Two Year Long Honeymoon with the Quick Rod (updated w/vid)

[Chris6870]

What did you use for drums and whats your recording setup?

 

[RockNRun]

First of all, that sounds killer. Great playing and cool tones.

Secondly, don't you know that you cannot play leads on or achieve great tones from a Splawn amplifier? You've read the Rig Talk threads.

Other amps come and go as the flavors of the month on all the forums while Splawn continues to be back-ordered 10-12 weeks for the past 6 years.

Thanks Curt!! Always great to get a thumbs up from the likes of you. All the rhtyhm tracks here were courtesy of the white Charvel you sold me btw (with a couple cheap upgrades).

Yep, I also kinda chuckle at the 'to stiff for me to solo with' or 'I need more gain to play leads on it', etc, etc, comments about the QR....there is a short learning curve, sure, but if you stick with it, the rewards are great. This tune is the best thing I've ever recorded, ultra happy with where I'm at now! And these are still the stock (el34B) tubes the head shipped with.

BrokenFusion, I have a pretty common home setup I think, basically one spare bedroom devoted to music, the only thing different about mine compared to many around here is I'm actually a music minimalist, couple amps and cabs, 3 or 4 pedals, couple good mics, 3 or 4 good guitars and that's it, lol. Oh, and a bass, can't record tunes without a bass. In my room, I gutted the closet and sound treated it years ago. Stuck a cab in there, mic it, close the door and then monitor at the desktop (where I also keep the amp heads - easy tweaking), this allows me to crank up for the good tones but hardly enough to hear it through the door, really, with the monitors cranked, I can't even hear the actual cab. Might be an odd practice, but it allows me to get my finished/tracked tone right from the get go. Other than that, there's nothing unusual. The "Gear Pics" link in my sig has some decent shots of my setup.

I use EZDrummer (STILL ) and just squeeze what I can out of it (been using it for years, just too lazy to try something else, there's something to be said for sticking with stuff that was great to begin with and that familiarity that grows with it). I'm also using trusty ole Cubase 5.something, same reasons I just mentioned! If it's not broke, don't break it.

For mic's, I mainly use an MD421 (used on a Greenback here, straight on, halfway out on the cone) and an e906 (used on a V30 here, nipple ring style). They're going into an M-Audio Profire 610.

 

[Chubtone]

BrokenFusion, I have a pretty common home setup I think, basically one spare bedroom devoted to music, the only thing different about mine compared to many around here is I'm actually a music minimalist, couple amps and cabs, 3 or 4 pedals, couple good mics, 3 or 4 good guitars and that's it, lol. Oh, and a bass, can't record tunes without a bass. In my room, I gutted the closet and sound treated it years ago. Stuck a cab in there, mic it, close the door and then monitor at the desktop (where I also keep the amp heads - easy tweaking), this allows me to crank up for the good tones but hardly enough to hear it through the door, really, with the monitors cranked, I can't even hear the actual cab. Might be an odd practice, but it allows me to get my finished/tracked tone right from the get go. Other than that, there's nothing unusual. The "Gear Pics" link in my sig has some decent shots of my setup.

I use EZDrummer (STILL ) and just squeeze what I can out of it (been using it for years, just too lazy to try something else, there's something to be said for sticking with stuff that was great to begin with and that familiarity that grows with it).

It sounds like we are doing the EXACT same thing! I have the gutted, soundproofed closet too.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Have you guys sound treated the door to the closet too or built a type of iso chamber in there? I've got an open face closet in my basement studio that i am just finishing up and it has no doors, I've been thinking of building an isolation box for a 1 x 12 cab but not decided yet. These amps can get really loud!

 

[RockNRun]

I think I remember you mentioning that, chubtone....hey, for great tone, I'm willing to sacrifice a closet full of junk, I even removed the clothes racking.

Have you guys sound treated the door to the closet too or built a type of iso chamber in there?

Yep, the door got treated as well. Here's a shot of mine. You can see I've covered the inside of the door. I also treated the outside of it the same way. The ceiling and one of the walls too. Whatever bare wall remained got the blanket job. It does the trick!! A little verb via a pedal or plugin at mixdown and you're golden, at least for 'shits and giggles' home recording that is. Sure, a true room with a distant mic would be ideal, but eh, this works for me.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

What I meant is that though treated, it doesn't look to be sound deadening so there is still quite a bit of noise being generated in the room though you are probably knocking off a good amount of volume thus perceiving a reduction in 50% volume.

