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crgildart

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@crgildart , you might want to consider at some point a tube head. Bugera makes tube amps that sound really good, for a very good price. And they have this "infinium" (sp?) tech that makes tubes last longer. The only thing you'd need is a good overdrive, since the dirt channel is not great - but there are some incredibly good ones for next to nothing. I can send a couple recommendations if interested at some point ...
Circling back to this in lieu of the funny fudged effects pedals. I don't really think I'll ever fully understand why someone would spend $20K on a guitar, high level tube head, and bad assed cabinet then put a bunch if cheesy 9 volt boxes between the guitar and amp head.

I get that the tube amp kicks out a lot more crunch and headroom.. but the warmer tone is watered down by all those other detours along the way to that bad ass head and cabinet.. No?
 

Crank

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Circling back to this in lieu of the funny fudged effects pedals. I don't really think I'll ever fully understand why someone would spend $20K on a guitar, high level tube head, and bad assed cabinet then put a bunch if cheesy 9 volt boxes between the guitar and amp head.

I get that the tube amp kicks out a lot more crunch and headroom.. but the warmer tone is watered down by all those other detours along the way to that bad ass head and cabinet.. No?
Well, I would say the tone is still there, it's just colored.

Do you use those skateboards? I have some friends who still skate - I don't trust myself enough, that I wouldn't injure myself and haven't been on a deck in years.bly because of the fractured wrist and road rash of my youth.
 
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crgildart

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Well, I would say the tone is still there, it's just colored.

Do you use those skateboards? I have some friends who still skate - I don't trust myself enough, that I wouldn't injure myself and haven't been on a deck in years.bly because of the fractured wrist and road rash of my youth.
I have a crumbling mini half out beside the house. It's ben about a year since a last hit it. It needs some TLC in the flat section but I could drage one of the quarter pipes out to the street if I really wanted to..

I was an Alva fan back in the day but just like to collect stuff I see when the price is right..

1674003433458.png


Got some more 70s G&S, Logan, Banzai and a few others hanging around here and there too..
 

Mendieta

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Circling back to this in lieu of the funny fudged effects pedals. I don't really think I'll ever fully understand why someone would spend $20K on a guitar, high level tube head, and bad assed cabinet then put a bunch if cheesy 9 volt boxes between the guitar and amp head.

I get that the tube amp kicks out a lot more crunch and headroom.. but the warmer tone is watered down by all those other detours along the way to that bad ass head and cabinet.. No?
:roflmao:

Well, I don't have anything that cost more than 450 bucks. None of my guitars, amps, etc. In terms of "cheesy boxes", I am not sure what you mean. Modulation effects are used by every professional guitar player, in every genre, at the very least a touch of reverb, and even digital works well for that, though analog is richer and better.

For overdrive/distortion/etc, there are good, bad and ugly, in the analog space, and mostly ugly in the digital space. Except for VERY high end like Kemper and such.

But if what you mean is the signal loss, which you might, that's what buffer pedals do. I have one, right between the pedalboard and the amp, and it does make a huge difference. It mostly accounts for screwups in impedance, and in short, they kind of let the amp see the same input impedance as if the guitar was connected directly with a short cable.

Hope this makes sense? I am no shoegazer, but I love cascading overdrives and distortions into each other. Each of them clips the signal a bit if you use moderate gain settings, and the combined effect is glorious. And I can always shut them up and have a beautiful Fender clean tone for Jazz, etc. But then again, to each their own

:beercheer:
 
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crgildart

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:roflmao:

Well, I don't have anything that cost more than 450 bucks. None of my guitars, amps, etc. In terms of "cheesy boxes", I am not sure what you mean. Modulation effects are used by every professional guitar player, in every genre, at the very least a touch of reverb, and even digital works well for that, though analog is richer and better.

For overdrive/distortion/etc, there are good, bad and ugly, in the analog space, and mostly ugly in the digital space. Except for VERY high end like Kemper and such.

But if what you mean is the signal loss, which you might, that's what buffer pedals do. I have one, right between the pedalboard and the amp, and it does make a huge difference. It mostly accounts for screwups in impedance, and in short, they kind of let the amp see the same input impedance as if the guitar was connected directly with a short cable.

