Question:
So, I've been thinking a lot lately about some future purchases and here's what I've come up with so far (trying to keep it as simple as I can at the moment):
Vox AC-30 Custom Classic
Tonebone Classic (not really a fan of the tones on the site, but the tone my friend has with it is just awesome)
Ibanez CS9
Line 6 DL4
Vox Clyde McCoy Wah
Any stuff you suggest adding or changing? I'm not sure if I should add an different overdrive in there like the TS9/808 or a compressor or something like that.
Answer:
dang that's some expensive stuff. but i guess if you're gonna start building a rig it's better to go all out than starting off with cheaper stuff. looks pretty sweet, the only thing i would add would probably be a tuner and compressor. the boss cs3 and mxr dynacomp aren't too shabby but i guess if you're into higher end stuff there's electroharmonix and keeley...
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what kind of tone are you looking for with that overdrive? the TB Classic and British are supposed to be great sounding...the Classic i hear is more Fender Tweed while the British is more Marshall Plexi.
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Yes, you really should get a compressor. A lot of people ignore them, but you really can't tell how much of a difference they make until you compare. I wouldn't play without mine anymore. I highly recommend a Barber Tone Press. For the price, it just can't be beat. I hear though that the newest version of the Keeley comp is supposed to be incredible. However, at roughly twice the cost as the Barber which is at least close to being that good...just can't justify it.
A tuner pedal is always a good thing too...I really should invest in one...
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you got the basics down:
od, delay, and wah
but i'd replace the wah with a budda wah. those things are very smooth and rich (true bypass as well)
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Originally Posted by iAMspartacus but i'd replace the wah with a budda wah. those things are very smooth and rich (true bypass as well) the clyde is also true bypass...is it not smooth and rich also? (i've never played one...i'm just wondering if you were suggesting a replacement based on prior history with the clyde mccoy)
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I would forget the DL4 and get an Ibanez AD9 reissue. Or go all out and get an original AD-80 on ebay.
Maybe add a clean boost at the end to drive the tubes in AC-30 a little harder.
What kind of guitar are you using?
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OK, here goes. I'm going to answer everything here. Part of the reason I'm skipping low end stuff is because I'd rather just get gear that I won't grow out of quickly. Plus, I actually have enough money right now the buy everything that I listed and still have money left over. But I'm still going to wait a little while to start buying stuff. Also, here's another question. Is are Fulltone distortions worth the price? I've never heard any Fulltone gear live (except for the Octave pedal, but I'm not interested in that at this point).
Originally Posted by wjrhee dang that's some expensive stuff. but i guess if you're gonna start building a rig it's better to go all out than starting off with cheaper stuff. looks pretty sweet, the only thing i would add would probably be a tuner and compressor. the boss cs3 and mxr dynacomp aren't too shabby but i guess if you're into higher end stuff there's electroharmonix and keeley...
Yes, a tuner is a given. I didn't include it simply because I forgot, and this will be the first amp that I'll own that didn't have a tuner built in. As for ElectroHarmonix, I haven't checked much into them, because all I've heard is the Big Muff, and I really don't like it a whole lot. As for Keeley, I've heard the compressor before, and I've liked it a lot.
Originally Posted by thesteve what kind of tone are you looking for with that overdrive? the TB Classic and British are supposed to be great sounding...the Classic i hear is more Fender Tweed while the British is more Marshall Plexi.
I wish I could describe what I'm hearing in my head. I'll think about it and see if I can describe it.
Originally Posted by PianoMan Yes, you really should get a compressor. A lot of people ignore them, but you really can't tell how much of a difference they make until you compare. I wouldn't play without mine anymore. I highly recommend a Barber Tone Press. For the price, it just can't be beat. I hear though that the newest version of the Keeley comp is supposed to be incredible. However, at roughly twice the cost as the Barber which is at least close to being that good...just can't justify it.
A tuner pedal is always a good thing too...I really should invest in one...
I really can't stand to play without a compressor on the pedal button on my Valvetronix (especially on distortion patches), so it was pretty much a given that I'd at least check some out. Like I said above, though, I've heard the Keeley, but I'll definately look into the Tone Press too.
And yes, pedal tuners are good. Should I just go for the Boss or is there another that's better?
Originally Posted by iAMspartacus you got the basics down:
od, delay, and wah
but i'd replace the wah with a budda wah. those things are very smooth and rich (true bypass as well)
I'm definately trying to keep it as basic as possible, which is totally bizarre for me, because I'm typically an effects NUT. But I know it doesn't take much to get what I'm looking for.
The other guitar player that used to play at our Church had the Budda Wah/Volume pedal, and it was definately nice... But not what I'm looking for exactly.
Originally Posted by jbm222 I would forget the DL4 and get an Ibanez AD9 reissue. Or go all out and get an original AD-80 on ebay.
Maybe add a clean boost at the end to drive the tubes in AC-30 a little harder.
What kind of guitar are you using?
I'm looking at the DL4 primarily for it's ability to have more than one preset because I like to have several different speeds and depths for different uses (e.g., slapback, medium, and long for volume swells). I've also actually used all the Ibanez reissue pedals at a gig once (because I couldn't play through an amp), so I borrowed them from the store I worked at to play with. I did like the AD9 quite a bit, but like I said, I like having more than one delay speed/depth and I'd rather not buy multiple pedals to do that.
