Show your rig

[Screamingdaisy]

Nice demo, dug how everything works well together!

It sounded great, but I continually fought against it and never felt satisfied.

With all the palm mutes in my playing I feel it’s obvious why I ended back with Mesa, which lead me down the road of trying to figure out how to get a tape delay sound that jives with a high gain channel switcher (which would’ve been a Mark V at the time), which lead me to the El Capistan for a long time (2013?), and now the MXR Echoplex.

 

[CandidPicker]

Made a couple of insignificant changes to the room since taking the pics. A 4th amp is coming this week. It’ll need a cab.

“Where are the guitars, Les?”

“The guitars don’t like being in the basement. Can’t say I blame ‘em.”

Les,

I'm curiously interested about your previous comment regards a 4th amp...what amp do you have on order, and please provide us with any special details why you chose this amp...?

 

[László]

Les,

I'm curiously interested about your previous comment regards a 4th amp...what amp do you have on order, and please provide us with any special details why you chose this amp...?

Mesa Filmore 50 Watt. I liked the online demo of it on Mesa’s website and figured it’d be another voice added to my PRS amps. I ordered It in black leather because, well...

PRS amps are my #1 choice, but I like Mesas, too.

 

[CandidPicker]

Mesa Filmore 50 Watt. I liked the online demo of it on Mesa’s website and figured it’d be another voice added to my PRS amps. I ordered It in black leather because, well...

PRS amps are my #1 choice, but I like Mesas, too.

Pics? Or once the amp has found its place in your basement?

 

[László]

Pics? Or once the amp has found its place in your basement?

Y’know, PRS forum, and all. I’m sure it’ll appear in a pic of my basement at some point after I redo everything, along with my beloved PRS amps.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Had to wait until rehearsal.

The cabinet is really messing with my aesthetic, and I can’t escape the Zooms.... they’ve knocked a pile of “nicer” stuff off my board.

 

[CandidPicker]

Had to wait until rehearsal.

The cabinet is really messing with my aesthetic, and I can’t escape the Zooms.... they’ve knocked a pile of “nicer” stuff off my board.

Am just unwinding slightly myself following another round of 10 PM evening news...crikey, when will people learn that sitting on the outdoor patio with your guitar and grilling a late night dinner is more likely everyone's reality, not the constant barrage of um, stuff, we view on TV? Or sipping a cup of tea while reading a book in front of your fireplace?

Serg, your cab reads Yamaha and Wildcat Mountain Sales. Can't quite read the remaining there...the minimalist effects look seems to be doing the job for you...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Serg, your cab reads Yamaha and Wildcat Mountain Sales. Can't quite read the remaining there...the minimalist effects look seems to be doing the job for you...

You know, Bob, I bought the cabinet from @Rider1260 and I believe he put the logo on. He’s a motorcycle guy, so I imagine that’s what it is?I don’t even know what brand the cabinet is...

I also play keyboards in the band I’m in so, not only do I have to haul a guitar rig, but I have two keyboards, an amp, and all the other stuff that goes along with it that’s not pictured, so I gotta keep stuff pretty small.

 

[CandidPicker]

You know, Bob, I bought the cabinet from @Rider1260 and I believe he put the logo on. He’s a motorcycle guy, so I imagine that’s what it is?I don’t even know what brand the cabinet is...

I also play keyboards in the band I’m in so, not only do I have to haul a guitar rig, but I have two keyboards, an amp, and all the other stuff that goes along with it that’s not pictured, so I gotta keep stuff pretty small.

Makes sense. I’d likely say your rig will sound better with less extraneous stuff, and you won’t be spinning your wheels as much trying to keep up with the extra, forgive me...junk...you’d need lug with your rig...no offense to your gear; am referring to the extra stuff we usually think will add to a gig, but just weighs us down....

I’d say that often times the temptation is there to bring as much as you might think it takes to do the gig. My feeling is that folks can still hear a mic’d cab or combo compared to lugging anything bigger than either a 1x12 or 2x12...mebbe it’s the same old song and dance you’ve heard, but 1 or 2 mics with CabGrabbers weigh a lot less than larger cabs...

What do you think, does less weight to lug to/from a gig translate to better/happier jams?

 

[Huggy Love]

Now before you go snickering and scratching your head, understand this rig, the way I have it EQ'd, I can get an HB PRS to hold up to any arch top big jazz box in a live setting. Did so recently at an open jazz jam recently, the house guitar man was blown away at how close I was tone wise.

