Scratch the Scrambler

filed under:stompbox

I was going to order all the stuff to build an Ampeg Scrambler this week (Did I mention I'm on vacation?), but as I was digging around in my box-o-crap I found the printed circuit board for a Tube Screamer clone that I got for free this past Summer. I'd forgotten all about it so I was pretty surprised when I found it.

The TS808 is a cool overdrive that a bunch of guitar players like because it sounds pretty warm and organic. The original is very sought after with Ebay prices hovering around $500.

I plan on getting most of the components at a local electronics store called A-Tex, which my son describes as "The Most Boring Place on the Planet". They have almost everything including the metal enclosure box, except the knobs I like (knobs = personality) and the 3PDT Carling footswitch. I'll prolly order the footswitch from Aron over at DIYstompboxes.com since it'll help keep his excellent website going.

Of course my plans depend on how many "honey dos" I get and how many of them I can put off until the week after my vacation.

Finally, some people are tackling the big problem with our society!

filed under:WTF

Take that APPLE!

[/sarcasm]

Welcome to SugarMegs...

filed under:music

Where live music lives.

About a bazillion live music files for your listening pleasure. Most of the shows seem to be jam bands including what looks to be every show the Grateful Dead ever played. There are a couple of punk files but you have to look hard. The only bad thing is that they're all WMAs.

If you poke around you can find the actual files the streams point to.

How do you convert WMAs to mp3s anyway?

Because I don't feel like writing a real post, you get to see what Lost character I am.

filed under:crap

Take the quiz: "Which LOST character are you?"

Charlie
You are Charlie You are an ex-rocker trying to kick a drug habit. While on the island you have met a very nice girl Claire.

My next project.

filed under:stompbox


This little beauty is the Ampeg Scrambler. It adds overtones to a distorted signal to produce a sound that has been described as "doom". Ampeg only made about 2,500 so if you can find one in good condition for sale expect to pay upward of $600. Ampeg started making them again for only $249... still a little more than I can afford.

Enter tonepad.com. They have the printed circuit board for sale for only $14. So for about $30 in parts I can add the Scrambler's doomy goodness to my setup.

On the band front, I may have found a writing partner/singer at work. I almost don't want to say anything because I might jinx it.

*crosses fingers*

mine

filed under:emmys

This just in: the media exagerates!

filed under:media


"If Michelle Kosinski's canoe had sprung a leak on NBC's 'Today' show Friday, she didn't have much to worry about."

I've seen stuff almost this bad, but this one wins.

A couple of gig photos.

filed under:life

My son played a show with his band last Saturday night. It was an all ages show and they had a pretty good turn-out.




This was taken before the show. They don't get tarted up, they just wear their regular shit.









Here a couple of girls jumped on stage and started dancing as Josh started a guitar solo.

I'm sure you didn't see this coming... Pt. II

filed under:ipod

Fucking Apple and their damn sexy designs have me drooling over their video iPod.

The idea of watching stuff on a tiny iPod screen was a crappy idea as far as I was concerned. How obvious, make the screen larger.

Bastards.

I HATE TEH APPEL!!!

Finally, something practical from Lego.

filed under:cool

This guy has made a large format camera made from Lego™ building blocks! And it works! And I can't stop using exclamation marks!

Usually I'd call them "Legos" but evidently that pisses them off.

This got nominated?!?!??!?!?

filed under:emmys

When I got nominated for an Emmy for a news promo I edited I really couldn't remember what the promo looked like or anything else about the thing.

So last week I went looking for it and was kind of let down. The promo was one that was just thrown together. If I remember corretly the producer was shooting footage while I was editing and I was merely wallpapering the spot to get it done by deadline. Not one of my better efforts at all.

The thing that gets me is that I have done much better work, spots that in mind deserve recognition. But those spots didn't get submitted by the station.

So here it is, the spot that is getting all the hoop and hollar at work.

I just wish that something like this promo had been sent in instead.

BTW, movies are dial-up hostile.