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[muso guitar-y thread]GAS is real.

Started by Spiteface, November 18, 2018, 03:04:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

a duncandisorderly

you need to find somewhere where you can try a few. you'll know when you've got the right one- that's how I've ended up with so many!
a precision with an extra j-pickup is a good compromise, & if it's a vintage instrument, this will knock a bit off the price too, because it's been adulterated.

Spiteface

Amp arrived today. Sounds superb through the Orange cab, even as low as I've set the master volume. Blows my DSL5C out of the water. The weird little quirk of the DSL isn't in this. Just great classic Marshall.
Got a good Ramones-y sound out of this, but surprisingly, more like the early stuff, as opposed to '83 onwards when Johnny actually WAS using JCM800s.
I have yet to plug a Big Muff into the Low Sensitivity input, which is the Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream" sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osbnob9ih-c
The amp Billy Corgan's using here is likely a JMP 2203, before they used the JCM800 branding.

There's only ONE problem with the amp, and it is nothing to do with the sound or features (it's a single-channel amp, not much to fuck up there). The rubber feet on it are too short. It's wobbling a bit on top of my cab because of the handle being too high. I'm considering a new cab anyway, but I'm gonna get some cheap coasters or something to go under the feet until then.

Spiteface

Honeymoon period is over and the "new gear" excitement has worn off. Sending it back, I think. It really needs to be turned up louder than I'm okay with in order to sound "right".

mojo filters

GAS is definitely real. It's doing a fine job of driving the stupidly expensive so-called boutique pedal market. Whenever I've peeked inside one of those, the case was disproportionately oversized to the component count, and/or the caps, resistors etc had their values obscured or erased.

There is the humour value when such folks take themselves too seriously. As I recall, when Ryan Adams got cancelled, one manufacturer endorsing him put out the most hilarious, overwrought statement about dedicating their company's mission to fighting on behalf of #metoo or whatever. Yeah, knocking out those overpriced pedals seems like the surefire right way to correct those wrongs!

Personally I'm quite content with eBay bargains from EHX, Boss, Danelectro etc. Only downside is they never come with a decent box, and I'm too cheap to buy a proper flightcase.

Spiteface

Quote from: Spiteface on April 06, 2019, 05:37:07 PM
Honeymoon period is over and the "new gear" excitement has worn off. Sending it back, I think. It really needs to be turned up louder than I'm okay with in order to sound "right".

It's back in the box, got in touch with GAK to arrange a return. Planning to buy an Orange Rocker 15 Terror or Victory Sherriff 22 instead. Something that would sound good without pissing off the neighbours.

Spiteface

I had an unexpected day off on Monday (that I didn't know of until I was ready to clock in) led me to venturing into Cardiff, went into PMT and tried the Orange Rocker 15 Terror head.

My suspicions were right, in that this is closer to what I want, and it does it at lower volumes (It has a switch round the back to attenuate the amp, going from 7/15 watts to 1/0.5 watts). Lovely amp. Might try the Brent Hinds variant, just to see what it's like.

Got the Marshall on its way back to GAK yesterday morning. In the meantime, set up my old Tiny Terror:



I know the Rocker 15 Terror kind of fills the void left behind, but Orange REALLY shouldn't have discontinued the original Tiny Terror. Those settings there, are pretty much a good bedroom tone for me.

Dr Syntax Head

I am so bored of the whole boutique pedal thing. Because I want them all. I get most of my pedals from eBay/local pawn shop etc. The only brand new pedal I have is a Strymon Blue Sky and it's gorgeous. GAS sucks, I spend too much time watching youtube pedal demos and not enough time actually playing.

a duncandisorderly

Quote from: mojo filters on April 06, 2019, 11:35:23 PM
GAS is definitely real. It's doing a fine job of driving the stupidly expensive so-called boutique pedal market. Whenever I've peeked inside one of those, the case was disproportionately oversized to the component count, and/or the caps, resistors etc had their values obscured or erased.

There is the humour value when such folks take themselves too seriously. As I recall, when Ryan Adams got cancelled, one manufacturer endorsing him put out the most hilarious, overwrought statement about dedicating their company's mission to fighting on behalf of #metoo or whatever. Yeah, knocking out those overpriced pedals seems like the surefire right way to correct those wrongs!

Personally I'm quite content with eBay bargains from EHX, Boss, Danelectro etc. Only downside is they never come with a decent box, and I'm too cheap to buy a proper flightcase.



