Farewell, my darling.
Yeah, I've sold my Speedtimer.
Sometimes things go your way, sometimes don't. And sometimes life present you with a strange opportunity when you least expect it.
Watches are not my only hobby. I also have a recording studio, where I'm working on my own music and doing some engineering and producing here and there. And also I play guitar. I was neglecting guitar for almost 2 years cause of burnout I got while building my collection of gear, specially guitar pedals. I got so tired of scratching backs, constant trades and dealing with people on marketplaces that I just focused on synths, because you know, synth don't need to have a pedal hooked up to sound, hmm... synthetic.
I had 'grail pedals' tho. Some weird niche luxury stuff (Chase Bliss mostly, for those who interested). And yesterday one of my colleagues wrote me that he's ready to sell me one of those (Blooper, for those who interested) for less than a price of a new Speedtimer. Which is a great, great deal. The problem, I don't have that disposable income on me right now. So here I am, sending one of my most beloved watches to another dude.
I've learned so much about watches and my preferences via this watch. Either by wearing it for around 45 days straight, or by sizing the bracelet, or by just trying a smaller sports watch (My first sports Seiko was like 41.5mm), or by getting used to metal bracelet. This watch has some 'fake vintage' elements to it, and it was one of the forces pushing me into vintage department. Without this Speedtimer, I wouldn't be wearing a 30mm vintage two-tone Tissot Santos homage.
My wife liked that watch, people on forums liked that watch, and there's a valid reason for that, Speedtimer is just amazing. It's a beautiful solar "mecha-quartz" chronograph. Balanced, well-proportioned, super comfy wear, solid build quality, you can wear it very casually, you can wear it on special occasions, you can even give it a go with a blazer, if you are digging sports watches with suits.
But every great beautiful story has an ending, and this is the ending of my love story with a Speedtimer.
Farewell, my darling.
Musician, sound engineer, software developer and aspiring watch collector. Fan of vintage watches and old-fashioned clothing. Chef of faux patina.
There will be other watches.
Sorry, man. Always hard to let go of a piece you really bonded with. I get it though, music gear is another expensive rabbit hole I’m familiar with, especially guitar pedals! I cleared out my collection of 4-5 guitars, 30 pedals, and 3 amps at the end of last year when we moved house. I pared down to an acoustic, a Tele, an HX stomp XL and Boss WAZA air headphones. I don’t regret it and kinda viewed it as “shuffling hobby funds” as I was able to use that money to fill out my watch collection with some pieces I had wanted for a while. Sounds like you’re going the other direction for now, but there’s kind of a nice bright side to know you can pivot in and out of hobbies. 🍻
Never a shortage of rabbitholes and hobbies to go into!
Sorry, man. Always hard to let go of a piece you really bonded with. I get it though, music gear is another expensive rabbit hole I’m familiar with, especially guitar pedals! I cleared out my collection of 4-5 guitars, 30 pedals, and 3 amps at the end of last year when we moved house. I pared down to an acoustic, a Tele, an HX stomp XL and Boss WAZA air headphones. I don’t regret it and kinda viewed it as “shuffling hobby funds” as I was able to use that money to fill out my watch collection with some pieces I had wanted for a while. Sounds like you’re going the other direction for now, but there’s kind of a nice bright side to know you can pivot in and out of hobbies. 🍻
I have yet to buy a single pedal. Though I’ve been looking… just picked up a Squier 40th Tele. Actually bummed me out because I was all excited and ready to go pick out a Fender, played probably a dozen different guitars and just kept coming back to the squier.
For those non musicians, that’s the equivalent to going in for a Rolex and falling in love with a Tudor.
I have yet to buy a single pedal. Though I’ve been looking… just picked up a Squier 40th Tele. Actually bummed me out because I was all excited and ready to go pick out a Fender, played probably a dozen different guitars and just kept coming back to the squier.
For those non musicians, that’s the equivalent to going in for a Rolex and falling in love with a Tudor.
Right on! I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50s tele for years, played amazing and was honestly one of the most authentically “tele” sounding teles short of ‘52 reissue stuff. The quality gap between Squier, MIM, and American Fenders has really shrunk over the past 15 years imho.
Pedal-wise, I’m not going to lie; just go modeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love boutique stuff, and had tons of JHS, Mad Professor, Neuenaber, Earthquaker, Strymon, Keeley, Wampler…etc and while I don’t regret anything, thousands of dollars in pedals has been replaced by a $750 HX Stomp. The only exception would be a good analog overdrive pedal in one of the Stomp’s loop slots, seems to be great way to warm up an all digital signal path.
