CONTEST Headphone Practice Amp 🎸

CONTEST
Tube amp -> reactive dummy load -> CAB M+ -> interface is my go-to at home recording setup. Hands down the best recorded tone I've ever had, and I still get the benefit of having the tube amp react to my pedals the same way it always has but without having to blow my eardrums out or futz with micropones.
This is the way. It totally changed my playing happiness, every amp is a practice amp and every tube can be hit as hard as you want.
 
Good morning/evening/night to all of you! Have you been practicing? I’ve been thinking 🤔 about that term “practice amp”. What if I’m not “practicing”? What if I am performing unto myself? Yeah, I think I’ll use that line in a group of strangers. :ROFLMAO:

I’ve read some groovy setups above. The tried-and-true takeaway is that the right setup is always your setup. Until it isn’t. :oops: So, @grabo99 wins a $150 Sweetwater gift card towards of for something to jam with. :D

I’ve learned a lot through this contest. Thank you all for sharing your setups and upcoming projects! Lots of directions to explore.

Now go build something, because I said so! :ROFLMAO:

K3UWAYB.png
 
The best I’ve found for super low volume practicing is the Marshall MS-2.

If you do the external cab modification you actually lose the headphone capability but if you install a Master Volume, you can insert the speaker cable all the way and get ridiculously overdriven/crunchy sounds at whisper quiet volumes.
Yeah, I love the MV on my BJR…volume buried, just a smidge on the master and instant overdrive. It’s low-level groove.

I’m also a sucker for a split-bridge tone @ 0 vol max through a drive pedal. It can produce a headache after awhile though.
 
Good morning/evening/night to all of you! Have you been practicing? I’ve been thinking 🤔 about that term “practice amp”. What if I’m not “practicing”? What if I am performing unto myself? Yeah, I think I’ll use that line in a group of strangers. :ROFLMAO:

I’ve read some groovy setups above. The tried-and-true takeaway is that the right setup is always your setup. Until it isn’t. :oops: So, @grabo99 wins a $150 Sweetwater gift card towards of for something to jam with. :D

I’ve learned a lot through this contest. Thank you all for sharing your setups and upcoming projects! Lots of directions to explore.

Now go build something, because I said so! :ROFLMAO:

K3UWAYB.png


You have made my entire year! I can't believe this! Thank you so much
 
"hi Fig"

Don't know how I missed this. I guess I've been irregular lately.


I really like my Roland Bass Cube... has a headphone jack, takes batteries (got it for a strolling minstrel gig), and can be plugged in to a wall-wart. It's now my solder-station test-amp. The onboard effects are starting to go a little wonkey (mind of their own), and I still activate the boom-chick drummy riddim masheen du temps en temps.

What I want to build for myself, for my solder-station amp, is a 1590A SuperFly tube-amp with a custom cab housing a 4" Phil Jones Bass driver. I'd settle for a 4" driver from a Roland Bass Cube, but I'm hoping to not cannibalise my own Micro Bass Cube.

Anyway, my plan is antithesis to this contest... Cheers Fig, for another contest! and...


congrats @grabo99 !



Anybody have a spare PJB 4" (or 5") driver?
 
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Softii>unicab>ggg headphone amp.

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Not a build report as I'm not 100% done but knowing it's 99% functionally complete it may stay just like this. It's only missing a battery snap inside but I'm not that motivated as that'll only be necessary if I want to shed while camping.

I was going to put a donkey pegacorn on it but I kind of like this look. I might file notches on the pot shafts and call it good.

Love the unicab, like the softii, indifferent toward the headphone amp. The unicab greatly improves the experience of practicing with a headphone amp. The softii isn't my favorite bass dirt but I like it enough. I knew I wouldn't use it on my live rig so this was a good use for it and set clean it actually nudges things in a more "real" place. It does introduce a little noise but it's no bother. The stoner switch is fun too. Does it sound like a big ol ampeg fridge? Hell no. Is it awesome? Yep.

You have to keep the volume down a bit on the softii and/or unicab or the headphone amp farts terribly when you dig.

Edit - further use has found that my cheapo sennheiser headphones were the culprit in much of the flatulence. This pjb set works quite well. My little living room woodshed situation is sounding good. I haven't found any guitar toanz worth mentioning but i haven't spent a ton of time there. Best was playing a son of ben into the unicab but meh.

Other thoughts, a friend gave me that rubberneck recently. I like it more than I wanted to. I was happy with my hydra and daydream but I think the rubberneck is going to take the hydra's spot. That's a first for me, replacing diy with dod, that is. As this is hidden behind my couch, please excuse the toy/book bin stuffed with a blanket that I'm using as a table.
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And because I'm sure somebody will ask, sidescroller>boomboom>lowtide>rubberneck> lowballer>hpa(softii>unicab>ggg hp amp)
 
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