I need some help from the guru's please!

[Kramerguy]

Hi everyone,

I'm a regular in the BTWB forum, and I've only posted a couple of times in this forum. I really could use some guidance on my rig.

 

I play all humbucking guitars, LP, SG, etc.. Mostly Epi's.

 

I formerly used a Digitech GSP1101 through an ART power amp (SLA-2 rack) and out to my blackstar 2x12 cab with Celestions.

 

The GSP died yesterday. This is my 4th dead digitech (and most expensive lesson) since 2008. I gig regularly and play in two bands, so my gear sees a good amount of use, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm not hard on my gear and use flight / rack cases to protect it.

 

I plugged a friends pedalboard last night (as an emergency solution) into the poweramp and it sounded fair. I tweaked the Boss EQ pedal to get it to something decent, but what I realized is that I have the "amp" more or less, so what I need to decide is whether to go all pedalboard, or yet another rack modeler. I've pondered the Roland GR-55 also, but I just don't know how realistic that is for a gigging guitarist, it seems like more of a home use or studio device.

 

So .. I shop at musicians friend and ZZounds- but it's like EVERYTHING has great reviews.. even stuff that I know is amature-ish or lesser quality gear (lot of 3-5 year players write reviews it seems)

 

What I'm looking for is:

 

Suggestions on what modeler/multi-effect, and why. Or pedals?

 

If pedals, then:

 

Good reverb solution, doesn't need to be the best- I'm not playing surf music, but I do use reverb to expand the sound, and digitech's built-in reverbs left me wanting.

distortion / Overdrive pedal. I like distortion (Gain), and need to get heavy at times (godsmack type heavy), lite at other times (jesse's girl), and blues tones (Gary Moore / Jimi). but for all of the stuff outside of blues, I prefer smooth, not crackly. I do want a big muff type fuzz, but I at least know what I'm looking for there, but I don't know what I need for my "main" distortion/OD.

Solo boost. Boost pedal or compressor? Which ones, and why?

Digital delay - I love adding delay when I do Gilmour-ish type solos, and it's been a staple of my solo style and tone on originals. I used the hardwire pedal before and I thought it sucked. So.. something better than that.

Wah - always been a crybaby fan, but want to expand into something more versatile.

Chorus - This was always my problem child. I never cared much for the boss-style CE and CH choruses, I really like wet and glistening and awe-inspiring chorus effect that can be flexible, if that makes sense. What would you recommend?

 

I appreciate any feedback, even if it's just on one pedal or idea on the approach or philosophy of this. Thanks.

 

[bieke]

I've always prefer pedals over multi-FX, and if you're sorted on amp & guitar, I can recommend some pedals for you to try :

 

reverb : TC Hall of Fame

distortion : EHX Xtortion

overdrive : Fulltone Fulldrive II Mosfet

boost : Xotic Effects EP booster

Digital Delay : Nova delay or Strymon Timeline

Wah : Wilson Effects 10 spot II

Chorus : Strymon Ola or EHX Polychorus

[goodhonk]

- Digitech has a new reverb, the polara. It's based on some of their past offerings.

- fuzz and dirt really depend on your amp and pickups. I'd start with a standard NYC electro-harmonx big muff and a dunlop fuzz face.

- i dont care for chorus. Sorry, cant recommend there.

- many great delays out there, try the boss dd-7

- teese rmc wah - wizard wah

- zvex super hard on for a boost

 

Check out the carl martin quattro, add a wah in front and youd be set. Pete thorn has a good demo.

 

Also check out http://shootout.fm to do some comparisons.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

My philosophy is probably stating the obvious: The real advantage to multifx units is the ability to program patches and recall the exact sound quickly in a live performance. You also have less cables, less power supplies using less outlets, and less gear to lug around. The disadvantage is that you are stuck with the sonic stamp and palette of one manufacturer. The advantage to a pedals/modular approach is that you can get very specific sounds and mojo that multifx and dsp only approximate. You get to pick and choose your palette from a vast variety of brands and eras. But you lose the convenience of instant recall. And the whole fx pedal subculture is very time-consuming... there are so many to test drive as you search for the one that speaks to your soul. Also, cables, power supplies, and switching units can become ridiculously cumbersome for a gigging musician. So unless you are rich and can afford your own touring guitar tech like Pink Floyd or U2 or Radiohead, i believe that pedals work best for gigging when you keep things simple.... like set-and-forget simple... and keep your pedalboard compact, clean, and tight. If you need 50 different sounds in a single gig, then go programmable multifx the way Annie Clark does.

