Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 943 Location: Terra Firma, Ether Sea
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:06 am Post subject: ( }:-D SPRING TIDBITS..........
Things are beginning to stir in the Robben camp:
Robben, as a trio with Hilary Jones and Roscoe Beck, will play two dates in Norway next weekend... Friday the 15th at the Lillehammer Blues Festival and then a show in Oslo the next evening at the Rock Bottom Club, Saturday the 16th.
(For further details, please see my "Norway Details...." post in the Robben Discussion/That's Unfair! thread.)
Upon return, Robben plans to finish out April at a studio in the Valley cutting additional tracks for the 'retrospective CD' project, still under work with Robben's Concord label. Robben is still selecting the musicians he'd like to use.
I first heard it as a rumor whilst out on the road and thought it untrue, until Robben and I went out to the factory in the Valley to get his TC-2290 repaired after it's accident during the Gregg Allman & Friends tour.
Brian, the TC-2290 Guru there, confirmed that after alllll these many years, they had finally discontinued production of the TC-2290 unit and that they had barely 100 units left, if Robben was interested in buying a backup unit.
Robben enthusiasticlly expressed interest and was informed that they couldn't sell them directly out of the factory. However, he could have one special ordered thru a commercial store. By the time Robben got his order in, about 3 weeks later, he was told there were about forty units left at the factory. Upon actually receiving his new TC a few days later, he was told that the factory only had about 10 left.
I'm sure they're all gone by now!
Apparently Robben grabbed a new one just in the nick of time... **Whew!**
This now means he finally has two complete 'Official' Robben-Ford-rigs:
2 Dumble Overdrive Specials, each with, or in, Dumble cabinets,
2 Dumbleator F/X loops,
2 TC-2290 Units, each with control pedal.
Also, Robben told me over the phone the other night that he bought himself another Les Paul, this one a gold top '57 reissue. I haven't actually seen it yet, but Robben says he very likely will be taking it to Norway with him. At this time, I'd imagine that it will proabably be his ever trusty, ever faithful, Tele' which travels with me.
And, as for speakers, the current primary ones continue to be Eminence... either Tonkers, or one of two specially-design experimental samples that Robben is currently testing. _________________ B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: ( }:-D SPRING TIDBITS..........
Daved wrote:
Robben, as a trio with Hilary Jones and Roscoe Beck, will play two dates in Norway next weekend... Friday the 15th at the Lillehammer Blues Festival and then a show in Oslo the next evening at the Rock Bottom Club, Saturday the 16th.
So, out of Robben's "cache" of touring partners, those must the two that had their taxes done.
Gee, there were three 2290's on e-bay the other week when I was thinking about actually picking one up. All around $1200. Guess the going rate just shot up. So, buy a 2290, or fill up the car, which will it be. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Posts: 243 Location: Rochester, MI
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 4:40 pm Post subject:
WOW, do I feel lucky. I've been wanting a TC 2290 for 15 years and always put it off (recall my thread asking Daved if they were really worth it). Earlier this year I finally decided to get one. I researched it on line and found that a few dealers who had avertised them didn't have any in stock. One told me that after NAMM, the price was going to go way up. I decdied to make a move. Rik's Music sold me a brand new one for $1570 (great people to deal with on-line). When I got one, I noticed the new TC brochure did not show the 2290, so I thought something was up.
Man oh man, am I ever happy that I got mine when I did. By the way, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THING. It's worth every penny.
It's a Digital Delay & Effects Processor. There is one currently on ebay 2 days left current bid is $935.00.
Hi guys, hope you don't mind a female chimmin in. I heard Robben jam at a little place in Austin called Joes Generic Bar. It's gone now, but I have the best memory of Robben and Rosce playing there last summer. Three hours of straight jamming. One of the best I've heard in a long time...... oh so naturally I'm drawn to this forum.
tc electronics new products from the Frankfurt Musik Messe
The the left is their new distorsion pedal. Yes tc is back into pedals. According to a tc spokesman, this is sounding like a VOX with a switchable top boost circuit. I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival on the market. The big pedal is the G-System. Best described as a combination of a g-force, a switching system, a looping system, a pedal power supply unit, a MIDI pedal controller and few neat extras. Very promising. Both units expected to hit the market during the summer."
