Sekunda
Music is life
I love the El Capistan and the Flint... I use a Keeley modded TS-9 for solo boost (awesome Santana feel), and a 535Q wah which sounds awesome when you dial in the right freq's. It seems every pedal I try just sounds great...
NAD!! HXDA and matching 2x12 Stealth Cab
- Thread starter Kine
- Start date
I love the El Capistan and the Flint... I use a Keeley modded TS-9 for solo boost (awesome Santana feel), and a 535Q wah which sounds awesome when you dial in the right freq's. It seems every pedal I try just sounds great...
Absolutely loving the El Cap. One phenomenal pedal. Haven't tried the Flint. I have a Diamond Tremolo that I like and works well with the El Cap. It actually ads some analog tone that I find pleasing.
I just returned a Red Witch Fuzz God II which didn't work out of the box. It's unfortunate as the reviews looked pretty cool on that one. It's caused me to to reconsider some pedals with complicated circuits. I'm now considering a Fulltone Octafuzz instead.
The Octafuzz is cool, I've had one; another to consider with the HX/DA is the '69. With its germanium transistors it's essentially a clone of an early fuzz face pedal, which is the type that Duane Allman is supposed to have used with his amp. And the original was also a Jimi thing. So it's kind of "era-appropriate" in a clone sort of way.
Either would sound very good indeed (I have a '69 on my pedalboard):
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jfb
Plank Owner
The Octafuzz is cool, I've had one; another to consider with the HX/DA is the '69. With its germanium transistors it's essentially a clone of an early fuzz face pedal, which is the type that Duane Allman is supposed to have used with his amp. And the original was also a Jimi thing. So it's kind of "era-appropriate" in a clone sort of way.
Either would sound very good indeed (I have a '69 on my pedalboard):
I want a Fulltone Soulbender. Look at those pretty PRS cables.
The Soulbender's a nice pedal! I'm big on all those clones of the early stuff.
When I put my current board together and switched to them from George L's, my rig got a little quieter and less susceptible to induced hum and noise (not that I had major hums and buzzes, but I'm very picky about noise). Easy to hook up because they are pretty soft and flexible. The sound improved, too, less harshness on the top end, better lows.
I found that the 18' PRS cable sounded a bit quieter and had less handling noise than my 18' Mogami also. So I'm a believer.
Unfortunately, the PRS cables weren't long enough to reach the top of my TC delay near the bypass switcher, so I used Lava for that connection. And that sounds good, too.
I decided on the '69. No surprise, I should have asked you in the first place! What else you got going in that pedal board o yours?The Octafuzz is cool, I've had one; another to consider with the HX/DA is the '69. With its germanium transistors it's essentially a clone of an early fuzz face pedal, which is the type that Duane Allman is supposed to have used with his amp. And the original was also a Jimi thing. So it's kind of "era-appropriate" in a clone sort of way.
Either would sound very good indeed (I have a '69 on my pedalboard):
I also copped your Fulltone Clyde Deluxe and of course the Plimsoul that you recommended to me earlier. Unfortunately the Plimsoul needs service which is no big deal since they're based out of LA. That's actually one reason that I decided agains the Red Which Fuzz God II, the homebase is in New Zeland... well that and that it didn't work out of the box. It's unfortunate as it seemed like it would have been a cool pedal. I did get the Wampler Sovereign for the mean time. I really really like it so far. I needed a more modernish gain and I'm liking what I'm hearing out of the HXDA with this one.
Oh, as far as distortion goes, the Blackstar HT Dual is really bad ass tone wise. However, with it's 22v power draw, it's not the ideal pedal board... pedal. I'm using it mostly as a pre-amp for the Two Notes CAB since it's powered with a tube it delivers some nice sonic richness to a modeler.
I want to post my board but it's been in such a transition lately with the new amp. I'll post it soon.
I didn't really peg you for that type of pedal, jfb. Shows that you should never make assumptions!
Prs cables? In the lower left corner (purple?).
