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Post by Lefty on Nov 27, 2006 9:06:21 GMT -7
Yea yea, I know we've heard that before. But seriously, I've decided to go with two boards, one for my Classic Rock/Electric Blues/everything else style gigs, and one for strictly minimalistic style Blues gigs. The Blues board will only have an OD, a Trem (love Trem), and a Tuner.
I'm finding that the less that comes between me and the amp the better, it's more inspirational. Strictly old school!!
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Post by Shannon on Nov 27, 2006 10:21:45 GMT -7
I agree. I run one OD, a wah (for when I get the spirit), a boost, and a tuner. I don't do much stomping either. I keep it where I like it and just play. No congestion for the signal and no stress for me.
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Post by dock66 on Nov 27, 2006 11:57:26 GMT -7
Lately,I find myself going less and less with pedals on my board ,almost to a piont of going straight from my guitar in to amp.
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Post by billyguitar on Nov 27, 2006 12:47:46 GMT -7
Lately all I use is a Strobostomp and my Guyatone compressor. I've also laid off the Z amps for while and so I'm using my Evans amp and zero distortion. For the music I do I don't need any overdrive. The band has been doing some recording lately. I've been using the Stang ray with the volume at under 9:00 in the low input. Sweet and clean!
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Post by jwr on Nov 27, 2006 14:51:33 GMT -7
I've been thinking about dumping a few pedals off my board. This is my first pedal board and now I understand what I've been reading here at the forum about changing up a board. I want it all and then I want everything to be as simple as possible.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 27, 2006 16:37:03 GMT -7
Yea yea, I know we've heard that before. But seriously, I've decided to go with two boards, one for my Classic Rock/Electric Blues/everything else style gigs, and one for strictly minimalistic style Blues gigs. The Blues board will only have an OD, a Trem (love Trem), and a Tuner. I'm finding that the less that comes between me and the amp the better, it's more inspirational. Strictly old school!! Yep - that pendulum tends to swing both ways, don't it? I'm about to remodel my board too.
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Post by foxx on Nov 27, 2006 16:46:22 GMT -7
I had 7 pedals that have come into my house in the last 2 years. Two are left on the board, Strobostomp and a Budda Phatman. I am on the waiting list for a Toneczar Powerglide Stereo Tremolo, first of next year I hope to have it.
The best feel and tone seem to happen when I limit the board to three pedals or so. I like delay, maybe I could get the Echoczar, when I have an extra $700 or so, but other wise I am done here as well.
I hope that I just love the Powerglide, or I will not be done. We shall see.
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rudeboy
Full Member
Rudecaster into a Z...heaven.
Posts: 124
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Post by rudeboy on Nov 27, 2006 20:04:57 GMT -7
LOL, sure ya are!
I do remember the old days with just two TS9's on the floor....it wasn't bad Lefty.
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Post by Lefty on Nov 27, 2006 20:10:23 GMT -7
LOL, sure ya are! I do remember the old days with just two TS9's on the floor....it wasn't bad Lefty. Ahhh the simpler times.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 27, 2006 20:26:16 GMT -7
I'm actually going the other direction at the moment. I've started experimenting with my loop switcher and putting my Flexi-50 into a Hot Plate set to Load so I can switch it in between my guitar and my Stingray. That way I don't have to do any head-switching, don't have to haul two cabs out, and I can switch the Flexi out of the signal path via a MIDI footswitch. I've done some preliminaries, and I think it will work ok if I can tame the top end. I probably need a cab sim in the path to do that right. But that way I can be playing the Stingray with my guitar directly in the front of it, step on a midi footswitch, and have the Flexi-50 between the Stingray and the guitar. Cool. As you can see, my pendulum is on the opposite stroke...
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Post by mudskipper on Nov 28, 2006 7:09:14 GMT -7
..... That way I don't have to do any head-switching, don't have to haul two cabs out, and I can switch the Flexi out of the signal path via a MIDI footswitch. .... why don't you split your 4x12 into 2 sections, so that you only have to carry 1 bigger cab? my EFX always center around 1 OD/boost pedal and everything else is just a bunch of fluff (currently use 3 fluff pedals). i've never been in a Top40/Tribute "just-like-the-records" bands, so i've never needed anything else.
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Post by foxx on Nov 28, 2006 19:04:21 GMT -7
I'm not aginst using effects. I love them. I want the best of everything at my disposal, and just as out of my way. I like the idea of hiting a switch and removing effects from the signal path. I just don't like the fluff to be in the signal path when off.
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Post by cheycaster on Nov 28, 2006 20:11:10 GMT -7
Yep. I used an original Big Muff Pi and a Small stone phase shifter with a real Thomas Organ Cry Baby thru my 1970 Marshall 100W Super lead with two 68 Greenback loaded cabs,,,,It was Jimi band of gypsies all over that thing......I still have the amp and both cabs. I bought them in 75 when I was 17!
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Post by toneking on Nov 28, 2006 20:24:47 GMT -7
Hey Lefty,
I felt your joy about a month ago when my main board was down for repairs. I took my practice board to a few gigs and found that with less buttons to push I was free to play without having to think too much and how liberating it was.
