Rig Help - FURMAN PQ3 + ROCKTRON Guitar silencer

[ol753]

Hey all, I was wondering if you could give me hints and tips on incorporating the above two items into my setup.
What is the best way to use them? Before the amp in, or the FX loop? Should I incorporate it into the GCX loops somehow? Any advice at all would be great!


Below is my current setup using EVH 5150III, Voodoo GCX, GCP, Control Switcher + pedals

I'm wanting the PQ3 + HUSH to pretty much be with my rhythm and lead sound (i'm not sure about clean, so possibly include the ability to turn it off for that). Really want it to expand and "blow up" my tone.

Furman PQ3
Rocktron Hush

Current Setup:
GCP > GCX > Control Switcher > EVH 5150III
-----------------
Guitar
>
Feed Thru > Wah > Gtr In > Gtr Out > GCX #1 Tuner
>
#2 Homebrew CPR Mini
>
#3 Homebrew Powerscreamer
>
#4 Boss NS2
>
EVH 5150III Amp In
-----------------------
FX Loop Send
>
#5 MXR 10 band EQ (for solo/mid boost)
>
#6 HBE Mimic Delay
>
FX Return
-----------------------

 

[tommytom11]

just put it last in the loop of the amp. the guitar silencer has 2 channels, so if you want to have 2 settings put it in a loop. off will be channel 1, loop on channel 2. you really don't need it with a 5150III though.

 

[ol753]

just put it last in the loop of the amp. the guitar silencer has 2 channels, so if you want to have 2 settings put it in a loop. off will be channel 1, loop on channel 2. you really don't need it with a 5150III though.

Just experimenting!
So you'd put the PQ3 after the delay in my loop? What about the Rocktron? Wondering if I'd still need the NS2 before the amp in when using the GS

 

[steve_k]

A PQ3 can be a little unruly in front of a high gain amp. They have a lot of drive on them that is tough to control. Try it in the loop though or in a W/D rig though a line out to drive another power amp. I've got two old one's out here (one greenface and one blueface). Great parametric control of an amp though.

 

[ol753]

Cheers for the advice!
Which ins and outs would you recommend?

 

[tommytom11]

just put it last in the loop of the amp. the guitar silencer has 2 channels, so if you want to have 2 settings put it in a loop. off will be channel 1, loop on channel 2. you really don't need it with a 5150III though.

Just experimenting!
So you'd put the PQ3 after the delay in my loop? What about the Rocktron? Wondering if I'd still need the NS2 before the amp in when using the GS

you will not need the ns-2. the guitar silencer is a great piece. as i said, its 2 channel, so you can set channel one with a milder gate, and channel two more extreme if needed. just put it last in the loop and it will quiet everything before it, and in a gcx loop if you want to use both channels. but, you probably don't even need the rocktron with the 5150 III. it is unbelievably quiet for such a high gain amp. EVH is not even using a gate.

 

[GITTarzann]

What tones are you trying to get?

I used to use a PQ3 in front of my Splawn for that super midrangey 80's rock sound.

Like Steve said...it will be noisy, but it can get some great sounds this way,

I used to use my gain lower kinda crunchy and use the boost from the PQ3 to get the drive I wanted. Use the EQ portion to sculpt the frequencies you are after.

An example setting of mine would be boost on 2-3 o'clock midrange somewhere between 700-800hz semi narrow Q and boost to taste including all the way up...the treble around 12-14khz similar q and boost.

I had a NR in my loop to control it all.

I used my setup with a Sound Sculpture Switchblade so I could remove what I didn't need for different tones.

 

[ol753]

I'm looking for the drive of that 80s sound behind my current sound, with some room to play around with the EQ.

I think I'm going to try the PQ3 in front of the amp and stick the Rocktron GS last in the FX loop of the amp. Just waiting on a few bits to power USA stuff in the UK. GITTarzann; any tips on which high/low in/outs you use on the PQ3?

Will the noise I usually kill using the NS2 (in front of the amp) get killed by the Rocktron in the FX loop? If you haven't guessed I'm new to "rigs" haha.

 

[Gainfreak]

Since The Fuman Pq3 has a built in boost in it , it's not your typical Parametric EQ. Most, if not all the 80's guys used the PQ3 in front of the amp as a boost and most of the guys humped up the midrange. I used one for years and that's how I hooked it up.

The Trick with the furman is to use the LOW level i/p's. You plug your guitar into the low i/p and the low o/p goes into a

HUSH or in your case the Rocktron guitar silencer and then to the Front of the amp you are using.
The reason why you use the HUSH before the amp is because this is where the noise is being introduced into the Signal.
If you put a hush in the loop when using the PQ before the amp sometimes you can get noise bleeding through between the notes.

I used to set my PQ3 for a midrange bump at 800Khz at a narrow bandwidth and level boosted and I also used to have the maine o/p level cranked which added about +26db of gain. You can use this on a low gained amp to increase the gain or a HIGH gain amp. Ive done it successfully on both.

