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Topic: Cube 80XL Beam Blocking |
Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 7 Sep 2013 10:04 am |
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I read a forum post awhile back about Beam Blocking on the Cube 80XL. My one and only complaint about the 80XL is how directional they are.
Has anyone here tried either the actual Beam Blocker or a homemade version using cardboard or duct tape?
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 9:08 am
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Ollin
I installed one today, using an old cd and a screw from inside the grill.
My wife had one comment "Thanks" 
There is a marked improvement. It causes the highs to blend with the lows. Not sure if I'm using the correct term but I hear more "Fidelity"
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 1:22 pm
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I have this little old yamaha amp, must be about 5 watts. Sounds clean, but nothing special. Makes a nice noise and is perfect when 6 other clowns are bashing acoustic guitars. What I do is, and i'm NOT kidding, is I put the little yamaha in a brown paper bag and play it with the acoustic guitar warriors. It spreads the sound around somehow, takes the edge off and almost gives it a sorta reverb. I tried a cardboard box but the box cut down the sound so I had to turn up the amp and then the dirty looks started so the brown paper bag seems to do the trick.
I am totally serious. I also take a piece of cellophane or thin paper and feed it thru the strings. Makes a wierd sitar type sound, just for fun !
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Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Jerry Tillman
From:
Florida
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 3:26 pm beam blocker
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| CD,s work great,helps a lot in my opinion.45 records block to much.I use scotch double sided and it works great. |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 6:15 pm
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I'm going to try the CD or maybe some Duct tape in the shape of a circle first. If I see a marked improvement I may spring for the real Beam Blocker.
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 6:48 pm
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Ollin I'll send you a picture of mine tomorrow via email or post here on the forum.
Chuck
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 6:48 pm
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duplicate 
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs
Last edited by Chuck Blake on 9 Sep 2013 7:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Sep 2013 6:48 pm
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duplicate 
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs
Last edited by Chuck Blake on 9 Sep 2013 7:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ray McCarthy
From:
New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 1:56 am
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I glued a CD on the inside of the the grill--seems to work pretty well.
What's a "real beam blocker"? |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 2:08 am
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Made by Weber, supposed to have better dispersion based on the shape.
http://www.webervst.com/blocker.html
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 3:50 am
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Made by Weber, supposed to have better dispersion based on the shape.
http://www.webervst.com/blocker.html
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 7:43 am
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My solution
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 7:54 am
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| Does the music on the CD make a difference? I'd suppose that "The Big E," for example would be preferable to say, something by Kanye West, for example. |
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George McLellan
From:
Duluth, MN USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 7:59 am
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Chuck, I tried the CD taped to the outside of the grill on my Cube 80XL and it did make a difference. I like it! I ordered one for the 80XL and one for the 60. I don't like piercing sounds from anything.
Geo
Last edited by George McLellan on 9 Sep 2013 8:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Michael Hummel
From:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 8:17 am
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My Line6 DT-25, which does double-duty for 6-string and pedal steel, has a Celestion speaker that seems to be quite directional (in fact, on certain tones, the other guitar player across the room winces frequently!)
I've just ordered the Weber beam-blocker to install and I will report once I receive it and install it. I was going to try the CD idea, but I figured if I'm going to take the darned thing apart, I might as well install something designed for the purpose!
Cheers,
Mike
_________________
MSA Classic 5+4
Too many 6-strings and amps to list |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 9:55 am
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George>> Give us a report as to the difference between the Beam Blocker and the Cd Blocker
Jack>> Now you got me wondering, should I've used a CD of Buddy's.....NO...that's cold be seen as a crime.
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Jack Ritter
From:
Enid, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 1:15 pm
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Hey Chuck
I just taped a blank CD centered over the speaker on the outside of the screen of my Cube and man, what a great difference. Did not even have to change any settings and it took care of that straight away direct sound bite very well. My Li'l Izzy and this bit of good info works for me. I liked it so well I just set under my Zum for about 2 hours just noodlin'. Jack
_________________
Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 9 Sep 2013 5:47 pm
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There you Jack
Now to get an A/B test on the CD vs. "Store Bought Beam Blocker"
If works in our favor Jack we save $18 
Chuck
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 10 Sep 2013 11:54 am
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I just found this info today doing some research.
http://www.tgpwebzine.com/?page_id=424
It's going to cost me about $10.00 to try it. I'm going to cut the foam and place it inside the grill of the Cube without attaching it. That way I can A/B it using the looper on the amp.
