Brett Kingman: PRS SE HBII Piezo

One day, mine will sound like that. I'll be rockin' out the old folks' home. Until the orderly steals it.

Burgs is using an Axe III 1959SLP, a '65 Deluxe Reverb and. a "D" HRM OD Special preset. Someday, HeadRush will improve their amp lineup, so that my need for "borrowing stuff until my debt is paid" becomes a reality.
 
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Awesome video. I'm still in the honeymoon phase with the se hollowbody ii piezo myself. Videos like this are how I ended up with this as my choice of PRS.

May I ask, what type of amp are you playing your SE HBII Piezo through? (Am genuinely curious; some of the amp models in my Gigboard might prove more effective than others...)
 
I personally think the SE HBII sounded best with the Deluxe Reverb and D HRM Overdrive Special. Something regards the rounder, fuller, tone quality. The 1959SLP was OK, but a tad harsh and a bit too crunchy for my tastes. The other 2 presets were better suited in my wheelhouse.
 
Im using a Katana 100. I just posted in the introduction page but I'll say it here too. Im a drummer with 35 years and counting of gigs under my belt. I've played rythym on an acoustic guitar for many years but Im always a drummer. Little over a year I got the Katana 100 for free and I bought a cheap frankenstrat. I played for hours and hours everyday when we got locked down for over a year. As I got better I wanted a guitar with humbuckers. I started researching what I really wanted and the rabbit hole kept ending on this guitar. I have a full QSC PA in my jam room. So I run this into my Katana and directly into my PA. But mostly just the Katana. As a drummer I don't need a ton of guitars so now I have a single coil, hum bucker, acoustic(Piezo) and a hollowbody all in 2 guitars. But as I read this forum I realize Im going to need more guitars. And Amps. lol.
 
Im using a Katana 100. I just posted in the introduction page but I'll say it here too. Im a drummer with 35 years and counting of gigs under my belt. I've played rythym on an acoustic guitar for many years but Im always a drummer. Little over a year I got the Katana 100 for free and I bought a cheap frankenstrat. I played for hours and hours everyday when we got locked down for over a year. As I got better I wanted a guitar with humbuckers. I started researching what I really wanted and the rabbit hole kept ending on this guitar. I have a full QSC PA in my jam room. So I run this into my Katana and directly into my PA. But mostly just the Katana. As a drummer I don't need a ton of guitars so now I have a single coil, hum bucker, acoustic(Piezo) and a hollowbody all in 2 guitars. But as I read this forum I realize Im going to need more guitars. And Amps. lol.



Welcome the the forum!

Regards more guitars, just be content with what you already have for now and try to practice so the next guitars you can justify. (TBH, I owned some really nice high end pieces back in the day that were far above my skill level, and so they were eventually sold.)

For some reason, my first electric was a decent one, a real Gibby SG (small volute, small pick guard) before they were reissues. Although I regret needing to sell that one early on, it would be years before my search for the best quality guitars was evident with PRS.

Is it true that drummers can transition from drums to guitar more easily? I've heard this, but have always wondered...
 
I agree with you and I am content with what I have. This guitar makes me want to play. I have a gig Friday night and need to learn a couple new tunes on drums and all I want to do is practice guitar. I've been strumming Jimmy buffet etc sing alongs for years. I play chords all up and down the neck. I know scales. I've been told I'm a very good rythym player and they all say it's because I'm a drummer. Learning guitar is pretty easy for me. Of course I'm not a shredder. So I don't want to disrespect. That may come but at the moment, no interest.
 
That guitar has one of the best looking tops I have seen on any Hollowbody, either in the flesh, or on video. I'd buy it for the top alone ! :)

But considering guitars are for listening to, as opposed to looking at ...I think this video also demonstrates that the 58/15S is a different animal, in the Hollowbody and the Thinline as opposed to maybe the S2 Mc Carty DC & SC ?
 
Burgs is a heck of a player, and does some killer Axe FX rigs, if you’re into modelers. Some cool tones there!

Burgs indeed has some decent Axe FX rigs, but like other Gigboard owners, I'm patiently waiting for new OS releases.

