Gear revelations: Had any lately?

[EXPcustom]

Also remeber that if you do decide to get ghey to get a Cameron, sure you will have bitchin tone, it may impress your friends and the folks on this forum...

but at night when you are all alone you have to live with yourself and the choice you made. I dont care how much time you spend crying naked in the fetal position and trying to wash the filth away while in the shower it just wont come off and you have to deal with it.

 

[Juggernaut]

 

[robertkoa]

The best solidbody electrics of today and even many of the " Better " ones ( not necessarily from the " Big Two" companies- I'm talking " boutique " mostly here) will better most of the 50s and 60s solidbody guitars for playability, intonation , versatility and even TONES.

Amps - we've gone so far beyond the old tube amps of the 50s and 60s, new designs also cover and go far beyond in most ways the " Vintage " ones, functionally AND tonally.

Cab Impulses and tube inputs ( good guitar tube pres or " loaded down " heads) can get very very good tones at minimal or even line level (0 ) volume.

So my revelation is: I have many of the tones I've always wanted WITHOUT needing Hi Volume and I have almost ( and beyond at some things) the chops I've always wanted - " Where is all this excellent music I'm supposed to make ?"
I have no " excuses " and I have lots of work to do ...................................................

 

[Tawlks]

I am a Marshall guy... That is all.

Is that why you own Ampeg, Mesa and Peavey amps and Avatar and VHT cabs?

By "That is all" I meant that was really the only revelation I have had lately. Not that I was a Marshall guy and only Marshall.

I'm kidding man. It's cool, I like Marshalls, My next amp will probably be a 50 watt Marshall or similar. If I don't bump into a cheap used Peavey Ultra Plus first.

 

[TeleBlaster]

except at Rig-Talk, where your character will be judged based on whether you own the "right" or the "wrong" gear.

That's bullshit. Pure and simple...I've never heard those type of judgements here.

Steve

Hi Steve!
It's tongue in cheek, but true, sadly.

I play a CCV and a Mark IV with a Tonebone, love my Timmy for a boost.
My GMW's are awesome stage guitars.













OOOPS!

No - that's wrong.

I really play all Krank amps, I use a Krankshaft and Distortus Maximus on the board for different things.

Had a GMW but it was the worst POS ever.

Now using Parts-O-Casters because you can buy better parts than what most custom builders make.

So admit it, you've already made conclusions about what kind of person I am based on whether or not you approve of my gear.

Sad, but true.

 

[kylendm]

My new Baron K88!

 

[Jay Strange]

The amount of punch/pissed offness/ tightness/quickness and tone that Mike Fortin added to the makeover mod
of my Twin Jet. The total mod is astounding, truly a masterpiece.

I also realized I prefer les Pauls with ebony for everything.

 

[racerevlon]

Wow... lots of good stuff on here.

1. I have way more gear than I will ever use.

2. If you don't have at least some basic skill with the guitar, yer gonna sound crappy no matter what you're playing through.

3. I would rather be able to plug straight into a channel-switching amp and get all my tones than have to deal with pedals.

4. I like Dimarzios better than Duncans.

5. Your amp is only part of the equation. I almost sold a Hughes & Kettner Trilogy because it sounded lousy through V30's. Turns out it sounds great through G12T-50's. Sad they don't make them any more. Great lower-wattage version of the G12T-75.

6. Whoever said (earlier in the thread) that two complementary amps are better than one amp is dead on the money. Try three or four some time.

7. You need to spend at least as much time practicing as you do tinkering with your gear.

8. Tubes make a difference.

9. Capacitor values make a difference.

10. EQ is the most important "effect."

11. My 1980's "secret sauce" rig will always be my secret weapon for "completing" my tone--you definitely notice when it's not there.

12. Thicker strings DO sound better... unless you can't play them, at which point they sound like $#!t.

13. Don't fuck with the Baldies.

14. A Tube Screamer makes a better compressor than an overdrive/boost.

15. Once you get your Cameron you will like the way your buddy's Herbert rig sounds better. Once you get your Herbert rig you will wish you never sold your Cameron. Once you get your Cameron back that Splawn Nitro will sure sound awesome. That Splawn Nitro doesn't sound quite as awesome now. The Titan, on the other hand...

16. Nailing a take with perfect tone, rhythm, meter, clarity, and precision actually DOES make your junk 2" bigger.

17. My best-sounding guitar is my hot-rodded music store guitar I've had since I was 13. Never recorded with anything else. It only comes out for recording.

18. Your time is better spent crafting YOUR tone than chasing someone else's.

19. At the end of the day, if it isn't fun, you're wasting your time.

20. Fretboard woods, in order of preference: Ebony, Maple, Pau Ferro, everything else, Rosewood.

20. Vote for Pedro.

Cheers,

Race

 

[mchn13]

i sound the same through every amp i've played, but some amps are easier to do that with... i still want a titan though, as zach's prototype was the first amp i've played where i didn't need my boost right off the rip. it would be nice to use zero pedals and just plug straight in.
thats my only gas....

