne BLONDESHELL 63 1x15 combo amp.<br />
You can watch the video, or read the text below! Pick your poison :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fu8KuLdFMeM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I have spent many yrs of research and development to create an amplifier that will play and perform and record (hear it on all the guitars on my album SURRENDER AT CARTERS GLEN, avail on itunes and amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Surrender-At-Carters-Glen/dp/B004FX93OW ) like the old original 1963 Fender Blonde Bassman 6G6-B I have gigged for the last decade and a half, I can thank Brian Setzer with his Stray Cats and Brian Setzer Orchestra for the inspirational love of this amp. <br />
The blondeshell while built of top shell, no compromise components to make a cork sniffer faint, is more about the sum of ALL components to give you an amp that actually responds and performs like a 50 year old Blonde 1963 Fender 6G6-B bassman's normal channel but with good tube spring verb..<br />
That is why this blonde bassman was built. If it cant replace my 50 yr old blonde sweety, there is no reason for it to exist. ...but it does. I've had the sound of a bassman in my soul since the days of riding in the family's buick, as a kid, to pick my pops up from work at the Fullerton Fender Factory and then come home to watch him and my cousin plug their Fender guitars ( my dads Fender Coronado II and my cousins Fender P-bass) into a Fender Bassman amp head and 212 cab.<br />
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If you'd like the sound of Dick Dale rumblin with Brian Setzer and hanging out with Pete Townsend and Duane Eddy..you'll want this amp.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">< I have no affiliation with Fender musical instruments, Dick Dale, Brian Setzer, Duane Eddie or Pete Townsend they are mentioned only for historic and educational research referential purposes></span></b><br />
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<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-40859503008624379172013-05-09T00:03:00.003-07:002013-05-16T08:05:38.634-07:00THE SLEEPER.. 50s tweed flavored overdrive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This Drive pedal, The Sleeper, has been made to afford a nice range of light to medium gain,colored overdrive texture that maintains the guitar's inherent sound. You play it, it doesnt play you. I wanted to keep the high side of the guitar clearly intelligible, the low mids full and its drive character had to be able to clean up to a fair degree when I dialed back the volume on my gretsch, tele or strat..( It does this particularly well if you have a treble bleed cap across your guitars volume pot. )</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The Sleeper Drive has both a "compressed feel" and "uncompressed feel" mode, as I dont think switching in and out clipping diodes merits me calling it a high powered or low powered tweed amp and no one else should use that hype either.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>So, I can honestly say that when its in compressed mode (<span style="font-size: small;">note" there is no discrete compressor circuit involved with this pedal</span></span></span>, I'm merely using the term to describe the gain response/player feel) you are getting a mixed pair of<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Germanium and Silicon clipping diodes working with the unique high powered FET transistor.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Switch it to uncompressed mode and the circuit opens up in a nice, crisp bloom some breakup at higher gain levels. Single notes are juicy and chords break up evenly but with definition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other features include a presence cut switch that smooths out the high treble<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>and is very useful for guitars w bright single coil pickups.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A second stomp switch on the left that defeats the drive knob and functions almost like a lead boost in the uncompressed mode, and more like an upper mids enhancer in the compressed setting if the gain control is set between 7 oclock and 1 oclock<span style="font-size: large;">, good for <span style="font-size: large;">bluesy solos.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This overdrive is a SLEEPER and has some power hiding under the hood, plus has some very nice componentry including Solen Fast caps from france (ooooh bootee<span style="font-size: large;">kery</span>), xicon polystyrene film caps, metal film caps, switchcraft jacks and two really bright green LEDs. This pedal is one of my co-op builds involves 3 different independent craftsmen and the sum of all parts is the key to high quality and the finishing touch to a well built american product. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is available for a limited run of 10 in cola sparkle (more cola than sparkle until direct light hits it) this will also include a crazy freebie,<span style="font-size: large;"> a </span>Luchador bottle opener (colors vary but they are cool) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">introductory price is $SOLD-<span style="font-size: x-large;">out</span></span> </span></span><br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-42489157763282702292013-02-04T14:53:00.000-08:002013-02-04T15:07:27.477-08:00The NOCTURNE BLONDESHELL 63 Blonde Bassman welcomes De Lisle Amps!<br />