[Kramerguy]

Thanks for the replies so far. I will go over some demos on the suggestions and see how well I can whittle it down.

 

And F&EHX- thanks for the philosophy. I think the instant recall was the whole reason I went with multi-effects way back when.. I went through a period when I would play covers and try to emulate the closest tone possible to the original (dysfunction of the note-for-note player).. But as I've gigged and found that constantly swapping out songs, not being able to remember which bank which patch is in, or putting them in order and suffering call-out changes at the gigs.. not to mention the insane amount of time programming, I grew tired of that and ended up with about 8 "main" patches that I stuck to.

 

That learning curve over 5 years of heavy gigging is how I figured out what I want / like though, so it's not all a bad experience. I also don't want to get into the whole world of pedal board stress. I know I could easily spend thousands on buying and selling pedals as my tastes change, or worse, find a great pedal that doesn't play well with others and having to decide while ones to bail on. I'm sure this is all 'pedals 101' to you guys, but my last attempt at a pedal board ended with me in total frustration and disgust, simply because I can't afford to load it with $300+ pedals in every slot.. lol.

 

I am still stuck on the fence.. There's so many approaches and none are specifically right or wrong.

 

Keep the suggestions and ideas coming guys- I appreciate any and all feedback and suggestions! Thanks again

 

[AJ6stringsting]

Hi everyone,

I'm a regular in the BTWB forum, and I've only posted a couple of times in this forum. I really could use some guidance on my rig.

 

I play all humbucking guitars, LP, SG, etc.. Mostly Epi's.

 

I formerly used a Digitech GSP1101 through an ART power amp (SLA-2 rack) and out to my blackstar 2x12 cab with Celestions.

 

The GSP died yesterday. This is my 4th dead digitech (and most expensive lesson) since 2008. I gig regularly and play in two bands, so my gear sees a good amount of use, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm not hard on my gear and use flight / rack cases to protect it.

 

I plugged a friends pedalboard last night (as an emergency solution) into the poweramp and it sounded fair. I tweaked the Boss EQ pedal to get it to something decent, but what I realized is that I have the "amp" more or less, so what I need to decide is whether to go all pedalboard, or yet another rack modeler. I've pondered the Roland GR-55 also, but I just don't know how realistic that is for a gigging guitarist, it seems like more of a home use or studio device.

 

So .. I shop at musicians friend and ZZounds- but it's like EVERYTHING has great reviews.. even stuff that I know is amature-ish or lesser quality gear (lot of 3-5 year players write reviews it seems)

 

What I'm looking for is:

 

Suggestions on what modeler/multi-effect, and why. Or pedals?

 

If pedals, then:

 

Good reverb solution, doesn't need to be the best- I'm not playing surf music, but I do use reverb to expand the sound, and digitech's built-in reverbs left me wanting.

distortion / Overdrive pedal. I like distortion (Gain), and need to get heavy at times (godsmack type heavy), lite at other times (jesse's girl), and blues tones (Gary Moore / Jimi). but for all of the stuff outside of blues, I prefer smooth, not crackly. I do want a big muff type fuzz, but I at least know what I'm looking for there, but I don't know what I need for my "main" distortion/OD.

Solo boost. Boost pedal or compressor? Which ones, and why?

Digital delay - I love adding delay when I do Gilmour-ish type solos, and it's been a staple of my solo style and tone on originals. I used the hardwire pedal before and I thought it sucked. So.. something better than that.

Wah - always been a crybaby fan, but want to expand into something more versatile.

