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Post by fishman on Apr 14, 2006 15:05:06 GMT -7
I am having a heII of a time finding a pedal that sounds good thru my stingray 2-12..any suggestions....I have used a direct drive, an original Blues breaker, a old SD-1 and a fab tone....either its not enough, too much, or the pedal kills the amps sound.... I find that this amp is very particular as to what pedals you put to it, it does not "take" everything , as a matter of fact here, I am begining to think that it does not like pedals at all!....your opinions will be appericated....
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Post by brando on Apr 15, 2006 6:07:42 GMT -7
I can only tell you from my experience... I tried it with a Hotcake and for some reason it really squashed the signal and seemed brittle (strange, because it sounds really good with the Vox). Having said that, I'm really digging the Don Butler Rangemaster (full gain mode) with the 'Ray. It darkens the amp somewhat (throaty), and makes the 'Ray very complex. Finally, somebody sold me their TIM and I'm REALLY liking that by itself and in combination with the Rangemaster. The TIM (to my ears) seems very transparent and has LOTS of flexibility with it's onboard EQ. The boost channel is wonderful too. Nice and thick. I use the TIM alot for more aggressive/modern tones. There are SO many OD pedals. I'm sure some other guys here can chime in too. -Brando
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Apr 15, 2006 11:35:37 GMT -7
Fishman,
The Stingray really reacts differently to pedals and almost absorbs them so to speak as you have probably noticed... and I've noticed (I have a head) with different speakers it reacts differently too...
I have been using JOHN LANDGRAFF's DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE and also his BOOST since he came out with them ...and just bought another Dynamic Overdrive to have 2 of each (so I'd have a back-up for both pedals)!
I cannot say enough about JOHN's pedals, I know they're expensive BUT they are worth EVERY PENNY and they LOVE ALL the amps I've played them through... ESPECIALLY DR Z'S!! the 'RAY loves the Landgraff boost AND the Dynamic OD... takes just a hair more to drive it but sounds BEAUTIFUL... my keely TBS TS 808 with the vintage chip also likes the 'RAY and not surprisingly my ORIGINAL BIXONIC EXPANDORA LOVES THE RAY?? (great pedal)...
I just tried the TIMMY and THE ZENDRIVE.... AND I PREFER THE LANDGRAFF TO BOTH of these (this is just my opinion and ALL THREE ARE top notch ) I liked the ZENDRIVE MUCH BETTER than the Timmy but the Landgraff could nail the same GREAT tone the Zendrive had but the Landgraff could seem to get a few more tones I liked in it than the Zendrive... I feel the TIMMY was also a good pedal however and would work VERY well with the RAY as would the Zendrive, but behind the LANDGRAFF I would have to pick the Zendrive as 2nd... and the Timmy coming in 3rd...
BUT!! in TIMMY'S defense I also think it is built with quality like the Landgraff and could really be VOICED to your liking by changing some caps/ stuff on the inside and so making it more versatile and possibly changing my view of it by tweaking it... the one I played was stock and Maybe it could be modified or voiced more to my liking thus changing my impression of it? However they are ALL great pedals and were talking cream of the crop here... The Zendrive on the other hand was great sounding as it was but I don't think it was hardwired like the Timmy or the Landgraff so that you would be able to voice/ change it like the other two... and the Zendrive also had some of that Dumble type black GOO covering some of the parts on the inside... seems like the klon I tried had that black Goo too..
Just a note but speaking of the klon and it is not MY sound but is an very Sweet pedal and I would think IT would sound Incredible through the Stingray... little different than the others mentioned...
Haven't tried the xotic or the TC Jauernig's but I know others like these with the Z's and would think they would work with the Stingray... maybe someone else can chime in about these and some others... the stingray just takes these a little differently than say, my MAZ 38...
Jason
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Post by fishman on Apr 15, 2006 11:57:37 GMT -7
I agree, my MAZ38 eats pedals for breakfast and loves em all.....the ray is a bit more discriminating......like I stated, I don;t think it likes pedals, you almost have to "blend" the pedal into the amp.......sounds great with nothing but a little delay.....I will research some of the pedals you mentioned and see what I come up with....as well as some different combinations that I already have........it will all come together eventually...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2006 2:08:19 GMT -7
The Xotic BB preamp sounds awesome with the Stingray. ;D
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Post by fishman on Apr 21, 2006 10:43:09 GMT -7
well, at least for now, I have got the amp and the Barber Direct Drive to get along....had to cut back on what I normally use so now its...less gain, more boost....better sound...the "Ray is gettin better every day....