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What does the Nocturne Brain pedal and amp company have in common with De Lisle Amplification?? Not much... </h3>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ahm1Z3lGfo/URA2e0si03I/AAAAAAAAAPs/NK3PSEU-fBE/s1600/bs1-800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ahm1Z3lGfo/URA2e0si03I/AAAAAAAAAPs/NK3PSEU-fBE/s400/bs1-800.jpg" width="400" /></a>That is Until early this last summer when I asked De Lisle amps ( you know Jer D. as MUGSY on the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f6b26b;"><u><a href="http://gretschpages.com/" target="_blank">GDP forum</a></u></span> and G-T forums) if he would take over the responsibility of building the chassis for my Blondeshell 63' amps.</h3>
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It actually starting rolling sooner than that when the review of my Blondeshell amp in Premier Guitar magazine didnt turn out like I hoped because there was a problem with the amp that must have occured in shipping that the reviewer wasnt aware of (wish I'd known before hand as the reviewer felt he needed the amp up at 7 and he should have had that same power at 4 on the volume) This led me to ask for the amp to be send immediately over to my friend Jer De Lisle in the neighboring state of Indiana to see what was wrong with the amp. He found that the tubes were out of bias and said she was up to par. I let the guys at Premier know about that situation and then the amp was ready for me to sell to a german customer. This kind of response from Jer De Lisle in helping me solve the problem in the review, made it clear to me that I wanted to co-op with another american builder that is both gracious with his clients, knowledgeable, timely and dependable. I need to insert that my time working with the last chassis builder came to a close because he is a full time IT guy and told me he didnt have the time to meet my needs in this season of his life.. All good, but I want to keep making my design of a hotrod Blonde bassman style amp.<br />The Nocturne Brain company will keep the Blondeshell 63 amp going and will be offering this 6G6-B style blonde amp now in both compact head version and a full size 1x15 combo.<br />If you havent heard about my Blondeshell amplifier, you can get the details at my website at the bottom of the Products page (site link is on the right of the GDP forum under sponsors) or email me through the GDP private message route.<br />The quick and deadly is this amp is based on the Normal channel of a 63 blonde fender bassman but its not a clone rather its built to sound and respond like a 50 yr old blonde amp does.<br />I personally wanted a top of the line amp that would give me ALL the sounds I've grown up hearing on the Stray Cats albums and the more recent Brian Setzer Orchestra, in a nutshell Brian Setzer's Blonde 63 bassman rocking amp tone. The sum of its parts creates its tonal and textural recipe so that it feels and behaves like only a 63 blonde bassman does.<br /> No baloney, just incredible quality parts and intensive american labor to yield an amp to my own gigging needs and to grab a hold of the rock'a hulabilly swingin surf'rod sounds I need from my gretsch and telecaster -ish guitar creations.<br />I'm very proud of this amp I have designed and more so to now co-op with Jer of De Lisle amps to keep the Nocturne Blondeshell amp going.</h3>
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<br />check it out here and see it in action on Buzz Campbell 's Video:<br /><a href="http://thenocturnebrain.com/blonde.htm">http://thenocturnebrain.com/blonde.htm</a></h3>
<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-91358063405339451172012-12-11T21:58:00.003-08:002012-12-11T21:58:55.937-08:00<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExQj2PjXePU/UMgc6YB9TQI/AAAAAAAAAPY/mi-XWAtRHBk/s1600/FEZ+XMAS+KRUNK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExQj2PjXePU/UMgc6YB9TQI/AAAAAAAAAPY/mi-XWAtRHBk/s320/FEZ+XMAS+KRUNK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A
colorful and rich textured Overdrive box based off a Greybox 250 preamp
thats been hot rodded to drive any spring reverb amp or spring tank
harder for more drip, sproing and over all twangy surf guitar intensity
that a guitar alone generally cant afford.<br />
Not really meant for the clean tone purist, unless they are
looking for grindy switchable intensity available at their foot instead
of walking back and moving the Tube Spring controls by hand( besides it
should always be all controls straight up anyway)<br />
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What if you dont have spring reverb in your amp, let alone a
vintage tube spring reverb tankl?? Remember the FEZ pedal still can rock
the socks off a vintage greybox 250 Overdrive with a much greater range
