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

Keep ’Em Comin’
I sent an e-mail question to your new writer, Heiko Hoepfinger, about a different wiring from his latest article [“Cheap andEasy 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

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 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

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.

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.

Another cause of being out of phase is the result of an additional gain stage in one of the amps. For example, each time a signal goes through one gain stage in a 12AX7 preamp tube, the output signal becomes 180 degrees out of phase from the signal that went into the 12AX7. If one amp uses three gain stages, while the other amp uses four, the signals will be out of phase (generally speaking). This problem becomes readily apparent if you use an amp that has more than one channel and you switch channels. For example, when using the 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 Pittbull 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

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