Oh well, it's back to the big board this weekend. But, I do remember the good ole' days in the 70's when it was just a Boss OD-1, Boss DM-2 and CE-1 chorus tape to a piece of plywood and an old Cry baby sittin' in the floor slammin' the front of my '68 plexi 50 watter and checker board bottom cab. What a tone!
Peace, tk
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Post by tjstrat on Nov 29, 2006 7:02:56 GMT -7
Sorry about that. Wanted to post a shot of myself in '79 with a Crybaby and an Ibanez OD into a Twin Reverb.
I'm probably done because of new financial arranments with the sig. But I, too, swerve dangerously between tuner, overdrive, boost sets ups to full blown 10 or 12 pedal extravaganzas. It's akin to GAS in that it's part of the search for the elusive perfect tone. Stripping the rig to its essentials once in a while is a very healthy undertaking, IMHO.
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Post by dock66 on Nov 29, 2006 7:27:20 GMT -7
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Post by Hohn on Nov 29, 2006 9:42:09 GMT -7
If I spent as much money on pedals as you guys do, I'd not only be broke, but divorced (and hence, permanently broke!).
I think pedals swapping boils down to a couple things. First, what sounds can you *really* use? I mean, I love the delay effects that Edge uses, but It'll be snowing in Oahu before I'm able to integrate that into a live playing scenario.
Second, what sound is *really* in your head? The problem with *that* sound is that it can change-- YES IT DOES. So that pedal that you once loved now loses its sheen.
I can't tell you how many times I plug in and set everything the same a I normally do, only be disappointed in one way or another-- something just *can't* be right!!! Yet, I've been unable to figure it out-- and the next time I play it's back to sounding great. So, can I trust my ears?
I'm starting to think that my hearing is affected by my mood and/or fatigue level, and thus I'm hesistant to make decisions on sound stuff unless something is VERY consistently a certain way. I can't base a decision off any particular isolated event.
jh
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Post by rcrecelius on Nov 29, 2006 10:05:54 GMT -7
Hohn makes a valid point...I feel like Ive got a good handle on my pedal needs for now. RC Booster, Bad Bob, TS10, Strobostomp and a Startouch ABY. I play through either a Z28 w/single 12(currently a Private Jack) or a RT66 and 2/12(G12H30 and 125 Legend). When using the Z28, if it sounds good by itself I'll use the bad Bob for boosts...if its sounding a little dark, I'll set the RC to add some highs then use the BB for boosts. With the RT66, it usually sounds great by itself but is very loud by the time you get much overdrive out of it so thats when I'll plug the old TS10 for OD...and I may also use the BB some(with or without the TS) for more OD coloring. Startouch ABY - well, Ive only got to do this once but if I feel like dragging both amps out to a gig, the ABY pedal routes signal to either or both amps as needed.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 29, 2006 11:15:50 GMT -7
If I spent as much money on pedals as you guys do, I'd not only be broke, but divorced (and hence, permanently broke!). I think pedals swapping boils down to a couple things. First, what sounds can you *really* use? I mean, I love the delay effects that Edge uses, but It'll be snowing in Oahu before I'm able to integrate that into a live playing scenario. Second, what sound is *really* in your head? The problem with *that* sound is that it can change-- YES IT DOES. So that pedal that you once loved now loses its sheen. I can't tell you how many times I plug in and set everything the same a I normally do, only be disappointed in one way or another-- something just *can't* be right!!! Yet, I've been unable to figure it out-- and the next time I play it's back to sounding great. So, can I trust my ears? I'm starting to think that my hearing is affected by my mood and/or fatigue level, and thus I'm hesistant to make decisions on sound stuff unless something is VERY consistently a certain way. I can't base a decision off any particular isolated event. jh You're describing the effects of your atmosphere - temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure - they all play a part in how you hear your gear. Of course there are also the variables of room size, hard/soft surfaces, crowd density, carpet/wood stage, etc. There are an enormous number of uncontrollable variables that affect how our gear sounds. One thing I've noticed though - the Z amps that I have tend to sound good no matter where I'm playing, and no matter what the weather. That wasn't so with some of my older gear.
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Post by mudskipper on Nov 29, 2006 12:32:43 GMT -7
You're describing the effects of your atmosphere - temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure - they all play a part in how you hear your gear. Of course there are also the variables of room size, hard/soft surfaces, crowd density, carpet/wood stage, etc. There are an enormous number of uncontrollable variables that affect how our gear sounds. One thing I've noticed though - the Z amps that I have tend to sound good no matter where I'm playing, and no matter what the weather. That wasn't so with some of my older gear. well, that's the thing, right. if guitar->amp doesn't sound good, no amount of efx is going to fix that. you can shine up p00p but it's still what it is in the end.... it'd be a shiny one, though..... there should be a set of basic tools like guitar, amp, speaker(s) and the technical abilities that sound consistently good regardless of external conditions. once i get the formula down, not much can change that unless something malfunctions. this allows me to make good judgments about which efx box works or doesn't work. and i practice everyday so that what goes into hardware sounds decent to start with. so if you can't tell what works for you or not because your rig sound different everyday, then there's a problem with the basic ingredients.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 29, 2006 12:51:15 GMT -7
There are a few amps I've had that I would characterize as shiny poop...