of EQ<br />
control, its still all there if needed for a much better price
compared to online auction prices for original grey box 250 pedals.<br />
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Okay whats on and in this Fez box:<br />
This is based off the vintage Grey box 250 Overdrive Preamp's
basic circuit. Liberties have been taken in adding a switchable low EQ
and gain textures with additional presence cut control.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/faq.htm" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image10','','images/nav2-on_10.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/contact.htm" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image11','','images/nav2-on_11.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://thenocturnebrainseltzer.blogspot.com/" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image9','','images/nav2-on_09.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/artists.htm" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image7','','images/nav2-on_07.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://nocturne.forumotion.ca/" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image8','','images/nav2-on_08.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/video.htm" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image6','','images/nav2-on_06.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/prod.htm" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore()" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('Image5','','images/nav2-on_05.gif',1)" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/default.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/default.htm" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4341836893548410819" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Hi quality components have been brought into this overdrive
preamp circuit like metal film caps, xicon polystyrene fast caps,
tantalum electrolytics. metal film & carbon comp resistors plus
an original Metal Can 741 op-amp. Long life true bypass stomp switch
and dual LED indicator status on a powder coated cast aluminum heavy
duty box with switchcraft jacks and alpha pots.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;">This Holiday run of THE FEZ is
limited to 10 units in GOLDZILLA metal flake. Blinding sparkle gold
flake sprayed over a black enamel base coat. BLING city!<br />
THESE 10 GOLDEN FEZ overdrives<br />
are AVAILABLE TO SHIP OUT WEDNESDAY DEC.19th, NO WAITING, </span>these are ready to go..but when I run out they are gone.<br />
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Become a sworn member to the Order of the FEZ!
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<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">check out a demo of this pedal in action with the Nocturne F-Bomb spring tube reverb tank!</span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/uU0MZ0wKrjQ">http://youtu.be/uU0MZ0wKrjQ</a><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>$175.00 </i></span></b></span>
the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-18344986164036156752012-11-20T23:27:00.001-08:002012-11-20T23:27:43.612-08:00my new Xmas EP is out.. White Nights n Blue lights, a Christmas honky tonk EP<br />
I've got an EP for Christmas I recorded in Nashville with the help of
Geoff Firebaugh from the Hillbilly Casino on Bass, Grant Johnson from
Bobby Bare Sr on pedal steel and Jeremy Michael on kit (Jeremy also co
produced this with me and masterfully engineered it)<br />
This holiday EP is available on Itunes & Amazon.com for
download, or CD here on my blog. The link is on the right. The CD is
$4.99 + $2 shipping.<br />
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I wanted to do Christmas music a little different than my usual rockabilly style, so I<br />
grabbed hold of my inner honky tonk and western soundtrack soul to create<br />
this bit of holiday twang. Naturally I ran my sugarpine rutters tele guitar through a nocturne Atomic<br />
brain preamp as did Grant with his 74' showbud pedal steel . Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you.<br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-60185910845785375692012-10-30T15:09:00.002-07:002012-10-30T15:13:23.540-07:00Happy Rock-tober! new finishes happening this month.Got some new finishes happening here this last week of Rocktober.<br />
(RIGHT CLICK THE PHOTOS FOR A FULL SCREEN LOOKSEE) <br />
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<u><b>the Nocturne Atomic Brain </b></u></h4>
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<b> </b>is now available in Satin Metallic Purple, the Billy Brain is avail in Grape Ape, a deep gloss black with purple pinstripes and contrast purple and orange dual gorilla logo.</div>
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The stang switch has been dropped and now gets employed in the second half of the gain knobs rotation (beyond 2 oclock).</div>
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Coming back to the stable is the <u>NOCTURNE BRAIN CLASSIC</u>, </h4>