I just lost the ability to rock out or shred a fusion solo after I sold my Recto and putting an overdrive/distortion with this rig hasn't worked well so far. (Still working that one out)

 

[CandidPicker]

Now before you go snickering and scratching your head, understand this rig, the way I have it EQ'd, I can get an HB PRS to hold up to any arch top big jazz box in a live setting. Did so recently at an open jazz jam recently, the house guitar man was blown away at how close I was tone wise.

I just lost the ability to rock out or shred a fusion solo after I sold my Recto and putting an overdrive/distortion with this rig hasn't worked well so far. (Still working that one out)

DV solid-state pre/power amp? I’ve often thought a Seymour Duncan or recently released OrangeBaby (sp?) & cab would do the job, but you’ve got that covered...

 

[vchizzle]

Well... I know it’s been a day since I posted the above pics, but I think the Ground Control and GCX are out. As cool as it was to be able to control everything, once I started actually running through sets I found I kept treating it like a pedalboard. I’m not a big effects user, but I appreciated being able to switch to my lead channel, turn on my delay and my solo boost with one tap, then turn it all off with a second touch.

Once I got past the “this GCX thing has eight loops and I can plug in every pedal I own” phase and cut out the unnecessary crap I found i only had a couple pedals left. Then I began thinking it was a bit dumb building a rack to mount a switcher that was controlling two pedals.

The last nail in the coffin was an Echoplex delay I picked up today. It sounded great in the loop, but once I ran it into the front end of one amp it was game over. Man, is that ever a killer sound. I thought the delay interacting with a high gain lead channel would produce a lot of mud, but it actually tucks in underneath the dry tone and just thickens things without getting in the way, then pops out when I stop playing. Super dynamic.

Anyway, updated pedalboard (haven’t mounted them yet... still finalizing the details)

And for those who actually pay attention to the crap I write, I got my CE-22 back today. Converted to 3 way and had a JB and Jazz installed. Sounds killer.

Have you considered something like the Boss ES-5? Would give you all the benefits of the GCX without having a rack. Maybe even the MS-3 would work? I have an ES-8 that I like. Plus you can rearrange the pedal order in a program which is pretty cool.

 

[801PE]

Now before you go snickering and scratching your head, understand this rig, the way I have it EQ'd, I can get an HB PRS to hold up to any arch top big jazz box in a live setting. Did so recently at an open jazz jam recently, the house guitar man was blown away at how close I was tone wise.

I just lost the ability to rock out or shred a fusion solo after I sold my Recto and putting an overdrive/distortion with this rig hasn't worked well so far. (Still working that one out)

Gets the job done. Who is anyone to question how you create your music.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Have you considered something like the Boss ES-5? Would give you all the benefits of the GCX without having a rack. Maybe even the MS-3 would work? I have an ES-8 that I like. Plus you can rearrange the pedal order in a program which is pretty cool.

I’m considering both the 5 and the 3. I’m pretty sure either will take up less real estate than my amp’s stock footswitch while giving me more functionality, so it’s kind of a win-win situation. I’m just not sure which way I want to go (effects built in or separate pedals).

One of the musts for this setup for me is the ability to either run one or two heads with minimal fuss. I plan on only using one head most of the time and only brining out the second head when I think the show is worth the extra effort. I don’t want it to be super complex.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What do you think, does less weight to lug to/from a gig translate to better/happier jams?

There’s a “sweet spot”, I feel.

The last gig we did I had a bigger pedal board but I used a modeler into the PA. Nobody in the audience noticed, and aside from not filling the stage with as much volume, the rest of the band didn’t notice either but... my enjoyment level was way down.

It was after that that I realized that I need to haul my amp for nobody but me. It sounded okay but the feel was completely dead, and while there was some enjoyment in not hauling as much gear, it wasn’t enough to do that again.

I own a 1x12 combo amp as well and while it’s an okay amp, it’s nowhere as rad as the DG30. I do consider picking up a smaller 1x12 cabinet though, but my 2x12 is actually super light. The prospect of being able to put a 1x12 on a tilt back stand appeals to me but... then where do I put my head, on the floor? Ouch!

The “lean an’ mean” pedalboard is dope though: Less cables to worry about, smaller footprint on a crowded stage, and the big @ss screens on the Zooms are easier to see than little LEDs or the clock radio display on the H9... I also happen to really like the Zooms too, they’re not as prestigious, and the tuner function isn’t as exact but, they still do things that few pedals can match in as much space.

 

[CandidPicker]

There’s a “sweet spot”, I feel.