Until then, the "old" will need to do. I really would like to hear of some good boutique clean channel amp models, that will be the basis for some of my setlist rigs. Currently, I personally have no current desire for upgrading to a more expensive modeler (Neural, Axe FX). It would be nice, but not economically feasible. My technical abilities are not that well-developed, though the Gigboard does the jam thing quite well.

I personally don't see the Gigboard as the distant future of modelers. What would be nice to see is a wider range of quality IR cabs and amp models packaged into a friendly interface like the Gigboard, but with the extensive signal routing and versatility the Axe FX offers. If Gigboard could do that, even with a paid OS upgrade that would put the Gigboard on par with higher end units, after that made it to the market, there would be many who might flock to the Gigboard platform.
 
Burgs indeed has some decent Axe FX rigs, but like other Gigboard owners, I'm patiently waiting for new OS releases.

Until then, the "old" will need to do. I really would like to hear of some good boutique clean channel amp models, that will be the basis for some of my setlist rigs. Currently, I personally have no current desire for upgrading to a more expensive modeler (Neural, Axe FX). It would be nice, but not economically feasible. My technical abilities are not that well-developed, though the Gigboard does the jam thing quite well.

I personally don't see the Gigboard as the distant future of modelers. What would be nice to see is a wider range of quality IR cabs and amp models packaged into a friendly interface like the Gigboard, but with the extensive signal routing and versatility the Axe FX offers. If Gigboard could do that, even with a paid OS upgrade that would put the Gigboard on par with higher end units, after that made it to the market, there would be many who might flock to the Gigboard platform.
Yes sir. I started modelers way back. The first one I could live with on a gig was the ElevenRack. That convinced me to try the Axe FX in 2011, after saving gig money to pay for it! That was the Ultra model at the time, and I’ve upgraded a few times, using the Gen 1 Axe FX III over the last several years. I haven’t tried a Kemper, which many love, but can’t imagine an implementation being any better. I love my tube amps, but gigging in a variety of music styles makes the versatility and range of amps, cabs, effects, control, and routing hard to beat. I don’t expect tube amps to be replaced, they’re the bedrock modelers are built on… like horns not disappearing with the advent of synthesizers. But they are sure going to become more and more common.

On the update and free firmware front, Fractal Audio is unbelievably responsive. I’ve really enjoyed that. I use an RJM Mastermind GT22 and an expression pedal to control mine, and there just isn’t anything I need to do that it can’t. Great time to be a musician!
 
Yes sir. I started modelers way back. The first one I could live with on a gig was the ElevenRack. That convinced me to try the Axe FX in 2011, after saving gig money to pay for it! That was the Ultra model at the time, and I’ve upgraded a few times, using the Gen 1 Axe FX III over the last several years. I haven’t tried a Kemper, which many love, but can’t imagine an implementation being any better. I love my tube amps, but gigging in a variety of music styles makes the versatility and range of amps, cabs, effects, control, and routing hard to beat. I don’t expect tube amps to be replace, they’re the bedrock modelers are built on… like horns not disappearing with the advent of synthesizers. But they are sure going to become more and more common.

On the update and free firmware front, Fractal Audio is unbelievably responsive. I’ve really enjoyed that. I use an RJM Mastermind GT22 and an expression pedal to control mine, and there just isn’t anything I need to do that it can’t. Great time to be a musician!

Rick,

Gotta ask you, I guess I'm way outta my league trying to understand how Axe FX even begins to work...I do know that I'm not a technical buff regards tweaking and adjusting...how friendly is the Axe FX interface? And how affordable would finding an excellent condition 2nd hand unit on the open market be? I'd hazard to guess that the footswitching unit would be a significant cost. I would love the versatility and range of cabs and routing, but my conscience tells me to be patient and wait until a good deal can be found.

I do think that I'd not wish to be the Grinch in this respect, but sometimes folks paint others as not being as friendly as they, so yeah, apparently, I've been designated as the heretofore Grinch.

I had hoped to bring my Gigboard down to the Collinsville area once open-mic reopens (the surrounding area is Burlington/Harwinton), though my song selection had well better be something other than Burl Ives' tunes.
 