this replaces the original BRAIN SELTZER (name has been changed to keep in the good graces of Brian Setzer's record label SURF DOG RECORDS ) in keeping the original EQ but it now has a voltage doubled buffer that is partially borrowed from the Zoom space echo mod (using the FET transistor he suggests only) but brings the input buffer from a standard 9v to a full 18volts for increased<br />
head room and impedance matching.Take my Nocturne Brain Classic and your favorite analog echo pedal and you'll be comping the Setzer picking dynamics just like an original Roland RE-301 space echo's preamp with your favorite rockabilly guitar.<br />
You can even stick this pedal in front of an original<br />
space echo be it the RE-100, the RE-150, the RE-201 or the RE-301 even the RE550.. and<br />
you wont need to use the 50ft guitar cables Setzer has to use to match the guitar impedance to the unit. I've got you covered in this new and improved original<br />
Nocturne Brain Classic! I've even added a treble cut for more sonic control than the original<br />
space echo's preamp ever had. All top quality components in my preamps too boot; long life heavy duty true bypass stomp switch, switchcraft jacks, vishay and xicon metal film resistors, vishay sprague electrolytics and metal film caps, even the opamp is socketed and the circuit board has flying leads to hard wired jacks and pots. no flimsy PCB mounted jacks and crappy pcb mounted pots. This is built like a vintage amplifier should be, down to the double thickness recycled aluminum stomp box forged here in america with a based coat that is powder coated and baked on by an american cycle shop in NY.<br />
I can say proudly, you get what you pay for and I live for making high quality preamp pedals here in southern california!<br />
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Also, I'm finally making a Satin metallic Purple <b>Atomic brain</b>!</h4>
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<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-15248639112367234862012-09-10T21:37:00.000-07:002015-03-26T15:40:40.316-07:00SEPTEMBER SKIES & BRIAN SETZER's SOUND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">It hardly appears to be September here in the Inland part of So Cal, and there are absolutely no hints of Autumn to speak of. The first hint in general for southern californians is usually
at the end of October with evenings finally cooling off with a slight
chill in the early mornings but oh no, not this year.. Its hot and muggy as hell. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Instead of the leaves of the trees turning to their yellow, scarlet, and rusty orange our trees are putting out more robust green foliage and the insects are multiplying instead of hiding. Despite all this it is gonna be officially Autumn very soon and when the kids go back to school I always pull out the very first BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA cd (self titled 1994) and go straight to the best song on the album "SEPTEMBER SKIES".</span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As I listen to its beautiful velvet swing, the old memories and feelings of a lifetime pass through my heart especially when I flip the CD over and see that glorious orange gretsch</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I used to dream of owning. The G6120SSU Brian Setzer Signature model Nashville Gretsch guitar in orange flamed maple with gold hardware.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I remember my heart strings pulling as I'd look at this thing and hear the song September Skies get to the solo part of the song at 2:17. Brian Setzer's tone has always been part of my early high school years rockabilly guitar hero fantasy with the Stray Cats and part unobtainable cool guitar factor with a then out of range Bigsby'd Gretsch hollowbody.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted so bad as a kid in my own band to figure out how he got his sound and I couldnt find it with my fender coronado II and magnatone amp. For me then, I just chalked it up to his fingers and that magic gretsch guitar.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> That mystery remained in the back of mine until I heard Brian Setzer's Big Band on a live local radio morning show ( Kevin and Bean of KROQ). My mind was blown that Setzer had reinvented himself and it was like James Bond met the Stray cats. Obviously I had to have this album and then when I saw the guitar on the back of the CD I had to have that too. Everything Brian Setzer was back on my radar and nothing else mattered in my musician world except to get his guitar, get a blonde 63' bassman and get his TONE! In 98' Dirty Boogie came out and in 99' Gretsch guitars made my very first Brian Setzer Signature guitar!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Thats another story for another time but if you are curious about such details to Brian's gear I helped a friend out by sharing my deviant obsession about his rig here on GAD's Ramblings where he expounds in detail about How To Capture Brian Setzer's Tone and he is kind enough to mention my Nocturne Dynobrain preamp pedal and says this about it <span style="color: cyan;"><i>"This pedal has one purpose: to replicate the preamp from a Roland RE-301
