MR

Hey gang,

I am making an appeal for some help. It requires a tad of preamble, but I'll be swift.

A little known fact about me is that in my free time, I build guitar amps. Mostly for fun...I've sold a few. But for the most part, I build em because they're alot of fun to build. Anyway, in the past few months, there's been some local interest for me to make some amps for some local guitarists. So I've decided to give it a go. Currently, I'm in the middle of designing a prototype of an amp to offer for sale. But I've hit a huge stumbling block.

What to *call* the amp?!!?

See...if the amp is successful, subsequent amp designs should tie in with previous designs....i.e. asserting a brand! So to that end, I've decided to stick with a fantasy theme that I really enjoy....Piracy!

So these amps will need to be named after either pirates, pirate phrases, terms, etc. (without overtly violating tradmark) And this is where I am creatively stuck. So I'd love to hear your opinions and perhaps even get you to vote. Here's the choices I have so far:

ScallyWag
Wicked Wench - In Pirates of the Carribean lore, Wicked Wench was the name of the Black Pearl prior to Jack Sparrow captaining the ship.
Bilge Rat
Buccaneer
Cutlass
The Tortuga



P.S. For anyone that is going to suggest "the black pearl" That would clearly violate both Disney and Genz Benz trademark (an amp company with an amp called the black pearl)



Regardless....any help you guys can offer, would be very appreciated!


Thanks,
Frank

strangegrey wrote:Hey gang,

I am making an appeal for some help. It requires a tad of preamble, but I'll be swift.

A little known fact about me is that in my free time, I build guitar amps. Mostly for fun...I've sold a few. But for the most part, I build em because they're alot of fun to build. Anyway, in the past few months, there's been some local interest for me to make some amps for some local guitarists. So I've decided to give it a go. Currently, I'm in the middle of designing a prototype of an amp to offer for sale. But I've hit a huge stumbling block.

What to *call* the amp?!!?

See...if the amp is successful, subsequent amp designs should tie in with previous designs....i.e. asserting a brand! So to that end, I've decided to stick with a fantasy theme that I really enjoy....Piracy!

So these amps will need to be named after either pirates, pirate phrases, terms, etc. (without overtly violating tradmark) And this is where I am creatively stuck. So I'd love to hear your opinions and perhaps even get you to vote. Here's the choices I have so far:

ScallyWag
Wicked Wench - In Pirates of the Carribean lore, Wicked Wench was the name of the Black Pearl prior to Jack Sparrow captaining the ship.
Bilge Rat
Buccaneer
Cutlass
The Tortuga

Before I make a decision, what kind of sound are you going for? Here are my thoughts:

To me, a name like Buccaneer would be great for a Texas-style mid-gain amp in the vein of a Mesa Lone Star. A Cutlass would be like a Fender Hot Rod - cutting and clean. A Wicked Wench would be a ball crushing, high gain, dark sound. A ScallyWag would be a twangy amp. A Tortuga doesn't evoke any sound to my head right away...

how about the LEACH!

Ehwmatt wrote:Before I make a decision, what kind of sound are you going for? Here are my thoughts:

To me, a name like Buccaneer would be great for a Texas-style mid-gain amp in the vein of a Mesa Lone Star. A Cutlass would be like a Fender Hot Rod - cutting and clean. A Wicked Wench would be a ball crushing, high gain, dark sound. A ScallyWag would be a twangy amp. A Tortuga doesn't evoke any sound to my head right away...

Matt,

Great Question....but I'm not sure I want to reveal that just yet (I'll PM ya)...I would rather hear some suggestions without giving too much away and clouding the suggestions that I will hopefully get...

-F

Whatever you do see if you can put a direct out or direct recording feature on that thing - I miss recording my tube amp and I just can't do it here in this apartment, especially not after they got pissed for my drunken jams a few weeks ago

Ehwmatt wrote:Whatever you do see if you can put a direct out or direct recording feature on that thing - I miss recording my tube amp and I just can't do it here in this apartment, especially not after they got pissed for my drunken jams a few weeks ago

and a "Standby"...