The new overdrive pedal from TC Electronic is named the "VDP1 Vintage Pre Drive Pedal." Here's a quote from their web site:
"The new VPD1 Vintage Pre Drive Pedal from TC Electronic was specifically designed to complement the G-System, featuring classic tube amp dynamics and a special boost section for additional overdrive. "
Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 142 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:13 am Post subject:
wow.
I know this is gradually getting off-topic but that g-system looks like a good bit of gear. Maybe it's just me, but if it's got a cab sim in it, it's my holy grail. Seriously. I've spent the last 12 months or so gradually aquiring a few bits and pieces for a new, compact, direct-to-pa system based around my old valve preamp... and now TC do it all in one hit! It really looks like a very well thought out unit.
Will probably have to wait though, so I'll think I'll live with what I've got for a while. My wife has just purchased a Nexo speaker/amp system to replace her ageing Bose PA system so the GAS budget for the year (and probably the next few years) has been used up!
Chris _________________ because I rock, and that's important.
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 916 Location: Fairhope, AL
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:12 am Post subject: Robben's rig
Daved, this question may have already been asked. If it has please excuse me for asking again. I didn't find it when I searched for it. Does Robben use a power conditioner in his gear?
Frank
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:22 pm Post subject:
Wait ... wait ...
A few posts back. bettervue. "Hope you don't mind a female chimin in." Marked as a very first post.
So first, bettervue: WELCOME! To one of finer BBS's around. Hope for lots more great posts from you.
And second (and this is going to sound like the lyrics to that old Anglican hymn), here on the Robben Ford BBS there is no old or young, no east or west (you can sure tell that when the posts flood in from Germany, France, Spain, etc., while us US'ers are sound asleep), no novice or pro, no vintage Les Paul or three-week-old Squire, no tube or solid state, and ... no male and female. Just great music and Robben Ford fans who love getting together over the internet.
As for the TC 2290's: Gee, wish I'd known that. Just spent about that amount on some new blinds in the living room. Heck, we coulda' just taped tin foil up in the windows for a few more years.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 12:04 am Post subject: Re: variac
frank0936 wrote:
Thanks Pierre. I seem to remember something about that, now that you mention it. I wonder how that differs from a Furman type power conditioner.
Frank
Most "Furman" type conditioners just have metal oxide varistors to limit voltage spikers and some sort of passive filtering (inductor coils and capacitors) to reduce line noise.
The Variac is an actual transformer that completely isolates the load (amp that's plugged into it) from the power line. An isolation transformer would accomplish the same thing, but a variac also lets Daved dial in a specific output voltage regardless of low or high voltages coming out of the wall. He mentioned in an earlier post what voltage Robben likes his amp to have.
Unfortunately, the variac doesn't compensate for changes in line voltage. If the wall socket is putting out 125VAC when Daved sets up the amp before the show, and then goes somewhere else during the show, Daved would have to measure the output and readjust the variac to get back to Robben's preferred supply voltage for the Dumble. I think Daved has mentioned monitoring this occasionally during a show.
Furman does make a $600 or so gadget that uses something called a multi-tap autotransformer. This will automatically switch between several different transformer ratios in an attempt to keep the output voltage constant. Unfortunately, these suffer from switching artifacts although Furman and other manufactuers endeavor to keep them to a minimum. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 916 Location: Fairhope, AL
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:55 am Post subject: Variac
Thank you. That explains it quite nicely. I do remember some the variac post, but I didn't know how that differed from the typical "power conditioner" that we see for sale all the time in places like The Friend. I have one particular venue that always gives me trouble with dirty power, and am considering a power conditioner purchase. I was going to ask Daved his opinion of them.
Thanks again,
Frank
Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Posts: 243 Location: Rochester, MI
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 9:06 am Post subject:
BlueRunner:
I know it's important to block out those damaging UV rays so that your living room furniture won't fade, there's now way you can set your living room blinds to 116 (ms) with a touch of modulation and get that KILLER sound!!! It's all about priorities!!
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