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 A pocket practice amp - for Stick. 
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Post A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a Stick practice amp that fits in your pocket?
My Zoom H4N handy recorder does this task with ease.

It can run on two AA batteries, but there's a much better power solution.

When I remove the batteries and plug in the USB power, it automatically powers up in the audio interface mode - for use with the Stick as a practice amp. I've tested the USB power with a wall adapter, a car adapter, a tablet or laptop computer and a 10 amp rechargeable flat pack battery. It works very well on all of these USB power sources.

When in the audio interface mode, the Zoom H4N has some internal effects. The effects are only available in 44.1 kHz, so make sure that this is what you select when you start up the H4N under USB power. To access the effects, you select the Menu button on the right side of the H4N. You have to select the effects to ON, then if you scroll thru the 49 available effects, No: 40 - Spring is my favorite one of the bunch. You also have the ability to create and save your own effects but this is limited.

I have tested the output with ear buds and also plugged the output into my home stereo system. The sound quality is very good. I typically turn the input gain down to between 25 and 30 via the button on the right side of the H4N. I am looking forward to testing this setup in my camper van stereo.

For $249 USD, this seems to be a very portable, minimalist solution for practicing Stick.
It literally fits in your pocket. I'm very impressed with the setup. The sound quality is quite good. 8-)

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Sat Sep 03, 2022 3:29 pm
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
WerkSpace wrote:
My Zoom H4N handy recorder does this task with ease.

It can run on two AA batteries

I use 1900 mAh Panasonic 'eneloop' rechargables. They are high performance Ni-mH batteries (ideally you use a special charger that understands this type of high performance cell).

I've no idea exactly how long they last (it've never been important for me to know), but I'm pretty sure it's several hours per charge? Having a pair in the recorded and a fully charged pair ready to swap is fine for my use.

I've recently started using this set up more often. It used to be once in a blue moon, but now it's 2x 30m most weeks, so maybe next time I need to swap the batteries I'll make a note & see how long they actually last?

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Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:16 am
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
Hey David, that sounds like a great idea.

My current setup is a 9,600 mA flat pack battery that is about the same width and length as the H4N and about a 1/2" thick. I purposely remove the batteries from the H4N and use the switch on the flat pack to turn things on/off. Plus, there's a button and several LEDs on the flat pack to check how much power is left in the battery before recharging.

BTW - Have you tried the No: 40 - Spring Reverb effect?
It's still one of my favorites.

DavidWS wrote:
WerkSpace wrote:
My Zoom H4N handy recorder does this task with ease.

It can run on two AA batteries

I use 1900 mAh Panasonic 'eneloop' rechargables. They are high performance Ni-mH batteries (ideally you use a special charger that understands this type of high performance cell).

I've no idea exactly how long they last (it've never been important for me to know), but I'm pretty sure it's several hours per charge? Having a pair in the recorded and a fully charged pair ready to swap is fine for my use.

I've recently started using this set up more often. It used to be once in a blue moon, but now it's 2x 30m most weeks, so maybe next time I need to swap the batteries I'll make a note & see how long they actually last?

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#404 Stick - (1978) Angico hard wood.
#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:48 am
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
WerkSpace wrote:
Hey David, that sounds like a great idea.

If you investigate the 'eneloops' you'll find that now you can get AA's in a choice of the 1900 mAh I use or 2500 mAh if you want even longer per charge (at extra cost, of course).

WerkSpace wrote:
BTW - Have you tried the No: 40 - Spring Reverb effect?
It's still one of my favorites.

Not yet. It's on my To Do list. ;)

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David
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Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:03 am
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
My current USB 'flat pack' battery power is only 9600mAh.
I just ordered a 26800mAh flat pack for $40 CAD on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Ultra-Hi ... 0861R6SXY/

This should power my H4N pocket Stick amp for quite a while. 8-)

[quote="DavidWS"]If you investigate the 'eneloops' you'll find that now you can get AA's in a choice of the 1900 mAh I use or 2500 mAh if you want even longer per charge (at extra cost, of course).


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#404 Stick - (1978) Angico hard wood.
#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:48 pm
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
I made a few custom effects on the Zoom H4N today. It was easier than I thought it would be and a lot of fun to try out the combinations available.