Space Echo. He has done so brilliantly and packaged it up in a dead
sexy stomp-box. This pedal alone adds it (whatever it
is) to a Gretsch plugged into a Blonde Bassman. Even if you leave the
knobs at noon (which I recommend), the Nocturne fattens up the Gretsch
in a way that’s tough to describe. It’s louder, fatter, meaner…
Gretschier. If you want that Sezter tone, but don’t want a giant Space
Echo to deal with, you need this pedal " </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Click here for all the info:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.gad.net/Blog/2011/06/07/how-to-capture-brian-setzers-tone/" target="_blank">http://www.gad.net/Blog/2011/06/07/how-to-capture-brian-setzers-tone/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As final and important note to all this listening of Brian Setzer's September Skies, I was inspired to make this current run of my Nocturne Atomic Brain in Satin Tangerine Metallic with creme pinstripe graphics and vintage blonde bassman style creme blonde. Its available to order now in the dropdown menu to the right of this or directly from our</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://thenocturnebrain.com/atomic.htm" target="_blank">http://thenocturnebrain.com/atomic.htm</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SORJCRh6kmQ/UE-MWDnmpUI/AAAAAAAAAMw/n2z8ju2QATY/s1600/Atomic+Brain+September+skies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SORJCRh6kmQ/UE-MWDnmpUI/AAAAAAAAAMw/n2z8ju2QATY/s400/Atomic+Brain+September+skies.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">here's Brian Setzer in a solo television performance singing September Skies from his BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">album using that beautiful Gretsch</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-26747962433409171942012-08-22T21:28:00.001-07:002012-08-23T17:24:01.556-07:00Duane Eddy's NOCTURNE DYNOBRAIN PREAMP on the Road!Just thought I'd share a close up picture of DUANE EDDY's pedal board, he has incorporated our NOCTURNE DYNOBRAIN PREAMP for his signature gretsch guitar.<br />
I'm wondering if anyone would be interested if I shot 10 pedals in the copper orange sparkle<br />
I did for him.. maybe we could call the color Duane's Brain? I think I'll ask permission :)<br />
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Be sure to check out Duane's killer new album, its the perfect music for driving late night<br />
trips on the highway. "ROAD TRIP" avail on amazon.com<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Road-Trip-Duane-Eddy/dp/B004YDVPDA" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Road-Trip-Duane-Eddy/dp/B004YDVPDA</a><br />
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and his Duane Eddy G6120DE signature Gretsch model guitar can be seen here:<br />
<a href="http://gretschguitars.com/features/duaneeddy" target="_blank">http://gretschguitars.com/features/duaneeddy</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6oi0NeKtx-w/UDWyb0QPInI/AAAAAAAAALU/0L1u7CoyFiM/s1600/Duane+Eddy%27s+Dyno+Brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6oi0NeKtx-w/UDWyb0QPInI/AAAAAAAAALU/0L1u7CoyFiM/s400/Duane+Eddy%27s+Dyno+Brain.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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you can give a listen to Duane running his sig model gretsch through his nocturne dynobrain<br />
here when he played at the Sage Gateshead on his recent tour to England<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JIe9OhP99sk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIe9OhP99sk<br />
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the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-24548075546426382682012-08-04T00:09:00.001-07:002012-08-04T00:09:46.406-07:00This months SURFGUITAR101.com Annual convention hits So cal.. We're proud to participate as a sponsor! <br />
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<a href="http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z432/REVERBDRIP/web%20shots/SG101-5-POSTCARD-FRONT-WEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z432/REVERBDRIP/web%20shots/SG101-5-POSTCARD-FRONT-WEB.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-53619994006966954402012-07-04T11:40:00.000-07:002012-07-04T11:40:26.578-07:00A new run of Atomics are available in Swami Blue metal flake with metallic silver graphics, clear chicken head knobs and grape LED's. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rz4AeDSmXDU/T_SNyME2VgI/AAAAAAAAAKo/w-Te6rKJ3LA/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rz4AeDSmXDU/T_SNyME2VgI/AAAAAAAAAKo/w-Te6rKJ3LA/s400/IMG_2157.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-85554255159298520982012-05-28T16:43:00.005-07:002012-05-28T16:43:56.704-07:00new half size, single stomp version of the<b> <span style="color: cyan;">NOCTURNE NAILHEAD TREM-O-FLOW</span></b> pedal. and NEW PRICE! <b style="color: cyan;">$110</b><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Named after my 54' Buick's 322 Nailhead V-8 engine<br />
