D
Deleted member 5962
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Well Les, you just got a new guitar and everyone knows that you need a new amp to go with that. Geez, you've been around. You should know this by now. 
Studio Maniac Weirdo Amp Rig Thinking Out Loud...
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Tahlee
Tollywood Rhode Island
Well Les, you just got a new guitar and everyone knows that you need a new amp to go with that. Geez, you've been around. You should know this by now.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's a rule.
Well Les, you just got a new guitar and everyone knows that you need a new amp to go with that. Geez, you've been around. You should know this by now.
You're right! And a new cab, new strap, new pick holder, new pedals, new cables, etc.
One can't miss an opportunity like this.
D
Deleted member 5962
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Now you're talkin'
I have the DI re-amping capabilities with current gear, but that's a pretty cool box. Still, considering spending a grand, I think I'd go all out and just get an 8x8 Ampete that would let me send a guitar signal to 8 amps, and choose between 8 cabs with the press of a button! Plus, it will send the effects loop to any of the 8 amps, either in the amp's loop or in front of the amp.
"Les, do you even have 8 amps?"
"Well, um...no. I have three."
"Do you plan to get 8 amps, ever?"
"Well, no. But I once had 6 amps in the studio in the early 2000s."
"What happened?"
"I thought it was 4 amps too many."
"Do you even use effects loops?"
"Uh...not really. But it's such a cool idea!!"
Gotta say one thing about the transformers and how Radial uses them; I don't know if it's the transformers (I think Radial actually owns Jensen transformers now, or is a partner in the company), or what, but I haven't been happy with the way the Radial transformer boxes sound. They say they're transparent, but comparing them with my Lehle transformer box, I'd disagree. I find they color the sound a little more than I like.
Don't get me wrong, great products in many ways. But I've never bonded with Radial gear. I know, however, that a lot of players love their stuff, so I certainly respect it.
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Tosca
Zombie 10, DFZ
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- Apr 1, 2013
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- 5,726
Agreed... The JD7 does color the sound...for better or worse (depending on individual tastes I suppose), some of this is mitigated by the "Drag" control adjustment. I find it an acceptable trade off for being able to use multiple amps (up to seven simultaneously plus a dry DI), two of the channels have front of amp effects loop inserts too. I've looked at the Ampetes...correct me if I'm mistaken...they only allow you to play through one amp at a time (and only one effect loop that can be assigned to any amp). Looks like some super high quality gear though if that's what you want...looks like a big time saver...oh, and they have an expandable unit...if 8 amps aren't enough (the "Aristotle Edition").
You're absolutely right, the limitation of the Ampete is one amp at a time. That's one reason I have held off buying their 4x4 version. The other, as a couple of posts pointed out, is that it's awfully expensive for what it does, even though it does quite a lot.
OTOH, I so rarely record more than one amp at a time in my work, it may not be a deal breaker.
I thought the drag control on the Radial box was a great idea...it's actually a very well thought out device. If I add that DG50 I've been thinking about later this year, I'm going to need to go with something like that anyway. So it really is a good suggestion.
Though with the Lehle 1 at 3 SGoS I just bought, I can send a signal to all three amps at this point, and with my two splitter boxes, I can handle two more if necessary. So that's not too bad a way to go. Pick my poison, I guess!
All this stuff involves some degree of compromise unless you have someone like Bob Bradshaw build you a custom solution. Of course, I should do just that, but then I'd change my rig and it would wind up being a complete waste of dough sitting in my storage room. LOL
Tahlee
Tollywood Rhode Island
Have you seen the new Ernie Ball Pick Buddy?
Cute! But this is the kind of pick holder I use...holds picks, strings, capo, etc. I keep one in every guitar case's accessory box. New guitar, need another one!
So after my little recording session today, I decided to organize my amp situation a little better. Even solved a tube rattle problem with the HXDA head on the small 1x12 cab - cut up a mouse pad, stuck it under the feet of the amp, and it works fine, as long as I keep volume levels sane. At some point, I'll do a better fix, but honestly...I just didn't like the clutter of some amps on tables, and some on cabs, and all that...stuff, everywhere.