Clean boost? Explain?
The guitars I would be using with this stuff would be as follows:
Gibson SG Supreme
Fender Deluxe Series Fat Strat
Cort Larry Coryell Signature Series Jazzbox (although I would run that with a straight clean tone primarily and maybe some wah if I'm playing a funk tune or something).
Thanks a bunch, all.
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Originally Posted by MJ_Avalanche Clean boost? Explain? clean boost: think Ibanez Tubescreamer without any gain...
actually think of using an EQ pedal, but keeping it flat to retain the same signal and just turning up the volume. at the basic level that is what a clean boost is. now, most EQ pedals will only give you a 12-15db boost...but others (like the catalinbread super chile picoso) will give you upwards of 35db of clean boost. what this does (in theory) is push your amp harder without coloring the tone. the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster is a similar product.
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You've got a real nice list of equipment going on there. I have test drove the AC30CC with the Alnico BLues and they are unbeleivable!! I totally wanted one after I got to meet it for about an hour. I currently have a '65 Twin Reverb and I would LOVE to have these both in my rig. They both have a completely different sound. So....the amp is a very good choice!
With the distortion that the Vox makes, I really don't think you'll need distortion boxes. Of course, I'd go with a modded TS-9 for the extra push on solos and a clean boost pedal like the Fat Boost from Fulltone. If I had that amp, I would set amp so the guitar is at the verge of breakup and use those pedals to give me the extra sustain, harmonics, and dynamics to my playing. The amp's distortion is very smooth and very dynamic...very responsive and has that classic tone that is very common in worship-type services. You'll probably have to mic it in a closet since this amp is very loud. And the bad thing with tubes is that you need to pump up the juice to get that sweet tone!!
And the last thing is...I wouldn't get the clyde mccoy. Just get the regular 847 and mod it for the true bypass and DC adaptor. Saves money and it's a fun project. Or...research some other companies like Buddha, etc. I have an Area 51 wah with a Vox shell. Its really sweet. It comes in a kit and it's got some really good quacking sounds.
Haha...oh. one more thing...definitely invest in a True Bypass Box. Check out Ryanspeer and in his profile is Pacific Pedal Works. His work and customer service is excellent. Use the tuner mute and loops to prevent pedals from sucking your signal...thereby decreasing the quality of your tone.
Whew. i wrote too much. Good luck to ya.
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Originally Posted by thesteve clean boost: think Ibanez Tubescreamer without any gain...
Without distortion, not gain.
A clean boost is basically a gain stage before the signal is sent to the amp... so... easiest way to 'add' a gain stage.
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Well, I can definitly chime in on the AC30 since I own one. Let me just say that every day that I hear this amp in action, whether it's me playing it or a friend I let borrow it (aren't I generous ) I keep falling more and more in love with the tone. It's sick. I also have a friend who's amazing at pedal mods, and I'm gonna have him mod me an Ibanez TS9DX to sound so much better. Ah man, I can't wait to have that. Good luck on getting your rig together.
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Originally Posted by tht00 Without distortion, not gain.
A clean boost is basically a gain stage before the signal is sent to the amp... so... easiest way to 'add' a gain stage. yeah...because the "overdrive" knob on so many things is labeled "gain" i can never remember what the correct term is...for example, on some amps i've seen it where if the "gain" is all the way down on the OD channel there's no sound, but on the J&H with the gain down max and the volume up you get a near-clean boost.
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Originally Posted by thesteve yeah...because the "overdrive" knob on so many things is labeled "gain" i can never remember what the correct term is...for example, on some amps i've seen it where if the "gain" is all the way down on the OD channel there's no sound, but on the J&H with the gain down max and the volume up you get a near-clean boost.
On MOST overdrive pedals, the "overdrive" knob IS a gain control.
But yeah, what I mean by a clean boost what others have already described. There are reasons a clean boost is better than an EQ pedal all bands maxed.
First of all, the EQ when everything is set to max is NOT a flat response. To demonstrate this, get an EQ pedal and set all the bands even, play through a clean SS amp (since tone is less effected by input levels than with tube), and listen for the differences in tone between everything at -12db, everything at +12dB and everything in between.
2nd, it's already been mentioned, but a clean boost is louder.
3rd, a well designed clean boost (such as Jack Orman's Dual FET minibooster) will have a very low power consumption, virtually no noise (sometimes they can actually clean up a slightly noise signal), and be true bypass.
The reason for using a clean boost is so you can saturate the tubes in your amp more rather than using an overdrive pedal to get more gain. Think of the difference in the amount of cruch you get out of your amp when using your SG and when using your strat. The SG will give more overdrive because it has hotter pickups. A clean boost is the same concept, only magnified.
The other application is that you can put it in an fx loop for a volume boost on a solo.
If i had such a rig, I would want to run it:
Guitar -> Wah -> Overdrive -> Clean Boost -> AMP -> everything else in the FX loop
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve the clyde is also true bypass...is it not smooth and rich also? (i've never played one...i'm just wondering if you were suggesting a replacement based on prior history with the clyde mccoy) it is true bypass?
ah, yes it is: "The Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah pedal includes details like a custom-tuned inductor made by the original manufacturer and a true bypass switch."
alright, oops