Conference napalm::guitar

       
       Another cheap amp idea: get the adapter Radio Shack sells for
       plugging your portable CD player into your car cassette player.
       You know the one, it looks like a cassette with a wire hanging
       out?  Jam that into a boom box, plug the cable into your
       Rockman-type (or Zoom 9002) headphone amp in place of your
       headphones and bingo - cheap amp with effects!

       Works good for playing by the pool or practising in the car on
       your lunch break.
       
       

    
    
    	I have a boom box that a CD input on it. I took the 
    adapter plug that came with my portable CD player (1/8" stereo
    jack to 2 RCA phono jacks) plugged the 1/8" end into my
    Rockman soloist and the RCA plugs into the boom box CD
    inputs and...
    
    	Instant Stereo Amp!
    
    It make a great practice amp and also possible even a portable amp. 
    Works good at low volume for practice on my bass too...
    (gotta be careful not to blow the speakers, though..)
    
    -T
    
    
    

re .0
Is this December's Guitar Player? (hasn't arrived yet here in the UK)

A Tandy shop here in Leeds says that they probably do the same amplifier,
but the part # doesn't mean anything to them. They do a telephone
amplifier of some description which sells at �16-95 (=$32).

I presume when you say "attach a phono plug", you have soldered a jack
plug onto the lead, to plug straight into your guitar?

The Tandy person I spoke to seemed to think playing guitar through it
might blow the speaker... any comment on this?
*DC

    The phono jack that I bought at radio shack had/has screw attachments
    for the wires. Yep its decembers issue of GP. Ive cranked the little
    amp a couple of times and its still going. I suppose some common
    sense should be applied. IE: not cranking the unit for hours on end.
    
                                               Jon

    Jon,
    
    I went to Radio Shack and built the amp from the magazine.  Had a lot
    of fun with it over the weekend.  Crank up all the volumes and you can
    have some wild fun with leads.  Since I don't have the money for a new
    speaker for my Peavey yet, this is ALL I have to use.
    
    Chris D.

     FOR near infinite sustain, try attaching the little amp to
     your headstock ! This 
            
                A) increases the mass of the headstock
                b) allows controllable sustain ala the sustainiac
                   
      What a great toy !! The distorion tones that you can get out
     of your axe are very usable. It sortof reminds me of Joe Perrys
     tone on the song " Same old song and dance "
    
             Jon
    whocanmakehisguitarsingwithouta2,000$kittyhawkamp!!

    re .-1
    
    how do you 'attach' it to your headstock? I don't want to put mounting
    screws into the headstock of my Strat. 
    
    I made one last night and am very impressed with the performance! I
    know what I'll be doing in the parking lot when the weather gets warm!
    Holding the unit against the headstock did get me 'infinite feedback'.
    
    - Dave

    Can't you attach the unit to your' headstock via the suction cup
    that comes with it? 
    
    Sounds like a $10.00 Sustainiac.
    
    BTW, there is a mod in the GP article that allows you to switch
    from the built-in speaker to headphones. All it requires is a
    1/4" jack which automatically defeats the speaker. The jack is
    also available from Radio Shack.
    
    Mark
    
    PS. I'm thinkin of pickup up one of these toyz too.
    
    

    2 elastic bands/crazy glue/velcro/screws/nails/string/
    
                                   Jon "Gonzo" T

    How does a musician attach virtually anything?  DUCT TAPE!
    
    gh

    Is it possible to have the signal coming from your guitar split;
    so that one part goes to your main amp, and the other part goes 
    to this little practice amp? That way, you could have the practice
    amp attached to your headstock with a footswitch to provide power
    whenever you want infinite sustain (which would also be picked up by
    your main amp). Does splitting the signal like this result in halving
    the output going to each amp?
    
    - Dave (totally baffled by output voltage and impedance and that kind
      of stuff)

    There are several ways of doing it. the best is to get an AB box
    (Rapco makes a great one for under $50). They have one input, and
    two outputs. They allow you to select either output A, output B,
    or both (at least the Rapco does). 
    
    Too bad you need a $50 box to control a $10 accessory !!
    
    Mark
    

    Has anyone noticed if RS has jacked the price on these babies
    yet?  They must be selling an awful lot of them.

    I didn't see the price go up, but one store was out and the other 
    store sold the last one they had to me.  
    
    Chris D.

    I live in Toronto.  I phoned the local Radio Shack and asked them if
    the carried the Portable Phone Listener.  I gave them the part number
    43-231 and they said they never hear of it.  They told me that the only
    devices they have that connect to the telephone to amplify the volume
    cost around $40-60.  He also told me that RS in the States is headed by
    a different company then the RS in Canada.  This means that I can't
    make my amp for around $20 (Cdn).  Does anybody in Canada have a
    recommendation as to another part from RS or anywhere else for about
    $10-20????
    