I'm going to make a snake to reach all 3 amps from the pedalboard once the Lehle switcher gets here, just run the one snake from the board, plug the fan end into the amps, and bingo. One simple setup job, as opposed to laying out three cables so I don't trip on them.
Here's how things look temporarily; the empty space on the pedalboard is just itching for that switch box. Incidentally, the amps are sitting where, after much trial and error, they sound good and don't rattle the structure too much. I need to order a couple of the new Auralex Great Grammas for the DG and the Mesa, the one under the HXDA helped with structure borne vibrations in my experiments. I have a smaller one, but it's really too small to properly support any of my amps.
I'm going to make a snake to reach all 3 amps from the pedalboard once the Lehle switcher gets here, just run the one snake from the board, plug the fan end into the amps, and bingo. One simple setup job, as opposed to laying out three cables so I don't trip on them.
Here's how things look temporarily; the empty space on the pedalboard is just itching for that switch box.
Incidentally, the amps are sitting where, after much trial and error, they sound good and don't rattle the structure too much. I need to order a couple of the new Auralex Great Grammas for the DG and the Mesa, the one under the HXDA helped with structure borne vibrations in my experiments. I have a smaller one, but it's really too small to properly support any of my amps.
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Tahlee
Tollywood Rhode Island
It looks very nice, Les. Your pedalboard looks great, too.
Thanks! This spring I'm going to put in some new carpet and furnishings. But it serves its purpose for now. I don't have the strength yet to dismantle everything to have the carpet installed.
My wife, however, says we're having the place painted this spring, so that's when I'll take everything down for a few days and have the work done.
Dusty Chalk
alberngruppenführer
A fraction of the size of Altoids or the like. Holds like 2-3 picks.
A fraction of the size of Altoids or the like. Holds like 2-3 picks.
Yeh, but I'm into high quality leather goods. The Pinegrove stuff is made in England, very nice leather, beautiful workmanship.
Gotta call it like I see it. No tin cans for my PS guitars.
Also...I'm allergic to cats. My throat closes up just looking at that tin.
andross182
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2015
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- 228
How's the Cab Clone work for ya? It would seem that the internet collectively hates it.
I don't worry about what other people think. I've gotten good results with it, and have posted clips here on the Forum in the past, both the box and the miked up sound from the speaker itself running at the same time, so they can be compared.
Here's the clip of the actual amp and cab miked:
https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/grissom-amp-and-cab-semi-clean-comparison
Here's the cab clone run at the same time:
https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/cab-clone-grissom-amp-semi-clean
You decide.
I doubt anyone could pick out which was which for sure, unless they were told, though they do sound a little different, the way different speaker cabs sound different from each other, and different mics don't sound alike. I ran the amp "edge of grit," a setting where it is easier in general to identify a real amp as opposed to a load box.
Is it perfect? No. But it's absolutely worth the $300. It's good for silent recording, it's good for direct recording in conjunction with a speaker so it becomes a reactive load, and it's good for late night practicing if you need that.
If you want more realism, a track recorded from any of these load boxes can be later run through a speaker impulse response in your DAW, that does add to the realism, though it isn't necessary and I didn't do that for the demos I posted last year.
For $100 more, the Suhr box is a reactive load, and it's also a very good piece of gear. I could live with either one, no problem.
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alantig
Zombie Four, DFZ
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2012
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- 14,919
I'm with Les on this one - I don't care what the Internet thinks. It works well for my purposes, and that's all that matters. Would I like to get into something higher-end, like a Palmer or something else? Maybe someday. But I don't view it as a necessity.
Dusty Chalk
alberngruppenführer
Oop, sorry about that, I just liked that one because it was painted inside and out, so doesn't rust as soon as I run it through the dishwasher like my Altoids ones do. Here, mentally replace said image with this image, (you can still reject it for being insufficient to accompany your PS guitar, I'm just doing this for your throat):
There's nothing higher end that's perfect.
For times when the Mesa load box isn't good enough, a "better" load box isn't good enough either. Just mic up the cab and record for real.