Quote from: Dr Syntax Head on April 14, 2019, 07:06:52 PM
I am so bored of the whole boutique pedal thing. Because I want them all. I get most of my pedals from eBay/local pawn shop etc. The only brand new pedal I have is a Strymon Blue Sky and it's gorgeous. GAS sucks, I spend too much time watching youtube pedal demos and not enough time actually playing.

right with you both. my greatest indulgence pedal-wise were the strymons, timeline & flint (delay & tremolo/reverb respectively). pretty much everything else has been under £60, either new or second-hand. I've got a lot of very cheap pedals... tone-city, that sort of thing... that are perfectly good at what they do. noise-free, reliable & musical.

contrarily, though, I spend far too much on instruments, & have far too many basses. it's nice to have the collection & the variety, but it's out of hand now. I can't rotate them at a reasonable rate to enjoy them all. GAS is real. I probably have twenty or so hardware midi sequencers. synths... don't even start. there are things in my spare room I've forgotten about.

Dr Syntax Head

Quote from: a duncandisorderly on April 14, 2019, 09:10:12 PM


right with you both. my greatest indulgence pedal-wise were the strymons, timeline & flint (delay & tremolo/reverb respectively).

I need another delay and I'm tempted by the timeline. I really like Strymon stuff but is it worth it or shall I just get another DD7?

As a former guitarist of 25 years I'd just like to post my all-time most glorious purchase, a Gretsch Silver Falcon:




Oh how I adored thee.

a duncandisorderly

Quote from: Dr Syntax Head on April 14, 2019, 10:18:25 PM
I need another delay and I'm tempted by the timeline. I really like Strymon stuff but is it worth it or shall I just get another DD7?

do you need midi clocking & loads of memories? timeline. if you don't, the slightly more affordable el capistan might be a better buy. either of them is like having a DL4 (the line-6 classic) made by nagra. I have a patch on my timeline that mimics an old valve tape-deck we used to use for echo, & you'd swear you could smell the valves. I adore it. I'm afraid to switch it on because I'll be there for hours.

but then I do have a great many delay devices. funnily enough, I've never owned a boss delay.

Dr Syntax Head

Quote from: a duncandisorderly on April 15, 2019, 12:27:45 AM
do you need midi clocking & loads of memories? timeline. if you don't, the slightly more affordable el capistan might be a better buy. either of them is like having a DL4 (the line-6 classic) made by nagra. I have a patch on my timeline that mimics an old valve tape-deck we used to use for echo, & you'd swear you could smell the valves. I adore it. I'm afraid to switch it on because I'll be there for hours.

but then I do have a great many delay devices. funnily enough, I've never owned a boss delay.

I had a DL4 once it was ace. Had a headrush once as well which was also cool. I reckon a timeline is probably overkill for what I need and the el capistan more in my budget range.

easytarget

Quote from: Dr Syntax Head on April 14, 2019, 10:18:25 PM
I need another delay and I'm tempted by the timeline. I really like Strymon stuff but is it worth it or shall I just get another DD7?
This is... fun :
https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/disaster-transport-sr


Dr Syntax Head

Ah man I love Earthquaker stuff. Don't have any as of yet but aiming to get the bit commander. Very cool pedal.

sevendaughters

I bought a second-hand guitar. I always wanted a semi-hollow but didn't at the time because of all the Oasis clone bands in my town and of late because I'm on a cunt's wage. Spotted a Samick SAN450 for sale on Facebook marketplace and just felt the urge to move on it. People online said they were made in the same factory as 90s Epis and Gibson sued them for how much they look like the ES-335, and this cost way below the 2nd hand market value. Bloke was selling it because he was old and had RSI. Really well looked-after guitar.



I reckon new pickups in this thing and it's a bargain. I used it on a band demo already and I love the sound, I think it's the sound I've been chasing in my head for years.

MiddleRabbit

I'm doing a Stone Roses night with some old bandmates and dug out a couple of old guitars for the job.





Also got hold of a Midiverb ii off eBay for the reverbs.

It turned out that my 335 turned 30 this February.  Which was nice...

I had a Samick 335 when I first started playing.  It was a looker alright.  I changed the pickups for Gibsons but it always sounded a bit shrill for me.  Mind you, the pickups in my 335 were those printed circuit board ones (John Squire apparently liked them and had them installed in his Jag custom thing) but I though they were horrible and swapped them out for Bareknuckle Mules which are much more like it.  Still got the printed circuit ones.  From that I also went for Bareknuckle Apaches in the strat.  The Gretsch has TV Jones pickups in it, including a Super'tron in the neck. 