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Post by mudskipper on Nov 29, 2006 13:48:07 GMT -7
There are a few amps I've had that I would characterize as shiny poop... LOL.... ain't that the truth.
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Post by tjstrat on Nov 29, 2006 14:46:34 GMT -7
I'm with Hohn. I HAVE actually been to the brink of DIVORCE because of GAS and a lot of it has to do with inconsistant sound. Back in the '80s when 2 nighters were booking much more often, I would have a sound that killed on Friday turn into a shrill or muddy mess with no changing of settings or position on Saturday night. Not to mention that settings in the 1500 seater are completely different from what you'll run in a downtown bar. So, I KNOW that it isn't all gear... A great deal comes from a packed (or empty) dance floor affecting your tone, how velocitized to your personal volume you've become (I play without a monitor because my vocalists set their levels at "stun" from the first note of the night) as the night wears on, and how the room size and wall material interacts with it all.
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Post by mudskipper on Nov 29, 2006 15:44:13 GMT -7
so you guys don't change any setting on your effects or amps from one venue to another and/or every night? as consistent as my rig is, i do have to do a little bit of knob tweaking at every gig. i'm not disagreeing what you guys are saying about the inconsistencies in gear but i'm saying that once you get the solid basic setup, the changes in sound should be fairly easy to correct.
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Post by Hohn on Nov 29, 2006 16:01:37 GMT -7
So the with respect to inconsistency, the question remains: is it the Gear or the Ear?? Or is it all just 3rd party conditions like room and such.
jh
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Post by tjstrat on Nov 29, 2006 16:45:29 GMT -7
Both. AND how loud the drummer is tonight, how loud the bassist is, how the keybords sound, how many people block, deflect, or absorb soundwaves in the rooms. And depending on your pedal setup and what you have, interactions between them can be hard to predict sometimes.
As far as Ghia or 38 settings, they seem to stay a lot more consistant than they would have with my old high gain rigs. Buts its ears, gear, and rears that alter the sound from night to night, I think.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 29, 2006 17:33:18 GMT -7
so you guys don't change any setting on your effects or amps from one venue to another and/or every night? as consistent as my rig is, i do have to do a little bit of knob tweaking at every gig. i'm not disagreeing what you guys are saying about the inconsistencies in gear but i'm saying that once you get the solid basic setup, the changes in sound should be fairly easy to correct. There are minor tweaks every night. Both the Stingray and the Flexi-50 have cut controls, and that tends to be the most twisted knob on both amps. It doesn't take much, but every night seems to take a different amount.
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Post by Don on Nov 29, 2006 18:10:31 GMT -7
If I spent as much money on pedals as you guys do, I'd not only be broke, but divorced (and hence, permanently broke!). I think pedals swapping boils down to a couple things. First, what sounds can you *really* use? I mean, I love the delay effects that Edge uses, but It'll be snowing in Oahu before I'm able to integrate that into a live playing scenario. Second, what sound is *really* in your head? The problem with *that* sound is that it can change-- YES IT DOES. So that pedal that you once loved now loses its sheen. I can't tell you how many times I plug in and set everything the same a I normally do, only be disappointed in one way or another-- something just *can't* be right!!! Yet, I've been unable to figure it out-- and the next time I play it's back to sounding great. So, can I trust my ears? I'm starting to think that my hearing is affected by my mood and/or fatigue level, and thus I'm hesistant to make decisions on sound stuff unless something is VERY consistently a certain way. I can't base a decision off any particular isolated event. jh You're describing the effects of your atmosphere - temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure - they all play a part in how you hear your gear. Of course there are also the variables of room size, hard/soft surfaces, crowd density, carpet/wood stage, etc. There are an enormous number of uncontrollable variables that affect how our gear sounds. One thing I've noticed though - the Z amps that I have tend to sound good no matter where I'm playing, and no matter what the weather. That wasn't so with some of my older gear. Again, (as in another thread) benttop has hit it right on the nose. Temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure are all factors of how your gear sounds on any given day or night. I've been so jazzed at the sound of my Ghias on many nights, but then there are nights that I'm saying to myself, "What's going on here? It doesn't sound right tonight." Guys - don't get disallusioned with your equipment and pedals if all of a sudden it doesn't sound right. Give them another chance. It's probably not your equipment. Hey Steve - Are you a meteorologist or something?
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Nov 29, 2006 18:19:25 GMT -7
Hey Steve - Are you a meteorologist or something? Yeah, I'm your hippy dippy weather man, with the hippy dippy weather, man... Naw, just kidding. I've just spent 40 years trying to figure out why my gear sounds the way it sounds.
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Post by Don on Nov 29, 2006 18:26:32 GMT -7
And it's gonna take another 40 for us to figure that out! Geez, if I had the money I've spent on guitars, amps, and other equipment in the last 40, I could retire and move to Florida where dock66 lives and buy the entire Dr Z line!
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