Why does it have to have a catchy name at all?

Marshall isn't a catchy name. Pyle, same thing. Behringer - boring. Fender, Crate, Pyramid - all the same thing. A basic name.

Call it something simple like Octave, or Decibel.

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:Whatever you do see if you can put a direct out or direct recording feature on that thing - I miss recording my tube amp and I just can't do it here in this apartment, especially not after they got pissed for my drunken jams a few weeks ago

and a "Standby"...

The amp will have a standby. As for a direct recording out...the problem there, is that most tube amps require a speaker load, even if you want to record direct. I could put a dummy load into this amp to soak up the juice leaving the OT...but it's almost not worth it....because of the fact that I'm using power scaling on the amp. There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

StocktontoMalone wrote:Why does it have to have a catchy name at all?

Marshall isn't a catchy name. Pyle, same thing. Behringer - boring. Fender, Crate, Pyramid - all the same thing. A basic name.

Call it something simple like Octave, or Decibel.

Marshalls actually have different names for their amps. Their most recent release is called the Haze. Fender's got boring names, but names none-the-less.

However, the fact here is that Marshall and Fender are recognizable names....so the name of the individual product is less important. If you are familiar with the less brand name amps out there, they are all 'named'....it's a necessary aspect of differentiating your offering from the others out there....

http://www.pirateglossary.com/


later~

Here's a few in case you tell me to go pound sand....lol

Corsair
Galleon
Gangplank
Lanyard
Mutiny
Privateer

AuralScurvy

Strangegrey.

Jana wrote:Strangegrey.

LOL. I'm not so sure that fits the theme...

strangegrey wrote:

Jana wrote:Strangegrey.

LOL. I'm not so sure that fits the theme...

How about The Crypt Keeper?

Channel 1: Decrepit - Light gain/clean

Channel 2: Mummified - Medium Gain/Rock Rhythm

Channel 3: Necrophiliac - Death Metal-Thrash

strangegrey wrote:

Jana wrote:Strangegrey.

LOL. I'm not so sure that fits the theme...

im with her.. put your last name on it or Franklin Vintage.. it has a ring..

slap a $1000 price tag on it .. or $900 cash...

The Benenator!!!

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

The Riff(wom)bat

Andrew wrote:The Riff(wom)bat

that is not bad.. the Riff Bat..

OR ... the Hamilton!

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

Are you thinking of an attenuator or power soak? I've never tried one.

Fenders are INCREDIBLY loud. I love em but they just aren't for bedroom players. My Mesa gets decent preamp saturation so it at least sounds passable at low volumes. The lead channel is also compressed enough to give me sustain without blowing my eardrums... still way better cranked though! The rhythm channel is basically a Hot Rodded Hot Rod , gets really crunchy as you turn the gain up.

Ehwmatt wrote:

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

Are you thinking of an attenuator or power soak? I've never tried one.

Fenders are INCREDIBLY loud. I love em but they just aren't for bedroom players. My Mesa gets decent preamp saturation so it at least sounds passable at low volumes. The lead channel is also compressed enough to give me sustain without blowing my eardrums

YES .. thats what its called.. its a line in and out.. but very hard to use..

my problem is that i like a 70's crunch sound that isnt metallica distorted.. hard to get that ..

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

Are you thinking of an attenuator or power soak? I've never tried one.

Fenders are INCREDIBLY loud. I love em but they just aren't for bedroom players. My Mesa gets decent preamp saturation so it at least sounds passable at low volumes. The lead channel is also compressed enough to give me sustain without blowing my eardrums

YES .. thats what its called.. its a line in and out.. but very hard to use..

my problem is that i like a 70's crunch sound that isnt metallica distorted.. hard to get that ..

