Figuring out an epoxied circuit?

[schnarf]

Some guy in the Phillippines is selling something he calls the scalarizer which he says makes the tone clearer. He offered to send out a few free for people to try so I got one. It's a small tube about an inch long and quarter inch diameter with two wires coming out. The instructions say to put it anywhere in the signal path, preferably between one of the leads going out of the guitar and the jack, and to keep the device in contact with the body of the guitar. Any tips for figuring out what's inside it? My multimeter says it has a pretty normal resistance (I'll check again tomorow but it was either 4 ohms, 400 ohms, or 4k ohms).

[magikker]

Google searching brought up this quote from the guy sending it out.

Here's a brief explanation on what it is and what it does internally. Please take note that Scalar Electromagnetics is still considered as a fringe science and is still contested so please don't nitpick on it. Its principles were applied by the inventor as he understood it.

The scalarizer is composed of a combination of coils wound around different types of materials, wound in such a way that any excess magnetic fields are canceled out.

Now here's where some scalar electromagnetics come in. In classical electromagnetics, once opposing EM waves cancel out, they are regarded as "gone" or "destroyed".

But that view cannot be supported by the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only converted. Thus the cancelled waves become something, or go somewhere.

This is where Nikola Tesla's Scalar electromagnetics come in and the simple explanation is that the classical EM waves, once cancelled out do not "disappear" but rather become stationary, non-vectored (e.g. scalar) waves. Scalar waves contain infinite harmonics. The scalar waves generated from excess EMF are kept from dissipating by two sets of Faraday traps built into the device. The scalar waves, with its rich harmonics is then re-mobilized by a magnetic field inside the device brought about by a strong magnet. The scalars then become re-induced into the core and consequently back into the signal path where it manifests as harmonically-related overtones. The result is a tone richer in harmonics and a certain ease in pulling out pinch harmonics.

Because of its action of cancelling out excessive frequencies (e.g. guitars that are too shrill, or pickups that are too muddy), by definition, these excessive frequencies are what power the scalarizer and allow it to do what it does. By same token, guitars that are already endowed with well-balanced tone will not benefit much from the device. Similarly, if you already like the tone you're getting from your guitar, the scalarizer might change that tone. The scalarizer shines where there is mud. Like invariably, the neck pickup of Les Pauls are muddy. Putting a scalarizer on a Les Paul will cure that muddiness.

Hope this helps. I guess that was the best treatise as explained to me, good material for the website.

This is why it's really, truly OK to be skeptical. To hear is to believe. This is also why the inventor is not offended by the skepticism because he himself was skeptical and was only later validated by other guitarists who have tried the device and could hear the difference. It was invented in September of 2006 and tried by other guitarists only in January of this year.

By the way I'm told that two scalarizer samples for the Petrucci forums have been mailed out yesterday and will arrive in about two weeks.
-BAMF from http://www.petrucciforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45149&page=5

[soulsonic]

100% BS.

You measure a low resistance because there's likely nothing in there except *maybe* a coil of wire..... It's nothing, absolutely nothing.

The fool doesn't even define the term "Scalar" correctly. Tesla's definition and use of the word "Scalar" in reference to waves is analogous to the word "Standing" or "Resonant". Whenever Tesla described waves as being "Scalar", he meant that they were standing resonant waves.

I love how people throw around the name Tesla and expect to be able to sell anything with it. All of Tesla's ideas lived within the realm of real physical science. It really offends me when ignorant people assign his name and ideas to stupid pseudo-science mumbo-jumbo. I swear some of these so-called innovators don't even know how to read! All of Tesla's work was very well documented and written in correct English, yet he constantly gets misquoted and misunderstood by stupid people who don't even have a basic knowledge of physics.

[GREEN FUZ]

Having followed the link to the Petrucci forum I consequently followed another link to what is apparently the first mention of the Scalarizer device.

http://talk.philmusic.com/board/index.php/topic,34930.0.html

To be honest I don`t really have the patience to read a lot of this kind of stuff but it does seem to be tied to a lot of Hocus-pocus, mumbo-jumbo. References to magic potting mixtures don`t really inspire confidence in me.

As ever, I`m prepared to be corrected.

[soulsonic]

This is so unbelievably stupid. I need to start selling boxes filled with wire in Asia.

[GREEN FUZ]

There are more things in heaven and earth, Soulsonic,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.


Don`t mock the Voodoo it will bite you on the ass.

Quoting from the link.

"And the result, EVERY NOTE WE PLAYED CAME OUT IN FULL DETAIL. I was afraid to commit mistakes coz for one thing, the clarity of the guitar was not clear before the potting. But the magic of the mixture really made it astoundingly clear and punchy. So clear and deatiled that one wrong note may disrupt a jam or an actual gig. "

One wrong note disrupting a gig. They should come to one of my gigs, they would be witness to one disruption after another.