The last gig we did I had a bigger pedal board but I used a modeler into the PA. Nobody in the audience noticed, and aside from not filling the stage with as much volume, the rest of the band didn’t notice either but... my enjoyment level was way down.

It was after that that I realized that I need to haul my amp for nobody but me. It sounded okay but the feel was completely dead, and while there was some enjoyment in not hauling as much gear, it wasn’t enough to do that again.

I own a 1x12 combo amp as well and while it’s an okay amp, it’s nowhere as rad as the DG30. I do consider picking up a smaller 1x12 cabinet though, but my 2x12 is actually super light. The prospect of being able to put a 1x12 on a tilt back stand appeals to me but... then where do I put my head, on the floor? Ouch!

The “lean an’ mean” pedalboard is dope though: Less cables to worry about, smaller footprint on a crowded stage, and the big @ss screens on the Zooms are easier to see than little LEDs or the clock radio display on the H9... I also happen to really like the Zooms too, they’re not as prestigious, and the tuner function isn’t as exact but, they still do things that few pedals can match in as much space.

There exists the conundrum we often struggle with...we'd like to feel the visceral part of an amp (the air pushing a speaker cabinet) but can't sacrifice using a head/cab or combo because we think we need that.

My Brunetti 1x12 combo recently received a speaker upgrade towards a lighter weight Celestion G12 Neo Creamback (about 6 lbs lighter) and the amp is noticeably easier to lift / transport... translated with a 2x12 cab, you'd save about 12 lbs off of 2 standard 10.5 lb speakers, and much more with heavier speakers...folks with EV speakers may appreciate the tone they've got, but as they grow older, they'll likely appreciate not needing to heft as much weight as when they were younger...

I'd say that amp modelers have their place and usefulness, though many of us would question how they feel to us from that visceral point of view. (The media debate rages on regards this...I just shut it out and wait until the storm clears, then stick my hand outside my door to see if it's still raining out...)

I think that if I weren't so concerned about the extraneous functions that multi-effects have, I'd also use multi-effects. My mindset is still one of plug-and-play, not tweak-til-you-get-what-you-need-and-then-play. I'm not the type of guy who likes to twiddle too many knobs or push too many buttons before achieving a desired result. Too much of a learning curve, perhaps...

Perhaps that and my budget is what prevents me from considering something more costly (really, my needs are already satisfied with what my current effects are) regards multi-effects or amp modeling, perhaps from the visceral feel point of view again...

 

[László]

There’s a “sweet spot”, I feel.

The last gig we did I had a bigger pedal board but I used a modeler into the PA. Nobody in the audience noticed, and aside from not filling the stage with as much volume, the rest of the band didn’t notice either but... my enjoyment level was way down.

It was after that that I realized that I need to haul my amp for nobody but me. It sounded okay but the feel was completely dead, and while there was some enjoyment in not hauling as much gear, it wasn’t enough to do that again.

I own a 1x12 combo amp as well and while it’s an okay amp, it’s nowhere as rad as the DG30. I do consider picking up a smaller 1x12 cabinet though, but my 2x12 is actually super light. The prospect of being able to put a 1x12 on a tilt back stand appeals to me but... then where do I put my head, on the floor? Ouch!

The “lean an’ mean” pedalboard is dope though: Less cables to worry about, smaller footprint on a crowded stage, and the big @ss screens on the Zooms are easier to see than little LEDs or the clock radio display on the H9... I also happen to really like the Zooms too, they’re not as prestigious, and the tuner function isn’t as exact but, they still do things that few pedals can match in as much space.

What works, works. If that makes any sense?

We play to express who we are. So the stuff that enables a player to do that is automatically great stuff!

 

[CandidPicker]

Had to wait until rehearsal.

The cabinet is really messing with my aesthetic, and I can’t escape the Zooms.... they’ve knocked a pile of “nicer” stuff off my board.

Serg,

Just so you don't acquire Nugent's Zebra PRS. You wouldn't look good in zebra unless you were officiating...or answering questions up your alley...!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What works, works. If that makes any sense?

We play to express who we are. So the stuff that enables a player to do that is automatically great stuff!

Very true, although sometimes I feel crazy for choosing a Zoom over an Eventide.

Serg,

Just so you don't acquire Nugent's Zebra PRS. You wouldn't look good in zebra unless you were officiating...or answering questions up your alley...!

Yeah, my body type at the moment is probably better suited to cow print.

 

[CandidPicker]

Very true, although sometimes I feel crazy for choosing a Zoom over an Eventide.



Yeah, my body type at the moment is probably better suited to cow print.

Everyone could use a little naugahyde guitar once in a while...