Sometimes pickup changes work, sometimes they don't is my experience.  The best thing about decent guitars is that they stay in tune better.  There's other nice things about them too, but that's the biggest practical difference if you ask me.

easytarget


Fuzz. doomed out, heavy smoke, squarewave, loud fuzz.
This is a Valhalla by Black Hawk Amplifiers
It's great. I've been through a lot of fuzzes and this just sounds huge. Massive powerchords (don't always get that with fuzz), very loud leads. Has a tone control (that can be turned off for more loud), bass boost switch and volume. No gain. Gain is "controlled by your instrument" (gain is maxed the fuck out. all the time. why would you put a fuzz on any other setting?).
And it's covered in cool, spooky runes.
Sounds great with my telecaster. Sounds amazing with my mate's mexi '76 tele reissue. So. One of those on the shopping list.

a duncandisorderly


a duncandisorderly


MiddleRabbit

It's an early 80s Japanese strat.  Originally white, then pink, now blue but done so badly that the paint started flaking off almost instantly.  When I first stripped it, there was about 5mm of varnish in some places.  I did it pink properly and then got sick of it.  As far as the rest of it goes, it got a bit battered against a drum kit and amplifiers when it fell out of its case in e back of a van for about 400 miles.

I had a USA strat before that and it was crap.  This one was £500 about 25 years ago and it's the best strat I've ever played.  The maple neck had that shiny lacquer on it which I quite like, but once at started flaking off bits of it, I thought it'd never stop.  I've got very corrosive sweat too, hence the staining on it and the controls, which have gone brown.  Oh, and it's been bled on quite a lot which, it turns out, doesn't come off the scratch plate or pickup covers all that well.

I found a photo of it when it was pink and ?I got quite nostalgic about it but I couldn't really be arsed to go through all that sanding again.

Yeah, cheap and nasty Jap strat.  It's spot on though.

a duncandisorderly

Quote from: MiddleRabbit on May 11, 2019, 12:25:07 AM
It's an early 80s Japanese strat.  Originally white, then pink, now blue but done so badly that the paint started flaking off almost instantly.  When I first stripped it, there was about 5mm of varnish in some places.  I did it pink properly and then got sick of it.  As far as the rest of it goes, it got a bit battered against a drum kit and amplifiers when it fell out of its case in e back of a van for about 400 miles.

I had a USA strat before that and it was crap.  This one was £500 about 25 years ago and it's the best strat I've ever played.  The maple neck had that shiny lacquer on it which I quite like, but once at started flaking off bits of it, I thought it'd never stop.  I've got very corrosive sweat too, hence the staining on it and the controls, which have gone brown. 

I found a photo of it when it was pink and ?I got quite nostalgic about it but I couldn't really be arsed to go through all that sanding again.

Yeah, cheap and nasty Jap strat.  It's spot on though.

I had a MIJ strat, bit newer than that. lost it in a 'divorce'. I have four tokai strats though, & rate them higher (generally) than a lot of the US-made fenders. same with the basses (I'm a bassist)- the tokais & japanese fenders are generally more consistent, so while you might find some very very good fenders, you're taking less of a risk if you make an online purchase of a tokai or a MIJ fender.
generally.

easytarget

Let's see your pedal boards then. I've been messing about with this for ages and it's starting to take shape:

Signal path (starting at bottom right) : Valhalla Fuzz (see above) -> looper which selects one or both of :
loop 1 Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector (crazy reverb that applies an effect to the reverberated sound only - effect can be flange, filter or tremolo = How Soon Is Now) -> Dwarf Craft Ghost Fax (phaser, controlled by the expression pedal, full forward sounds shimmering, fully back sounds like scraping a huge glass cylinder) -> OBNE Excess (Chorus or Delay, usually chorus, also distortion but that's not really needed here).
loop 2 Earthquaker Devices Pyramids (flanger, really too much too configurable flanger - but why get an MXR phase 90 when something like this exists?)
Back to the bottom row:
Earthquaker Westwood Cleanish overdrive (slight signal boost helps leads cut through a bit) -> Fulltone OCD higher gain overdrive (almost always on, this into the crunchy channel of my amp at maximum gain is my usual sound) -> Walrus Red (HM2 clone for buzzsaw/Sunlight Studios Swedish death metal sound - good for them riffs and, oddly, big pop chorus chords) -> Electroharmonix POD (octave - specifically octave down for me, tracks really well, sounds like a dirty synth when combined with fuzz) -> Boss TU2 (Tuner/mute).
Lots of these have only been on the board for a couple of months so I'm still learning more about what they do.
Next step - probably get a dedicated power supply (instead of chaining everything through the TU2) - any recommendations?