Here is a clip of a PQ3 in front of a MESA Boogie MKIV... which should prove that it will work with a 4 gain stage amp
The tone is about as 80's as you can get lol

FWIW, Doug Aldrich still uses one before his amp for solos sometimes.

Hope this helps.

 

[tommytom11]

Since The Fuman Pq3 has a built in boost in it , it's not your typical Parametric EQ. Most, if not all the 80's guys used the PQ3 in front of the amp as a boost and most of the guys humped up the midrange. I used one for years and that's how I hooked it up.

The Trick with the furman is to use the LOW level i/p's. You plug your guitar into the low i/p and the low o/p goes into a

HUSH or in your case the Rocktron guitar silencer and then to the Front of the amp you are using.
The reason why you use the HUSH before the amp is because this is where the noise is being introduced into the Signal.
If you put a hush in the loop when using the PQ before the amp sometimes you can get noise bleeding through between the notes.

I used to set my PQ3 for a midrange bump at 800Khz at a narrow bandwidth and level boosted and I also used to have the maine o/p level cranked which added about +26db of gain. You can use this on a low gained amp to increase the gain or a HIGH gain amp. Ive done it successfully on both.

Here is a clip of a PQ3 in front of a MESA Boogie MKIV... which should prove that it will work with a 4 gain stage amp
The tone is about as 80's as you can get lol

FWIW, Doug Aldrich still uses one before his amp for solos sometimes.

Hope this helps.

that sounds like your answer, but i would not put the guitar silencer in front of the amp if its the 2 channel rack mount piece. just use your ns-2 pedal then.

 

[GITTarzann]

Yup,

What Ralph said.

I also used the low frequency parameter to cut some of the bass before the amp to tighten things up a bit.

IIRC


70-80hz, narrow bandwidth cut a few dB


The noise reduction would probably be most effective in the loop.

 

[Gainfreak]

Yup,

What Ralph said.

I also used the low frequency parameter to cut some of the bass before the amp to tighten things up a bit.

IIRC


70-80hz, narrow bandwidth cut a few dB


The noise reduction would probably be most effective in the loop.

Wassup!

Yup, I used to do the same thing. Boost mids and high and cut bass to tighten it up.

With that said, he will have to experiment with the hush or noise reduction placement. Ive tried both and found that if you boost a signal berfore the amp, hushing/gating the noise before it hits the amp works wonders. I found that when using the Gate in the loop that if you listened carefully there was white noise leaking through between notes. Either way it will work. I just found when using the PQ3 that the gate before the amp worked way better for me.
In my current rig, I use a gate in the loop when the gain channel is engaged because of where the noise comes into play on the new rig.

Anyway, Experiment, Experiment , Experiment!! It's all good

 

[GITTarzann]

Anyway, Experiment, Experiment , Experiment!! It's all good

This!


Ralph,

Do you remember reading or hearing anything about Stryper blowing their amps up using some type of boost? (possibly the PQ3).

A buddy of mine swears he read a Michael Sweet interview that stated they toasted a bunch of their amps from boosting them like this.

I know a lot of guys use this method and I have never heard about anyone damaging the amp.

 

[Gainfreak]

Anyway, Experiment, Experiment , Experiment!! It's all good

This!


Ralph,

Do you remember reading or hearing anything about Stryper blowing their amps up using some type of boost? (possibly the PQ3).

A buddy of mine swears he read a Michael Sweet interview that stated they toasted a bunch of their amps from boosting them like this.

I know a lot of guys use this method and I have never heard about anyone damaging the amp.

in 2000 ,I spoke to Michael in person about the Pq3 and to the best of my Knowledge they never blew anything up using it lol!
What I can say is that there was an Article written by Michael Sweet on his Website years ago about the PQ3. That was when he let the cat out of the bag about the PQ and he had said that when the producer in the studio saw how he and oz were using it, He told the both of them that they were wrong for using it that way and that they were wrong for pinning the level on the EQ on 10 and that he also had mentioned that they were going to blow the thing up, so maybe that's what he saw but Ive been running the thing like that for YEARS and not a thing happened EVER lol. Still going strong after many hours/years of abuse and it never once blew any of my amps up or self impolded on itself hahaha! The transformers on those thing get old and die but its from age and not from slamming the front end of the amp.
Doug aldrich's is still going strong to and that's how he runs it

Mine is almost gone though. The transformer needs replacing but it still works lol!

all the best!!

~R~

 

[ol753]

Wow cheers all! this will really help me. I'm just getting round to setting it all up, so I'll get experimenting and let you all know.

Looking at my setup in the first post, where would you advise I put the PQ3 in the series of pedals etc? before all pedals or after the last etc. (I know I should just try it, but can't yet, and just looking for advice!)

does anyone have a manual/run-through of the PQ3? Just curious about the 3 different sections on the front panel etc (I think it's the reissue version, it has an input on the front)

Ralph, that sound clip is JUST what I'm looking for in terms of drive and delivery, cheers! looking forward to using them.

Will report back
Thanks again all!