are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

[PVFan]

... I've had in the last 10 years? well the answer is both, this amp cuts through like a little foghorn, and, they're indeed psychos ... but the dude yelled at my (closed) door earlier today to turn it down after I'd been playing this tiny little amp that was on 2 (two, 9 o'clock, 20% of total volume) into a single G12T-75 Celestion speaker in a no-name cabinet with nothing but a single distortion pedal in front.

after 10 years of XTCs and Uberschalls and XXXs and Hot Rod+s and Deliverances and 5150s all turned up halfway into Bogner 4x12s and G-Flex cabinets .... and nothin? even when I asked them? even when I had a friend play my crap up loud and bash my drums while I scampered all over the property listening and discovering it ain't *that* loud down where these psychos live, a football field away thru the woods?

but this little 9 pound piece of Chinese plastic with Chinese-labeled controls with the volume less than 1/4 has them telling me to turn it down AT NOON today !!!!!

Noon. On 2. My wiener is almost as big as this tiny little amp.

Middle of the day. Too loud. Well it is a loud little amp with a ton of soft punch and sharp breakup that I advocate and fully endorse, but, really, my neighbors are just miserable *******s.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

I've scoped those out a bit, but are you sure it's not a case of 'it's the 80's, and tiny Gallien Krueger are all the rage?' haha Only to find out they're a joke?

I'm half joking with this post!

[Gearjoneser]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

It's probably more about the playing. Only musicians appreciate music practice and usually only on their own instrument.

My brother plays drums, and I find it annoying as hell, esspecially when he's repetitively practicing the same beat or fill. And even if he's quietly using his sticking pad.

This is why people don't complain when you play your stereo on 10 but do with you amp on 1... it's because the stereo is music and guitar practice isn't.
This doesn't explain why they didn't complain before though, mayhe they've finally had enough.

I have a neighbor who's been beating on drums for years. I tend to agree, because the level of complaints has diminished from the time he started to the time he actually developed some grooove.

I don't know what's worse, a beginning guitarist, drummer, or trumpeteer, but once they can play music, it's at least tolerable. Trumpets and drums have GOT to be the worst though!

[misterwhizzy]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

Is it good enough to change your username to ZTFan?

[GuitarStv]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

I have a neighbor who's been beating on drums for years. I tend to agree, because the level of complaints has diminished from the time he started to the time he actually developed some grooove.

I don't know what's worse, a beginning guitarist, drummer, or trumpeteer, but once they can play music, it's at least tolerable. Trumpets and drums have GOT to be the worst though!

Drums . . . I used to live a couple houses down from a beginning metal drummer with the inability to keep time on the kick pedal. Wouldn't be as much of a problem, but the only thing that I could hear from my house was the bassy rumble of a mis-timed kick drum. Trumpets don't seem to carry quite as well.

[eschoendorff]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

I have taught beginning band (yeah, 5th grade band: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, flutes, clarinets, percussion, etc) for the last 12 years.

It's not necessarily volume that irks me, but rather inconsistencies in Tone, Tuning and Timing.

Obviously, I'm more forgiving with our younger students.

That said, it's rarely fun to listen to someone else practice. Add to that an "audience" who doesn't "get it" and you have the OP's problem.

It's also likely not the volume of the ZT that's the problem, but rather that certain frequencies are really carrying and resonating.

[Bludave]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

I haven't had a problem with any of my neighbors and I play at gig volume usually every day. Sounds like the problem is you need to move or tell your neighbors to **** off!

[TimmyPage]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

It is a pretty exceptionally loud amp for something that tiny. I've taken it to gigs and played it unmic'd and it keeps up (or sometimes blows away) with the rest of the band. For home practice I can't really justify running it's volume at more than 9 o clock, it would be sort of rude to my roommates and basement neighbors.

[BloodRose]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

yeah, they are loud . Louder than a halfstack? no. maybe more focused.

I know what ya'll mean about the way people sound when learning.. Part of why Ive not made much progress over the years is my wife complained about me playing the same things over and over.. so instead of doing that, I developed a habit of noodling during my practice time. And now, Ive gotten to were I cant stand to repeat..

[PVFan]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

people always just talk about the internal speaker.

when plugged into external speakers as an amp head is where this thing truly amazes.

[GoldenVulture]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

Selective attention.
The best/worst complainer I've had, and I've had a couple over the last 40 years; was the clown next door back in the 80's. He jumped over the side fence and banged on my door and demanded I turn down my stereo IN THE MIDDLE OF A THUNDERSTORM. Eff ay! I must've had the loudest stereo in the world.

[Low_fidelity2100]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

Well, maybe its not an issue of volume...But more an issue of grossness? I mean maybe they hear the Bogners, 5150, VHT, etc...and it doesn't bother them, because its a pleasing tone. But then they hear something that sounds like a guitar being blasted through a grade school's intercom system REALLY loudly, and get irritated....I mean who wouldn't? ya know?

Or perhaps that dude was just having a bad day and decided to come over and give you a bunch of guff, simply cause his cable went out and he was bored or something?

[astrozombie]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

Well, maybe its not an issue of volume...But more an issue of grossness? I mean maybe they hear the Bogners, 5150, VHT, etc...and it doesn't bother them, because its a pleasing tone. But then they hear something that sounds like a guitar being blasted through a grade school's intercom system REALLY loudly, and get irritated....I mean who wouldn't? ya know?

Or perhaps that dude was just having a bad day and decided to come over and give you a bunch of guff, simply cause his cable went out and he was bored or something?

Probably this. I shudder to think what my JCM is going to do to the neighbours.

[Stratman]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

Must be a problem with the player…

I practice every day and have been in a lot of different countries with foreign neighbors.

Most of the time, when they will come over and they are asking to listen to me play.

Not one complaint yet!

PS: I tend to play as loud as the venue permits - hotel rooms and apartments are smaller than bars and most guitarist play much louder than they need to — learn to deal with that fact.


PPS: Yes, you can hear the music through the door and walls

[PVFan]

Re: are my neighbors crazy, or is my ZT Lunchbox louder than all the halfstacks

tell your neighbors to **** off!

correct.
but, they are psychotic; it has to be done just so.