Call me crazy... Rig advice?

[robsp]

Hey all. This has been a great place for me to just kinda hang out and dream. I've been scoping out the Gear Classifieds for about a year, just mostly getting a vibe of what people are using these days, but I've been pretty quiet.

That said, I'm going through a transition. I've got a ton of stuff (Pedals, amps, more guitars than fingers, etc), most of it I don't use anymore. I want to pare down, but I don't want to do something I'll regret.


So here's my theory, based on what I have, and what I'll need:


Right now, I've got my pedalboard torn apart. The plan is to treat it as its own effects loop, sending my EB Vol jr into an always on tuner, and also an OCD. From there, I've got a Swollen Pickle I don't really use, but it sounds nice so I wanna keep it. That would serve as the "before the preamp" side of the loop. Send that into a Blackstar HT Dist (as a pre, basically), followed by a Carbon Copy, DL4, and Holy Grail.


Here's where I'm stuck. What the heck do I go into? I have too many amps already, but my combo (H&K Duotone) is just too heavy to carry around.

Am I crazy to consider throwing an EHX 22cal or 44mag on the board, and just going out to a cabinet? I have an Orange PPC112 and Egnater Rebel 112x, so I'm good with cabs (unless you recommend something better), so I figured this would be almost like a power amp stage. I don't need multiple channels, that's covered with the Blackstar on or off.

Thoughts?

 

[Neeklaus]

that's one of those things that if it works for you and sounds good to you - go for it.
I personally couldn't do it, I'd feel like I was missing something and as a general statement dist. pedals are really disappointing for me........but that's ME!

 

[mrkmas]

If it works for you then give it a try. I personally would not be expecting much out of those EHX pedal poweramps though. I would say to try out a smaller guitar head or something in the 20W range. Even something as simple( not in a bad way) as an Egnater Tweaker might work, and would be light enough to move around.

But as always, these are just recommendations. The EHX pedals are very inexpensive so it would be a minimal risk if you didnt like them, which is always a plus.

 

[robsp]

If it works for you then give it a try. I personally would not be expecting much out of those EHX pedal poweramps though. I would say to try out a smaller guitar head or something in the 20W range. Even something as simple( not in a bad way) as an Egnater Tweaker might work, and would be light enough to move around.

But as always, these are just recommendations. The EHX pedals are very inexpensive so it would be a minimal risk if you didnt like them, which is always a plus.

Part of it, too, is making compromises to make fewer trips, carry fewer items, and plug fewer things in. I'm covered with little heads, Mesa Transatlantic TA15, Orange Tiny Terror and even a Vox Lil' Night Train (2w! That's just nuts!)

I've definitely been entertaining the idea of a nice, lightweight (~30lb) combo, but stopped looking at Egnater when I decided I only needed one channel. Course, I was only looking at the Rebel. Completely forgot to check out the Tweaker!

Good suggestion, I'll check one out. Thanks for the input!

 

[robsp]

that's one of those things that if it works for you and sounds good to you - go for it.
I personally couldn't do it, I'd feel like I was missing something and as a general statement dist. pedals are really disappointing for me........but that's ME!

Like I said, this is a completely new thought. I feel you with the dist. pedal thing. I texted my dad with this prospect, and he actually replied with "Don't forget, you've never been satisfied with any OD pedals except for OCD"

It's me stepping out and thinking about what I really might need, rather than what might be the really cool toy of the week. This is weird territory, you know "change" and "selling things". Very uncharted for me!


Thanks for the reply

 

[mrkmas]

If it works for you then give it a try. I personally would not be expecting much out of those EHX pedal poweramps though. I would say to try out a smaller guitar head or something in the 20W range. Even something as simple( not in a bad way) as an Egnater Tweaker might work, and would be light enough to move around.

But as always, these are just recommendations. The EHX pedals are very inexpensive so it would be a minimal risk if you didnt like them, which is always a plus.

Part of it, too, is making compromises to make fewer trips, carry fewer items, and plug fewer things in. I'm covered with little heads, Mesa Transatlantic TA15, Orange Tiny Terror and even a Vox Lil' Night Train (2w! That's just nuts!)

I've definitely been entertaining the idea of a nice, lightweight (~30lb) combo, but stopped looking at Egnater when I decided I only needed one channel. Course, I was only looking at the Rebel. Completely forgot to check out the Tweaker!

Good suggestion, I'll check one out. Thanks for the input!

Not a problem, i'm glad to help. You certainly have the 20w and under head market covered. haha.

