What gear are you using

[mfwahl]

Guitars:

-Yamaha Acoustic w/ Dean Markley Pro-Mag Single Coil Pickup

-Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II (perfect for jazz. If you like Nels' feedback amp dives, try it with a hollowbody.

Warning: Only do this is you are insane. You'll love it).

-Cheap P.O.S. lap steel

 

-->Boss TU-2 Tuner (Just like Jeff and Nels Ohmygod! I'm gay)

-->Dunlop Crybaby Wah (still the best)

-->Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal (The discontinued one with no options but great sound)

-->Boss Chorus Ensemble (I think this is the best pedal ever if you are willing to experiment with sounds, great range of stuff from Leslie to Tremolo to super cheesy smooth jazz chorus)

--> Morley VOL Volume pedal (The original first model from the 70's. Sounds incredibly smooth. Ten times better than Ernie Ball)

 

--> Crate Vintage Club Amp 3x10 (discontinued [they used to make these in cream color], loud as fuck, great dirty channel, all-tube, warm as hell)

 

I use a Stevens Steel (people say there is better stuff but I'm so used to the wieght and shape) to slide, smack, throw, shove everywhere on all of my equipment to make sounds from doves cooing to ogres marching.

 

The most important thing about gear is to know it well. Where to tap your pick on your pickups to get the right sound you want, how to shove your elbow into the side of the guitar so when it spins around you will get the right pitch of feedback. And most imprtantly how far you can take your stuff without demolishing it. Make sure the kind of fake blood you spit is suitable for your guitar's finish

[Saut Crapaud]

Gibson J 45 Rosewood

Nashville Tele

Epiphone Sheraton II

 

I have a Line 6 modeling amp because i'm too much into school debt to shell out the bucks for tube technology. I've just been using the effects built into the amp 9 (chorus, delay, tremolo). I know virtually nothing about effects. does anybody have any advice on some essential effects, what they do, and how i can incorporate them into my playing. i try to play wilco style stuff but am also trying to develop some traditional twangy tele stuff. i've also tried to get a vintage warm jazz tone from the semi-hollowbody but have been unsuccessful. if anybody has an opinion on that, i would appreciate it. sorry for rambling on but i'm pretty stoked about getting some info to help me get better

[mfwahl]

Gibson J 45 Rosewood

Nashville Tele

Epiphone Sheraton II

 

I have a Line 6 modeling amp because i'm too much into school debt to shell out the bucks for tube technology. I've just been using the effects built into the amp 9 (chorus, delay, tremolo). I know virtually nothing about effects. does anybody have any advice on some essential effects, what they do, and how i can incorporate them into my playing. i try to play wilco style stuff but am also trying to develop some traditional twangy tele stuff. i've also tried to get a vintage warm jazz tone from the semi-hollowbody but have been unsuccessful. if anybody has an opinion on that, i would appreciate it. sorry for rambling on but i'm pretty stoked about getting some info to help me get better

 

I don't think that there are any essential effects. You should never buy or use any unless it will fill a void, if you feel you are missing something. It should feel natural. Otherwise it is not music, just masturbation. But you will find you'll want some sort of distortion, probably overdrive. TS808 is pretty much the standard. I use a chorus pedal for a lot of different things but that is because I love sounds with rates. If I could afford a Leslie speaker I would probably dump the chorus pedal. I've found that a volume pedal for me is very helpful. I bought it for use with my lap steel, but entering a song with a volume swell gives a real professional touch to your music if used maturely. Also it is nice to adjust your volume hands free. I personally think every musician playing an electrified instrument should use one in a live setting. It makes everything easier. I've gone so far as to adjust volume subtley during my solos note by note so I have more control over what I'm doing. But that's after I spent ten years concentrating on controlling my dynamics with just my hands.

 

Nothing is essential. If you can't play well out of an acoustic guitar yet you don't need anything else. I started out making four track tapes with an acoustic guitar. When I discovered I needed different sounds to make layered guitar parts stand out I began preparing my guitar my putting things (paper clips, paper, yarn, coins, etc.) directly on the strings to get the sound I wanted. I would recommend thinking like this when it comes to effects because once I started playing professionally and had to be electrified, I had a better understanding about the purpose of effects and what it does to your sound. Maybe I'm a purist but I think effects should earn my respect before I touch them. I would never buy a pedal unless I absolutely needed it.