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Post by str8arrow on Jun 4, 2006 9:02:58 GMT -7
I know what you mean! I would not recommend the Jeckyll & Hyde... I thought it was the pedal, sent it in for repair evenm but it still is nothing but mushy crap! THe Jeckyll side is OK but the Hyde side is horrible. Keeley BD2 seems OK as well, nothing to bring a smile to your face though. BTW, Both of those pedals sound superb with the Fargen BB I've been wanting to try one of these anyway. I just need something for higher gain heavy rock stuff. If I have to buy 5+ pedals as an experiment to see which one works, I'll probably leave the Sting at home
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jun 4, 2006 10:29:18 GMT -7
One thing I think works really great with the Stingray is just a compressor with the volume cranked a bit for a little boost, but with the compression on. Pushes the preamp with a nice clean but compressed signal, so all the tone you hear is still the Stingray, but the front end of the amp is pushed into its own zone. Try it.
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Post by str8arrow on Jun 4, 2006 10:39:46 GMT -7
+1 one on the Comp. I have a Keeley Comp is it sounds fantastic with the Ray!!
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Post by hdahs143 on Jun 4, 2006 10:51:04 GMT -7
I love my Keeley compressor. With both knobs at 11 o'clock, it's more of a tone enhancer than a compressor. Makes everything sound better.
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Post by Bill on Jun 4, 2006 11:27:53 GMT -7
I'm now using a Barber Tone Press I bought from Mark Humphrey on Ebay. Sounds GREAT with the Stingray...would not gig without it. Never really liked a comp with the Z28, Ghia, or RxES...but liked it with both Maz's, and LOVE it with the 'ray.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jun 4, 2006 11:38:31 GMT -7
I'm now using a Barber Tone Press I bought from Mark Humphrey on Ebay. Sounds GREAT with the Stingray...would not gig without it. Never really liked a comp with the Z28, Ghia, or RxES...but liked it with both Maz's, and LOVE it with the 'ray. I've got one of Mark's modded Boss compressors that he calls the Atom Smasher. Great compressor, and a pretty good deal considering what the boo-teek compressors cost. His mod gets rid of most of the noise the Boss ships with, and adds some bottom and transparency that really improves the pedal. It is worth checking out for anyone who might be interested in a new compressor.
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Post by str8arrow on Jun 4, 2006 11:42:23 GMT -7
Where do we check?? Thanks!
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Post by Bill on Jun 4, 2006 11:50:38 GMT -7
I'm now using a Barber Tone Press I bought from Mark Humphrey on Ebay. Sounds GREAT with the Stingray...would not gig without it. Never really liked a comp with the Z28, Ghia, or RxES...but liked it with both Maz's, and LOVE it with the 'ray. I've got one of Mark's modded Boss compressors that he calls the Atom Smasher. Great compressor, and a pretty good deal considering what the boo-teek compressors cost. His mod gets rid of most of the noise the Boss ships with, and adds some bottom and transparency that really improves the pedal. It is worth checking out for anyone who might be interested in a new compressor. I went from a Carl Martin, Rt 66, Barber, Keeley, CS-3, CS-3 modded, and back to a Barber. For playing country I thought the modded Boss was the end all in acheiving "that sound"...but the Tone Press really IS that much better. I don't think Mark modded it, but maybe he did ;D
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jun 4, 2006 11:51:46 GMT -7
Where do we check?? Thanks! Well you can PM him here - his username is humphreyaudio, or you can email him directly at 5humphrey@charter.net. He does a lot of other mods on pedals too, and is currently working on some of his own builds.
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Post by str8arrow on Jun 4, 2006 12:22:39 GMT -7
Well he!!... I know Mark! He the moderator of Rigtips on Yahoo Groups. Sold him an Egnater ie4 years ago and been web friends since. 1st class guy! Just didn't know he modded pedals.... Thanks for the info and I'll shoot him an email.