 

[nevusofota]

Man, sounds great! Love your phrasing. , actually it deserves a

I think the longer you own an amp the more you know its capabilities and can manipulate and take advantage of what makes it unique. Because of this, my 5150III seems to be more satisfying every time I play it. Thats why its been my main amp since 2007. I know what you mean about the mids of that amp, I think thats why I like a tube screamer type boost (I use a Maxon OD9) in front of it.

I just started getting my home studio together. I'm now looking for a good, easy to program drum machine but have no idea what to get.

I also don't keep a large arsenal of gear. I buy a lot of stuff but sell it very quickly, keeping what I like (Craigslist makes this easy). If the new stuff doesn't knock the old stuff off the shelf in a few months it goes. I sift through gear and keep the few that works the best for me.

 

[tlingen]

I'm speechless about your tune. Your tone and playing sound very pro. Just awesome!

Did you use your Marshall cab with the mixed V30 and T75 speakers for this song or did you use a different cab and speaker setup?

 

[shreder75]

First of all, that sounds killer. Great playing and cool tones.

Secondly, don't you know that you cannot play leads on or achieve great tones from a Splawn amplifier? You've read the Rig Talk threads.

Other amps come and go as the flavors of the month on all the forums while Splawn continues to be back-ordered 10-12 weeks for the past 6 years.

yeah!! What Chub said!!!

 

[Rogue]

Very cool. Nice mix and tones, but I'm finding the tune fairly inspiring in terms of writing and playing. Nice job.

 

[RockNRun]

I'm speechless about your tune. Your tone and playing sound very pro. Just awesome!

Did you use your Marshall cab with the mixed V30 and T75 speakers for this song or did you use a different cab and speaker setup?

Damn, now I'm becoming speechless at all the positivity!! Super kind comments from all. BTW, tlingen...WI, eh? I was born in Sheboygan.

On this tune I did a little experimenting with the speakers and mic's. The pic with the cab shows the setup but obviously not the speaker layout.

The exact speaker and mic setup you're hearing is the MD421 on the Heritage Greenback (55hz) blended with the e906 on a V30. I know they're not "supposed" to work but I dunno, when I was making some scratch tracks of the two, I was liking it. Might be because the Greenback is not very old yet (prolly has a 100 hours or so on it) and the V30 is VERY worn in.


Thanks shredder, Rouge!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Actually, that speaker combo IS supposed to be very good. Vinnie Moore recorded with that combo for a long time. I'm thinking more and more that combining speakers is the way to go. I plan to grab an MD421 and a v30 for that very reason.

 

[RockNRun]

Sorry to bump this...but I threw together a video, first time ever making one. Pretty much just using YT as a way to share the music beyond the boards. I was lazy too, tossed together a bunch of images from the gear used during the recording process as well as mixing in some playing footage.

 

[tlingen]

Very cool playing and phrasing

Yes I'm in Wisconsin, northwest of Milwaukee about 30 minutes. We might get up to an inch of snow tonight. This is pretty early for snow in WI.

 

[shreder75]

cool vid! I LOVE that Charvel wildcard..I played one at sam ash this weekend and I've been gassing ever since...same color as yours =D

 

[RockNRun]

Thanks shredder! Actually, it's a '95 San Dimas I'm playing. The vid prolly doesn't show it well, here's a better looksy. The pro mod you're talkin' does look cool though, especially in person.

 

[Rogue]

It one of your runs in the beginning, it looks like you are using your middle finger to pick with and not the pick. Are you doing that or is it a video illusion?

Still dig the tune man. I have it in rotation.

 

[RockNRun]

Thanks Rouge! No illusion, I do use my other fingers here and there instead of the pic, think a *poor mans Brett Garsed* (lol, if only, that guy is incred).

 

[Rogue]

Thanks Rouge! No illusion, I do use my other fingers here and there instead of the pic, think a *poor mans Brett Garsed* (lol, if only, that guy is incred).

Is that something that came from learning another genre?

 

[shreder75]

Thanks shredder! Actually, it's a '95 San Dimas I'm playing. The vid prolly doesn't show it well, here's a better looksy. The pro mod you're talkin' does look cool though, especially in person.

ahh..the color threw me...

I think you need to sell that to me...seriously

LOL