 

As for the jazz tone, I'm gonna sound like a purist again but most of that is in the fingers. Listen to people who play with that tone you want and emulate it. You should be able to get a warm jazz tone out of a cigar box with a rubber band on it. For some quick fixes, don't use a pick. Use the pad of your thumb. Wes Montgomery was the master of this and you should be able to find some literature on his technique. If not, I can explain it. Also, you're gonna need tubes. I played in a group who provided a lot of equipment because of busy rehearsal schedules and had to use a Line 6 amp. I thought the effects on it were absolutely useless (sounded so generic and cheesy) and it was the first time I didn't use a tube amp and I felt like a 12 year old in mom's garage playing with toys. Not for the big boys. I would suggest getting a pedal that has a tube in it. Most of these seriously improve your tone (make it mellow, warm, round) and give you the option of tube distortion, which the TS808 that I mentioned before is made to emulate.

 

So after all that rambling, get a Tube Driver. I forget who makes it but the other guitarist in my band uses one because he is always using different amps so it gives him some guarantee of sounding good through no matter what amp.

 

Hope this helps and hope I didn't come off as pompous but this is what I do with my life and I could talk about this stuff forever.

[jhc]

Gibson J 45 Rosewood

Nashville Tele

Epiphone Sheraton II

 

I have a Line 6 modeling amp because i'm too much into school debt to shell out the bucks for tube technology. I've just been using the effects built into the amp 9 (chorus, delay, tremolo). I know virtually nothing about effects. does anybody have any advice on some essential effects, what they do, and how i can incorporate them into my playing. i try to play wilco style stuff but am also trying to develop some traditional twangy tele stuff. i've also tried to get a vintage warm jazz tone from the semi-hollowbody but have been unsuccessful. if anybody has an opinion on that, i would appreciate it. sorry for rambling on but i'm pretty stoked about getting some info to help me get better

 

You can buy small tube combo amps for a few hundred dollars - that will help a lot with your jazz tone I think.

 

Which (if any) effects are essential will depend on the kind of music you want to play - you can do a lot with a clean guitar, but if you want to play AGIB material for instance, you'll need some effects. Overdrive is probably the most useful.. there are a few ways to go about this

 

- clean amp, overdrive pedal

- amp with switchable clean/dirty channels

- single channel tube amp and a boost pedal to push it into overdrive

 

Other things to think about...

 

- reverb: will give more depth, especially nice with clean tones. Some amps have it built in, but a pedal can be useful if you want to switch it on and off

 

- delay: a nice echo can add a lot to a solo, more radical delays can create some interesting soundscapes. Analog delays sound warmer than digital delays which can sometimes be sterile sounding, but some digital delays do a pretty good analog simulation (cheap good one = Ibanez DE-7)

[Saut Crapaud]

I don't think that there are any essential effects. You should never buy or use any unless it will fill a void, if you feel . . .

 

 

 

you don't sound pompous at all. i've only been playing for a short while and i figured that effects were generally used to augment your playing not substitute for poor technique. i think i'll save my money on the effects, practice like hell, and later buy a solid vintage tube amp. i need to make my mediocre equipment sound better, before i shell out the dough for equipment i don't know how to use. thanks for the input.

[nicburto]

i dont think your equipment is mediocre at all - all of these guitars can sound amazing if played well:

 

Gibson J 45 Rosewood

Nashville Tele

Epiphone Sheraton II

 

Honestly, when I play my electric I never use my amp - I always practice with it on a strap walking around the house trying to make the music sound as good as possible without any enhancements at all. Then when it comes time to plug in, you know that you've got it down.

[tthcore]

Wow you folks got alot of nice stuff!