Very interesting! I mostly have Mogamis in my studio. I suppose I'll have to check out the PRS cables!
Speaking of noise Les (Les noise? NoiseLes?), I'm finding the Clyde a bit on the noisy side as compared to my RMC wah. Is yours whisper quiet?
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I decided on the '69. No surprise, I should have asked you in the first place! What else you got going in that pedal board o yours?
I did get the Wampler Sovereign for the mean time. I really really like it so far. I needed a more modernish gain and I'm liking what I'm hearing out of the HXDA with this one.
Oh, as far as distortion goes, the Blackstar HT Dual is really bad ass tone wise. However, with it's 22v power draw, it's not the ideal pedal board... pedal. I'm using it mostly as a pre-amp for the Two Notes CAB since it's powered with a tube it delivers some nice sonic richness to a modeler.
I want to post my board but it's been in such a transition lately with the new amp. I'll post it soon.
I didn't really peg you for that type of pedal, jfb. Shows that you should never make assumptions!
Prs cables? In the lower left corner (purple?).
Very interesting! I mostly have Mogamis in my studio. I suppose I'll have to check out the PRS cables!
Speaking of noise Les (Les noise? NoiseLes?), I'm finding the Clyde a bit on the noisy side as compared to my RMC wah. Is yours whisper quiet?
Noisy in what way? When it's on or when it's off?
My whole pedal board is absolutely dead quiet. No hums, buzzes or noise.
But when pedals are on, they can hiss and make various noises associated with the type of pedal. Wahs tend to hiss a little depending on their sweep.
I had an RMC wah, and it was no more or less noisy than my Fulltone, although the RMC tended to pick up noise from wall warts near it, etc, and the Fulltone doesn't. So...I dunno. The Fulltone uses a steel housing, and the Teese is traditional cast zinc. I actually think the Steel housing rejects noise better. But you might be talking about what happens when the wah is on. I never noticed a difference between the two brands in that department, but YMMV I guess.
Re cables, I have used all Mogami for many years in my studio, since it was first cabled back in the early 90s at my old place. And I still wire all my equipment up with it.
But for guitar, I found the PRS stuff to be a little quieter. Everything BUT the purple cable on my board is PRS cable.
The TC Nova Delay would be a great sounding delay, but in front of the amp it can get a little hissy when the gain is up. It's in a true bypass loop so I can take it out of the signal chain. Typical digital pedal in that regard. The Eventide ModFactor is quieter but still has a small amount of hiss when it's on. It's true bypass, though.
However, the ModFactor is an absolutely amazing pedal that does a lot of things extremely well, and I love Eventide's modulation effects, had an Ultra Harmonizer H3000 DSE for years.
At some point, even though I love the TC's delays, I might try the Eventide Delay box just to reduce the hiss when the pedal is in the loop.
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Sorry I wasn't more specific. Yes, when the pedal is on it has more hiss when sweeping as compared to my RMC. However, it's not that it's bad! It's just something that I noticed and figured I'd ask you about. Nothing that would make the pedal unusable. It does have a very sweet tone and I may have to adjust it a lil bit to my liking. So far I'm digging it!
I'm really looking forward to the '69. It gets rave reviews due to the germanium resistor. Can't wait!
Oh ok. I'll take a look at those!
Thanks Les, I was kinda kidding when I wanted to know what else you had going. You've helped me tremendously already. I don't want to steal your whole sound! Well, maybe... :adore:
As far as delays, I'm pretty much set as I really like the Strymon stuff. It's amazing stuff and I highly recommend you take a look in case you're looking for something along those lines. They're dead quiet. I may be a bit biased since the company is located in the town I live in! I simply had to place my order and go pick up the pedals. I love dealing locally since I figure if you have any issues you can simply pay them a visit. I have a couple of Blue mics for the same reason.
Hey Kine, I'm glad you like the tips! Makes me happy, and it's a nice thing that we have similar tastes!