Hope this makes sense? I am no shoegazer, but I love cascading overdrives and distortions into each other. Each of them clips the signal a bit if you use moderate gain settings, and the combined effect is glorious. And I can always shut them up and have a beautiful Fender clean tone for Jazz, etc. But then again, to each their own

:beercheer:
Signal loss... and un needed overkill. Modeling is getting better and better. 2 multi effects pedals > 12 seperate boxes, especially with 14 cables connoting them. A pedal board with a bunch of classic favorites sure looks cooler though..
 
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crgildart

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But I actually get it.. My kit sounds amazing but it's far from the optimal set up.. A good double pedal on a single bass drum. way more compact easier to play.. 70s drums are sweet but a modern product with a better bearing edge would be better.. Just not look nearly as badd ass or have the legendary stoke the same drum models and sizes that Neil Peart recorded everything through Al The World's a Stage on.

Rock whatever makes you smile.. Fsk the nit pickers... I was really only teasing...
 

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Circling back to this in lieu of the funny fudged effects pedals. I don't really think I'll ever fully understand why someone would spend $20K on a guitar, high level tube head, and bad assed cabinet then put a bunch if cheesy 9 volt boxes between the guitar and amp head.

I get that the tube amp kicks out a lot more crunch and headroom.. but the warmer tone is watered down by all those other detours along the way to that bad ass head and cabinet.. No?
The pedals are fun to experiment with and a lot of songs require their use. They’ve been in use by professional guitarists for decades. For the most part they’re analog and for the most part they just modify signal. For me personally I mostly just use a tuner, soundgate, booster/buffer, compressor, overdrive, distortion, and fuzz. Tuner, buffer, and soundgate are always on. All have true bypass for when not engaged. On the effects loop I’ll run a reverb, delay, chorus primarily. The effects loop is on/off amp controlled by foot switch. I have many more but they see limited use. I’ve yet to add a Wah pedal. When they’re off your signal is clean. One of my favorite overdrives is the Tumnus. It’s considered a clean O/D and depending on how you dial it in you can roll it off with your guitar volume knob or set it where your attack will engage it. It makes for fun dynamic playing. The Fuzz is a blast of a pedal so many bands have used over the years. Bottom line is it’s still a tube driven Marshall and my digital effects amps just aren’t the same. Good, but not the same. It’s why you still see stacks of Marshall’s on so many stages. I hope one day to dial in my own signature tone. For now I’m just working on getting better and learning all of it by trying to recreate the famous tones of those who came before.
 
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crgildart

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The pedals are fun to experiment with and a lot of songs require their use. They’ve been in use by professional guitarists for decades. For the most part they’re analog and for the most part they just modify signal. For me personally I mostly just use a tuner, soundgate, compressor, overdrive, distortion, and fuzz. Obviously you’re only running one O/D, Distortion, or Fuzz at a time. Tuner and soundgate are always on. All have true bypass for when not engaged. On the effects loop I’ll run a reverb, delay, chorus primarily. The effects loop is on/off amp controlled by foot switch. I have many more but they see limited use. I’ve yet to add a Wah pedal. When they’re off your signal is clean. One of my favorite overdrives is the Tumnus. It’s considered a clean O/D and depending on how you dial it in you can roll it off with your guitar volume knob or set it where your attack will engage it. It makes for fun dynamic playing. The Fuzz is a blast of a pedal so many bands have used over the years. Bottom line is it’s still a tube driven Marshall and my digital effects amps just aren’t the same. Good, but not the same. It’s why you still see stacks of Marshall’s on so many stages. I hope one day to dial in my own signature tone. For now I’m just working on getting better and learning all of it by trying to recreate the famous tones of those who came before.
See above..
 

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I am no shoegazer, but I love cascading overdrives and distortions into each other. Each of them clips the signal a bit if you use moderate gain settings, and the combined effect is glorious.
Running the Tumnus into the COT50/Eternity delivers some really glorious sonic bombast.
 

Long Hair Hippy

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I like talking about this stuff, the pickups, etc. I’ve got a pretty good collection coming together. No redundancy, every guitar unique to the others with their own voice. The challenge is self and putting in the time consistently for a long time. I’ve been one of those guys that picks it up and puts it down repeatedly for years and years. I’m presently the most serious I’ve been about my playing and progress is coming.

