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Well, I finally got sick of playing around with rack gear and decided to go back to my pedals. I also got sick of hauling them around in a backpack and having to set everything up, so over the holiday, I took full advantage of my dad's basement workshop while I visited and built a pedalboard and case. It's built like a damned tank. All junk from Lowe's, because I didn't have time to order aluminum extrusions, corners, etc. from someplace. Took a little more work to get everything to work out, but I like it. And it really is tough as hell. I built a removable board inside, but haven't had need or desire to take it out yet. It actually works quite well with everything as is...  And the reason I can get away with posting here is that the Line 6 M5 and the RAT are new in the last couple days. I realized that I needed a couple other solutions if I'm going to use this live. So, there it is... If anyone feels like advising on the signal chain, here it is: SD-1 --> TS9DX --> RAT --> M5 --> CH-1 --> Echo Park --> Verbzilla --> volume and out to amp. I'm also using the "tuner out" jack for the TU-2, which is sitting on its side because I forgot to move it for the picture. It's all powered by just a couple One-Spots, one daisy chained for everything except the M5, and one dedicated for the M5 (voltage fluctuations when I turned on / off other pedals were resetting it and killing sound during practice when it was daisychained, which is probably not a good thing live). I figured the M5 can do most anything, so sticking it between the dirt pedals and the modulation / delay was probably the best idea. I'll use it for both, but probably more for modulation / delay now that I've got the RAT filling out my overdrive/distortion component.
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Jan 16, 2012 22:38
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JohnnySmitch posted:
I just got one for the same reason - got it from a dude for $99, still had the plastic on the screen. Plunked it between my dirt pedals (SD-1, TS-9, and RAT) and my modulation stuff (chorus, Echo Park, Verbzilla) so I can use it for either. Right now I've got it doing a phaser, mod delay, tremolo, and occasionally the smart harmonizer, but it does a few decent dirt sounds, too. It's useful without being too much crazy digital stuff. I can actually imagine gigging with just it, using my amp for most of the overdrive sounds and this in the effects loop for everything else. It's got a ton of weird effects as well, but I've not had much of a chance to really mess with those.
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Apr 13, 2012 13:32
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Drama Llama posted:Got my tax return, went to go buy strings, saw this guy in the window and couldn't pass it up. Now I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream of starting a Man or Astro-man? tribute band! God, that thing is ugly as hell. Looks like something Jack White would play.
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Apr 13, 2012 23:39
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bisticles posted:Welcome to the club! I used to really want an Explorer, but my singer / rhythm guitarist just recently got his hands on one, and the thing is kind of annoying. The sound on the low strings is flabby, the instrument refuses to stay in tune for more than a single song, and it feeds back like a motherfucker. It's a Gibson, too, not an Epiphone. I recall something The Edge said about his Explorer in an interview a while back, that he didn't much care for the bottom end on his (it was a '76 reissue) and it was one reason why his playing style early on tended to favor droning and two-string chord shapes on the higher strings. I love Explorers and in spite of everything still want one (and am jealous of that one - nice axe), but are they as troublesome as they seem to be? EDIT: Found the quote (from an interview in 1982, quoted on Wikipedia): quote:I like a nice ringing sound on guitar, and most of my chords I find two strings and make them ring the same note, so it's almost like a 12-string sound. So for E I might play a B, E, E and B and make it ring. It works very well with the Gibson Explorer. It's funny because the bass end of the Explorer was so awful that I used to stay away from the low strings, and a lot of the chords I played were very trebly, on the first four, or even three strings. I discovered that through using this one area of the fretboard I was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way. Walter fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 15:39
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Okay, I could some recommendations here. I'm in the process of selling a few instruments to both make some room in my cramped apartment, and because I want a new guitar but don't have the disposable income right now to justify just buying one. I've been - particularly lately - really wanting to get my hands on a Telecaster HH. At present, electric guitar-wise, I have an Epiphone Sheraton II, a Heritage 140-CM, a G&L ASAT classic and an American Strat, so I'm fairly comfortable in the single coil and humbucker realm. But, I like the HH Teles because honestly, I prefer simplicity of the controls - I rarely run on two pickups on any guitar (except for the 1-2 position and 4-5 position on my Strat when playing 80s rock, Pink Floyd, or the occasional Pearl Jam tune). And being able to roll off the volume with just one easy-to-reach knob is appealing. Anyone on here willing to offer opinions on this? I realize this isn't exactly a "next instrument photos" kind of post, but I could stand some suggestions, or even opinions from folks who have instruments of this kind. And don't feel the need to restrict yourselves to Teles. Although I hate Strat HHs, I'm open minded in the world of Jazzmasters or Jaguars. I'm mostly interested in a gritty, gainy sound with a little more brittleness than the Gibson-style humbucker sound, and my understanding is that some of the HH Fender products are better at providing that. Or am I completely off my rocker?
