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The use of Equipment, putting the BS myths to rest


Zachman

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Dave Gilmour's tone, while still great, went south a bit after he switched to EMG pickups and a rack system. IMO, of course, but he sounded his best with the vintage Strats and all-analog setup. The same could be said of a number of players - EVH, Alex Lifeson, etc. They traded a measure of tone for switchability.

hmmm.... true, most studios have lots of "rack" gear... but in all of the studios I have recorded at... for guitar recordings..... you still use your own gear, the rack effects they have, and use the pedals from the massive collection of pedals they have for recording. It really ends up being a mix of all of them.


Zach... I have removed you from the ignore list... truth be told I just could not stay away from the thread. I accept the Truce... and apologize for calling you a pompous ass.



It seems there are *still* a lot of folks out there who have SERIOUS misconceptions about them, and don't recognize that they are a viable tool to create your tone. Its too bad really... its really closing yourself down to so many creative options... granted... they may not be for everyone... but the "stigma" of them really needs to be dispelled.


Seriously, who would debate that Dave Gilmour is not one of the most touted guitarists of all time for his tone? All the naysayers should check out his rig


bell_stage.jpg


it is a combination of rack/pedals using a switching system. I'm sure there are better pics of it out there... but this is the first one I found



To answer the question "why would you rack your pedals"... thats easy, here are a few good reasons... I am sure there are more.


1) to reduce tap dancing. Instead of having to jump on multiple pedals at a time, you only hit one to change multiple pedals... this feature is wonderful.


2) to eliminate signal degredation. With the switching system... only the effects being used at the time are in line for use. When they are not used, you do not get any loss of tone from a long effects chain. It reaalllly cleans up your tone.


3) it will eliminate cable "mess" from your pedal board to your amp if you have some effects that go direct to the amp, and some that go to your effects loop. My experience is that the rack set up makes connecting this way actually faster... and there is less chance of cable being stepped on and disconnected... along with less cable to trip over on stage....


4) You are not "bound" to your effects chain. With your pedal board (generally speaking) you have to use the effects chain as it is wired. With the switching system, you can program a bank that puts your effects in ANY order you wish... opening up all kinds of interesting tonal possibilities.


Some things to consider though....


1) This is not the kind of set up you want to run if you are using a few pedals going straight to your amp. Its just not worth it. I think Zach states this early in the thread. If you want the flexibility a switching system will provide for the few pedals you have, there are plenty of ways with effects looping pedals/floor switching units that are available to you.


2) You are bound to your presets. If you enjoy having the freedom of experimenting with your pedals.... be sure to have a floor board that has enough switches to program in your individual effects so that you can use them as if you had a your pedal board at your feet.... so they can be used simultaneously. I'm pretty sure MOST of the ones you will find will do this.. and if you need a floor unit for switching that does not have enough switches to accomodate the number of pedals you are using, you can have one custom built. This way you can have tap dance eliminating presets available, and be able to bank your way to a virtual pedal board at your feet.


3) be sure to have a flashlight somewhere in your rig... on a dark stage you will need to be able to see into the rack if you ever have a situation that requires your attention. The lights on the front of the rack will not be good enough.

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It seems that unfortunately here, there are quite a few who do not agree in the exchange of ideas, that are not of like mindedness. Sad really

 

 

Huh? Lou Reed was in an incredibly innovative and influential psychedelic band in the late 1960s, utilizing things like audio feedback, shrieking viola solos, farty plunky barre chords, organs and bass and guitar into loud distorted guitar amps, a guitar tuned entirely to d, ornette coleman style ensemble improvisation and a whole lot of fuzzboxes and Gretsch guitars. It was some of the most primal aesthetic to music anyone had ever heard in the mainstream(when it did finally hit the mainstream)

 

Lou Reed then made some great solo work, followed by a bunch of unmemorable work with some gems (New York) and his guitar work started sounding really vanilla; sparkling chorus arpeggios, cookie cutter leads and such, and i guess somewhere along the way got all that rack gear. that picture reminds me that he doesn't make incredible music anymore. i'm not insulting your racks.

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Huh? Lou Reed was in an incredibly innovative and influential psychedelic band in the late 1960s, utilizing things like audio feedback, shrieking viola solos, farty plunky barre chords, organs and bass and guitar into loud distorted guitar amps, a guitar tuned entirely to d, ornette coleman style ensemble improvisation and a whole lot of fuzzboxes and Gretsch guitars. It was some of the most primal aesthetic to music anyone had ever heard in the mainstream(when it did finally hit the mainstream)


Lou Reed then made some great solo work, followed by a bunch of unmemorable work with some gems (New York) and his guitar work started sounding really vanilla; sparkling chorus arpeggios, cookie cutter leads and such, and i guess somewhere along the way got all that rack gear. that picture reminds me that he doesn't make incredible music anymore. i'm not insulting your racks.

 

 

It seems like you're suggesting that I don't have an appreciation for his gear ideas... Perhaps you thought you were posting this to someone else?

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The Time factor isn't a controller, but is MIDI enabled and will allow you to control it, through a switching setup like the GRX4.


grx4_lo.jpg

 

Cool - thanks :cool:. I'm thinking of going with that setup for some very basic control, and then get a MidiMate later on. Thanks man :thu:

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DG here, Ill tell you why i use all of those rack units.


First: I could just use a fuzz and delay but i am afraid of melting too many faces with my mind-bending solos. Therefore, i need to process my sound through compressors and other units (primarily rack units) to keep it from getting out of hand


Second: I am rich


Any questions?

 

David Gilmore? :rolleyes:

 

Never heard of you. But David GilMOUR, on the other hand...

 

:rolleyes:

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How old are you? 12 You seem to think your evaluation of my appearance is supposed to mean something poignant? I'm not into trying into impress dudes w/ my looks. Obviously I am so fascinating to you, that you are scouring my website. Creepy


Here is a couple of more current pics

l_be73c7730d72f20544ca794939a5a5c2.jpg

guitargeeks07.JPG



So in that last pic, thats the finger you jam into your friends ass while you stare at your rack?

STFU NOOB

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Cool - thanks
:cool:
. I'm thinking of going with that setup for some very basic control, and then get a MidiMate later on. Thanks man
:thu:



axess stuff are great! that's how i started: first with the GRX4 and midimate. then i added the CFX4 and that's about it. i couldn't afford everything all at one but little by little i built it to the point that it is today. good luck!

-PJ

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I can only speak for myself of course, but I really look forward to the day where sdresdre rises above lackluster mediocrity and posts something funny and original, completely devoid of all-too-typical ad hominem arguments, name calling, and childish insults.

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