Here's my guitar room/computer room practice area.
And here's the recording room in the basement. This picture is about a year old. Many changes since then.
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
I live in an apartment, second floor, so I get to use a Micro Cube at a rather low volume in the living room area.
When the economy picks up and I get the courage to buy a house, it must have a basement I can put a wall amp. A whole wall of amp.
I have the opportunity to turn a spare room into my music room. Right now there is only plywood on the floor. Acoustically speaking, would you recommend carpeting or wood laminate flooring for the room (probably with area rugs)? I don't know if it makes a difference but I mostly place acoustic guitar although I pull out my parts caster from time to time.
-- Rob
Pretty much the room in which I am playing and the classical guitar in it with me on it. :note1:
Until the grandkids grow up, and I can move my stuff into the spare bedroom, I have taken over 1/2 of the master bedroom.
My computer sits on top of my old stereo, so I can see it when I play. I rarely sit when I play anymore.
My Epiphone Les Paul Special II and (mex) Fender Strat, and my newest aquisition(sp) a Vox AC4TV10 (4w tube amp, this thing rocks!!!).
My RP500 Digitech Effects Board. Love this thing too!
Most of my loose stuff (picks, tuner, trem arm, cd player speaker, etc.) packed perfectly into a cigar box.
Where am I going....and why am I in this hand basket?
Woah, you have got a home studio right there. Amazing.
For the first time in years, maybe for the first time ever, I have all my music toys in one place, powered up and ready to use. The practice space is the result of decades of yard sales, thrift-shop expeditions, trades, and other low-cost acquisitions. As Neil Young once said, it's all cheaper than it looks. Even so, it's all good gear, and a blessing to have the whole kit all together and capable of working as one unit.
The big picture:
The bass in the background is a Kramer DMZ4001, and it's my main instrument, although the guitar stuff takes up most of the room:
On the wall, from left: Kalamazoo KG-2, modified for series/parallel/phase (and featuring a neck pickup with the best electric guitar sound in the world); Yamaha FG-331; Spectrum AIL275; A-style mandolin by the late Ed Fink, a hobbyist who lived in Garnett, Kansas. Center foreground: Line 6 Pod 2.0 (the only thing I bought new -- "B-stock" direct from Line 6, way cheap, back when I worked in the business). You can see the pegheads of a Charvel CHS-3 and a Takamine G-335 12-string.
The mixing desk:
Mixer is an ancient Yamaha EM-80 four-channel PA head. Near-field speakers are junk Sonys, and the cans are junk Radio Shack headphones. Spare slides, capos, tuning forks, harmonicas and picks are all over the place. No recorder at the moment, sadly. Pedals, straps, cables and gig bag are stashed under the desk:
Pedals, all either "old" or "vintage," waiting for a pedalboard. That's a DeArmond 1602 volume pedal to the right. To the left, MXR analog delay, In-Line Effects Extra Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phaser, Crazy Face fuzz (Fuzz Face clone), MXR Distortion Plus, Thomas Organ/Vox Cry-Baby, Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer, and power strip with some extra lighting for stage.
To the left of the desk:
The rack stuff adds a whole different sonic palette. From top, DOD R-870 flanger/doubler, Tapco 4400 stereo spring reverb (real springs! great unit!), Yamaha SPX-90. Below are Alesis SR-16 and Yamaha TR-707 drum machines.
In the amp corner:
Top is a '50s National 1x12 -- two channels, no tone control, 6V6s and volume that goes to 11. Below, a '60s National Studio 10 -- single channel, no tone control, 6V6s into an eight-inch Jensen speaker. Both are vaguely Champ-like, although looser & grimier in tone. Basically they are one-trick ponies -- but their tricks are awesome. Each needs new caps.
Stashed here and there: a Casiotone keyboard, a cabinet full of small percussion instruments, a drawer full of cheap end-blown flutes and ocarinas, a couple of eight-bit MIDI boxes, a Ross 10-band stereo EQ, and a nice Yamaha PF-80 electric piano.
If I had another 10 lifetimes to live, I would never master all this stuff. But I intend to give it a shot.
"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa
Crow, that's a neat couple of amps you got there in the amp corner. I bet some nice tone come from them.
I have one of those newer Turbo Tube Screamer pedals as well. I kind of leave mine in one spot all the time. 1st channel. Boring 'ol Roy here. Do you have any favorite settings, or do you just fiddle with whatever you needed and want at the time?
sparky1ma, been that route. Used to have the home office in the bedroom. Nice to have it in another room now. Hopefully, it stays that way. <knocks on wood>
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Crow, very nice pictures! :shock:
And the bass amp? Do you use the POD and the speakers?
Crow, that's a neat couple of amps you got there in the amp corner. I bet some nice tone come from them.
Thanks, Roy. Yes, they are both tone-a-licious! The Kalamazoo neck pickup into the tweed National's "microphone" channel is heaven. The smaller amp I think is limited by the tiny speaker -- would love to tap it into a nice 1x12 or 2x12 cab some time.
I have one of those newer Turbo Tube Screamer pedals as well. I kind of leave mine in one spot all the time. 1st channel. Boring 'ol Roy here. Do you have any favorite settings, or do you just fiddle with whatever you needed and want at the time?
The "turbo" setting is the only effect I will use on electric bass guitar. Otherwise I'm boring, too. The plain old "screamer" setting on six-string is all I need or want.
Crow, very nice pictures! :shock:
Thank you! Those were 15-second time exposures with camera on a tripod.
And the bass amp? Do you use the POD and the speakers?
I'm using the Pod on one of the "black panel" settings, generally into headphones. I could use a good stageworthy bass amp, but that's not likely in the near future.
"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa
After many months of on and off again work, I have finally converted my old woodworking area in my practice area. I wish I had taken a "before" picture as it has changed quite a bit. Now I have no excuse for practicing more.
-- Rob
rr191,
I love your guitar display cases. I believe I am going to rethink my display set-up... Excellent idea to keep them dust free and beautifully displayed. I see the cases are also lighted - a neat idea! :D
After looking at all the gear you guys have, I feel so inadequate... :oops:
I may get the nerve up to post mine someday...
Now folks, that is some SERIOUS guitar space. I expecially love the armless comfy chairs. Got some frinds over for a nice jam? No probs. Prop a squat anywhere along the ledge. Then the displays.....over the top nice. Top notch, everything!
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
I got the display cases because I use to keep the guitars in their cases in a closet so they were safely put away. The cases bring all of my stuff out in the open so I play them more often and they're still protected and easily humidified in the winter. The chair were selected specifically without arms to make playing easier. The top of the leather ottoman comes off so I can store cables and music books in there.
As far as spending a lot of money, the red Gibson/Les Paul clone on the wall was found in the garbage. I took it home, cleaned it up and it worked fine. The only thing missing on it was a spring for the tremolo arm.
-- Rob
Haha my practice area is crowded. My 120 Crate is sitting up against the wall with the stompbox and multi effects pedals and cables on top of the treadmill beside my bed. The guitar is sitting on a stand pretty much right against my gun cabinet as for picks wherever they may roam where I lay my hand is where I find a pick.
