Hello from the home of THE St. Louis Cardinals!

[Crate50watt]

Hello everyone, my name is Ryan. I am an electrician and have been for over a decade. Day to day I do home and small commercial building wiring, but I've always had an interest in electronics. Even during electrical school we kind of touched on electronics components and theory, but only a little.

I am 31 so by time I was old enough to appreciate an electronic piece of audio equipment, everything had already been solid state for thirty years. My first time taking apart a solid state amplifier was overwhelming, to say the least. The schematics for that stuff is just too much for me to look at, so I decided point to point was what I should focus on.

After about ten years of playing guitar (all solid state amplifiers/effects) I had a chance to play a buddy of mine's 5150 and the rest is history. I sold my crate 120 watt head and 4x10 cabinet within a week. I searched craigslist high and low for an affordable tube amp (preferably one that was in need of repair) and after a couple weeks came accross a blonde Crate v50 212 combo for $300. The guy said in the ad that it "didnt work". I just assumed the guy was an idiot or it had a blown fuse etc... $300 for a couple 12" celestion speakers and a beautiful palomino cabinet is worth $300 to me, so I told him to meet up. When we met he said it wouldn't even make any sound before he left his house, so he said he would drop the price to $150! I shit my pants, gave the man the money and drove home as fast as I could. Plugged the amp it turned it right on, plugged my input cable in and it worked! Apparently the input jack was just a tad loose and his cord wasnt making good connection so he thought the amp was bad! WOOPS! (He said he had recently inherited an original early 60's bassman or blackface so this "crappy" amp was nothing to him.)

Since then I have rebuilt a '59 silvertone console stereo/record player amp and preamp from scratch, and just finished wiring a plexi 50 kit from Doug here at Hoffman. I am hooked!

[BetterOffShred]

Good stuff!  I'm in my 30's too, so I hear you there.  My first guitar amp was a Crate 1x10 combo with a tube preamp, and then I had a Peavey Duel.. the old 2x12 all black one with the metal front grille.. pretty cool.   

Glad to see another millennial around! haha

-Brett

[Ritchie200]

Ok Ryan...what high school....


Jim

[EL34]

welcome to the forum

[Crate50watt]

Ok Ryan...what high school....


Jim

Hahaha, I never did understand why everyone asks that. But, I went to Francis Howell Central 2004. Are you local?

[Ritchie200]

Kirkwood, 19......  horse and buggy days!  Used to play all over the east side back when the drinking age was 19 over there (a LONG time ago, ask your parents!) and also on the Admiral when it used to go up and down the river friday and saturday nights (if you are old enough to remember that before it became the stationary casino and then scrapped...). Then all over the city in the early 80's.


Good to have another Redbird fan in the herd - there is an EVIL cubbie moderator here......


Jim

[Willabe]

Go Cubs!!!!!!!

[Ritchie200]

See what I mean...  We let them play in our championship sand box ONE time, and now there's no living with THEM...


Jim

[Crate50watt]

Go Cubs!!!!!!!

Hahaha, I hope the cubbies win 82 games this season. I also hope the cardinals win 82 1/2!

See what I mean...  We let them play in our championship sand box ONE time, and now there's no living with THEM...


Jim

Cardinals have made solid moves, with good pitching and Holliday gone I feel confident in the cardinals ability to dominate the division. The cubs were much better last season, but if you look at just the cubs vs cards record it was 50/50.

[Willabe]

 

[Ritchie200]

Hey we gave them our superstar right fielder Heyward, the $184M .230 batting average wunderkind - and they are still not happy!

Then we gave some guy by the name of Fowler an opportunity to do great things with our team - and they are STILL not happy!


There is just no making the cub fans happy!


Brad, you know I'm just funnin!  Please don't ban me!!!!!!!  Old buddy!  Old pal!


Jim

[Willabe]

Brad, you know I'm just funnin!  Please don't ban me!!!!!!!  Old buddy!  Old pal!

                                                         

[Ed_Chambley]

Nice guys here, but if I were you I would keep one eye on that Ritchie200 dude.  He has a tendency to burst into flames, but he is ok in my book.

[NotSure]

Hey Ryan,


Haven't been on here for awhile. But your post got my attention. Both my kids Matt 29 and Gene 31 graduated from Howell Central. Anyway glad to see some electrical experience of your aptitude on the forum. It helps us all.


Dave

[simonallaway]

Also, ask Ritchie200 about his extensive Telecaster collection. He's a big fan.

[Willabe]

Also, ask Ritchie200 about his extensive Telecaster collection. He's a big fan.

                                    Ya, right.........     

[simonallaway]

C'mon...we all know what happened to Deep Purple when they did Stormbringer. Jon Lord sold his Hammond and bought a Moog...and Ritchie bought a Fender Champ and used a Tele 

[Ritchie200]

Oh my gosh!!!  What did I EVER do to deserve such treatment?!?!?!  I just can not believe I am the target of this unwarranted harassment....

Jim

[Ritchie200]

NotSure,

Are you still in the St. Louis area?

Jim

[Crate50watt]

Hey Ryan,


Haven't been on here for awhile. But your post got my attention. Both my kids Matt 29 and Gene 31 graduated from Howell Central. Anyway glad to see some electrical experience of your aptitude on the forum. It helps us all.


Dave

How about that small world! I graduated FHC in 2004!

[Crate50watt]

NotSure,

Are you still in the St. Louis area?

Jim

I was working at a house over in kirkwood yesterday. I'll be back over there again later this week. One of my clients owns a bunch of houses over there.