Right on! I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50s tele for years, played amazing and was honestly one of the most authentically “tele” sounding teles short of ‘52 reissue stuff. The quality gap between Squier, MIM, and American Fenders has really shrunk over the past 15 years imho.
Pedal-wise, I’m not going to lie; just go modeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love boutique stuff, and had tons of JHS, Mad Professor, Neuenaber, Earthquaker, Strymon, Keeley, Wampler…etc and while I don’t regret anything, thousands of dollars in pedals has been replaced by a $750 HX Stomp. The only exception would be a good analog overdrive pedal in one of the Stomp’s loop slots, seems to be great way to warm up an all digital signal path.
what sold me was the satin neck and rolled finger board edges. Feels like it’s been played for 20 years. Bought a case and a bridge pickup too. No new watches in my future.…. probably. I’m still eyeing one on Ali, if it’s cheap enough at 11/11 maybe…
The thing about watches and guitar stuff is if you do it right you never really lose money.
I have yet to buy a single pedal. Though I’ve been looking… just picked up a Squier 40th Tele. Actually bummed me out because I was all excited and ready to go pick out a Fender, played probably a dozen different guitars and just kept coming back to the squier.
For those non musicians, that’s the equivalent to going in for a Rolex and falling in love with a Tudor.
Nah, squier was subpar in the past, but right now I would also go for squier. I play custom made “vintage-inspired” tele, with an N3 Fender pickups and this thing sounds pretty much like a great Fender tele, for 1/10th of a price (picked it up for 300$, dude had no idea what he’s selling and wanted to sell even when I’ve told him about the luthier who built the guitar).
Get a decent playable Squier, put a great set of favorite pickups and you are set completely)
Nah, squier was subpar in the past, but right now I would also go for squier. I play custom made “vintage-inspired” tele, with an N3 Fender pickups and this thing sounds pretty much like a great Fender tele, for 1/10th of a price (picked it up for 300$, dude had no idea what he’s selling and wanted to sell even when I’ve told him about the luthier who built the guitar).
Get a decent playable Squier, put a great set of favorite pickups and you are set completely)
My number one baby is an old LTD H-51. Craigslist find. $40. Now it’s got Seymour Duncan’s, CTS pots, Hipshot tuners. I put a Black Winter in the bridge and a Phat Cat in the neck. Strongly recommend the pairing.
Everything in life happens for a reason! I hope you’ll manage to own it again very soon!
what sold me was the satin neck and rolled finger board edges. Feels like it’s been played for 20 years. Bought a case and a bridge pickup too. No new watches in my future.…. probably. I’m still eyeing one on Ali, if it’s cheap enough at 11/11 maybe…
The thing about watches and guitar stuff is if you do it right you never really lose money.
yeah, I've only sold some boutique stuff for loss once or twice, usually it's about making small profit, or breaking even.
Right on! I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50s tele for years, played amazing and was honestly one of the most authentically “tele” sounding teles short of ‘52 reissue stuff. The quality gap between Squier, MIM, and American Fenders has really shrunk over the past 15 years imho.
Pedal-wise, I’m not going to lie; just go modeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love boutique stuff, and had tons of JHS, Mad Professor, Neuenaber, Earthquaker, Strymon, Keeley, Wampler…etc and while I don’t regret anything, thousands of dollars in pedals has been replaced by a $750 HX Stomp. The only exception would be a good analog overdrive pedal in one of the Stomp’s loop slots, seems to be great way to warm up an all digital signal path.
I have digital La Lady overdrive, and this thing SLAPS. I also have some nice boutique stuff - mtl.asm, drolo, chase bliss mood (also was a part of a very good deal), Cooper FX (generation loss v1 and moment machine) red panda, and your usual strymon and meris. I'm not a HX hater, this thing is absolutely amazing, but I prefer more 'granular' approach to setup, so I can connect different pedals to different synths, and I also use pedals for mixing and reamping, so I would be really slow with one stomp)
I was really sceptical about this modelling thing in the past tho, but right now I'm using Amp Room by Softube and I've sold all my amps. I'm not seeing myself getting an amp really. Maybe something sentimental, like a Bassman, which I wanted badly when I was 18, but for practical reasons - I'm sticking with modelling 100%
My number one baby is an old LTD H-51. Craigslist find. $40. Now it’s got Seymour Duncan’s, CTS pots, Hipshot tuners. I put a Black Winter in the bridge and a Phat Cat in the neck. Strongly recommend the pairing.