Chorus - This was always my problem child. I never cared much for the boss-style CE and CH choruses, I really like wet and glistening and awe-inspiring chorus effect that can be flexible, if that makes sense. What would you recommend?

 

I appreciate any feedback, even if it's just on one pedal or idea on the approach or philosophy of this. Thanks.

 

 

Sorry to hear about the death of your GSP1101, it's like having your favorite Dog or Cat die.

I guess I'm lucky with my older Digitech gear : RP-1 , RP-12 and the GSP 2112, they are still going strong with no problem over the years ....KNOCK ON WOOD !!!!!

 

[Kramerguy]

I was already having issues with the pedal, and when the unit up and died, it went out smoking.. I could smell it anyways. Replaced the fuse and it fried the replacement immediately. Pull the unit from the rack, I could hear solder or something rattling around inside.. I guess it was touching the wrong thing when I initially plugged it in and turned it on. Overall, I was fond of the unit, mostly because of the "stompbox mode" style of user friendlyness that the other pedals like the GT10 lack (I tried that one, it was a nightmare to switch fx off and on within a patch).

 

So anyways, I spent all morning watching youtube demos on all the gear recommended here, as well as going on musicians friend, reading reviews, picking random models and watching more. Probably wasted 10 hours, only to conclude that nothing is going to be a one-stop solution if I go with a pedal board. I have grown too attached to modeling and the variety it offers. I was down to 8 main patches with the GSP, but that was literally 8 different amps, pedalboards, and even the same effects like reverb and delay were settings customized to the patch. There's no way I could be satisfied by only a handful of stompboxes where the knob settings are fairly static.

 

So I finally decided on the Line 6 HD 500 X rack with the FBV MKii foot controller, and threw in a new rack case because the unit is a 2u and I was full with the 1u GSP as it was. Just over $1k but I figured if I really got the stompboxes I wanted, it would have been $2k probably.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, and hopefully this unit proves to be more durable than the last.

[Jasaoke]

I've been playing a POD (X3 Live) for about 6 years now and the only thing I've considered changing is upgrading to the HD 500x. It's got a full spectrum of modeling, and more effects than anybody could ever need, plus the ability to "move" them in the virtual signal chain. Admittedly, the Line 6 stuff is not for beginners; it has a fairly serious learning curve., But once you get it dialed in, it's outstanding.

 

One major problem that I encountered early on was that the unit actually has too wide of a sonic spectrum. By this I mean that the models cover such a wide range of tone that it can be more of a liability than an asset. The X3 Live offers something like 70 or 80 different mods, as well as 20-some cabinet mods, and 4 virtual "mics" per mod. This is very exciting when tweaking and finding sounds, but somewhat impractical onstage. Even if I had that much gear, I wouldn't use it in a live situation. There's just too much sonic information to send down one signal path. Most of the time, a guitarist gets one channel of the board, maybe 2, and that is what will fit your sound into the mix. As great as it is to capture every sonic nuance of an original recording, you have to remember that it's just that: a recording. When playing live, it is more important to present a decent sound as a band, not individual musicians.

 

What it's boiled down to for me is this: I have several of my favorite mods dialed in how I like them, with a standard bank of effects ready. I have clean and a dirty sound for each one, and just pick the right "amp" at soundcheck. That way, I can fit in to jsut about any situation at the drop of a hat, and it makes the engineers job easier because I'm not switching from a Plexi to a Boodie to a Bassman during the show.

[Kramerguy]

I've been playing a POD (X3 Live) for about 6 years now and the only thing I've considered changing is upgrading to the HD 500x. It's got a full spectrum of modeling, and more effects than anybody could ever need, plus the ability to "move" them in the virtual signal chain. Admittedly, the Line 6 stuff is not for beginners; it has a fairly serious learning curve., But once you get it dialed in, it's outstanding.

 

Glad to hear that!