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May 24, 2012 15:13
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HollisBrown posted:Are you opposed to P-90's? What you're describing sounds like P-90's might bit the bill too. They are sort of mid heavy but they cut through mixes great. Honestly I would look at some other manufacturers, fenders are cool and all but you have to spend so much anymore to get a quality instrument anything below $800 hasthe potential to be lovely with Fender. Check out some Reverends or Eastwoods if you can. I think they both destroy Fender in the cost/performance ratio. Holy poo poo, just looked at the Reverend site, and listened to some of the sound / video clips there. I like those... a lot.
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May 24, 2012 16:12
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Agreed posted:Consider a Gibson Marauder. In addition to being weird and usually pretty affordable since it was slapping a Les Paul Jr. body onto an abundance of Flying V necks, it also has a stock pickup configuration that's pretty much "Gibson does the Tele thing, but Gibson style" - tele-slanted blade pickup in the bridge, humbucker in the neck, later models ('76) featured a blend pot rather than a hard selector for choosing the ratio. Tone and volume are accessible, or at least I've never found them hard to get to. Pickups were designed by Bill Lawrence and had the at the time pretty forward-thinking feature of acrylic potting rather than wax, so they've held up well (flip side: good friggin' luck working on them if they've been damaged or whatever). Stick the blade in the bridge close to the strings, keep the humbucker a bit farther, and it's a very playable and nice sounding guitar. Really interesting instrument. I didn't even know about these. The sound definitely (based on clips I've found) lands somewhere near a Telecaster. Tricky to find one to try out, though. Might have to do a little looking.
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May 24, 2012 16:44
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bisticles posted:I would definitely recommend checking out something with P90s. They're just big fat single coils, but tend to sound a bit fuller just because they do cover more surface area on the string, and some of the boutique pickup makers are doing cool things with them. Specifically, you might want to check out the Godin LG P90. Had one for a while and really liked the way it played. I've seen some of the Godins at a local shop I visit fairly often. I've never tried one of them but the last time I was there, the dude behind the counter pulled one out and showed it to me. Gorgeous guitar - satin sunburst finish (I have a thing for burst-type finishes). quote:Just to put another thought in your head, though, have you ever looked at Peavey Wolfgangs? It's kind of a hodge podge of styles. The body is sort of like a Tele-shaped Les Paul, the neck is fairly narrow and round like a 90's shredder, and it's got two very lively humbucker pickups. Two knobs, one three-position switch, and usually either a Floyd Rose or hardtail bridge. The USA Standard models aren't really that cheap, but it's a whole lot of fun to throw around. Yours is definitely nice looking, but that's a bit more oomph than I'm trying to get. The one HH Tele I played before had kind of a gritty, higher-range sound than my Heritage or a Gibson, but not as high or jangly as my ASAT. I liked that, and the one Wolfgang I ever played felt like a sports car with a little too much power for a joyride. I felt like I was constantly fighting it. Something with P90s may be the way to go. I'm considering other non-Fender options, but there is a Tele with P90s on the wall nearby, and I may have to go by and play it, see what I think. I'm trying to keep things between $500 and $800. But I'm watching the used market more than new - I hate buying brand new guitars. Only done it once, and I felt like I lucked out (my Heritage).