 

[TheMagicEight]

Had a few recently:

1. High action - though harder to play at first - is totally worth the extra effort.

2. Very rarely do I find a piece of gear that I can't see some sort of good in.

3. A great amp into lousy speakers will usually not sound as good as a lousy amp into great speakers.

4. I need to practice more with other people / to music.

5. Tone searching may not have an end, I feel there's a point where it's good enough to stop worrying. Although V30s aren't really my first choice, my 101b into them sounds awesome! Love to have a set of Scumbacks eventually, but for now, no complaints.

6. Guitars with tremolo systems intonate better.

7. Thick strings intonate better.

8. Having a moderate understanding of how amps work is very useful in getting great tones easily!

 

[spawnofthesith]

That a 4x12 sounds so much more awesome and alive than just a 2x12

 

[Sick Michael]

I think I have settled on the SD custom humbucker as my fav choice for bridge tones.

Two dirt pedals into a clean single channel amp is a pretty versatile setup.

low output pickups into a marshall = massive balls.

 

[Wagster]

1. Having the right wattage amp for the gig is where it's at
2. Turn up my amp and laying off the preamp fizz
3. NOS tubes are not always better than current tubes
4. Nothing sounds like a 4x12
5. I need to do a better job at hiding my gear purchases from my wife
6. Realizing that my amp is only as good as the sound of the room I'm playing in

 

[Heritage Softail]

I will add...

Slaving and W/D/W rigs sound the best. There is a reason why a lot of the top pros do it...

Explain please.....

I have discoverd Cameron amps here. The clips I have heard so far are most excellent. Seems to be a troll or two that like to stir up shit. May have to investigate these beasts further.

Rivera makes a great amp.

Volume must go up to hit the sweet spot, in the amp and the speakers.

Earplugs are a good thing... see above.

 

[zee1usa]

I love my SLO 100 more and more every time I play it.

 

[TheMagicEight]

Few more to add....

- The further away from the amp you stand, the more balanced (and better) it should sound.
- Finding the perfect guitar takes a long time! In a music shop with hundreds of guitars, I've found 2 or 3 that I really love.
- Most amps sound good. The same cannot be said for most speakers. A mediocre amp into amazing speakers will usually sound very good.
- Rather than take brightness away from thin strings by letting them get old, I like adding low end by using new thick strings (11-54).
- 7 strings kick ass!

 

[diagrammatiks]

In the past few weeks / month, I've realized a few things that I feel have helped me in my never-ending tone quest. I thought it would be cool to hear what other people have learned - what sort of "Aha!" moments other players were having - in addition to sharing mine.

Mine are:
1. I don't care for ceramic pickups for getting awesome, smooth lead tones. Alnico all the way.
2. Thin strings don't sound as good as thick strings. End of story.
3. 25w G12Ms sound great at low volumes, but with the amps I have, break up too much at higher volumes to sound amazing.
4. Mesa V30s are much, much better than regular V30s.
5. Uberschall with Uberkab is incredible.
6. Low action doesn't equal the best tone.
7. Low pass filters are necessary for distorted rhythm guitars on recordings.

Please, post away!

1. I'm still figuring out pickup magnetics but I know that I do not like low output pickups. I won't run a pickup lower then 16k in the bridge. I hate how they sound. Ceramic BKP Warpigs are the most delicious pickups ever.
2. Thin strings don't sound good to me. They are sometimes necessary. They are good for a certain type of tone. I can't do it. I bend every set of nines and 10s completely out of tune every time I play them. I don't enjoy myself unless there is 140 pounds of tension across the neck.
3. Alinco is awesome. Scumincos are pure sex. Hemp cone is awesome. After trying out something like 15 different kinds of speakers, Scumincos, Scumbacks, Eminence Wizards, Red Fangs, Cannabis Rex, Canis Major are by far the best speakers being produced right now.
4. Ported cabs are awesome. Screw the bassist. I'm going chuggachuggachuggachuggachug.
5. This is a weird one but I hate non-master volume amps. They sound good. I'm glad they exist. I'm glad other people can play on them and make rock music. I need a master volume. I need a pre-amp gain knob and I need that knob cranked.
6. Mike Soldano is a god among men.
7. Stephen Fryette is a god among men.
8. Kt88s can beat up your tubes, you, and your dog.
9. New production tubes are terrible.
10. Cheap stompboxes can be just as fun as expensive ones.
11. I'd never buy a non hollowbody or semihollow body guitar if I didn't have to.

 

[Superunknown]

1) Plug straight into your amp and get rid of the pedals and rack effects.....everything else is bullshit(except for an echolplex maybe )

2) Ted Weber was a genius!

3) The tone of a good Les Paul simply can't be fucked with...EVER!

 

[Tawlks]

except at Rig-Talk, where your character will be judged based on whether you own the "right" or the "wrong" gear.

That's bullshit. Pure and simple...I've never heard those type of judgements here.

Steve

Think he's thinking of HCAF.

 

[guitarslinger]

Muffs/Muff Clones are a must.

It took me 17 years to figure this out.