I spent some time this afternoon waltzing around with my new Stick monopod setup. It's really a nice feature and I can see the benefits of having a monopod instead of a Stick Stand or belt hook and strap around my neck. I prefer that the instrument is not attached to me. It's now like I have a dancing partner that I can play music on. Really, really cool!

PS: My DELL Latitude laptop touchpad always seems to get in the way when I'm typing. I tried to disable it but none of the methods on the internet would work. I solved the problem the old school way. Touchpad's are capacitive devices, so I attached a small piece of the shiny anti-static plastic electronic parts bags. Hard drives get shipped in these bags as well. Anyway, the idea worked. The anti-static bag piece is taped over top of the Touchpad and the touchpad is literally shutoff. In two seconds, I can remove this anti-static plastic and the touchpad is back again.

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#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Thu Sep 08, 2022 5:37 pm
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
My new USB flat pack battery arrived today. Photo attached.
It's 26,800 mAh and about the same length and width as the Zoom H4N.
I'm very impressed with this setup. The new cables should arrive on Thursday.
This setup should power my portable practice amp for quite a while.

I'll have to make a fabric case with belt loop for this little project.
I use one of those Chinese cobbler sewing machines for these tasks.
https://sewingcrafter.com/cobbler-sewing-machine/


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#404 Stick - (1978) Angico hard wood.
#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Mon Sep 12, 2022 4:04 pm
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
I've ordered some alternative USB power cables from Amazon. The new ones will arrive on Tuesday. They are both 90 degrees, to minimize how far they stick out of the USB ports. The cable is 9 inches in length, but I'm going to custom fit the length for ergonomic reasons.

I will do the same thing with the new TRS to dual TS cable. I want to remove 15 inches from the dual TS side for ergonomic reasons. Everything has to be setup for a minimalist approach for my portable practice amp.

I still haven't figured out how I want to attach it to my belt, but I'm researching some new ideas. It has to be able to quickly detach/attach.

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#404 Stick - (1978) Angico hard wood.
#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:23 am
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
On yesterday's Bob Zoom call Boaz was demonstrating his 'Fender Mustang Micro Amplifier'

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/headphone-amplifiers/mustang-micro/2311300000.html

A very compact solution!



Only mono. Boaz uses a stereo to mono inline converter.

Maybe small enough for two, one for each side of the Stick?! However, then you'd need something else portable to combine the outputs.

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David
More Stickists than you can shake a Stick™ at? (links list)
Bamboo Grand 12 2024 #7472 Stickup UnXd Para 4ths
Bamboo Grand 12 2009 #5826 PASV4 UnXd Para 4ths
Graphite 10 2009 #5862 PASV4 UnXd Para 4ths


Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:57 am
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Post Re: A pocket practice amp - for Stick.
David, that definitely sounds cool. I almost bought one after watching several YouTube videos of it. I took a moment and thought about the difference between my setup and the Fender Mustang Micro.

I originally set up my H4N as an audio interface for recording to my S7+ Tablet, then later discovered that it would also make a suitable pocket practice amp. I like the idea of the Fender Mustang Micro but I'd have to give it some more thought before purchasing it.

The H4N has so many other uses and so many other options, such as connecting professional XLR microphones, being able to interface it to computers, etc. I already had the H4N for several years and only recently found a new use for it, so I'm going to follow thru with my setup.

I sure would like to hear the Fender Mustang Micro before spending $150 CAD. Maybe, I'll check out my local music store and try it on the Chapman Stick before making any further decisions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYy66hlftu0

DavidWS wrote:
On yesterday's Bob Zoom call Boaz was demonstrating his 'Fender Mustang Micro Amplifier'

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-amplifiers/headphone-amplifiers/mustang-micro/2311300000.html

A very compact solution!



Only mono. Boaz uses a stereo to mono inline converter.

Maybe small enough for two, one for each side of the Stick?! However, then you'd need something else portable to combine the outputs.

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#404 Stick - (1978) Angico hard wood.
#6460 Railboard - Black with glow inlays.


Sun Sep 18, 2022 11:19 am
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