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May 24, 2012 22:02
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/\/\/\ EDIT: Missed this. It's a shame, they really are nice guitars, but they do vary in quality (from what I've seen of others elsewhere). Thorpe posted:I'll try for a bit more off, but it's priced at 249.99. I'm not the biggest fan of pickguards, but it would be nice to have one. Going to leave to check it out now! My first guitar was a 1989 Sheraton II (that I still have) and I paid $450 for it in 1996. $250 is ridiculously good, buy it. If you don't, I will just to have a damned backup (mine is identical to that one, except it has the pickguard). That guitar started me off on a long love affair with sunburst guitars. EDIT: So in my quest for a Tele or Tele-like guitar with different pickups, I came across the Guitar Center Telecaster with p90s. There's one I randomly spotted at the GC here, and I played it for a little while through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (which is what I have) the other day. I have to say, for the money ($600) I'm not sure I can beat it even with a Reverend (which I was leaning toward). It sounded amazing with the gain turned up a bit on the dirty channel. And felt great - kinda heavy, which I like. Here's the burnt orange version... 
Walter fucked around with this message at 19:19 on May 27, 2012 |
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May 27, 2012 19:13
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Okay, update to the "Walter wants a new guitar" post from previously: My Ebay auctions are coming to a close in a couple days, and I expect to have somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-800 to put toward a new instrument. At this point, I'm looking at the following:
The Jaguar is, I think, the most expensive of these at something like $900. I'm not worried about hitting the limit of my budget, I just want to make sure I get a guitar that I like and won't want to dump. Anyone have any thoughts on any of these? Personal experiences particularly would be welcome. This is probably my last guitar purchase for a long time, and it's going to be (probably) my principal stage instrument, filling in for my Heritage 140-CM (humbuckers) and only being switched out with my Strat for songs that explicitly have that Strat tone (INXS's New Sensation, U2's Where the STreets Have No Name, and any Pink Floyd stuff).
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May 30, 2012 13:07
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mofolotopo posted:My copy What?
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Jun 1, 2012 13:39
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Well, I ended up with a Jaguar. Lightly used, Classic Player with the humbuckers. I'm still working on figuring out all the various tones this thing is capable of, but I love the feel of the neck and the reach to the high frets is better than any of my other instruments. Still getting used to the 24" scale. I'm working out what gauge strings to put on it. It came with 10s and they're a little floppy in standard E. Considering that my band plays in Eb, I may have to get it set up to do 11s or even 12s. Anyway, I played it a lot last night, got some great sounds out of it. Adjusting to the control layout will take a little time, so I'm not taking it onstage tonight. I haven't quite worked out how the rhythm circuit differs from the lead or what combinations of the 2 pickups I like best. But soon... 
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Jun 14, 2012 14:02
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I actually like it a lot. I've not a had a chance to put it through my stage setup yet, so I can't say it's had a complete workout. As of now, it's been through my home practice rig - Hot Rod Deluxe with an M5 in the loop for a few modulation effects - and the Fender amp is a little darker than the one I use most of the time (a Class A 30 watt). They're not icepick, though, so far. A little bit grittier than my Heritage when the tone knob is all the way up, and there's a touch more treble, which I actually like. I really like the volume knob placement. Something that bugs me about the 4-knob control setup of Gibson and Gibson-inspired models is that the bridge pickup volume knob is too far to just roll off with your pinky. While I appreciate the separate controls for each pickup, it can be a bit tricky if you like using the volume knob a lot on the fly. On this one, it's not unlike a Tele (or my ASAT) and I just really like that arrangement.
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Jun 14, 2012 15:17
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Well, I sold two guitars to afford this one. They were instruments I wasn't using and I wanted something I would play a lot more. Otherwise, I couldn't have afforded it. These models are a bit adjusted to deal with some of that concern about string slippage from the older Jaguars, as I understand it. They moved the tailpiece up toward the neck, and actually changed the angle of the neck itself to increase the break angle. I've not had a problem yet, although it's only my second day. I am considering, after playing unplugged a little bit, running a bit of leather or other soft material through the strings in between the bridge and the tailpiece to dampen string vibration in that area. Jaguars are known to have some minor sympathetic vibrations in that short string length, precisely because of the low break angle and the transfer of vibrations across the bridge, and I've noticed just a touch of that without amplification. Nothing serious, but I wonder what it could do in a high gain situation. I actually may play with what kind of sounds I can get out of that - maybe some interesting feedback or something.
