guitar speaker / was Re: Tube challenge!

[CCartCat at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/23/99 12:32:19 PM, you wrote:

<<   From: Martin Czech <martin.czech at intermetall.de>
   Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 13:50:13 +0100 (MET)

   No , seriously, I like the sound of heavy overdriven amps and
   speakers, the problem is I can't play that loud in my appartment...

   I guess such an overdriven speaker does more than one can do with a
   linear filter, the amp simulations in my Peavey FXII are quite
   good, but far away from the real thing.

Well, it's a combination of things. 
  The various stages of tube-style distortions.
  The special characteristics of guitar amp tone controls.
  The unusual frequncy response of the speaker and cabinet.
  Acoustic feedback.

Each one of these is a completely interesting topic for a technical
discussion.  

The last one is a real problem though, you'd need to put a transducer
on the instrument or use one of those, I forget the brand, guitars
with the driven pickup.  

  -- Don>>

The Sustainer, on Fernandes guitars?  Played such a guitar briefly in a local 
store.  Works OK, but even the E-Bow is a bit of a challenge for my garage 
sensibilities.  May need a more subtle player to use well.  Sustainer also 
has switch to select what harmonics to accentuate/sustain (something like 
fundamental or 5th).

FWIW:  As I recall hearing from one far more technically minded than myself,  
part of the Marshall amp sound is the very saturated output transformer.  
Everything in the signal path makes some difference . . 
 
Further OT (but relevant to any Synth DIYers not satisfied with always going 
direct/not able to crank amps to their heart's content):  Folks say smaller 
amps (when recorded) can actually sound large.  Along those lines, putting 
small (and even tiny) amps in interesting and/or correspondingly small 
acoustic spaces can yield interesting results.  Such amps certainly crank out 
at lower volumes than a big combo or stack.  Your voltage may vary.

:-)
Kevin