 

Here's mine

 

Elec: Gibson SG std. (1999)

Jcm 900 head (dual reverb)

Jcm 900 cab

 

acoustic:

Gibson J45 rosewood Blonde (2005)

 

Pedals:

Boss Tuner

LR Baggs DI eq

 

 

Recording setup:

Laptop

Maudio mobile pre

Magix music studio

 

 

 

I'm a lefty so i'm cursed bying all my guitars at higher prices. I'd like to get my hands on a pro tools setup, probably the Mbox2.

[c53x12]

I use a 39-17 for most flat riding, and a 39-23 on steep hills.

[delmarkurt]

Guitars:

PRS Hollowbody I

Fender American Standard Strat

 

Effects:

Whammy II>

Tesse RMC Custom Wha>

Analogman Silver Mod. Ibanez Tube Screamer>

Analogman Silver Mod. Ibanez Tube Screamer>

Ross Compressor>

Ibanez Analog Delay>

Sweet Sounds Ulta-Vibe>

Ernie Ball Volume Pedal>

Boomerang Phrase Sampler>

Boss Tuner

 

Effect Power:

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2

 

Amp:

65 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue

[mfwahl]

Guitars:

PRS Hollowbody I

Fender American Standard Strat

 

Effects:

Whammy II>

Tesse RMC Custom Wha>

Analogman Silver Mod. Ibanez Tube Screamer>

Analogman Silver Mod. Ibanez Tube Screamer>

Ross Compressor>

Ibanez Analog Delay>

Sweet Sounds Ulta-Vibe>

Ernie Ball Volume Pedal>

Boomerang Phrase Sampler>

Boss Tuner

 

Effect Power:

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2

 

Amp:

65 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue

 

 

Trey much?

[delmarkurt]

Trey much?

 

I won't pretend I'm not influneced by him, because I am. It is a similar set up, but not the same. Here is Trey's: Trey's Rig The Boomerang sucks. It's very noisey and kills my tone. I'm planning to get rid of it and buy a Line-6 delay.

[jhc]

I won't pretend I'm not influneced by him, because I am. It is a similar set up, but not the same. Here is Trey's: Trey's Rig The Boomerang sucks. It's very noisey and kills my tone. I'm planning to get rid of it and buy a Line-6 delay.

 

If you're trying to get rid of noise, a Line 6 delay might not be the best option...

 

Can't you put the Boomerang into a true bypass loop?

[delmarkurt]

If you're trying to get rid of noise, a Line 6 delay might not be the best option...

 

Can't you put the Boomerang into a true bypass loop?

 

I don't have an effects loop.

 

Why don't you think a line 6 is good option? I'm seriously considering picking one up. I've read that they have a true bypass. It seems like a pretty solid pedal.

[mfwahl]

I don't have an effects loop.

 

Why don't you think a line 6 is good option? I'm seriously considering picking one up. I've read that they have a true bypass. It seems like a pretty solid pedal.

 

I would burn down the line 6 factory if I could. I'm currently saving up vacation time.

 

All I know is every line 6 effect I've used sounds so cheap and fake. It really sounds like an effect, rather than an enhancement. When you see a movie and it has special effects, you know that it's not real but good special effects make it so that you can forget about that and enjoy the movie. Bad special effects make you cringe (I'm talking about me here). Same thing with guitar effects.

[delmarkurt]

I would burn down the line 6 factory if I could. I'm currently saving up vacation time.

 

All I know is every line 6 effect I've used sounds so cheap and fake. It really sounds like an effect, rather than an enhancement. When you see a movie and it has special effects, you know that it's not real but good special effects make it so that you can forget about that and enjoy the movie. Bad special effects make you cringe (I'm talking about me here). Same thing with guitar effects.

 

I agree.

 

But the Boomerang sucks and needs to be replaced. Any advice on a good delay/phase sampler stomp box with a true bypass?

[jhc]

I don't have an effects loop.

=

 

I meant something like this

 

www.loooper.com

 

[delmarkurt]

I meant something like this

 

www.loooper.com

 

Very Cool! That would solve the problem. I'll check it out.