    Grant

         Grant,
    
         All it is is a 9 volt loudspeaker that has a chord with a suction
    cup on the end that sticks to the phone.
         I'll tell you what, if you can't find anything, then see if you
    can exchange your money for U.S. $10.00, mail it to me, and I'll pick
    up the stuff here, put it together and test it, and ship it to you.
    Sound good??  Let me know.
    
         Chris D.

   While I was in R.S. picking up the ICs for the Peavey conversion I also
   picked up one of these little beauties.

   Radio Shack has a new version of this unit available, part number 43-231B.
   On this version the suction cup mic is not hard wired into the unit, but
   has a 1/8" phone plug on the end, and a socket on the amp.  I picked up a
   1/4" -> 1/8" adapter, and can now plug directly into the amp without 
   having to cut any wires, using a regular guitar cord.  New version still
   costs $9.

   The sound is "okay" - about what you'd expect from a $9 amp.  Sounds like
   you're playing through a pocket transistor radio.  The pickups on my 
   Gibson are hot enough to overdrive the little sucker unless I turn the amp
   and guitar volumes down to about "1".  Turn it up and you get instant fuzz
   box.

   Still, not a bad toy for $9.  :-)

   -- Sam

   P.S.  Radio Shack also has a "200mw Amplifier/Speaker" which runs off a
   9v battery.  I believe it's basically the same unit, but in a different
   box with a slightly larger speaker.  Price is $17.95.  Don't have the part
   number, and didn't try one.

   'Course, I'm sure the recently mentioned $50 micro-mini Marshall "roolz"
   compared to any of these things...

     Marshall micro mini 50$
    
    
                   What a scam!!
                                    Gonzo

    Ever notice how all these "micro" amps like the Afterburner, Fender,
    Markley and now Marshall look like the same factory is turning 'em out?
    
    							Brian

    It's only $35, not $50.  About the same as the Fender/Afterburner/Dean
    Markley similar models.  Scam?  Maybe, but it's no worse then many
    other similar things.
    
    Greg

    The real scam? Its a 10$ amp {parts n' labor} they sell for 35$, then
     when you bring it back to Fathers trashy melodie shop, Its a 4$ amp.

    Scam is right.  They scrape off the Radio Shack name, and put
    Marshall's name on them.  :^)
    
    Chris D.

  re: "It's only $35, not $50"

  The Marshall Micro is $43.95 in American Musical Supply (mailorder).  That 
  was the basis of the price I quoted.

  -- Sam

    You'd be getting ripped off from them.  Musicians Friend (mailorder)
    lists them for $34.88 and my local store recently advertized them for
    $39.99.
    
    Greg

    
    Your mixing up the Marshall Micro-stack, with the little transistor-
    radio sized amps that sell for $30 to $40. 
    
    Dan is talking about the 12W micro-stack that has the 12w head,
    one 1x10 straight cab, and 1 1x10 slant. 
    
    I tell you what, Dan. Buy the full stack, and sell me the speakers.
    The speaker cabs that come with the micro-stacks are real cool.
    If I got ahold of a set, I'd stuff em with Celestians, and use
    em with my rack.
    
    Just don't tell my wife !!!
    
    Mark
    

    >Your mixing up the Marshall Micro-stack, with the little transistor-
    >radio sized amps that sell for $30 to $40. 
    
    The lil, transistor, palm-sized jobbie is called the MS-2, FYI.
    
    >    I tell you what, Dan. Buy the full stack, and sell me the speakers.
    >The speaker cabs that come with the micro-stacks are real cool.
    >If I got ahold of a set, I'd stuff em with Celestians, and use
    >em with my rack.
    
    FYI, they're already stuffed with Celestions.
    

    What happened to Dan Eaton's note??? By the time I responded to it,
    it was gone????
    
    Mark
    

    -1
    
    I think it was in the Marshall note...try the latter replies in 1655.
    
    Buck, who didn't touch it

    I went out and got one of these things. they are great for my use. I
    fool around recording stuff at home, have no electric guitar, so this
    is a passable substitute. well worth 10 bucks. especially if you run
    it through a little echo. I found the suction cup to be tricky to work
    with. To get the best sound I found i had to use a stand or whatever
    to suspend the cup just off the strings near the sound hole. It aint
    state of the art, but its better than nothing. Just like the rest of
    my equipment. :-)
    
    Jay Kuhn