LETTERS
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UPRIGHT CITIZEN
Wow! Esperanza Spalding on the
cover of Premier Guitar. That
Esperanza Spalding is one bad-to-the-bone, jazz bass-playing, singing chick!
Definitely up there in her own right
with people like Walter Becker or Joe
Satriani, for whom pedalboards are
being given away.
—”Geddy Lee Israel”
via Facebook
you more money in the long
run for a bad show than if you
pick up a few trinkets to travel
with. Thanks for the advice ...
great article.
—TJ Nugent in Nashville
via premierguitar.com
Keep ’Em Comin’
I sent an e-mail question to your
new writer, Heiko Hoepfinger,
about a different wiring from
his latest article [“Cheap and
Easy Bass Mods,” May 2012].
Not only did he respond
within 12 hours (note the time
difference between Texas and
Germany), his reply was exactly
what I needed! This guy is great,
don’t let him get away.
Happy Subscriber,
—Daryl Reid
Arlington, TX
Sonic Advice
I’ve just finished reading Paul
“TFO” Allen’s article on “Tone
Stacking With Two Amps” [May
2012]. I’ve used two amps on
stage for years and have a couple
of comments to add regarding
phasing, a subject that wasn’t
covered in the article.
clean channels in both amps
the output sounds fine—no
phase cancellation—but if you
switch to a gain channel in one
amp while leaving the other as
it was, phase cancellation can
occur due to an extra gain stage
being added. I’ve encountered
this while using two VHT Pitt-bull amps. They are matching
amps, but when I switch one
amp from the clean channel
to the gain channel, I suddenly lose bottom end and the
low-string notes go hollow and
almost disappear. This is due
to one more gain stage being
added and the signal output being switched 180 degrees from
the other amp.
Paul “TFO” Allen does a
wonderful job as does everyone
else at Premier Guitar. I enjoy
reading all the articles and just
wanted to give some additional
input on using two amps.
—Tim Kniskern
North East, Maryland
Different Strokes,
Different Folks
Two issues into my subscription, I wanted to write and let
you know how pleased I am
to have found your magazine.
After a long search, it’s nice to
have a magazine that realizes
not all guitar players are shredders or bedroom technicians.
Your emphasis on songwriting,
recording, and performing is
refreshing and most useful.
Your May issue was filled with
great information presented in
an engaging style. I particularly
enjoyed “When Is a Song Finished?” by John Bohlinger (Last
Call), “Session Dos and Don’ts”
by Rich Tozzoli (On Track), and
“ 10 Tips for Summer Gigging,”
also by Mr. Bohlinger. Keep up
the great work—I look forward
to being a long-time subscriber.
—Doug Osborne-Coy
Roadside Assistance
Dear John,
Thanks for writing “ 10 Tips
for Summer Gigging” [May
2012]. It’s packed with years of
experience and simplifies some
of the harder lessons learned.
Having that small spare amp is
incredibly important. You don’t
always have the room to travel
with two amps, but the way
you do it makes perfect sense. I
had an old Deluxe go out one
night many years ago, and I
didn’t have a spare. That pretty
much screwed up the night. I
ended up plugging an overdrive
pedal into a direct box, which
sounded awful. It finished the
night, but not the way it could
have. I did a gig where a very
nice PA was not working. The
techs had just rewired a few
racks and the “B” team was
doing the show. We used this
little 40-watt, solid-state amp
with a couple of monitors to
rehearse with and just so happened to bring it by accident.
We ended up turning the two
monitors around and powering
them with the cheap 40-watt
amp, and made the night work
with very low stage volume.
Having a few tricks in your
back pocket can save your
night. Nothing feels worse
than screwing up a gig due
to equipment failure when
you’re not prepared. It looks
unprofessional and can cost
If speakers or amps are
out of phase, low frequencies
get canceled and the sound
becomes hollow without
solid low-end bass. This can be
caused by a couple of things,
the simplest being that the
speakers in the two amps are
out of phase with each other.
This problem is remedied easily
by reversing the polarity to the
speaker in one amp.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your letter. Phasing
problems are certainly an issue
that can be encountered when
using two amps. That’s a whole
other article in itself! Technical
monsters that prey on our gear
are lurking at every corner, just
waiting to leap out and hum,
phase cancel, and zap. The sonic
superheroes that comprise PG’s
staff are always hard at work
fighting these threats to our
sound, so all the guitarists of the
world can live in a safer tonal
zip code.
Thanks for your readership!
Paul “TFO” Allen
keep those
comments coming!
Please send your suggestions, gripes, comments,
and good words directly to
info@premierguitar.com.
24 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
premierguitar.com