First up - Fender American Player Telecaster. Stock Alnico2 single coils, upgraded knobs, new 3-way switch, changed pickguard, maple 9.5 radius c shape neck with DR Pure Blues 9-42 strings. Presently tuned to Open G. View attachment 189413
Fender Deluxe LoneStar Stratocaster. All stock. Splittable humbucker and two Texas single coils with 5 way switching. Maple with Pauwlonia fretboard in 9.5 radius C shape strung up with DR Pure Blues 10-46 strings and tuned to standard. View attachment 189416
Fender Deluxe Roadhouse Stratocaster. All stock. 3 Fender Vintage Noiseless single coils. Guitar has a built in pre-amp powered by a 9V battery that you can turn on/off by pushing in the center of the volume knob. Thickens the sound up to almost P-90 levels. Maple C shaped 12” radius neck with DR Pure Blues 10-46 strings in standard tuning. I put the scale stickers on the neck. I do a lot of scale exercises on this guitar. Trem bar is off presently. View attachment 189417
Guild M-75 DeArmond. Guild designed and built this guitar around a pair of historic DeArmond Gold Tone humbuckers of the 50’s. This guitar has sweeeet tone. All stock. Strung up with GHS Boomers 10g and currently in Drop D. View attachment 189422
2014 120th Anniversary Gibson SG Standard. Mahogany body, bound rosewood fingerboard, 57’ humbuckers splittable at the push/pull volume pots, auto-tuners and graphtek nut. All stock minus the truss rod cover. Strung with Super Slinky’s and tuned standard but this one gets changed a lot as the auto-tuners make it happen so fast. This is my go to classic rock axe.
View attachment 189424
2018 Gibson Les Paul Studio with a 490R in the neck and a 498T at the bridge. Rosewood fretboard. All stock. Strung with GHS Boomers 10g. It’s a Les Paul, it rocks and with the 498 at the bridge it can really test your amps headroom if not fold it up entirely.
View attachment 189427
Yamaha Y170 Bass - Because why not….
View attachment 189428
Savannah Resonator View attachment 189429
Washburn Acoustic Electric
View attachment 189431
Fender Hot Rod Acoustic Electric
View attachment 189432

That’s the collection thus far. I’ll be adding more down the road. I still have to get my custom Tele put together. The two Gibsons are my favorites but the strats and the Tele definitely fill certain roles. All are a joy to play.
A respectable collection, I'd like to get my hands on the Guild. I'll bet it's got a sweet rock-a-billy sound!
 

Crank

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I'm a big Guild fan though I have 2 Guild acoustics and none of their electrics.
 

Long Hair Hippy

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Circling back to this in lieu of the funny fudged effects pedals. I don't really think I'll ever fully understand why someone would spend $20K on a guitar, high level tube head, and bad assed cabinet then put a bunch if cheesy 9 volt boxes between the guitar and amp head.

I get that the tube amp kicks out a lot more crunch and headroom.. but the warmer tone is watered down by all those other detours along the way to that bad ass head and cabinet.. No?
I’m a professional sound engineer for live events. In my 25 plus years in the business, I can tell you I’ve heard absolutely more bad guitar tones than good ones!

Most guitarists have no clue how to set-up a proper pedal chain nor do they have a clue how to dial in a digital modeling amplifier for decent drive sounds. Yeah, a small little toe bomb is convenient and requires less gear, but sometimes I’m like…..Dude really?! I’ll also point out that what sounds good in the studio or in headphones doesn’t always properly cut through the mix in a live sound situation.

As others have mentioned...
Drive pedals for example can be set to simply boost your signal and send the amp into a bit of overdrive. Pedals can be used to create a lot of dynamics between the guitar and the amplifier.

I’ve got my fuzz pedal set up so that it’s very reactive to the volume knob on the guitar. It’s also very reactive to how hard I pick or strum the strings. It creates some really in interesting sustains in the low mid-range, especially when using the neck pickup on either my Les Paul or my Reverend. Some pedals play nicer with single coil over humbuckers too!

