Chasing that stereo rack sound...with pedals? With both pedals AND rack gear?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tommy Von Voigt
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Tommy Von Voigt

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Hey all, I've recently started thinking heavily about getting that 80s stereo rack sound. For cleans, for high gain rhythm, for solos, all of it.

I started messing with a stereo rig using a King Kong 50 (for the preamp and power amp) and a 100 Watt 68 Plexi (power amp / loop return IN). I got super inspired by some videos LA Sound Design posted up on YouTube. My results are so so, though. I'm not sure the amps are playing so well together, the loops might be giving me fits, etc. So, maybe I need to look at this starting from scratch.

Can I get there using all pedals, and go into a clean tube stereo power amp? Can I get there with a hybrid of pedals (on a rack tray) and a rack tube preamp and a rack tube power amp? I'm ultimately looking for portability. Something I can take to rehearsals and gigs and just plug into 2 cabs and be good to go. I'd like to keep size under control...A board and a power amp. Or, a rack with a foot controller for everything. I don't think it's wise for this to be dependent upon a board and two guitar heads. I'm not looking to do wet/dry, or wet/dry/wet. Just stereo.

I've got some stuff I've been playing with, maybe these pieces will be good to build upon:

Eventide MicroPitch pedal
Strymon Dig
GigRig Wetter Box (this is a parallel mixer)
Goodwood Audio Output TX (this is a stereo box with phase flip, transformer isolation, and sum-to-mono options)
ISP Decimator II G-String pedal

I think I'd need a stereo tri chorus as well, right? And I also need a compressor? Also, I will need to be able to control everything with one of those programmable looper / switchers, either on the floor or on a board. I want to be able to hit one button, and have magical cleans. Hit another button, and be in high gain, hair metal heaven. Hit one button, and have an epic soaring lead sound. And so on.

I think the biggest hurdle I'm facing is the high gain sound. I'm super hesitant to start throwing money at Marshall in a box type pedals...I'm worried it will sound / feel like I'm playing through a distortion pedal. I'm also insanely picky, and I intensely dislike fuzz, fizz, "hair" and sizzle.

Let's get everything on the table...no ideas are bad ideas here!
 
Just try using 2 amps stereo with a chorus pedal to split. This is the easiest way to start. Make sure you don’t have ground loop issues. Then start building.
 
Cap217 said:
Just try using 2 amps stereo with a chorus pedal to split. This is the easiest way to start. Make sure you don’t have ground loop issues. Then start building.
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The only problem there is that my two amps are not really ideal for that. While one of them is a channel switcher, the other is on stun full time. That's one of the things that has me wondering if I should just rethink everything here. I think if I had a pair of clean amps, I might be in a better spot. But, if I'm looking at getting a new amp or two, I figure I may as well consider a rack mounted stereo tube amp...and on and on it goes!
 
It’s a never ending journey. You either have to commit and go for it or find alternatives.

rack setup with a power amp and 2 preamps or 1 pre and a rack fx unit that will do stereo to a stereo power amp and 2 cabs. Plus all the wiring and routing that has to be done. Or just buy 2 amps and run pedals.
 
A Fractal FM3 or Line 6 Stomp HX would be much easier, lol.

(Seriously, I have been collecting some older rack units lately, and messing with the same type of tones, but if I had to travel with it, I would easily use a modeler completely, or a preamp with one of the above modelers for effects and switching. It is the easiest way these days).
 
For the last year I have been running 2 clean amps, my MS3 and some pedals. It’s been great.
 
I went from a Mesa dual rec stereo setup with a mark v. To a rack w a jmp1 and ada mp1 with fx that has now grown into a huge and expensive mess of units and wires and a Mesa 290. I don’t have it all hooked up yet but I have the gcx switching and a ground control when I do.
 
I also have a Kemper and for recording spdif stereo you can’t beat the ease and sound. I never have to mix anything. But live it’s now like a real amp yet. Close but not perfect. Which is ok
 
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