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Jun 14, 2012 17:03
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Handen posted:If the wiring is standard Jaguar, the rhythm circuit is neck pickup only in the up position, with volume/tone control at the top horn. With the rhythm switch in the down position, it enables the pickguard switches to control pickup selection, and volume/tone are controlled at the butt of the guitar. The three DPDT switches mounted to the hexagonal plate in the pickguard are control neck pickup on/off, bridge pickup on/off, and the third one is a bass cut/high pass filter. That filter is the Jaguar's hallmark; in combo with the bridge pickup, when distorted will give you ear-blistering lead tone. That all seems about right, based on my fiddling with the guitar so far. I'm going to plug into my stage amp / pedalboard later today (since they're at home after our show last night) and see how everything shakes out. Thanks for this, it's helpful to see it all laid out. I could probably find the Fender specs with about five seconds of Googling, I just haven't - been playing it too much. quote:I love Jaguars... I've owned four CIJ Jags in total, one standard and three HH's, but the Mexican ones bug me in that they repositioned the floating trem closer to the bridge. This is my first Jag, and it's funny to me that the style didn't used to appeal much. Then again, neither did Teles or Strats, and now I love all of those (and am lucky enough to have a version of each). I find myself preferring the necks on them, too - a little faster, a little narrower and the upper frets are easier to reach. Mine - I presume - has the repositioned bridge, since it's MIM. Is that a bad thing? My understanding is that it was intended to address the occasional (but noticeable) problem of strings under too-low tension to stay on the bridge saddles. Has that problem been overstated? quote:Also, if you need help figuring out how to set up the floating tremolo, I think I've got instructions somewhere or can remember from memory. If not, check out the Shortscale.org forums. Those guys are usually pretty knowledgeable about Jags/Mustangs/Broncos etc. Thanks! It's funny how different that 0.75 less inches on the scale feels compared to my Gibson-style guitars, or the 1.5" off the Fender-style guitars. It's not hard to get used to - I learned to play the violin long before the guitar, and I'm still more comfortable on a shorter fretboard (mandolin) - but it just *feels* different in a good way. And yeah, I'll probably up the string gauge to .011s (assuming that these are .010s - I haven't checked yet, need to bring my calipers home). Stupid question, but as a Jag person... is that small of a change likely to require some setup to correct intonation, or is it not likely to be a big deal? Most of my other instruments can weather a 0.01 gauge increase without a setup, or at least they did in the past. But with the difference in scale, I wonder if it's potentially more problematic. Warcabbit posted:You don't have an altoids box? Altoids boxes: what can't they do! I didn't know other folks did this, but it totally makes sense. My pick box is a 70 year old candy tin that was re-purposed back in the 1940s to hold archaeological artifacts. When we pulled it out of museum storage and re-packaged the material, the tin was tossed and I grabbed it. It has the site number and contents marked on it, still. And it's tough as hell. Walter fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Jun 15, 2012 |
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Jun 15, 2012 15:14
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I'd go with 11 gauge if you're finding 10's to be too loose, 12's can be a bit tight.
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I actually kept that tin originally to use as a stompbox, but never got around to putting anything together. And then when I realized I needed a tough box for my picks, I just grabbed it. Someday I'm going to build a treble booster, though, and mount it in an Altoids tin. The Altoid Booster - Curiously Strong.