Compression when used properly can give you are great really clean chime, a good plucky country lead sound or a really dynamic quack when playing funk. A bit slight bit of chorus to the chain and you can get some really lush sounds.

Delay can be used to get a great rock-a-billy sound or fatten up a solo by simply changing the delay time.
 
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crgildart

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I’m a professional sound engineer for live events. In my 25 plus years in the business, I can tell you I’ve heard absolutely more bad guitar tones than good ones!

Most guitarists have no clue how to set-up a proper pedal chain nor do they have a clue how to dial in a digital modeling amplifier for decent drive sounds. Yeah, a small little toe bomb is convenient and requires less gear, but sometimes I’m like…..Dude really?! I’ll also point out that what sounds good in the studio or in headphones doesn’t always properly cut through the mix in a live sound situation.

As others have mentioned...
Drive pedals for example can be set to simply boost your signal and send the amp into a bit of overdrive. Pedals can be used to create a lot of dynamics between the guitar and the amplifier.

I’ve got my fuzz pedal set up so that it’s very reactive to the volume knob on the guitar. It’s also very reactive to how hard I pick or strum the strings. It creates some really in interesting sustains in the low mid-range, especially when using the neck pickup on either my Les Paul or my Reverend. Some pedals play nicer with single coil over humbuckers too!

Compression when used properly can give you are great really clean chime, a good plucky country lead sound or a really dynamic quack when playing funk. A bit slight bit of chorus to the chain and you can get some really lush sounds.

Delay can be used to get a great rock-a-billy sound or fatten up a solo by simply changing the delay time.
I'm done with moving and setting up gear for gigs, also done with being out past 11pm for much of anything.. I've had enough of that fun. And it was hella fun! If there's not a house kit I'm out these days.. Even the most roached house kit> me moving drums. I might bring a pedal..

For guitar I've only got two boxes.. Couple different amps from a Micro Cube to the HDFX

Just the bare necessities. I've got an 80s Zoom for the bass rig.. ..
1674059061456.png
 
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crgildart

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SSSdave

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The one aspect of my life I expected as I reached adult age that never happened was being a musician. The Viet Nam War eliminated that possibility as well as a university education. So quite envy what you folks do. But as an elite freestyle dancer have enjoyed much live music from earliest 1970's era here in the San Francisco Bay area. Sometimes during evenings in South Lake Tahoe over Stateline visit the Hard Rock Casino that has much rock music stuff on their walls, especially famous guitars and clothing. During the mid peak of the surf craze as a HS freshman lived a year in San Diego in a canyon neighborhood suburb where we all were sliding sidewalks on home made skateboards.
 

Crank

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FInally took some shots of my music room space.

From entrance.jpg


From my desk. This is where 2ndguitarists, singers and/or percussionists go.
From Desk.jpg


Jammin. 2nd guitarist goes to my right. You can see the end of my guitar's headstock lower left. Must have had ot strapped on when I shot this.
Jammin'.jpg



Boot bag storage and you can see the edge of the ski closet door on left.
From Drums.jpg




Post Jam.jpg
 

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crgildart

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^^^^Excellent!
Last weekend I just barely missed out on a Korg Poly-800 at Goodwill. Some other jerk was already looking at it when I got there damnit! So, I started looking at cheap 80s synthesizers. Got a decent weighted keys Casio for regular piano stuff..

Anyway, came across this Yamaha DSR-500 this morning.. They hadn't even tested it yet, no power supply. I snagged it for $40. everything works. Using a uni adapter but correct power supply is coming. Not quite a DX7 but these things are still selling for $300ish shipped.

1678582077380.png


Jam session booked tomorrow. Had a regular weekend session going with a buddy from across town since October, my age, similar place in life. Wives get along too..
We're playing a lot of Rush
In the Mood
Bastille Day
Finding My Way
Anthem
Fly By Night
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Passage to Bangkok
Bumblefoot -Don't Know Who to Pray To, That Other Guy
Kiss-Lick It Up
AC/DC-Back in Black
Couple Boston songs
Steely Dan-Any Major Dude

If only we could get someone on bass, vocals, keys, etc.. but just having fun, no pressure, no moving gear. He's got drums at his place too..
 

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