Funny, I like Blue mics as well, have been using them since they first came out with the Mouse in the late 90s. I'm also a Neumann fan. Well, actually, I'm an everything fan, I guess. LOL
I think the Strymon stuff is impressive, too. Could you try something for me -- if you turn the preamp gain up to, say, two o'clock with the Strymon on in front of your HXDA, is it still quiet? If so, that will be the direction I'll go in. I like running pedals in front of an amp for some crazy reason, and the HXDA I have doesn't have a loop anyway. So if you could check, I'd really appreciate it! It'd be a great help, as my local Strymon dealer doesn't have an HXDA to test it with.
Most definitely. I'll get on it after work. I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes, it's still quiet" since that's the way I run my pedals. No loop here either. I'll let you know.
Ok, so I ran the test. Since my amp and cab are elevated, the pedal(s) got about a foot away. The El Capistan was virtually completely silent when switched on. Extremely low noise floor. The Timeline had a slight hiss when engaged but it is very slight and is just a wonderful pedal all around. I bought that one to use as a studio delay more so than I pedal board delay. I can recommend both. I believe jfb also has the Timeline so you may want to ask his opinion about the noise. However, I'm pretty certain that you'll enjoy either or both pedals for studio work.
Great, and thanks!
Just played the '69 for the first time! It's a beast! Exactly what I was looking for!! I'm psyched for sure. It sounds epic with the HXDA. Givin me chills that the tones are sounding like Hendrix! Now I just need the skills... Thanks again for the tip, Les. It's a phenomenal fuzz. :adore:
Heck, I just figured if the original fuzz face was the go-to if its day with the original Plexis, then this re-creation of it would sound good with the HXDA. So it was honestly just a good guess on my part!
And it worked for me, so that was a bonus.
But I'm glad I didn't let ya down with the advice, brother! To my way of thinking, a piece of gear is but a link in the chain, and the important thing is how it matches up with what you're running, and not so much the bells and whistles.
My stuff is pretty basic, tone-wise. Except that Eventide ModFactor box, which is a complex thing that I've barely scratched the surface of. It sounds good, though it isn't really "authentic" for the era of the amp.
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That's an interesting review. I know cable tone is as subjective as a guitar, but the noise factor is undeniable. Very good to know. While I still prefer Canare+Neutrik for the rigors of gigging, this is very good information.
FYI, speaking of fuzzes, I happen to be the proud owner of a custom dual fuzz creation by a forum bro over at PRSforums.com, OliOli...the Cerberus. It's a combination of his Secutor and Spartan pedals, which he describes as:
Forge Spartan (previously Motherfuzzer) - NPN Silicon 2 gain stages 60's fuzz
Forge Secutor - PNP Germanium 3 gain stages 60's fuzz
Think ToneBender and Analogman Sunface in one box. Killer stuff!
Look up FORGE Effects on Facebook, the build thread over at PRSforums.com (registration required), or feel free to contact me directly.
I've got some Canare cables, Mogami, and several others, and they're very good cables. I use Mogami cabling for the equipment in the studio, and have for years. In fact, my Canare cables have the old Canare plugs with the spring strain relief and beautiful castings, from 1992 or so, and they've never had a problem. That's a lot of years of service!
However, as good as those cables are, when I went from the Mogami guitar cables to the PRS, the first thing I noticed was that the rig was rejecting RFI/EMI better. The noise floor went down. With a very quiet amp like the HXDA, it was very noticeable (to me, as a studio weirdo, anyway). Any time you reduce noise, the tone seems to improve right from the start. And the sound of the cables is also excellent. They're very neutral and balanced. After trying the guitar cable, I cabled my pedalboard with the PRS interconnects. The overall result is a sonic improvement that anyone can hear.
And the bonus is that the cables are so flexible that they don't tangle, they're easy to bend and put in any position on a pedalboard without moving the pedals, etc. I'm sure they'd be rugged enough for gigging.
And thanks for the tip on Forge effects! I'll check 'em out.
