Did you miss me?

I've been a busy guy.  I'm hitting the circuit again to bring you guys the deals to make you squeel!
Here's a list of things that I've found in the Austin, TX pawn world since my last post:

1. Epiphone Les Paul for cheap
2. Epiphone Dot pretty cheap
3. Line 6 UX1 for 60 bucks
4. FMR Really Nice Compressor for 80 bucks
5. Epiphone Valve Junior for 60 bucks
6. Sony PD100A for 65 bucks
7. 2 Yamaha Studio Monitors HS50M for 80 bucks
8. Optoma PK301 pico projector for 100 bucks
9. Sony HDR-CX160 for 100 bucks
10. Sure SM7B for 100 bucks(San Antonio find)
11. Blue Core 200 mic for 60 bucks

I'll be back soon with some recent good finds.  Off the top of my head, I can tell you that there are a couple of Fender Bassman amps at Cash America on South Lamar, a Bassman 100 and a rough looking Marshall JCM 2000 ( I think) at Cash America on Burnet and Anderson lane, an ugly Yellow Marshall JCM2000 Dual Super Lead at Braker and I35,   I can't think of anything else.  I'll have pics and more info the next time I post.  Thanks for reading.

Mustang Pawn on S. Congress Today!

Wowee!  A 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom.  The ticket price is $3800, but they said make an offer.  I need more money.  Click on my ads, please!

 Here is a Fender Showman Amp that they are willing to go as low as $750.  On the right day, they may go lower.  It's not in terrible shape.  They also have this Super 112 for $449 or best offer.  You can't see it, but right the amp to the right is a Hot Rod DeVille for $650.

My friend from another band asked me to clone the Sadowsky.  My first thought was, "what's a Sadowsky?"

No schematics on the internet made it a little more complicated.  Then, all the gut shots of the circuit board had a black paint covering all the parts.  After about a days worth of research, there were enough clues to put together a copy.

I used Fry's parts to put together a prototype, but the transistors that I found there were a little too hot for my perfectionist tastes.  I ordered a more ideal FET from Mammoth Electronics and when they got here I plugged them in and it made all the difference.


The Sadowsky lacked one thing that my friend wanted...a mid control.  He had once owned a Sadowsky and he felt like he needed it in there.  It wasn't hard to include, and I have to say, it's nice to not be forced into maxed out mid levels.  He also didn't need the DI part, which would have upped the price tag for the build.

While he enjoyed the use of my prototype, I went to work on a layout.  Pretty simple circuit, pretty simple board.  I can fit 3 on a 3x5 clad board.

 I went with Superman colors for the box and knobs.  I've always liked the look of the old squeeze labels, so I slapped them on and there it is.  My very own Ramonsky!  You can't see it in the pic, but the LED is green. 

I tried this one out myself when I went to bias my other friend's tube amp today.  Very nice.  With the bass and treb all the way down, it is pretty much a flat eq with the mids controlling the level.  Maybe a little more bottom than flat, but close.  The bass is cut/boost at 40hz, and the treb is cut/boost at 4Khz, just like the Sadowsky and Aguilar. 
I guess if I wanted to start off exactly like the others, my mid control would have to stay maxed out all the time.  When I get my bass guitar back, I'll record some sound clips. 

I can't afford the Sadowsky or Aguilar, but I can afford to build one.  That is also why I frequent the pawn shops.  I am proud of mine, but not as proud as they are, apparently.  They did however, inspire me, so here is a plug:
https://secure.sadowsky.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=62&osCsid=3b4a38c1a6fd19e7c577b170f38af0ad

Custom PCBs!

This is the board from my Sadowsky clone(mine has a mid control).  I can clone the preamp Bassman Blackface, Blonde, or Brownface with this same board and different components. 

Fender Concert II Tube Amp

$179 at Cash America on Lamar just south of 183.  There is one on ebay right now for $949 buy it now price +$99 for shipping in the US. Ouch!  1x12 60 watts, great shape with the footswitch.  Tell them the Austin  Pawn Scum sent you in to look at this amp!

I snapped a pic of the price tag in the corner.  It says Kustom?  It was the only tag on it and there were no Kustoms around.

