Page 23 of 27 FirstFirst ... 13192021222324252627 LastLast
Results 551 to 575 of 665

Thread: The Ever-Expanding Gear Thread

  1. #551
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    OK - this is very different from playing acoustic and sitting down. I can sit down and play the electric but I want to get used to playing it standing up as well. The neck is a little more manageable for my hands but everything is just at such a different perspective it will take some getting used to. I've played a little bit with messing with the reverb and sustain on the amp but mostly I just want to get used to playing an electric. I think I will order a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal of some sort soon. That should frighten my wife, who currently thinks I am getting very "pretty" sounds out of it.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  2. #552
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Tejas
    Posts
    1,065
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    That should frighten my wife, who currently thinks I am getting very "pretty" sounds out of it.
    If you stick with it, She'll probably start to hate it. Just be prepared to either learn to play with headphones, or to put it away the moment she walks into the room. My wife thinks that I am mentally ill and over obsessed with the same songs...

    That's called Practice.. She calls it "craptice"

    Of course maybe your wife is not as, shall we say "unenthusiastic" about being able to play an instrument. My wife would prefer me to just sit and watch Judge Judy. Thank God for headphones.

  3. #553
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    OK - this is very different from playing acoustic and sitting down. I can sit down and play the electric but I want to get used to playing it standing up as well. The neck is a little more manageable for my hands but everything is just at such a different perspective it will take some getting used to. I've played a little bit with messing with the reverb and sustain on the amp but mostly I just want to get used to playing an electric. I think I will order a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal of some sort soon. That should frighten my wife, who currently thinks I am getting very "pretty" sounds out of it.
    I recommend the Zoom G1On for a cheap but really versatile multi-effects unit. Plenty of distortion boxes or amp sims to work with. I use one (actually two chained together, but that isn't necessary) and get amazing results from it. Simple and easy to use, dirt cheap, and super durable if you don't beat the crap out of it. Much fun!

    Bill

  4. #554
    Member frinspar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    346
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    All I have is an acoustic guitar. It has been an up and down battle learning on it. First I broke my ankle which sidelined me for quite a while (couldn't get my feet flat on the floor for months). Then I spent a couple years driving for our local school district and damn, it raised the tendinitis in my hands so severely I couldn't strum for more than a few minutes. That ended last spring and with exercise/rest I have finally moderated the tendinitis somewhat. Fender just announced the you could get three months of free lessons on Fender Play so I signed up. Yesterday I was across the street where my neighbors were drinking on the front lawn. My neighbor's brother was there. He collects guitars and bikes. He doesn't play much any more. So I brought up the Fender thing and he said, "I've got something you can play for awhile". And he brought over this.


    I am not worthy!
    Sweet! That'll be lots of fun. Helluva nice starter getup.
    But, ask him if he'll let you peel off the factory film on the pickguard.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    I recommend the Zoom G1On for a cheap but really versatile multi-effects unit. Plenty of distortion boxes or amp sims to work with. I use one (actually two chained together, but that isn't necessary) and get amazing results from it. Simple and easy to use, dirt cheap, and super durable if you don't beat the crap out of it. Much fun!

    Bill
    The readout and layout on the Zoom are great.

    I have a Digitech Element XP that I don't use at all anymore. But I lend it out, along with a guitar, to people interested in learning. It's another nice, cheap multi option, and has an expression pedal built-in. It's great because I don't need to lend them an amp, since you can plug headphones into the pedal itself to hear.



    Added a Joyo Aquarius delay pedal to the collection today. It's really good.
    Right now I've got a nifty ambient setup going with these lined up on the plank.

  5. #555
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    Since the last time I posted, the little Fender amp I was using starting this nasty ground hum. The guy that lent it to me took it back and brought over this huge vintage Fender Band Master. It sounds sweet but way too clean. Yesterday I bought a little Boss DS-1 distortion pedal and tried a couple simple chords last night. The SG is now a bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

    Boss DS 1.jpg

    Fender Band Master.jpg
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  6. #556
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    3,806
    ^^ I used to have a Bandmaster rig with Peavey Scorpion speakers in the cabinet. Very sweet sounding....wish I still had it.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  7. #557
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    I just got a Boss ES-5 loop switcher for my guitar pedals. It took me quite a while just to take apart my old pedal board and wire everything up to the boss unit. I've set up only a couple of very basic patches. Still need to figure out how to do a bunch of stuff like send expression pedal info to my Strymon and Eventide pedals over MIDI. Once everything is working I'll probably try to do a nicer job wiring things up and I'll also make a new (correctly sized) pedalboard to mount everything on.