I have played this combo before. Always plugged right in, but never used pedals with it. Seemed like a nice blank slate for pedals though. It comes in at 31lbs which may fit the bill for the 30lb combo if you can forgive the 1 pound http://www.fender.com/products/hotrod/m ... 2230500000

 

[robsp]

If it works for you then give it a try. I personally would not be expecting much out of those EHX pedal poweramps though. I would say to try out a smaller guitar head or something in the 20W range. Even something as simple( not in a bad way) as an Egnater Tweaker might work, and would be light enough to move around.

But as always, these are just recommendations. The EHX pedals are very inexpensive so it would be a minimal risk if you didnt like them, which is always a plus.

Part of it, too, is making compromises to make fewer trips, carry fewer items, and plug fewer things in. I'm covered with little heads, Mesa Transatlantic TA15, Orange Tiny Terror and even a Vox Lil' Night Train (2w! That's just nuts!)

I've definitely been entertaining the idea of a nice, lightweight (~30lb) combo, but stopped looking at Egnater when I decided I only needed one channel. Course, I was only looking at the Rebel. Completely forgot to check out the Tweaker!

Good suggestion, I'll check one out. Thanks for the input!

Not a problem, i'm glad to help. You certainly have the 20w and under head market covered. haha.

I have played this combo before. Always plugged right in, but never used pedals with it. Seemed like a nice blank slate for pedals though. It comes in at 31lbs which may fit the bill for the 30lb combo if you can forgive the 1 pound http://www.fender.com/products/hotrod/m ... 2230500000

Ah. The OTHER one I was going to play today. I was thinking about this, the Pro Junior, and now the Tweaker. You read my mind.

Yes. I do believe I can excuse the extra pound.

For now....

 

[mrkmas]

Let us know what your thought are after you play them, and what you end up deciding.

 

[guitarmike]

I have the magnum 44 and used it as a power amp with a Jekyll and Hyde pedal into a mic'ed 4x12 on a 4th of July float (I did not want my old amps on generator power). While I was content with the sound, the Magnum 44 could not handle driving the 4x12 for the whole parade. It overheated 2 or 3 times. To be far, it was real hot, 90+ F but I was not expecting overheating problems. In my opinion the Magnum 44 is good for emergency back up or practicing, or perhaps as part of a wet/dry rig into a 1x12. It cannot take continuous heavy hitting.

 

[mrkmas]

I have the magnum 44 and used it as a power amp with a Jekyll and Hyde pedal into a mic'ed 4x12 on a 4th of July float (I did not want my old amps on generator power). While I was content with the sound, the Magnum 44 could not handle driving the 4x12 for the whole parade. It overheated 2 or 3 times. To be far, it was real hot, 90+ F but I was not expecting overheating problems. In my opinion the Magnum 44 is good for emergency back up or practicing, or perhaps as part of a wet/dry rig into a 1x12. It cannot take continuous heavy hitting.

Wow, i cant believe it overheats like that. It does honestly seem like a "when there is no other option left" type backup.

 

[sandman]

I always thought this video of the London Bones distortion into the 44 magnum sounded great

 

[mrkmas]

I always thought this video of the London Bones distortion into the 44 magnum sounded great

That honestly does not sound bad for what it is. I remember hearing some clips from I think EHX when it first came out and the pedal was clipping and it sounded horrible

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

I always thought this video of the London Bones distortion into the 44 magnum sounded great

me to

 

[sandman]

I always thought this video of the London Bones distortion into the 44 magnum sounded great

me to

just a little biased ain't ya?

 

[robsp]

Yeah.. that's kinda nuts about the overheating. Something to consider, for sure.

As for the others, the Guitar Center nearby has a used tweed Blues Jr. I got to spend some time with yesterday. Definitely nice, but I feel like it's more than I'm looking for right now for these purposes. Granted, whatever I end up with, I'll probably kick myself for not getting something more full-featured when I decide to not have this setup anymore. Same with the Tweaker. Sounded great, but maybe more than I'm looking for. The Pro Jr., I didn't plug into. I realized I've got access to a similar setup to that in my dad's Trace Elliott Velocette (1x10, volume, tone, that's it)

The more I tried little tube amps yesterday, the more I realized I wasn't utilizing them for what they're really designed for- their tone. Yeah, everything's gonna add some definition, but I think I'm happy enough to cover the sound before it hits the cabinet. The rest is really just getting a clean (or slightly not clean) signal into the speaker.

So, an updated question would beg to wonder...
Should I look into a nice something solid state? That way, it could be thrown around a little more without the "fragile" aspect of things.

An add on would also ask, if I go with the 44 or 22 (or something else solid), I love my cabinets. But. I'm always open to suggestions as to what else is great. The things that might really sound the best. I'm thinking about trying out some crazy things, starting with a MarkBass 2x10. Anyone have any experience using MarkBass with guitar? How is it? I'm open to any and all suggestions!