You say what you think, which can get you the Grinchy tag, but there is value in it. At least I don’t wonder what your opinion is! Let’s see if we can break this into chunks…

Rick,

Gotta ask you, I guess I'm way outta my league trying to understand how Axe FX even begins to work...I do know that I'm not a technical buff regards tweaking and adjusting...how friendly is the Axe FX interface? And how affordable would finding an excellent condition 2nd hand unit on the open market be? I'd hazard to guess that the footswitching unit would be a significant cost. I would love the versatility and range of cabs and routing, but my conscience tells me to be patient and wait until a good deal can be found.

When I got my first Axe FX, I was cleaning up brain matter in the music room every day. Mind blown, every time. What I could do overwhelmed me. In time, though, I started looking at it more for what I needed from it than what it could do. That helps a lot. The on board interface can be a challenge for in depth stuff, but it does work and was the only way for years. More recently, there is a usb interface to your computer which greatly simplifies grasping what you have running, and adding/subtracting/modifying your chain. I consider it very friendly once you get the basic Fractal Audio Systems way in your head. Plus their forum is very helpful any time you hit a wall on “how to” or other operational concerns. Considering the nearly unlimited options at every level, it’s actually only as in depth as you want. I’ve gigged presets that came with it, untweaked except for volume. They’re that good. There are also a lot of “example of what you can do” presets that are to highlight effects, and let you see how they’re made.

Should you ever take the plunge, we can PM and I’ll help you get sorted.

The foot controller is another “what do you need” prospect. I’ve used a $50 used midi pedal for just patch changes, all the way to my mega-beast RJM Mastermind at nearly the cost of the Axe Fx. You don’t have to go crazy, and FAS has a 6 or 12 button footswitch of their own that works on their FAS-Link (xlr based) system. The control options are, as you might expect, as broad as the rest of the Axe Fx options are!

You are spot-on in your financial assessment… get a deal on one that you can afford and you’ll enjoy it more. A MK II version of the Axe Fx III came out recently, so MK I versions will be getting cheaper in time.

I had hoped to bring my Gigboard down to the Collinsville area once open-mic reopens (the surrounding area is Burlington/Harwinton), though my song selection had well better be something other than Burl Ives' tunes.

On the GigBoard, if it’s working for you, keep on enjoying it! As a sentimental sucker for traditional Christmas music, I’ll even listen to you do Burl. :)
 
Boy, those tones could sell me that guitar! Sure sounds good there!!! And, the sole reason I wrote it off (no 3 way switch for A/E switching) seems to be handled quickly and well with the separate volume knobs.
 
...When I got my first Axe FX, I was cleaning up brain matter in the music room every day. Mind blown, every time. What I could do overwhelmed me. In time, though, I started looking at it more for what I needed from it than what it could do. That helps a lot. The on board interface can be a challenge for in depth stuff, but it does work and was the only way for years. More recently, there is a usb interface to your computer which greatly simplifies grasping what you have running, and adding/subtracting/modifying your chain. I consider it very friendly once you get the basic Fractal Audio Systems way in your head. Plus their forum is very helpful any time you hit a wall on “how to” or other operational concerns. Considering the nearly unlimited options at every level, it’s actually only as in depth as you want. I’ve gigged presets that came with it, untweaked except for volume. They’re that good. There are also a lot of “example of what you can do” presets that are to highlight effects, and let you see how they’re made.

Should you ever take the plunge, we can PM and I’ll help you get sorted.

The foot controller is another “what do you need” prospect. I’ve used a $50 used midi pedal for just patch changes, all the way to my mega-beast RJM Mastermind at nearly the cost of the Axe Fx. You don’t have to go crazy, and FAS has a 6 or 12 button footswitch of their own that works on their FAS-Link (xlr based) system. The control options are, as you might expect, as broad as the rest of the Axe Fx options are!

You are spot-on in your financial assessment… get a deal on one that you can afford and you’ll enjoy it more. A MK II version of the Axe Fx III came out recently, so MK I versions will be getting cheaper in time.

On the GigBoard, if it’s working for you, keep on enjoying it! As a sentimental sucker for traditional Christmas music, I’ll even listen to you do Burl. :)

Rick,

How do you feel about the FM3, perhaps with the FC6? Am currently visiting Fractal's site and listening to the FM3 demo. Seems more portable that the rack unit (which would typically require a SKB case for gigs),and is more compact. The preset and user banks are similar to the Axe Fx III, just with the smaller footprint. Could see this with the FC6 for faster switching between rigs/presets...
 
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