If I like what I hear I'll attach the foam permanently.
It's probably going to be next week before I can get to it. I'll post my results as soon as I can.
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Jan Viljoen
From:
Pretoria, South Africa
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Posted 11 Sep 2013 12:03 am Cube
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Ollin,
Your link is quite scientific.
However, I would have liked to know how the centre hole of the doughnut is determined, I think/hope someone will experiment with different speakers and setups. Maybe different foams as well.
I have also fixed a cd to the inside of mine, and the result is better, however I want it to be scientifically exact. I don't have any meters/mike's to measure differences.
Maybe someone has experimented with different size cd's.
I wait for your results with two Cubes.
_________________
Sierra S10, Stage One, Gibson BR4, Framus, Guya 6&8, Hofner lap, Custom mandolins, Keilwerth sax.
Roland Cube 80XL, Peavey112-Valve King and Special, Marshall 100VS. |
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Chuck Blake
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2013 7:50 am
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Yea i read the report....WOW...over my head.
Sticking with the CD for now. I'm leaving my other Cube 80xl unmolested for guitar for now.
_________________
2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs |
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Jack Ritter
From:
Enid, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2013 8:03 am
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Yep, me too. I really like mine. Jack
_________________
Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 11 Sep 2013 10:09 am
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I used the blank plastic disk that comes inside a box of writable CD's taped to the outside of the grill with double sided tape. It helps some especially with my Sarno Freeloader. I've only tested it with my Carter with a Wallace TrueTone. I have not had a chance to test with my Zum with the George L in it yet.
So Single Coil VS Humbucker may make some difference.
It helps some but I'm getting more midrange "honk" than I would like. I'm also hearing some phasey tones that change depending on the strings and frequency.
I ordered some open cell polyurethane foam and I'm going to try that next. I ordered a sheet 12x12 and 1/2 thick. I'm not going to bother cutting it to the shape of the speaker but I will center it. I'll cut a hole about 3" round in the dead center.
I should have it done tomorrow. I'll test it at home and I have a gig this Saturday so I can test it there as well. I'll take pictures of the process and post along with my opinion of how well it works vs. the CD blocker.
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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Jim Eaton
From:
Santa Susana, Ca
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Posted 11 Sep 2013 12:33 pm
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I'm going to try the "C/D" fix for sure, but I found that using an open backed Peavey 112E Cab with a 12" BW speaker as an extension speaker really opened up the sound of the amp.
JE:-)>
_________________
Emmons D10PP 8/4 -75'
Emmons S-10PP 3/4 - 79'
Emmons S-12PP 3/4 -78'
MSA Legend SD12 5/5 -06'
Mullen S-12 4/5 - 1986
Nashville 112 x2 W/Knob Guards - Don't leave home with out one!
Walker SS rack system - 12"BW's
Quilter Steelaire Combo |
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Ollin Landers
From:
Willow Springs, NC
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Posted 12 Sep 2013 5:08 pm Diffuser
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OK.
The whole procedure took about 10mns.
I used a 12x12 1/2" thick sheet of open cell polyurethane acoustic speaker foam. I cut a 3" doughnut hole in the dead center and centered it on the grill. I attached it with some double-sided tape for now.
I A/B'd the amp with the CD taped to the center, the grill off and the foam in the grill.
I put the amp at ear level about 3' from me facing right at me on axis.
With the grill off --
The amp sounds good but the highs are very brittle and I find I have to back off on the treble and/or adjust the Freeloader to keep my ears from bleeding.
With the CD ---
The amp is better the highs are not as brittle but I find there's a slightly out of phase sound. I hear a little warble and beats like the guitar is ever so slightly out of tune. This occurs at different speeds on different strings at different freqs.
With the foam ----
Absolutely no change in the Lows and Mids. There is little to no change in the Highs. I found that I can adjust my Freeloader and the amp a little to give it more Highs without getting brittle. This amp in the house really seems to cut through without stabbing my ears.
I am going to try this out on the gig Saturday when it's in a full band situation with a room full of people. That'll be the real test.
Pics
_________________
Zum SD-12 Black, Zum SD-12 Burly Elm Several B-Bender Tele's and a lot of other gear I can't play.
I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted. W.C. Fields |
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