    https://www.boss.info/us/products/es-5/specifications/


    And this is not really related, but this guy is getting some crazy sounds out of his pedalboard (skip to about the 14:45 mark):

    <sig out of order>

  8. #558
    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Southwest
    Posts
    1,860
    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    I just got a Boss ES-5 loop switcher for my guitar pedals. It took me quite a while just to take apart my old pedal board and wire everything up to the boss unit. I've set up only a couple of very basic patches. Still need to figure out how to do a bunch of stuff like send expression pedal info to my Strymon and Eventide pedals over MIDI. Once everything is working I'll probably try to do a nicer job wiring things up and I'll also make a new (correctly sized) pedalboard to mount everything on.

    https://www.boss.info/us/products/es-5/specifications/


    And this is not really related, but this guy is getting some crazy sounds out of his pedalboard (skip to about the 14:45 mark):

    Nice! Congrats. I researched that end of things and felt the ES-5 was a good choice.

  9. #559
    Member frinspar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    346
    Because I'm still scarred from piano lessons as a kid, but I love playing guitar and want to add keys to stuff I write, I got one of these to bridge the gap.


  10. #560
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Plague Sanctuary, Vermont
    Posts
    2,481
    ^^^ I want all those EHX pedals. Maybe someday....
    <sig out of order>

  11. #561
    Member frinspar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    346
    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    ^^^ I want all those EHX pedals. Maybe someday....
    The Electric Mistress flanger/chorus and Pitch Fork are both pedals I'm never getting rid of. Hell, I'd be happy with anything EHX makes.

    Went back and forth between the B9 and C9 for a while. For whatever reason I kind of ignored the Key9. But it definitely covers all the bases I want the best. And it was a really good deal for a gently used one.

    I remember hearing Paul Gilbert talk about how songwriters in the 70s had some incredible piano chords and progressions, and he liked to try to recreate the chords they used on guitar. I feel the same way, love a lot of the music from that decade - not just prog - and this pedal should help me explore that nicely. I just have to keep in mind not to bend and slide, play it like it's keys. Unless it sounds cool.

  12. #562
    Quote Originally Posted by frinspar View Post
    Because I'm still scarred from piano lessons as a kid, but I love playing guitar and want to add keys to stuff I write, I got one of these to bridge the gap.

    I wonder how it works. And how it sounds.

  13. #563
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I wonder how it works. And how it sounds.
    They all work on the same principle as the POG, which is a fantastic digital octave pedal. Far and away the best tracking I've ever experienced on an octaver, and options for up and down octaves (actually, that's the Micro POG that I had, the real POG has tons more options). I think what they found was that when you had the clones of the signal, you could not only manipulate them up and down, but you could also shape them tonally. They then started shaping the cloned waves into the sounds of organs, Mellotrons, pianos, etc. and releasing these little units.

    How do they sound? Well, that's subjective. The guitarist in one of my bands had the organ and Mellotron boxes for a while (I think he borrowed the Mellotron from someone). I got to diddle around with both during breaks in rehearsal. My assessment... meh. They certainly sound recognizably like the instruments they're emulating, but not to the extent that it really sounds like a real Tron or organ, or even close to the high quality samples available out there. The devices track well, but it's very hard to get a sustained wash on the Tron like you can with keys (some notes are almost bound to flake out), and organ chord voicings are difficult and sound a bit muddy with traditional guitar chord voicings. You'd really to develop a technique for that if you wanted to sound like a real organ (which you wouldn't really anyway). I think the best use for them for a guitarist would literally be as an effect, in tandem with their direct guitar signal, rather than to literally try to cover keyboard parts; except possibly some single line solos where the organ sound might shine. For chords, I wasn't impressed.

    Apparently the guitarist in my band eventually agreed. The pedals were gone in a few weeks. He considered them "toys." Maybe that's extreme, but for most guitarists who aren't going to work hard on a technique to integrate these, or use them more creatively as sound augmentation, I think on average that's exactly what they are.

    Bill

  14. #564
    ^^
    So they process the sound, to emulate something that is close (or not so close) to the instrument it should sound like?