Nice mods! Got yourself really playable and unique instrument.
I got myself an SX precision bass for 150$ and put a Lily Fralin pickup in it, sounds fantastic, costs a little.
Right on! I had a Squier Classic Vibe 50s tele for years, played amazing and was honestly one of the most authentically “tele” sounding teles short of ‘52 reissue stuff. The quality gap between Squier, MIM, and American Fenders has really shrunk over the past 15 years imho.
Pedal-wise, I’m not going to lie; just go modeling. Don’t get me wrong, I love boutique stuff, and had tons of JHS, Mad Professor, Neuenaber, Earthquaker, Strymon, Keeley, Wampler…etc and while I don’t regret anything, thousands of dollars in pedals has been replaced by a $750 HX Stomp. The only exception would be a good analog overdrive pedal in one of the Stomp’s loop slots, seems to be great way to warm up an all digital signal path.
but I'm downsizing right now, selling all the pedals that are rather collectibles, than music gear, it's fun to have a "V1", "OG" versions and everything, but I realised that I work much easier and get way more creative with a limited set of tools. So I'm going to downsize to Carbon copy, MOOD, Blooper, El Capistan, and Deco. Every other pedal outside of the board get to go for good.
I have digital La Lady overdrive, and this thing SLAPS. I also have some nice boutique stuff - mtl.asm, drolo, chase bliss mood (also was a part of a very good deal), Cooper FX (generation loss v1 and moment machine) red panda, and your usual strymon and meris. I'm not a HX hater, this thing is absolutely amazing, but I prefer more 'granular' approach to setup, so I can connect different pedals to different synths, and I also use pedals for mixing and reamping, so I would be really slow with one stomp)
I was really sceptical about this modelling thing in the past tho, but right now I'm using Amp Room by Softube and I've sold all my amps. I'm not seeing myself getting an amp really. Maybe something sentimental, like a Bassman, which I wanted badly when I was 18, but for practical reasons - I'm sticking with modelling 100%
Totally agree! Horses for courses. Being able to swap out modular stuff without editing patches makes a ton of sense too. And that’s some awesome gear! I was super tempted to buy some Source Audio stuff a couple times, especially the Kingmaker. I’m a fuzz fanatic haha
Totally agree! Horses for courses. Being able to swap out modular stuff without editing patches makes a ton of sense too. And that’s some awesome gear! I was super tempted to buy some Source Audio stuff a couple times, especially the Kingmaker. I’m a fuzz fanatic haha
The cool thing about those pedals, is that La Lady, Aftershock and Kingmaker share the same engine. So you can use La Lady patches on Kingmaker and Kingmaker patches on La Lady. Also, La Lady features software editor and you can dial in some fuzz sounds, or choose one that is made by community. I've installed Big Muff on mine)
So you can just choose what pedal you like the most in terms of design, and use all 3 pedals on it.)
The cool thing about those pedals, is that La Lady, Aftershock and Kingmaker share the same engine. So you can use La Lady patches on Kingmaker and Kingmaker patches on La Lady. Also, La Lady features software editor and you can dial in some fuzz sounds, or choose one that is made by community. I've installed Big Muff on mine)
So you can just choose what pedal you like the most in terms of design, and use all 3 pedals on it.)
Didn’t know that! Very cool
Totally agree! Horses for courses. Being able to swap out modular stuff without editing patches makes a ton of sense too. And that’s some awesome gear! I was super tempted to buy some Source Audio stuff a couple times, especially the Kingmaker. I’m a fuzz fanatic haha
Hey, I just remembered this convo and want to come back here, because I've bought an HX Stomp and UADFX Dream today.
After our little chat, I was looking in the direction of Line6, got myself a DL4 MKII for synths, found that it sounds absolute bonkers and decide to dig deeper. Went to local guitar store, nobody was there, so I was testing Stomp for a 2 hours. And I'm absolutely blown away by this thing.
I've reserved some of my pedals for synths, so I'm not selling all my pedals, but my guitar board is gonna be a Stomp, a Meris Mercury7 in a loop, an analog overdrive and a wildcard slot for some weird experimental stuff.