[soulsonic]

I think they need to be sure the potting is an equal mix of epoxy and brass filings so it can act as a more effective Orgone generator..... I guess that's what my boxes need to be filled with, though I was planning on using melted amber instead of epoxy.

[MartyMart]

Reminds me of that cable that's sold with "arrows" pointing in one direction ....... like if you connect it the other
way around, your "signal" wont flow as well down a piece of copper wire !!  

[GREEN FUZ]

There are now five varieties/flavours of Scalarizer

Crystal core - gives the guitar a flat and sparkly tonal response
Metal core - Crisp and punchy tone, with upper mids emphasis
Organicore - Warm response, with emphasis on the "warm" midrange frequencies.
Hydrocore - Cool, wet and wavy signal. Like having a mild chorus built inside your guitar
Firecore - Aggressive and edgy tone. Like having a permanent "crunch" sound inside your guitar.

Some fairly wild claims are being bandied about here for what is basically a passive device. Methinks something like the Black ice gadget being peddled by some websites.

Combinations of these  scalarizer types will imbibe a guitar with the characteristics of the scalarizers installed. For instance, a guitar with a crystal-metal core combination installed will have both the crisp and punchy tone plus the sparkly character. Organicrystal will give a woody, warm and organic tone plus the sparkly, chimey character. Organic-Metal will give both the crispy, crunchy tone plus the warmth and woody sound of the organicore.

Let the fun begin again !

[soulsonic]

There are now five varieties/flavours of Scalarizer

Crystal core - gives the guitar a flat and sparkly tonal response
Metal core - Crisp and punchy tone, with upper mids emphasis
Organicore - Warm response, with emphasis on the "warm" midrange frequencies.
Hydrocore - Cool, wet and wavy signal. Like having a mild chorus built inside your guitar
Firecore - Aggressive and edgy tone. Like having a permanent "crunch" sound inside your guitar.

Some fairly wild claims are being bandied about here for what is basically a passive device. Methinks something like the Black ice gadget being peddled by some websites.

Combinations of these  scalarizer types will imbibe a guitar with the characteristics of the scalarizers installed. For instance, a guitar with a crystal-metal core combination installed will have both the crisp and punchy tone plus the sparkly character. Organicrystal will give a woody, warm and organic tone plus the sparkly, chimey character. Organic-Metal will give both the crispy, crunchy tone plus the warmth and woody sound of the organicore.

Let the fun begin again !

I sincerely hope you're joking. I would think that the Metal Core one would just make your guitar sound like incoherent screaming about Jesus.



Yeah, I've got some of those cables with the direction arrows on them.... never heard any difference. The only thing that might dictate the way I had them connected is the fact that they are speaker cables and are terminated differently on either end. I remember the guy talking about breaking them in and that once they've been properly "broken in", you have to take care not to jostle them about or they'd need broken in again...... The only thing that genuinely makes my direction arrow speaker cables special is the fact that they used silver wire in them; that's all I really cared about when I bought them.

[GREEN FUZ]

I sincerely hope you're joking.

No, I`m not the Scalarizer`s UK rep. All that crap came off the website I linked to.

[soulsonic]

I think I'm becoming ill....

[$uperpuma]

SpiceBox'd

[Papa_lazerous]

Somone check the calander......Its not April 1st!!!

Is anyone stupid enough to buy them?

[km-r]

i think that is the same device you hook on your cable tv antenna jack so that you can watch the porn stuff that goes on channel 15 at 3am.



you wanna watch?

[the_random_hero]

It might be like those magic rocks that minimise 60 cycle hum in your house by placing a few in strategic corners. It would be interesting to try one anyway, see if there is any sort of tone improvement.

[soulsonic]

It might be like those magic rocks that minimise 60 cycle hum in your house by placing a few in strategic corners. It would be interesting to try one anyway, see if there is any sort of tone improvement.

At least objects like "Shakti Stones" actually interact with the electromagnetic field within a wire in a tangible way... the same way as if you put a transformer next to it... though if it does anything good or whatever is completely subjective a most likely imagined.

I love how the guy selling the Scalarizer says that it's good to put, "Anywhere signal goes through a wire..."
I'd like to see the smoke that happens if someone were to put it inline with a speaker cable.
Or the arching and nastiness that would happen if it were stuck in the plate circuit of the output section of a tube amp.
Or maybe I should wire it up to the mains wiring in my house to give my light fixtures a more pleasant glow?

Stupid... so very stupid.

[Dragonfly]

wow. 

[schnarf]

I think I'm going to use a convolver to make an impulse response of this thing when I get a chance. Then I may try it out with my guitar. Then I'm going to try to cut it open.

[magikker]

put it in with a switch... so yo can hear it on and off... if there is nothing to AB against people start to believe things changed there sound.