this tremelo, with its well known unique transistor circuit has been revamped & optimized for the guitars<br />
I love to play.. Gretsch.<br />
Sounds nice for sure with all the usual suspects but<br />
I built this to bubble and throb nicely with tvjones filtertrons</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Gretsch
and tvjones are mentioned only for demonstration of the guitars I used
in the R&D of my product. I am not affiliated with gretsch, marc
rutters or tvjones)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your
guitar is never lost in the effect and the throb is smooth and even
across all 6 strings. Dig in hard and push the transistors to clip a
little for some grease, back off and chords strums are full with
throbbing vintage bounce. Just like my Buick V-8 Nailhead does when I
fire her up for a drive.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Simple
controls; Speed Knob on the left & Depth knob on the right, "Speed"
stomp switch turn on/off the effect and its LED indicator when on
pulses to the speed of the tremelo. </span></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've also included an <span style="font-size: 16px;">internal Volume/Boost control</span> for unity gain. I set it slightly higher than the<em> TRUE BYPASS</em> signal but a simple adjustment will boost it further (huge volume boost on tap or cut if you like that)<br />
..<em>please allow 18 business days built time</em></span></strong></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-23912862420874950232012-05-24T16:06:00.002-07:002012-05-24T16:06:39.672-07:00NOCTURNE BLONDESHELL 63' in premier guitarNOCTURNE BLONDESHELL 63' finally gets a magazine review. In next months ( JULY ) issue of Premier Guitar magazine http://www.premierguitar.com/Default.aspx<br />
, our amplifier gets a full review. Lets keep our fingers crossed they understand this amp is made for putting our Nocturne Preamp pedals like the DYNOBRAIN /formerly called the BRAIN SELTZER in front of it or an old RE301 space echo or echoplex to get "that" sound. I hope they understand its the normal channel of a blonde bassman with liberties taken to keep it an original design.<br />
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We submitted it to them in our "peroxide blonde" finish along with the new anodized aluminum<br />
chassis.<br />
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<br />the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-24750228499616804292012-03-23T00:03:00.003-07:002012-03-23T00:11:58.050-07:00EL FABULOSO SELTZERADO FUZZ DE LOS MUERTOS... the fuzz of death is here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>Finally an improvement on a nasty cool vintage Fuzz that is well known for</b></span></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>surf meets spaghetti western soundtracks. This is the Silicon metal can version</b></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>that will let you swap in your favorite tone caps and NPN transistors if you</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>think your way is better than mine. I like mine though and I have a limited</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>run of 13 candy apple red with gold metallic pinstripe out now that will</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>include a duet of vintage NOS film caps that really make this fuzz much more versatile</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>than the original. A little less spit but plenty of adjustable snarl.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>PLUS I've added a tone control to allow you to set your texture of fuzz with maximum</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>treble punch or warm dark growl. This is an agressive fuzz, like angry bees with nails</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>and perfect for surf instros with plenty of wet reverb, or desert dry spaghetti western</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>style raunch.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>You know I love my gretsch guitars and I've designed this work</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>exceptionally well with tvjones filtertrons and t-armond, hand in glove!!</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>(I'm not affiliated with Gretsch guitars I just own and play them more than</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>the other guitars)</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>be sure to check soon in our video gallery for demos of this new </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b>fuzz.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This limited run Fuzz pedal includes a free Seltzerado Bandana and 3 nocturne guitar picks for kicks.</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>$159</b></span><br />
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><strong style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
