andy474x
Knows the Drill
Ever have one of those days where you just shouldn’t have gone to the local shop? I sure did today.
The local shop has a sister business online, in addition to being a PRS dealer they have one of the largest boutique effects selections in the state, and have even more at the sister warehouse, which is right in town, they will bring anything you want in from the warehouse to demo. I’ve been needing to up my game in the delay and reverb department, specifically needing a multi-fx delay unit that I can program presets to cycle through. I need something I can use to get all the textures I want live, without having to slow the set down between songs to adjust knobs, tap tempos, etc. also wanted something with dual delays. So I had them bring in an Empress Echosystem. It’s mega cool, I bought it, yada yada yada.
I wanted something somewhat familiar to demo it with, so I grabbed a nearby S2 Studio (in frost blue, no less) and went into a Sonzera 50 combo. And that’s where the real gear problem started.
This is the 3rd or 4th Studio I’ve played, and they just keep getting better. Like they have something to prove to me, and I keep trying to deny it. They’re always mega resonant, great tonal balance, and the one I played today really highlighted all the things I love about single coils and in-between pickup positions, without the things I hate. Deep, rich tones, not ice picky, not anemic in the bass, but plenty of single coil bite, and excellent “quack” on the neck/middle combo. So there’s that.
And then, as if I wasn’t in enough trouble, that damn Sonzera was just killing it. Pristine cleans, but not too glassy, and adjustable in the mids... where my Vibrolux is not... I like to have a mid-power, portable combo on hand...
So my Vibrolux is sweating, as I think may be my Mira Soapbar. I love it, sounds great, but I just never use it. Don’t ask me why. I could see myself using that Studio a ton. I’m at maximum gear inventory right now, so decisions must be made, and the motivation is real, because once those Studios are gone, they’re gone...
The local shop has a sister business online, in addition to being a PRS dealer they have one of the largest boutique effects selections in the state, and have even more at the sister warehouse, which is right in town, they will bring anything you want in from the warehouse to demo. I’ve been needing to up my game in the delay and reverb department, specifically needing a multi-fx delay unit that I can program presets to cycle through. I need something I can use to get all the textures I want live, without having to slow the set down between songs to adjust knobs, tap tempos, etc. also wanted something with dual delays. So I had them bring in an Empress Echosystem. It’s mega cool, I bought it, yada yada yada.
I wanted something somewhat familiar to demo it with, so I grabbed a nearby S2 Studio (in frost blue, no less) and went into a Sonzera 50 combo. And that’s where the real gear problem started.
This is the 3rd or 4th Studio I’ve played, and they just keep getting better. Like they have something to prove to me, and I keep trying to deny it. They’re always mega resonant, great tonal balance, and the one I played today really highlighted all the things I love about single coils and in-between pickup positions, without the things I hate. Deep, rich tones, not ice picky, not anemic in the bass, but plenty of single coil bite, and excellent “quack” on the neck/middle combo. So there’s that.
And then, as if I wasn’t in enough trouble, that damn Sonzera was just killing it. Pristine cleans, but not too glassy, and adjustable in the mids... where my Vibrolux is not... I like to have a mid-power, portable combo on hand...
So my Vibrolux is sweating, as I think may be my Mira Soapbar. I love it, sounds great, but I just never use it. Don’t ask me why. I could see myself using that Studio a ton. I’m at maximum gear inventory right now, so decisions must be made, and the motivation is real, because once those Studios are gone, they’re gone...