Didn't like the Deluxe reverb in Line 6 as much as in Dream, so it's gonna be my stereo amp, and I would also use it for electric pianos. But if I want any other amp model - I'm going straight to Stomp.
The sheer power of this small box is mind blowing really. Can't believe I was sitting under the rock for all those years.
Life is weird sometimes.)
Hey, I just remembered this convo and want to come back here, because I've bought an HX Stomp and UADFX Dream today.
After our little chat, I was looking in the direction of Line6, got myself a DL4 MKII for synths, found that it sounds absolute bonkers and decide to dig deeper. Went to local guitar store, nobody was there, so I was testing Stomp for a 2 hours. And I'm absolutely blown away by this thing.
I've reserved some of my pedals for synths, so I'm not selling all my pedals, but my guitar board is gonna be a Stomp, a Meris Mercury7 in a loop, an analog overdrive and a wildcard slot for some weird experimental stuff.
Didn't like the Deluxe reverb in Line 6 as much as in Dream, so it's gonna be my stereo amp, and I would also use it for electric pianos. But if I want any other amp model - I'm going straight to Stomp.
The sheer power of this small box is mind blowing really. Can't believe I was sitting under the rock for all those years.
Life is weird sometimes.)
“I've reserved some of my pedals for synths, so I'm not selling all my pedals, but my guitar board is gonna be a Stomp, a Meris Mercury7 in a loop, an analog overdrive and a wildcard slot for some weird experimental stuff.”
1000%… that’s the exact sweet spot where the Stomp shines imho. If you want top end, studio-quality modeling as an amp replacement, something like the Kemper is probably it. But as a flexible, on-board, do-it-all-and-then-some piece of gear, it’s tough to beat. 🤘
—Did you update to the 3.5 or newer firmware? They packed in a major update to the cab and mic placement engine; game changer.
“I've reserved some of my pedals for synths, so I'm not selling all my pedals, but my guitar board is gonna be a Stomp, a Meris Mercury7 in a loop, an analog overdrive and a wildcard slot for some weird experimental stuff.”
1000%… that’s the exact sweet spot where the Stomp shines imho. If you want top end, studio-quality modeling as an amp replacement, something like the Kemper is probably it. But as a flexible, on-board, do-it-all-and-then-some piece of gear, it’s tough to beat. 🤘
—Did you update to the 3.5 or newer firmware? They packed in a major update to the cab and mic placement engine; game changer.
yeah, I've instantly downloaded HX Edit and updated my unit after I unpack it. Already made a couple simple presets representing my guitar board - tape delays, shimmers, and Stomp even has tape saturation, like my Deco. It's so crazy I've been missing out on it.
I've used Deluxe Reverb vibrato channel as my amp model and played with mics and placements in a cab, got some pretty decent results, specially in the mix. But I must say, UADFX Dream is way better in doing modelling. The whole unit is a sweet spot and trem+spring reverb is top notch. But just comparing what I've got on earlier firmware while testing in a shop and on latest firmware at home - major difference.
I absolutely love the fact that Stomp is also an audio interface, a midi interface and you can actually route the audio per individual preset. I was thinking of getting a small audio interface for when I'm outta studio and I'm glad I'm not gonna spend another 200-300$ on it.
Man, I wish such technology was available when I was playing exclusively live guitarist back in late 00s early 10s. My back still hates me for moving around big amps and wooden pedal platforms.
“I've reserved some of my pedals for synths, so I'm not selling all my pedals, but my guitar board is gonna be a Stomp, a Meris Mercury7 in a loop, an analog overdrive and a wildcard slot for some weird experimental stuff.”
1000%… that’s the exact sweet spot where the Stomp shines imho. If you want top end, studio-quality modeling as an amp replacement, something like the Kemper is probably it. But as a flexible, on-board, do-it-all-and-then-some piece of gear, it’s tough to beat. 🤘
—Did you update to the 3.5 or newer firmware? They packed in a major update to the cab and mic placement engine; game changer.
also, can you share some of the quality recourses I need to read/watch in order to deeply understand the unit (except for manual)?
also, can you share some of the quality recourses I need to read/watch in order to deeply understand the unit (except for manual)?
This guy’s channel was a wealth of knowledge when I was building patches: https://youtube.com/@johnnathancordy?si=qMnpXF9XR6PqVBp4
This was good too: https://youtube.com/@ToneJunkieTV?si=df8-wNbMeIMY3VMP
Happy tweaking! 🤘🍻