The amp that saved Fender in the 80s.  Designed by Paul Rivera.  I checked out the schematics and the tone stack is pretty standard for Fender, identical to the Bassman.    Here is a demo.  It speaks for itself.

Pawn Hopping for craigslisters!

I went out today on a mission.  Studio monitors for my buddy Doug.  We found a couple of pairs, but nothing worth mentioning.  I did remember seeing craigslist wtb ads recently and seeing the MicroKorg up at Mustang Pawn on 7th got the ball rolling for me to look for other gear from craigslist.  The MicroKorg was being sold for $349.

Next, I remembered the wtb for a Bogner Line 6 Spider Valve.  Today I saw two.  The first was at the Cash America on 183 near Duval.  It was priced at $450.  Here's a pic for the guy looking for it.  It was in great shape.
The second pic is from the EZPawn on 7th.  There were a few other amps and a couple of mixers.





Other mentionable finds: A Gibson Flying V at the Pawn shop on 183 and Lake Creek Pkwy.  An 8 channel firepod at EZPawn on Airport and Oak Springs Drive near 12th st.  It was down to $185.

Need Mics?

The second stop on my route today was the Action Pawn on Ben White and Clawson. 

They had 2 SM57s for $69.95, various AKGs, and 2 Sure vocal mics at $109.  There were other condensers and some drum mics too.  Someone was looking for a small modeling combo and I happened to come across a Vox AD30VT.  It was going for only $199.  I found it on ebay for $299, but a google shopping search brought up prices of $249-299.   I recommend watching some review/demos on youtube.  They actually sound really good.  Here's the description from MusiciansFriend.

The Vox Valvetronix AD30VT 30W Guitar Combo sounds big for its size. And you get great onboard amp models and effects. Vox's patented Valve Reactor technology provides genuine tube tone with the stability of solid-state sound. A 12AX7 tube and low-wattage tube power circuit are combined with digital models of 11 classic amps plus 11 high-end effects for an amazingly versatile practice and small gig amp that sounds fabulous. 2 user-programmable channels and preset mode let you switch your whole setup on the fly. Knob-based interface provides easy editing. Headphone line out.

 I guess if you're looking for a modeling amp that sounds bigger than it is, this would be perfect.  Before I sign off, I would like to mention the selection of BC Rich guitars.  They had at least three.  That is all for now.
A.P.S.

Vox and Boss

My girlfriend was at the Victory Medical Center getting checked out, so I took a drive down Ben White.  First stop was the Cash America on 1st.  The Usual Suspects:  Peavey, Squire, and Ephiphones.  They had a pretty good looking Fender Hot Rod DeVille for $539.  That's a whopping $400 bucks off of new from musiciansfriend and unlike craigslist, you get a 30 day guarantee. Go and get it!
In the glass case they had a few clearance items.  A Vox Tone Lab SE for $299 with all the bells and whistles, a BOSS DR70 drum machine for $69, and a BOSS Micro BR recorder going at 159.99.

This thing was $750 new about 5 years ago.  It's loaded with features and you can even plug your own pedals directly into it.  $300 is pretty much what people have paid for it used.

Paging Dr. Rhythm!   Here's a pic of the 70 dollar drum machine. I found it online for $402.  Here are some of the highlights:

	Top-of-the-line BOSS compact rhythm machine with amazing sound quality, new patterns and powerful sound shaping controls
	Includes 400 Preset patterns and 400 User patterns ranging from Rock, Pop, Fusion, Jazz, Latin, Dance, World and Standard
	255 high-quality drum and percussion sounds including 52 different kicks and 67 different snare and crossstick sounds
	64 Preset drum kits and 64 User-programmable kits
	Built-in effects include five types of Reverb, two types of Flange and 2-band EQ control
	Start/Stop and assignable Pedal switch allows Forward, Rewind, Kick Drum triggering and more from optional pedals using "Y" cable
	Direct Pattern Play mode allows instant pattern playback by pressing a drum pad (up to 16 pads/patterns total)
	10,000-pattern memory onboard—never run out of memory My final find at this Cash America is this Micro BR.  New at $200, here for $159, maybe cheaper if you haggle. The world's smallest guitar recording studio.   The Boss MICRO BR is the ultimate palmtop guitar companion and recording studio. Only slightly larger than an iPod, it offers four simultaneous playback tracks plus 32 virtual tracks, as well as MP3 compatibility, effects, rhythm patterns, a tuner, USB port, microphone, an SD card slot, and more. Only 5-3/8"W x 3-3/16"H x 7/8"D, it gives you over a dozen front panel controls. The included 128MB SD card allows over an hour of mono recording.
	That's all from this store. I'm having formatting problems with this, so I'll just start a new blog for the Action Pawn.  A.P.S.