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Jun 15, 2012 16:10
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Legerdemain posted:Has anyone tried metal picks before? They sound like good way to get a nice bright sound, yet nobody makes or sells them in the states. I have a pack of these on the way and reviewers seem to love them. Brian May used a silver sixpence. Greg Fryer (who took apart the Red Special) said there were little bits of silver all over the place from the coins May had used. I have a silver US quarter I found in pocket change, and have used it a couple times. Steel strings tear off bits quite noticeably. After just a couple songs worth of playing, it had a new bevel it hadn't had before. But if you get really crazy, go buy some brass sheet from a hardware store and make some yourself. I did that not long ago... I've since misplaced the picks, but they were all right. A little bright, to be sure. But the brass grabbed the string really well, and I liked how the pick itself felt in my hand. I am emphatically NOT a 5+ mm pick guy.
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Jun 17, 2012 02:40
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Just got one of these. Not much in the way of gear, but I'm about to spend 5 weeks in a tent with sporadic access to steady power, so a practice amp is a no go. We've got two shows coming up in a few weeks, and I need to learn some new tunes and practice the old ones. I just tested it out plugged into my computer speakers, and the tone is actually pretty good. Surprisingly good. It's got a volume, a tone, and a gain knob. And with the gain all the way up, and backed off on the guitar's volume, it cleans up nicely. With some headphones, I should be set to practice as much as I need to. $40 well spent, in my opinion.
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Jul 1, 2012 03:34
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Barn Door posted:Strat with a telecaster neck -- how / why did that happen, just out of curiosity? The Tele Deluxes from the 70s (And the '72 reissue) - both with humbuckers - have Strat necks. It's actually a look that appeals to me, and I kind of want one of those guitars.
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Aug 17, 2012 19:47
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Warcabbit posted:New amp a'comin! That thing looks like a space heater.
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Oct 18, 2012 15:25
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As I re-did my pedal layout (after picking up a second M5) I took some photos of my pedalboard that I built just about exactly a year ago. I don't think I ever posted pictures, because I don't think I've ever taken pictures of this before. It was built on a whim entirely from off-the-shelf materials from Lowe's. Which means that I had to come up with a lot of interesting, quirky little solutions to odd problems. Steel pegs on the lid rim, set into sockets in the base so that the lid doesn't slide off when I pick the case up by the handle. Handles (one on each half of the case, doubled together for carrying) made of heavy-duty webbing. It's a little ghetto, but it's heavy-duty and that's turned out to be pretty helpful onstage. Anyway... Closed case:  Opened up:  As you can see, the board itself is held inside the case via a quartet of sliding latches. I rarely take it out, but did for this (mostly to run the various cables underneath as much as possible, and to vacuum out a year's worth of dust and dropped picks.  Final layout and loaded back into the case.  Effects chain is: SD-1 > RAT > M5(1)+exp > CE-1 > Echo Park > M5(2) > volume > amp Not quite how they're laid out, but everything fits and I know what the chain is, so the physical layout is not a problem. Had some issues with cable lengths and i/o jack locations. Clitch posted:
Posted from the mirror universe. Walter fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Dec 27, 2012 |
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Dec 27, 2012 15:12
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Sockington posted:Ordered a VoodooLabs Ground Control Pro for my 11rack. Next up is the Carvin TS100 power amp and my dream live rig is pretty much done for around $1100. How does the 11 Rack do for you? Not familiar with it's capabilities. Walter fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Jan 10, 2015 |
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Jan 10, 2015 04:07
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18 years after I posted this thread, it's still going. Unreal. Anyway, just picked this up a few days ago, thought it'd be fun to share. 2018 Explorer. Absolutely love the feel of this thing, it's my first Gibson and although I'm not sure I want any others, I do really like this one. Got it for a steal, too, only $1100. Case and everything. First impressions: it's actually really comfortable to play, even sitting down. Great sound on the bridge or neck pickups, and surprisingly versatile. I'm a huge Edge fan, so there's certainly that component to it, but I also just really like the guitar. 
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Mar 25, 2024 13:16
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Verman posted:Does it still have the plastic on the pickguard? I'll never understand those people. Yeah, I don't know why they left it on, and I just haven't had a chance to take it off (until the other day, I didn't even realize it was on there until it started wrinkling a little bit).
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Apr 2, 2024 15:05
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