 

One major problem that I encountered early on was that the unit actually has too wide of a sonic spectrum. By this I mean that the models cover such a wide range of tone that it can be more of a liability than an asset. The X3 Live offers something like 70 or 80 different mods, as well as 20-some cabinet mods, and 4 virtual "mics" per mod. This is very exciting when tweaking and finding sounds, but somewhat impractical onstage. Even if I had that much gear, I wouldn't use it in a live situation. There's just too much sonic information to send down one signal path. Most of the time, a guitarist gets one channel of the board, maybe 2, and that is what will fit your sound into the mix. As great as it is to capture every sonic nuance of an original recording, you have to remember that it's just that: a recording. When playing live, it is more important to present a decent sound as a band, not individual musicians.

 

 

What it's boiled down to for me is this: I have several of my favorite mods dialed in how I like them, with a standard bank of effects ready. I have clean and a dirty sound for each one, and just pick the right "amp" at soundcheck. That way, I can fit in to jsut about any situation at the drop of a hat, and it makes the engineers job easier because I'm not switching from a Plexi to a Boodie to a Bassman during the show.

 

I had a very similar experience with the GNX and GSP lines from Digitech. I learned over the years to focus on a few specific models and mod from there. The upside for me has been my side projects, where genres vary wildly from the typical bar-rock covers. Having the spectrum to pick and choose from has been one of my biggest assets in getting noticed in the local scene (for whatever that is worth lol).

 

I'm excited to be getting new gear, in a GAS kinda way, but bummed that I just dropped about $1150 right before xmas. The more I shopped, the more I realized that going cheap wasn't going to cut it.

 

[WRGKMC]

Digitec has had a long history of weak power supplied blowing in their rack gear. I got 3 of them on my dead shelf for parts to keep the one good one I have running.

 

Most of the newer gear has the ability to download/upload patches. I'd see this as being highly beneficial because you can tweak and save them on a computer in case the unit looses its settings. You could just go back and reload your favorites. You can tweak them from the computer too.

 

My one buddy uses his Line 6 modeling amp that way. He simply plugs it into a laptop and tries out new patches he finds on line. I have another buddy who uses one of the larger Boss floor boards and runs his power amp directly with it. He has the effects unit plus all his other expander pedals mounted on one large board that can be closed up like a pedal board except the thing is huge, but it does jeep him from plugging and unplugging wires and having issues with those going bad.

 

There's really no simple solution though. You choose a path and use it. I use all the different options in a couple of different rigs. I have rack stuff with midi pedal board. I have all in one effects pedals I can use with an amp or power head, and I have single pedals driving normal amps. Each have their positive and negative points. I can dial up the same tones with each and the quality of sound is comparable. Funny thing is, other then studio work, I go real lean with just a few pedals playing live. I can always mic the amp and have the sound man add effects there when needed.

[t_e_l_e]

sorry to hear from your loss, great that you found something new

 

i just want to say that you don't need 2k$ for a work horse pedal board

 

my board currently consists of:

 

gcb95 wah (80eu) -> korg pitchblack (45eu) -> ehx lpb-1 (34eu) -> ehx little big muff (55eu) -> ibanez ts-9 (148eu) -> ibanez fl301 (take your chorus here) -> korg sdd3000 pedal (400eu) -> tc HoF(132eu)

add for power supply two t-rex fueltank junior (105eu each, 10 isolated outputs in total, all cables included you ever need) instead my voodoolabs pedalpower2+ (189eu, 8islotaled output but less cables) add a case for around 100eu and a set of patch cables and your done.

 

all in all about ~1300eu (i calculated another 100 for the flanger, i got it cheaper used a long time ago)

 

take a cheaper simpler delay you save another 200+, instead of the ts9 take one of the new ehx overdrives or a boss od3 or blues driver

look at the mooer pedals, replace the muff to your taste

 

for lots of gigging i recommend use very common pedals every store has, so they are easy replaceable...

 

its do-able for $1k, yes it is not as versatile as your line6 solution, but maybe easier to use or to get used to

and yes it takes time for selecting the pedals and you might want to change one or the other from time to time

 

PS: and yes i'm guilty i have a lots of unused pedals lying around, which at least worth the double of my current board but so i don't need to buy something i just swap things i already have