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Post by guitarman1 on Jun 5, 2006 10:01:32 GMT -7
I loved the Timmey with the Maz, but the jury is still out on it with the Stingray. I'm not sure if the Ray doesn't like pedals, or it is so much more revealing that it exsposes any weaknesses a pedal may have. For more OD and Dumble to Marshall grind, my Stampede SOV-1 sounds better with the Ray than the Maz. The SOV-1 has some midrange thickening & is similar to a Zendrive. With the mids being more open on the Ray, this pedal opens up more throuigh that amp.
The Timmy sounds just a little thin and buzzy with the Ray, unless you really work at dialing in the sweet spot. I'm thinking the Barber Silver LTD may be a better option for lower gain stuff.
The Ray is more "HiFi" than the Maz and reveals all of the warts a pedal may have.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2006 11:27:10 GMT -7
I have been really enjoying my MJM Blues Devil with my Stingray. I use it as more of a low gain overdrive rhythm sound which I boost with the RC booster if I need a louder sound for leads.
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Post by Greg G. on Jun 5, 2006 11:44:43 GMT -7
The Ray is more "HiFi" than the Maz and reveals all of the warts a pedal may have. I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but that's exactly the one problem I'm having with the 'Ray and my overdrive pedals, its such a clean and accurate amp that every flaw in a pedal or guitar shows up. I even have a Strat with some acoustic fret buzzing that doesn't show up when plugged into other amps, but with the 'Ray every annoying buzz and rattle shows up. Not so much a criticism of the 'Ray as much as pointing out the shortcomings of some of my equipment's "true colors". -Greg
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Post by guitarman1 on Jun 5, 2006 12:36:50 GMT -7
The Ray is more "HiFi" than the Maz and reveals all of the warts a pedal may have. I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but that's exactly the one problem I'm having with the 'Ray and my overdrive pedals, its such a clean and accurate amp that every flaw in a pedal or guitar shows up. I even have a Strat with some acoustic fret buzzing that doesn't show up when plugged into other amps, but with the 'Ray every annoying buzz and rattle shows up. Not so much a criticism of the 'Ray as much as pointing out the shortcomings of some of my equipment's "true colors". -Greg Yeah Tonezealot...I agree 100%. I forgot to mention this earlier, but I had an OCD on trial a day before the Stingray showed up. I was comparing it with the SOV-1 on the Maz and found them to be similar sounding, with the OCD being slightly more compressed and a bit more open on the lower strings. I was having difficulty choosing between the two. With the Ray, those pedals sounded like night & day. The OCD was WAY more compressed and buzzy sounding. It really sounded pretty awful so I sent it back. My Diamond Compressor sounded excellent with both amps.
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Post by groovedr on Aug 22, 2006 20:56:15 GMT -7
Well with all of this being so subjective I thought I'd throw in. I'm using an Ibanez TS-9 reissue and a Visual Sound Route 66 and find both of them super sounding with my Ray. The TS-9 I like w/ my single coils and the RT 66 w/ Humbuckers. But actually they sound pretty damn good with either pickup style. Neither one is an overly expensive pedal. Oh well for what it's worth ;D.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 22, 2006 22:26:15 GMT -7
I got a wild hair a few weeks back and grabbed my good old Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS-9), plugged in to the Stingray, and whoa! It sounded GREAT! So much so I gigged it that way the very next weekend. I didn't hear anyone complaining, and I DID have a couple guitar players come up to tell me how great it sounded.
I've also liked the sound of the BB preamp. In fact, I'm planning on gigging the Stingray by itself this weekend and use both the BB and the TS-9 for two different gain sounds. I might throw in the RC booster too for a mild boost.
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Post by dock66 on Aug 23, 2006 7:14:07 GMT -7
Xotic RC and Xotic BB pre and Keeley comp can cover alot of territories,IMO.
dock66
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Post by Curt on Aug 23, 2006 10:17:00 GMT -7
Best dirt box with a 'ray? Route 66 !!!! LOL
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 23, 2006 13:36:02 GMT -7
The better the amp, the better the pedals sound. I still like my King of Tone. I set it so it sounds almost identical to turning the amp from 10:00 to 2:00.