[mfwahl]

Check www.analogman.com for anything about effects. He knows his shit and customizes them to sound better if you have the cash. He has done a bunch of stuff for Trey Anastasio and Jack White and other good guitarists. He has a bunch of true bypass loops and stuff there

[groovingdan]

Here's my gear---

Taylor 310ce

Taylor 314ce

Danelectro Pro Jr.

Rickenbacker 330 Jetglow

 

Ernie Ball Volume Pedal

Boss Compressor/Sustainer

Digitech Hot Rod Distortion

Boss Overdrive/Distortion

Vox Wah Pedal

Boss DD6 Delay

EHX Holy Grail Reverb

Fender Blues Jr. Amp

[GtrPlyr]

If nothing else, this list might come in handy for insurance purposes .

 

 

ELECTRIC GUITARS:

Gibson ES-335

Fender Stratocaster

Hondo Revival (My first guitar. Got this around 1983 I believe)

 

ACOUSTIC GUITARS:

Norman 12-String Acoustic

Charvel 6-String Acoustic

 

AMPS:

Fender - Twin

Peavey - Backstage Plus

 

Line6 - Pod

SansAmp - Guitar (the old stomp box version with the dip switches)

SansAmp - Bass

 

EFFECTS (I usually plug right into the Twin, so most of these effects sit idle):

MXR - phase 100

Ibanez - TS9 Tube Screamer

Boss - Octave OC-2

Boss - Analog Delay DM-3

Snarling Dogs Wah Pedal

JIm Dunlop - Rotovibe JD-4S

E-Bow

 

MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUMENTS:

Fender Mandolin

Fender Precision Bass

Pearl Drum kit

Korg M1 Keyboard

Hohner Harmonicas

Tamborine

 

RECORDING EQUIPMENT (fairly lo-tech for the most part, with a few nice pieces):

Tascam 488 Portastudio (still using cassettes)

Zoom - PS-04 (used for composing purposes)

Symetrix - SX202 Dual Mic Preamp

ART - PRO MPA Mic Preamp

Lexicon - LXP-1 Multi Effects Processor

dbx - 166XL Compressor/Limiter/Gate

Alesis - 3630 Compressor

 

MICROPHONES:

AKG - C-451-B, D112, C 414 B-ULS, SE 300 B (2)

Audio Technica - AT-3060

Shure - SM-57 (2), SM-58

Korg DDD-5 Drum Machine

 

 

That's most of it, barring a few small pieces, and things sitting in boxes.

[muller]

I use a 1974 Telecaster Thinline, a Rickenbacker and a 1990's USA Tele. Through a Vox AC30 with minimal effects > A danelectro spring reverb, a Boss overdrive and a Boss delay. Sometimes I throw in some Danelectro Tremelo, and ive also got an old Tape Echo machine.

 

I dig the "old" sound.

[groovingdan]

Line6 - Pod

 

How do you like the Pod?

[GtrPlyr]

How do you like the Pod?

 

 

As far as 'Amp Simulators' go, this one is pretty great. Nothing can replace a tube amp/mic combination, but for those times you need to record quietly, this little unit does an awesome job. It has a nice variety of amp sounds (Classic Vox's, Fender's, Marshall's, Mesa's, Roland...) and allows a lot of room to tweak the sounds of each of those. The effects selection, though not huge, does boast some nice sounding ones (Tremelo, Chorus, Delay, Leslie Speaker, Flanger...). I think I like the old Fender Amp sounds best.

 

If you're looking for something to use for recording, that has a variety of sounds, this thing is definitely worth looking into, and for the price you can't go wrong. It's pretty easy to use as well.

[velvet touch]

guitars: gibson les paul junior special (the singlecutaway with p-90s), self made telecaster custom, martin 000 parlor style with spruce top and koa sides and back.

 

effects: fulltone ocd, seymour duncan tweak fuzz, fuzzface, marshall blues breaker, boss chorus ensemble, old dod delay.

 

amps: fender 65 twin reverb reissue, old audio guild amp from the sixties.

 

anyways, im new here. names danny. likes wilco. gear slut. hi.

[jhc]

(AA meeting voice) Hi Danny :wave

 

Your guitars sound very cool - you have a pic of that tele?