  15. #565
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    ^^
    So they process the sound, to emulate something that is close (or not so close) to the instrument it should sound like?
    Yeah, that's basically right as I understand it. That's certainly what it sounded like to me. They're definitely not using samples.

    Bill

  16. #566
    Member frinspar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    346
    I've seen a couple of remarks from people who gigged with them and they worked well for their needs. Most others range from saying it's a fun toy to a silly curiosity to plain stupid. Piano players seem generally offended by them.

    As I'm really playing for an audience of one (myself) I just look for fun and interesting things to play with. Should suit my purposes well enough.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    ^^
    So they process the sound, to emulate something that is close (or not so close) to the instrument it should sound like?
    Yeah. And it's got a blend knob so you can still mix some of the guitar into the effect if desired.

    Solid sample of what the Key9 can be. Essentially key tones that sound like they're being played on a guitar.

  17. #567

  18. #568
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    3,806
    Quote Originally Posted by Sputnik View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    ^^
    So they process the sound, to emulate something that is close (or not so close) to the instrument it should sound like?
    Yeah, that's basically right as I understand it. That's certainly what it sounded like to me. They're definitely not using samples.

    Bill
    It would be similar to the original Roland Guitar Synthesizer, but at a tiny fraction of the cost. Steve Miller used one on the Fly Like an Eagle album. We can thank Moore's Law for bringing the price down.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  19. #569
    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Southwest
    Posts
    1,860
    Quote Originally Posted by progmatist View Post
    It would be similar to the original Roland Guitar Synthesizer, but at a tiny fraction of the cost. Steve Miller used one on the Fly Like an Eagle album. We can thank Moore's Law for bringing the price down.
    I always assumed it was an ARP Pro-Soloist played manually. Of course, the ARP Odyssey (which Wikipedia says he played on the track) could do most of the sounds that the Pro-Soloist could do (hence, my mistaken impression it was the PS)

  20. #570
    Member hFx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts
    705
    Now Klark Teknik (Behringer owned) has launched their version of Rolands Legendary Dimension D Spatial Enhancer. A very discrete but absolutely magical effect launched 1979 - the Klark clone is all analog (BBD based) 2HE rack unit as well, but with a price competing with a decent plugin. I'm surely getting one!

    https://www.klarkteknik.com/Categori...ogtrans(en|en)

    My Progressive Workshop at http://soundcloud.com/hfxx

  21. #571
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    This is somewhat gear related. First of all, I play a Gibson electric (badly) through a vintage Fender amp. Back in June, because I am in the Fender Play lesson program, I got an email staying Fender merch was 60% for a Father's Day sale. I picked up a hoodie, two t-shirts, and set of beer glasses for under $60. I checked Gibson merch. No sale and man, their t-shirts etc showed zero imagination and style. Today, I saw on the Fender Play Facebook page, one of the members got a cool practice stool with the Fender logo. Our of curiosity I first went to Gibson to check their stools and yep, really spendy. I checked Fender, they're practically half the price.

    Now I play a Gibson through a Fender amp. I'd like a little parity here in my merchandise but goddamn, Gibson hasn't a clue on how to merchandise their name, guitar shapes, etc. Fender consistently steals their lunch money as far as I'm concerned. Is this endemic of how Gibson operates?
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  22. #572
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    This is somewhat gear related. First of all, I play a Gibson electric (badly) through a vintage Fender amp. Back in June, because I am in the Fender Play lesson program, I got an email staying Fender merch was 60% for a Father's Day sale. I picked up a hoodie, two t-shirts, and set of beer glasses for under $60. I checked Gibson merch. No sale and man, their t-shirts etc showed zero imagination and style. Today, I saw on the Fender Play Facebook page, one of the members got a cool practice stool with the Fender logo. Our of curiosity I first went to Gibson to check their stools and yep, really spendy. I checked Fender, they're practically half the price.

    Now I play a Gibson through a Fender amp. I'd like a little parity here in my merchandise but goddamn, Gibson hasn't a clue on how to merchandise their name, guitar shapes, etc. Fender consistently steals their lunch money as far as I'm concerned. Is this endemic of how Gibson operates?
    The fact that Gibson is filing for bankruptcy and Fender is basically doing fine should tell the story. Gibson has tried to have it both ways, pushing themselves as a boutique brand at mass-produced production levels. Both Gibson and Fender are probably sourcing their stools and t-shirts from the same shitty Chinese vendors. Gibson thinks they can get more because they are still under the false belief their brand carries that cache.