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Post by Danny on Aug 23, 2006 18:38:54 GMT -7
Folks,
I don't play a 'Ray - I play through a RxES head with 2x12 open back cab (G12H & V30) and formerly played through a Maz Sr combo with the same speaker configuration. But I thought I'd pitch in my 2 cents here on ODs and Z amps because I've found a very sweet pedal set-up that you might want to investigate.
My board is pretty crowded, but near the front of the queue I have the following:
* Barber Tone Press compressor * Xotic RC Booster #1 * Xotic RC Booster #2 * AnalogMan King of Tone (older model - I'm on the waiting list for a 2006 version) * TS-9 Keeley "Deluxe" mod * VisualSound Jekyll & Hyde
With this set-up I can get many shades of drive, from light OD to heavy distortion. I can also combine various pedals - 2 at a time, 3 at a time. (The sound of tandem RC Boosters is GREAT, especially with a Strat.) And I use the Barber Tone Press in 2 different ways: as a 'tone enhancer', as some of you have mentioned, and as a standard compressor (although the Tone Press does what Barber calls 'parallel compression' - i.e., you can mix a dry signal in with the compressed signal to whatever degree you wish). It's a great pedal.
The Ray might behave very differently to this set of pedals, but the Maz 38 and my RxES accept them beautifully, partly a function of the G12H / V30 combination, I imagine. So if you have Blue AlNiCos or Webers your mileage may vary.
Earlier this afternoon I was working through a few tunes with my Anderson T Classic tele. I nailed the tone of the intro to Brad Paisley's "I'll Take You Back" as well as Keith Urban's "Somebody Like You" and "Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me." Spot on.
I can't overstate the quality of the RCs and the King of Tone. Very fine pedals with Z amps.
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Post by sultan59 (Tim) on Aug 23, 2006 18:59:04 GMT -7
BK Butler Tube Driver, everything else I tried was too bright. The Tube Driver has bass and treble controls.
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tuna
New Member
"Ain't Nothin to it"
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Post by tuna on Sept 5, 2006 18:47:56 GMT -7
Picked up an AC Booster to try it out and it is pretty sweet. Has a nice sweep with the gain control, doesn't color the tone of the amp. You can dial in a pretty nice lower gain tone. I will probably end up with this and a BB, already have an RC
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2006 23:36:57 GMT -7
Though I am having to sell my Stingray due to financial reasons, I just tried it out with my Klon and the Stingray's volume set to 12 o'clock and it is unbelievable. I have to say that my first Klon was great but I did not give it enough time and I sold it in a fit of GAS. I regretted it ever since, the same way I am going to regret selling the Stingray; but I have to take care of myself first. When LeftLang's Klon came up for sale I had to snag it and man am I glad I did. I think all I would need for a gig is my amp and the Klon. Maybe a wah pedal since I do like to get funky. Anyway I find any amp I put the Klon in front of gives me such great touch sensitive, dynamic low to medium overdrive that I have become an addict to this pedal. It seriously gave the Maz38 a Dumble like quality. Singing overdrive it the only why I can describe it with the ability to get nasty if you want just by varying your picking technique and your touch. Everyone should give the Klon a shot, but remember it really shines when you turn your amp past 10 o'clock on the dial or at 3.4 to 4 and over.
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Post by dock66 on Sept 7, 2006 6:47:28 GMT -7
Though I am having to sell my Stingray due to financial reasons, I just tried it out with my Klon and the Stingray's volume set to 12 o'clock and it is unbelievable. I have to say that my first Klon was great but I did not give it enough time and I sold it in a fit of GAS. I regretted it ever since, the same way I am going to regret selling the Stingray; but I have to take care of myself first. When LeftLang's Klon came up for sale I had to snag it and man am I glad I did. I think all I would need for a gig is my amp and the Klon. Maybe a wah pedal since I do like to get funky. Anyway I find any amp I put the Klon in front of gives me such great touch sensitive, dynamic low to medium overdrive that I have become an addict to this pedal. It seriously gave the Maz38 a Dumble like quality. Singing overdrive it the only why I can describe it with the ability to get nasty if you want just by varying your picking technique and your touch. Everyone should give the Klon a shot, but remember it really shines when you turn your amp past 10 o'clock on the dial or at 3.4 to 4 and over. Aruntang, Looks like I am going to have to try Klon.Where can I get one?Are the current production Klon the original Klon,not a reissued.How much does it cost? dock66
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