Yep... pretty much gotta bite the bullet and crank it.

larryfromnextdoor wrote:
i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

Sure it is. It's called Power Scaling.

The main idea behind it is to limit the plate voltage of the power tubes from the normal acceptable plate voltage of the tubes. When you drop the plate voltage, you are reducing the output to the output transformer.

The net effect is that the output is limited, but at the same time, you get an added benefit in that you get more output tube distortion. Back in the day, EVH did this by using a voltage adjustor called a variac...and he limited the incoming AC into the amp from 120 down to about 105-110. That lowered input voltage cascaded through the power transformer, resulting in a lower plate voltage to the tubes...etc...Granted, at a 100watts, slightly limiting the voltage resulted in a slightly more overdriven tone at a volume that still took paint off the walls...

But done more scientifically, these days, you can scale an amp from full power down to about 1-3 watts...

granted, a 1-3 watt amp is still damn loud...but it's the difference between rattling the walls and pissing off the wife and children....to just feeling the hair on your legs move a little.


But regardless, it's proven technology. There are a handful of amps out there that employ power scaling of one variety or another. The egnator Rebel has an 1-18watt knob. So does the Suhr Badger.....

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

Are you thinking of an attenuator or power soak? I've never tried one.

Fenders are INCREDIBLY loud. I love em but they just aren't for bedroom players. My Mesa gets decent preamp saturation so it at least sounds passable at low volumes. The lead channel is also compressed enough to give me sustain without blowing my eardrums

YES .. thats what its called.. its a line in and out.. but very hard to use..

my problem is that i like a 70's crunch sound that isnt metallica distorted.. hard to get that ..

Larry, did you buy one of those power knobs that you get on ebay?...the kind that sits in your effects loop? If so, that will do nothing to your tone, as all it does will be to limit drive into the Phase Inverter circuit. The Fender Hot Rod series is also biased in such a way, that you're going to get mostly clean throughout the volume knob.

I would look into some of the pedals out there (and not the boss stuff) more like the fulltone OCD or the Fulldrive II Mosfet....both two great pedals....even if Mike Fuller is a plagairistic bitch ass who's stolen most of his designs!

strangegrey wrote:

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:

larryfromnextdoor wrote:

strangegrey wrote: There'll be a knob that can adust the amps output from 18-20 watts down to about 2 watts. The idea is that you can adjust the amp from gig volume down to bedroom volume, and still get a 'cranked' sound.

i just dont think this is possible .. if you can do this ill buy your first one..

ive been playing with a fender hot rod 40 watt.. 1 is not loud enough and 3 is the same as 10..too loud..

i bought a gizmo ( has a funny name ,cant remember it ) to make everything one volume.. its

too dificult to use with a lead pedal ..

Are you thinking of an attenuator or power soak? I've never tried one.

Fenders are INCREDIBLY loud. I love em but they just aren't for bedroom players. My Mesa gets decent preamp saturation so it at least sounds passable at low volumes. The lead channel is also compressed enough to give me sustain without blowing my eardrums

YES .. thats what its called.. its a line in and out.. but very hard to use..

my problem is that i like a 70's crunch sound that isnt metallica distorted.. hard to get that ..

Larry, did you buy one of those power knobs that you get on ebay?...the kind that sits in your effects loop? If so, that will do nothing to your tone, as all it does will be to limit drive into the Phase Inverter circuit. The Fender Hot Rod series is also biased in such a way, that you're going to get mostly clean throughout the volume knob.

I would look into some of the pedals out there (and not the boss stuff) more like the fulltone OCD or the Fulldrive II Mosfet....both two great pedals....even if Mike Fuller is a plagairistic bitch ass who's stolen most of his designs!

FullDrive II is an AMAZING pedal, I can only imagine how good it would be on a Fender... I'll bet you'd get a Frankie Sullivan-ish tone through that kinda rig, especially with a Strat or low output humbucker guitar