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</strong></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><strong style="color: #666666; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">PLEASE ALLOW 2 WEEKS for shipment at time of placing order</strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">((buy it now in menu above right ))</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">(flat rate priority ship to USA is $15.00..add an additional fee for international express shipping via USPS )</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">this pedal runs on a standard 9v (-)tip power supply ..any standard boss style regulated adaptor will</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">work great. *i like the godlyke power all personally or the onespot by visual sounds*.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">battery clip included.</span></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br />
</b></span></a></div><a href="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_169_1995158531.JPG" width="310" /></a>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-56149080557243776982012-03-10T14:03:00.000-08:002012-03-10T14:03:37.497-08:00small run of Atomics in Surfite Silver flake<span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Surfite Silver sparkle small run of 7 is online now..</strong></span><br />
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</strong></span><br />
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</strong></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-79920710900527906132012-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:002012-01-01T16:10:27.979-08:00new for 2012 THE UBANGI STOMP<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><img _cke_saved_src="images/nocturne_template_26.gif" alt="" src="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/images/nocturne_template_26.gif" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 26px;"><span style="font-size: 36px;">((The UBANGI STOMP)) </span><br />
a<br />
"gritch'stortion" pedal</span><br />
for those who like surf AND turf<br />
with their gretsch'o'billy</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><img _cke_saved_src="products_156_1540959490.jpg" alt="" src="http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products_156_1540959490.jpg" style="height: 640px; width: 478px;" /></strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
This one is simple.. take an early 80s R*t pedal<br />
& tweak its values and components so<br />
when you turn up your old fullerton era<br />
amp or vintage brit plexi, you can<br />
keep the inherent twang and jangle of<br />
your hollowbody gretsch but<br />
harness that grindy tube clip at decent volume.<br />
<br />
I like what this thing does<br />
when the amp is up, the pedal vol is up and its gain is low.<br />
a badass gritschy grind with a *gretsch!<br />
Thats my focus, I'm not<br />
trying to be true to the white label purist.<br />
grindy raunch with jangle makes me happy.<br />
I dont mind sand in my surfwax.<br />
<br />
the Ubangi Stomp has:<br />
<strong>an internal trimmer for controlling gain on the low end,<br />
socketed vintage LM308AH opamp (the cool looking metal can),<br />
and socketed Diodes too, so you can flip em around<br />
for symmetrical or asymmetrical clipping.<br />
Or take them out for a much lower gain, raunchy overdrive.<br />
heck try LEDs too! This makes it fun to me.<br />
Plus I'm using tantalum caps and carbon comp resistors,<br />
as well as good metal film<br />
components in the audio path.</strong><br />
<br />
I'm putting out 10 in army helmet green.<br />
We'll go from there.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 24px;">Introductory price of $149</span>! first ten will have the<br />
nos LM308AH metal can op-amp. If I find more<br />
I'll try to keep from the usual LM308 plastic chip<br />
as long as possible. Does the metal can sound any<br />
better? maybe. sure looks rad.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 26px;">PLEASE ORDER IN THE DROP DOWN MENU!</span></strong></span>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341836893548410819.post-24570984511083058172011-12-21T14:27:00.000-08:002011-12-21T14:27:53.131-08:00last minute shoppin' in BLue Christmas metallic?Just a note about the Blue Xmas.. we ran out of the Blue Xmas 59' impala metallic blue and the manufacturer has now sent out a deeper metallic blue that is really close to our Tiki Nights blue sparkle.. To me this newer "blue Xmas" metallic blue Dynobrain is 67' pontiac GTO Fathom blue.. at least its comes real close.<br />
(all orders placed after 12-11-11 will be in the newer BLUE XMAS..I got 3 avail for anyone<br />
that wants a last minute xmas splurge)<br />
<br />
I'm still working till 3 am trying to get stuff out as fast as I can before christmas, but I<br />
am gonna take the week of christmas slower (at least the day after Xmas off)<br />
<br />
merry Xmas and Happy Chanukah!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C9OQ8LrFl_s/TvJdNz8oaGI/AAAAAAAAAKg/xAkZF8zBbxs/s1600/IMG_8103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C9OQ8LrFl_s/TvJdNz8oaGI/AAAAAAAAAKg/xAkZF8zBbxs/s640/IMG_8103.jpg" width="475" /></a></div>the NOCTURNE Brain Seltzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13740279063533406101noreply@blogger.com0