    Personally, I wouldn't concern yourself with "brand parity," or even brand loyalty. There are tons of brands that for the same price equal or better both Gibson and Fender. This isn't to say both those brands don't make some fine instruments, but let playability, sound, feel and value be your guide, not the logo on the headstock. As far as what t-shirt you wear or what's on the stool under your ass... who really cares? I use a wooden stool that is decades old. I manage. I wear no logo musical merchandise. Actually, not true... I have an Orange Amps t-shirt, but I have no Orange Amps. It's just a cool t-shirt that I got for $5.

    I agree with you, Gibson have their heads up their asses. It's probably part of the reason I own no Gibson equipment, and part of the reason they're struggling. But in the end, all this brand stuff is just dust in the wind. Why obsess over it?

    Bill

  23. #573
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    Bill, I'm not obsessed over it. Just surprised there's such a difference between the two. You would think Gibson would be working at getting their shit together considering all the $$$ problems they've had but nope. And yeah, t-shirts are cool whether you have the gear or not. Though damn, this SG that my neighbor is letting me use is so sweeeeeet. Even a schlub player like me can tell it's something special.

    I had been looking for online lessons for awhile, trying to find something beyond instructional vids on YouTube. I did some research and Fender Play was considered good, but maybe second best (I don't remember what the other program was rated #1). But I wasn't going to sample for just a couple weeks and then spend a $100 to lock it down. Then the virus hit and Fender declared you could get three months free. So I signed up. And apparently so did a ton of either people. Someone at Fender must be doing a happy dance at how well this thing worked. The Facebook Page for Fender Play was jammed with all these people staying at home and figuring, hey, maybe I can learn to play something. And at the end of the three months you could get locked into the year for $45. I was seeing more progress than I ever had teaching myself so I took the bait. And these folks on the Facebook page are all buying new gear now. And I'd say at least 60% are buying Fender guitars, basses, and amps. Does Gibson have a similar program? If they do, I haven't seen any sign of it.

    Some day I'll buy an electric of my own and it will be whatever feels right in my hands (and from a local shop, not Sweetwater or Guitar Center). Anyway, it just seems so striking that one company has their shit together in this area and the other is stumbling around in the dark.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  24. #574
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    3,806
    People playing Gibson guitars through Fender amps dates back to the 1950s. Fender amps have long been considered superior.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  25. #575
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    South Hadley, MA
    Posts
    2,662
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    Some day I'll buy an electric of my own and it will be whatever feels right in my hands (and from a local shop, not Sweetwater or Guitar Center). Anyway, it just seems so striking that one company has their shit together in this area and the other is stumbling around in the dark.
    The issues you raise with Gibson have been their M.O. for years. It has to do with leadership, or the lack thereof, and Gibson's very scattered focus. You can get a good Gibson guitar, but back into the late 70s when I started playing, it was always considered "hit or miss" with them. Fender has had their ups and downs as well, but at this stage have largely righted the ship and are producing a range of quality instruments at just about every price point. Different companies with different approaches, a different mentality, and different market results. We'll see what happens with Gibson as they change leadership, reorganize and come out of bankruptcy. But for now, yeah, it's largely a shit show.

    If you know what you want, Sweetwater or even Guitar Center can be fine. I got my Strat on Sweetwater, it's perfect. I got my Margasa Joker and Rainsong Acoustic on Reverb, my PT Berger from their website (they don't sell in stores), my TF Fretless from Guitar Center (shipped from a store in Michigan), and my Nash PB63 from Chicago Music Exchange (though I did play one locally, but I wanted a red one, I know... vanity ). The only guitar I own now that I bought locally is my Fender 51 Precision reissue.

    If you can find something local, that's great. But your horizons open up a lot if you're willing to shop online. You do, however, have to have a sense of what you're after in terms of sound, neck profile, etc. and that comes with experience or doing research on what elements are important to you. But even then, tastes and desires change. My wife and I counted it up recently, I've owned about 50 guitars in my life. I'm 56 and I only started playing when I was 15. Ouch! But of all those, I only miss about two. Most of us just "rent" guitars, in a sense that's part of the fun.

    Bill

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •