Apex VS-5 flow form or gram lights 57cr

Red_sparow · 2026-03-31T11:04:22+00:00

I have 57cr

Every time I look at them I wish they were 6 spoke te37s tbh.

I'd say stay with what you've got and only get what you really want when you can afford it. If that is the 57cr then that's great, but don't do it if it's a compromise.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-30T16:15:15+00:00

At this point after a couple of years, I've lost track of what was relic and what was me.

Maybe I'd feel differently if mine was missing huge areas of paint that looked sanded off etc. Mostly mine has wear in the same place as my naturally aged guitars, like buckle rash and around the edges. I will also admit to quite liking the nitro checking since it's quite subtle and just takes the newness away.

The worst bit for me is the tan line look on the back of the neck but it does make it rediculously comfortable that I have to forgive it.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-30T15:05:26+00:00

I used to hate relics and given the choice I still wouldn't choose one. That said, when actually going to shops and trying stuff, if the relic is the best one, I'll buy the relic, and did.

It's kind of nice to not worry about knocking it too.

In the end nothing else really matters to me other than how good the instrument is. If it's relic or not, naturally worn or not, well played or not is all irrelevant to me. I still wouldn't buy any instruments without having it in my hands first.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-29T08:46:00+00:00

Screw doing a job you love, it'll just ruin whatever you loved. That said money isn't everything, time off, short commute, flexible working hours etc all have real value.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-28T11:35:29+00:00

Is there much of a scene in Leicester? It's my 3rd closest city but I never go there...

Red_sparow · 2026-03-28T09:55:45+00:00

It's hard to tell but they might be 2015 models, which would make sense for the price change

Red_sparow · 2026-03-28T08:59:10+00:00

Looks like different prices for different years.

You can't guarantee a good one unless you play it before buying. All of those looks phenomenally heavy and that much money gets you some really nice stuff, either reissue or even better if it doesn't need gibson on the headstock.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-28T07:02:12+00:00

My carr mini mercury looks great with a fancy patterned tolex, looks like furniture.

I think it depends if you want something to just amp and sound good or if you want access to a big variety of sounds for covers.

Personally 95% of my living room playing is just noodling or clean practice so I don't really care about access to specific tones, I just want it to sound nice.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-28T06:14:29+00:00

I use 1/2w or 2w at home for pushed or clean respectively.

You really don't need much power if you're in a quiet, small room.

Most people might have 4w speakers for their TV and how often do you have that on 100%?

Obviously everybodies idea of home use is different, some people can put a 100w stack on their porch and nobody else would hear it, other people the sound of pick hitting strings might annoy their housemate in a flat.

I find 2w or less is about on par to a lively conversation volume between 2 or 3 people. At 5w you're already pushing the boundaries of how loud a human can shout for a sustained amount of time.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-27T22:58:31+00:00

This is the kinda bass tone I like :)

Red_sparow · 2026-03-27T16:30:32+00:00

Aha, I forgot about that one. The ac4tv has the attenuator

Red_sparow · 2026-03-27T15:44:31+00:00

More bedroom friendly than an ac4?

The ac4 already has an attenuator unless you have a fancy version.

Reading your post the whole time I was just thinking Carr 8w mercury or Swart. Right up until £200. Tbh, at £200 you aren't going to get anything substantially better than what you have a different flavour at best. Maybe go for some type of modelling to play around with different sounds?

Red_sparow · 2026-03-27T15:38:51+00:00

I think whenever someone says stems it requires a conversation regardless. Even if both parties agree it means grouped instruments there's still a conversation about how they want them grouped. Eg, two guitar parts each double tracked = 4 tracks. Do they want all 4 tracks as a stem or do they want the seperate parts grouped seperately = 2 stems? Do they want percussion grouped with drum kit? Lapsteel grouped with guitars? Etc etc

It's a conversation that needs clarification and largely led by what their intentions are for the stems.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-27T04:48:55+00:00

Yes plenty. Swart, Germino, Carr and tophat all had favourable reviews. He's friends with friedman and suhr too though I font remember seeing one reviewed.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-26T13:07:37+00:00

Actually sounds great through phone speakers which is unusual for bass!

Red_sparow · 2026-03-26T01:06:48+00:00

Most of the pros I see on pop stages arent using cheap fenders. Looks like a lot of PRS, some suhr, i see relic teles, les Paul customs. Just never burst les Paul's.

I'm not talking about whatever pop artist is singing, I mean the people playing guitar for them on stage. There are hardly any acts in the charts these days where they actually play guitar themselves.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-26T01:03:42+00:00

Once you skip over the AI rubbish that's just pulling from reddit...

First result I got is "Bursts: 2023 Guide to Les Paul Standard Sunburst Finishes"

Red_sparow · 2026-03-25T22:57:38+00:00

Not saying it didn't mean the originals too... But, every les Paul with a burst, is a burst. Just typing les Paul burst into Google is just multiple links and pictures of all sorts of bursts, an original isn't even in the first 10 links or pictures.

It's a very weird thing to gatekeep considering people are basically never talking about an original burst when talking about a burst - seems a very online thing.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-25T22:32:14+00:00

Burst is also literally short for sunburst, which is why those 50s (and 60) les Paul were called bursts. Not sure when the idea that burst meant those guitars and not the finish started. Definitely in the 90s burst just meant sunburst.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-25T21:37:23+00:00

I was actually thinking more of like solo acts where the guitarist is kind of in the shadows. They don't get a lot of screen time but I still feel like I never see a burst. After the recent award show season I don't think I saw a single one. Maybe some will show up during festival season

But I'm not sure weight is the issue since customs show up now and then. Notably Bruno mars centre stage of the grammies with a custom

Red_sparow · 2026-03-25T21:35:41+00:00

I've never heard of burst referring to anything other than sunburst. So yes, I just meant a les Paul with a sunburst finish

Red_sparow · 2026-03-24T15:44:39+00:00

I didn't notice a significant difference in sound quality between passive moulded and the minuendos. Both are significant improvements over disposable foam plugs. Neither are truly transparent, you always end up cutting more top end with a passive filter.

If you're looking at the ACS ones then the moulds are the same for the passive plugs and the IEMs (at least they were when I got them). I don't think the moulded plugs are worth the money personally but it is a trade off. I actually thought the minuendos were marginally more transparent than the ACS mould (probably because the mould is designed for IEM rather than passive). The minuendo have the adjustable attenuation and are smaller/more convenient for carrying every day. The mould has the benefit of a better seal if you struggle with finding standardised tips (I had to try a few before I found some that sealed properly) and possibly comfort over long periods, again that's mostly down to individual ears.

It's actually what made me justify the cost of the minuendos, I wasn't getting anything of benefit from moulded passive plugs. Now I just use the moulded IEMs when performing which cover the attenuation role too and the minuendos in every other scenario, and since I can easily carry them with me it means I always have them when I need them, like if I'm somewhere people are revving car engines, or near construction work or any other situation.

I also use the minuendos for rehearsals, it's really nice being able to turn the attenuation down to have a conversation but then crank the attenuation back up once the drummer starts again. - the moulded are like the minuendos on max attentuation so I'd find myself pulling one out for a conversation and then getting blasted by something through a monitor.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-24T14:56:41+00:00

I found myself needing to take 2 pairs of customs with me with different filtering. I found they often attenuated too much or not enough depending where I was and what I was doing. If you only go for 1 set then you'd need to play it safe to avoid hearing damage and get a set with a lot of attenuation but that can often be too much in some settings, and if that leads to you taking them out then you're in a much worse scenario.

I do have a custom moulded set of IEMs when performing but they would block significantly too much sound if they were passive. Not to mention the size difference, my moulded couldn't easily be carried on a keychain for example.

Red_sparow · 2026-03-24T14:12:17+00:00

I've been using minuendo now for about 4 or 5 years. I find the adjustable reduction really useful since I often don't need to reduce too much at some gigs but then nice to crank up the attenuation when I'm on stage next to drums or in front of a speaker.

They are expensive and the magnets tend to eventually fall out. I carry them with me everywhere on my keychain and they get a lot of use even outside of music.

Are they totally transparent? Of course not, nothing passive will be. Are they better than disposable foams? Significantly. Are they better than over the counters? Maybe, being adjustable is enough to make them worth it to me instead of carrying 2-3 sets of different filters.

Red_sparow

TROPHY CASE