Lookout for stolen gear!

RED ALERT!  RED ALERT!  

Criminals are out there and they have a plethora of musicians to sell stolen gear to.  Here's a rule that my bands never break:  Never leave the gear alone.  Criminals often use lookouts, and so should we.  Any friend of the band that wants to help out can do it.  Sometimes friends want to help with the load in or out, but it's always more helpful to just watch the gear while we move it.  Another good tip is to get all your model/serial numbers in order and email them to yourself. 

Back in the days of the original Redrum Club on 6th street, I had half of my wireless unit taken from the back room.  A year later, I found the transmitter in an EZ Pawn and had to buy it back.  I knew it was mine because it was missing the transmitter that I was still in possession of.

I'll be on the lookout with my trusty digital camera.  Some of these items are pretty unique so be on the lookout and if you see anything from the following list, comment or email me and I'll get the information to the right people.  Thanks.

A.P.S.

- yamaha pss-680 keyboard 
blue paisley suitcase containing: 
- small blue circuit bent toy keyboard, one knob, one switch, translucent blue body, runs on double a's, improvised duck tape battery cover 
- small white circuit bent toy keyboard, made by yamaha, 3 buttons, 2 knobs, powered by double a's 
- cigar box drone synthesizer; a cigar box that says "punch" all over it and has 7 knobs and 2 switches on the top side 
- small organge tomy circuit bent toy synth, very 70s looking, has 3 knobs attached that are not original, double a powered 
- electro harmonix memory man with hazarai looping pedal 

black felted gig case containing: 
- yamaha mt100II four track recorder 
- sennheiser hd280 pro headphones 
- various power and instrument cables

My Mama told me...you better shop around...on 7th Street.

I had never ventured there before today.  I had some time to kill, so I hit the EZ Pawn first.  I quickly spotted this TC Helicon vocal processor.  Sweet!  I almost hate to post it here, but I have a duty to my readers.  Here's what Guitar Center has to say:

The VoiceTone Create XT from TC Helicon is a hit-producer-in-a-pedal. Now you can get those "ear candy" vocal effects that producers call on every day to create hit tracks. VoiceTone Create XT vocal effect processor improves on the original Create by incorporating HardTune (used by artists such as T-Pain and Kanye West) and the rich, front-of-house quality reverb from its famous big brother, VoiceLive 2. The TC Helicon Create XT vocal processor is now easier to use with individual on/off buttons for the effects blocks, more onboard editing, an input for an optional Switch3 footswitch if you prefer a vocal effects pedal, and much more!
Yes it got 5 stars based on 9 reviews.  It sounds like a deal at $80 off of a new one, but wait, it's been there for a while so it's actually getting even cheaper.

Next, I put together a Hartke HA200 head for $99 and this 410 cabinet that's going for $167.  Not bad for a decent bass rig.   I have actually heard this exact setup in a band situation and it sounded really good.  The head is missing two of the knobs, but those are easily replaceable.

If you like BC Rich guitars, look at this shop. 
They had a few.

Next in line was the Mustang Pawn.  I have to say, it is run by some pretty cool vatos.  They had a pretty good collection of practice amps and off brand guitars.  One thing that peaked my interest was a Music Man 212 Sixty Five combo amp.  Here's a pic.

I poked around and found the foot switch tucked in back.  It controls the vibrato and reverb.  Back in the 70's, these sold new for around $650.  I didn't see a price tag on this and was headed up to the counter to get a price and got distracted by 3 Les Pauls and some other stuff.  Anyway, I'll call and get the price later.

