Fromel Electronics

07/03/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HWb6Guw9i/

Lotus JohnH M2 Attenuator: The Best Simple Attenuator?► Latest Price & AMZN link here ► https://bit.ly/44oNCjlFor updated price or purchase visit this link.I...

10/19/2024

Lyrics still as relevant today as they were in 1980 perhaps much more so. Still one of the best guitar solo's ever. Ozzy and Randy were so awesome!

Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love and forget how to hate

Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame

I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I've listened to preachers, I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role

Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane

I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah!

(Most amazing guitar solo!)

Heirs of a Cold War, that's what we've become
Inheriting troubles, I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair

Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame?
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train

https://youtu.be/FVovq9TGBw0?si=EIqPsWGa3Pc7AgcD

09/07/2024

My 13 year old is getting into astrophotography. He took this with his iPhone SE (the free one you let a 13 year old carry) and cleaned it up a bit in Photoscape (free photo editing software). I wish I had another Fuji I could let him use. This kids good.

08/31/2024

It's not often I have nice things to say about Guitar Center or the Seattle Police Dept, which is why I don't talk much about either.

Over a year ago my shop was robbed. One of the many things lost was a 1972 Harmony H835 Batwing electric mandolin that I had just finished restoring.

I scored a cool guitar today on the swap from Reese Tani, it needs some solder and strings but I expect I will really like it.

GC is now the closest music shop to my house now that Trading Musician is shuttered. I browsed for 20 minutes and in the acoustic room was hanging a Harmony H835! I thought what were the chances? So I took it off the wall, tag said 1972, gave it a good look and thought what are the chances that this instrument and the one I had stolen have the same exact "beauty mark" on the gold foil pickup.

When I was restoring it, I worked for hours trying to rub that mark out but it just wasn't going to happen. I was frustrated at the time for what turned out to be a true beauty mark and I am grateful.

Harmony didn't put serial numbers (the Factory Order Number is used for dating these) on these so I had little hope when I took the Mando to the counter, said I think this was stolen. They took it back to the office and we chatted about the details. I went home and printed out the police report with the photos went back and showed them a nice shot I had on my phone that clearly showed the mark on the pickup. He spoke to the manager, came back and said I would hear from them in a couple days.

An hour later the Seattle police knocked on my door and asked if I wanted my Mandolin back, GC called them right after I left and apparently called 911 instead of the non-emergency line. I would like to get a copy of that call under the information act:)

Seriously I left GC at 7:30 Friday night on a holiday weekend and at 8:30 the police were at my house and hand delivered it. Still has the same strings I put on 18 months ago. I guess I owe GC another visit to buy some strings and drop off a thank you card and a flower, like a Lotus.

08/25/2024

I've been working on a new product. It's an attenuator Called Lotus. I think I need to make a FAQ's for people.

Q1. What is an attenuator?
-A1. It's a box that goes between the amplifier and speaker and makes it quieter.

Q2. Don't guitar amplifiers have a volume control?
-A2. Yes but they don't sound good at reasonable volumes. They are too clean, guitar amps sound best when overdriven and distorted or right on the brink of breaking up.

Q3. Why?
A3. Back in the day when Hendrix was playing outdoor shows without a PA he used the loudest amp he could find, which was a 100watt Marshall with a full stack, he had to turn up every dial to max and use both channels so everyone could hear him. That caused his amp to overdrive, compressing and distorting the signal. This became the tone we all know and love. Things are a lot different now both in studio and live; controlling volume is key to a good mix and it's hard to get good tone at a low volume.

Q4. Why not just use one of those modeler things?
A4. That's funny. Honestly they have their place both on stage and studio, I own and use a Fractal FM3 but it's still digital. The signal stops breathing at the AD conversion. An attenuator is all analog, just a bunch of resistors and an inductor between the output transformer and the speaker.

Q4.1 Why not just use a lower powered amp?
A4.2 That's funny too. Again they have their place but nothing sounds like an AC30 or JTM45 wide open.

Q5. Why do most attenuators sound compressed and thin the more they are attenuated.
A5.1 Less physical air is moving the more attenuation is added, quiet things sound less dynamic.
A5.2 One would think that if we can send people to the moon this should be pretty easy. It's not, many incredible companies like Marshall and Dr Z have released attenuators over the years. I have tried my hand at a few designs. Each one I have tried suffered the same problem except the one I am making now. I'm not the genius, that's JohnH, with the help of the community he figured it out.

Q6. I don't believe you. Everyone making an attenuator says the same thing, perfect tone at bedroom levels. Can you prove it?
A6.1 In the videos a track was re-amped. First un-attenuated, then through each stage of attenuation for comparison. In the first video all the tracks are normalized to the same relative volume to asses the changes in tone as more attenuation is added. As you can see on the deck, the signal is not altered. You will notice that as the attenuation increases the Mic is picking up the ambient noise of the room then the ambient hiss of the amp as it gets to sub bedroom level.

A6.2 The video in comment 1 is the same track without normalization to asses the change in both volume relative to the room and the tone. You will notice as attenuation is added about -14dB some natural room reflection becomes evident.

Reamped track going through all the stages. As the amp gets down below 1 watt the mic is picking up a lot of ambient noise from the room and the noise floor ...

08/06/2024

I saw Ruth Radelet a couple weeks ago, mind blowing beautiful music. She was the opener for a 3 band gig at the Showbox and the other band and headliner need no mention. Got in the merch line after her set and she was at the table, took my money, signed the vinyl I bought and thanked me for coming to the show.

She is on tour right now and is coming back to the area in September and hope to see her again. This is track 1 from her EP "The Other Side". My copy is singed and is teal/green transparent vinyl.

When you see a band or artist you like, buy the merch!!! That's how artists on tour pay the bills these days. You also might get to meet the artist and say thanks.

https://youtu.be/7y6h8DNI9j0?si=F8kRPih1T9y6wC6h

07/31/2024

Lotus - JohnH M2 Simple Attenuator - 60 Watt now available for people who don't solder.

Over the years I have tried just about every attenuator made and tried my hand at a few original designs. They all exhibited the same problem, the more attenuation is added the more the tone suffers. Long story short, my search is over, I found the JohnH Simple Attenuator on the Marshall forum. The....

07/31/2024

Now available. The best attenuator ever, seriously. It's the best.

Over the years I have tried just about every attenuator made and tried my hand at a few original designs. They all exhibited the same problem, the more attenuation is added the more the tone suffers. Long story short, my search is over, I found the JohnH Simple Attenuator on the Marshall forum. The....

07/07/2024

I was reading the Wiki article on the Fender Deluxe Reverb - AB763 and noted several instances of terms that may be considered racist. Namely "Blackface". I changed all references to "Black Panel" and "Silver Panel" respectively.

If you come across culturally accepted racist terms that can better be described otherwise on Wiki, just hit the edit button and change it, change the narrative one term at a time, one word at a time.

The Fender Deluxe Reverb is a guitar amplifier made by the Fender Electric Instrument Company and its successors. It was first introduced in 1963 by incorporating an onboard spring reverb tank to the newly redesigned Fender Deluxe amplifier.

05/22/2024

Ruach Elohim (Breath of Gods). 5/11/2024 at Gold Creek Pond.

05/12/2024

I brought the thermal imaging camera to the Aurora viewing at Gold Creek Pond. Amazing what the eye cannot see.

05/11/2024

It's coming......G4 Aurora displays the natural defense systems in place to protect us from attacks from the Sun. I know which way I'm driving tonight.