I stopped in at a Cash American next but there wasn't a lot.  They had an vintage looking acoustic guitar by Epiphone for $250.  Something about it looked really cool and vintage.  The inlays looked different than any Gibson or Epiphone that I've seen.  Kinda like a rectangle with rounded corners.  I didn't get a picture of it.

A.P.S.

SuperMod

I know this isn't pawn related but it is vintage gear.  Here is the Mod for a Super Bass to Super Lead guitar amp.  Resistor A from 56K to 33K.  Cap1 from a .022uF to a .0022uF.  Cap 2 from 250pF to 470pF.  Caps 3 & 4 from .1uF to .022uF.  This is a Tom Mitchell mod.
If you want more details, let me know and I'll send you the page from the book.  I also have  his mods for tube to solid state rectifier, tube conversions, master volume for a four input Marshall(like the Super Bass), bias monitor, adding effects loop, Hot rodding a Marshall Master Lead.

Please click the Follow link at the top of the page.  It makes it all worth it.  Thanx.

A.P.S.

Happy Halloween! What's up with all the Peaveys?

I had a couple of hours to kill today, so I ran over to the Cash Pawn on Cameron Rd.  Slim pickings there but I did find a gently used 2x12 Flextone cab by Line 6.  It had the removable casters too!  20 bucks down for layaway.  It has the stereo inputs and rated at either 80 watts at 8 ohms or 160 at 4 ohms.  Most of the other gear there was way over priced for a pawn shop.  They had a few Danelectro Fabtone plastic pedals for 17 dollars each.
 From there I headed down Cameron to an EZ Pawn where there was even less of a selection.   The only thing that caught my eye was an Epiphone WildKat semi-hollow with a bigsby for about $400.  That's about a hundred bucks off of new.
On the way home, I hit a Cash America next to Target on 183 and Ohlen.  They had a bass like my OLP shark for $105.  It was in really good shape and about 40 bucks cheaper than a used one at Guitar Center.  Again, I found a hybrid 2x12 Peavey combo amp.  This one was the Heritage model, no foot switch.  I just looked for it on ebay and some guy is asking for a buy it now price of $600.  He must be really proud of that little amp.  This one is missing a couple of knobs and is going for $199.  Here's the HarmonyCentral link.  Solid state pre and 4 tubes in the power amp section.  This one also has the weird phaser addition.

 Why are there always Peavey Amps in the Pawn Shop?  I'm guessing that it is a requirement to remain open or it's something like the Chinese cat with one paw in the air(for good luck).  Oh, you have a pawn shop?  Got any Peaveys?  That's what I'm talkin' bout.
I have an appreciation for Peaveys.  They're affordable, made in the USA, and are easy to get your hands on.  I used a Triumph 120 as my number 1 until my girlfriend killed it.  I had to use an OD pedal, but if that's what it takes to get a usable sound, I'm all about it.  I ain't making the big bucks yet.
If any of you readers are looking for something specific, leave a comment and become a follower.  I'll let you know if I see it.
A.P.S.

10/29 Thor?

I came across a Gibson Thor 2x10 combo bass amp at the Action Pawn at I35 and Hwy 79 in Round Rock.  I thought, what a deal at $139.99 for a piece of Gibson Amp history.  Since they didn't make too many amps to begin with, I thought it might be worth a little more.  It is in really good condition, but it turned out not to be the tube model, so for someone looking for an old tube bass amp to play guitar through, this ain't it.  I checked the reviews at HarmonyCentral and most people liked it after a few speaker replacements or using a preamp.  The price is pretty right on the money.  If it had been the tube model, I would have snatched it.
 Right next door, at a newer shop, I found a Peavey VT Classic 2x12 all tube combo for just $240.  The guy said that he would make me a deal, but I just bought a Carvin X100B from the Cash America in Burnet Rd and Anderson Lane, so I was't biting.  Now, back to the Peavey.  HarmonyCentral prices run above $300.  One guy paid $450 in a pawn shop, ouch.  Anyway, it's a 50 watt solid state preamp with a tube power amp section.  It has a built in phaser for some reason, but if I had it, I would probably use an external preamp or overdrive through the effects loop.
I just set up my account to upload pics from my cell phone, so my updates will include more features soon.  Thanks for reading.  If you find any good deals that people should know about, leave a response.  Thanks.
-APS