|
As mentioned in the Amp thread, I got hired as a rhythm/lead for a 2-month tour. Since it's mostly going to be small clubs, I needed something less ostentatious and (let's not kid ourselves here) since most of the heads and combos I use for studio work:
The next day, I passed by two of the music stores in downtown and decided to check them out, despite the fact that they don't seem to carry anything beyond boring Vox, Marshall, Crate and occasionally some Orange amps. They do have a bunch of really cool Fender amp stuff, but I'm digressing here. It had been a while since I actually went into the store and paid attention to the guitar amp section, to be honest; I mostly just go there because they carry the strings I put on 90% of my stringed instruments. Imagine my surprise when I see that they carry the EVH line, Blackstar and some other cool things. And then, I saw this guy:  While I never played Rectifiers extensively, I do have a history of using Mesa/Boogie Mark IV heads on tour (to this day, I keep 1 at home and 1 at the studio). Like, whenever I had no choice but to settle for carrying only 1 head with no backup, my choice was always that Mark IV head. Also, giving it maintenance was fairly easy compared to other amps. So, after asking the guy if I could bring my guitar the next day to try it and got the okay, I headed back home and started warming up on my old Marshall AVT (the one you see below in that picture). Next day (this last Tuesday), I took my baritone guitar there and tested two heads: The one shown above and the Express 5:50 plus. While I initially liked the 5:50 a bit more at the start due to having the 5 band EQ that I always dug from the Mark series, the Recto was just an insanely good match for my baritone. Both channels sounded off the hook and... hell, it felt like a no-brainer. I actually got kind of skeptic due to the fact that maybe it was the cabinet I used to test it (a 4x12 Marshall cab) the one that made it sound that good. Nope. I took the thing home and plugged it into my 2x12 Orange cab and got an even better sound. So that's my story.
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2015 18:13
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:30 |
|
|
Not sure, to be honest. My first "real" head was an old (like, really old; probably the guy who sold it to the store I was working at c. 1998 bought it back when they originally came out) JCM 800 that I had to repair over the course of a few weeks. Turns out the previous owner was a lazy rear end. But well, his loss was my treasure. When I made the switch to using Mesa heads, the change came with the surprise that the cleans were really loving good and that the 2nd channel had actual variety of tones to offer, instead of that lame-rear end overdrive that I heard all those US "alt rock" bands were using it for back in the early 00's. I discovered some other amps along the way (Dr. Z, Soldano, Cornford, Orange and a bunch more) which were really cool, but seemed to work better for studio purposes or when doing local gigs (which my band at the time seldom did). This may sound corny but that Mark IV was my knight in shining armor when it came to gigging. Finding out that Mesa keeps doing solid amps was a welcome surprise.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 6, 2015 04:51
|
|
|
Literally Elvis posted:
And what a combination you've got!  The Mark series have always treated me right, and I'm sure the Mini Mark V will treat you right as well.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 16, 2016 19:26
|
|
|
Thorpe posted:I got a TD-11KV electronic drumset so I could both continue learning to play drums and jam with some friends through headphones, but I forgot I have a crippling addiction to craigslist so over the last few months this has happened This is G.A.S. plain and simple, dude. If you're still learning, you're fine like this. Once you get proper better, then start thinking about further adding to your kit.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 23, 2016 04:04
|
|
|
Okay, so this might not be so new, but I haven't talked about it due to being very busy. As most of the people who frequent the Amp, Effects, and New Gear threads have probably read, I'm leaving on tour as a hired gun in about 10 days. The tour is going to be 3 months long, so I've spent a gently caress-ton of time making sure that everything is as in order can be.
For around 200 bucks, she sold me these two ladies:  Going off from the serial numbers:
Here's the thing: I kinda want to try my hand at playing with floating bridges, but I also want to make sure tuning and intonation remain stable so I can set it and forget it. Are there any components you would recommend? Locking tuners? A specific brand for replacement floating bridges? Any extensive modification the Jackson would need? (It does currently have a right-handed bridge, so maybe I'd need to put a chunk of wood to compensate for something) As you can probably surmise from reading, I have zero experience with Floyd-rose-equipped guitars.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2016 22:43
|
|
|
Licensed copy.  I'm still going to take it with the guy that checks up on stuff that I can't fix on my other guitars (I do like 90 percent of my guitar setup/maintenance) before seeing if I need to buy a new bridge. The Ibanez has a LO-TRS II and I've heard from other musicians that those are garbage, so the Ibanez IS getting a Floyd Rose. Another question: Would putting locking tuners on one of these guitars improve tuning stability even if I start using the bridge as intended?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2016 02:43
|
|
|
NonzeroCircle posted:First new guitar in 6 years arrived today! Ibanez S520-WK I honestly don't know how can they do it, but goddamn are the Ibanez S Series some seriously good poo poo. I wonder if once I get the Floyd Rose on it the tone will suffer a downgrade or get even better. Allen Wren posted:I want amps done in billiard table baize now. A call center near my house was selling a bunch of furniture, chairs and such. My fiancée thought it was a good idea. 
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2016 04:54
|
|
|
JohnnySmitch posted:I just finished building myself a new delay pedal gently caress you. Not fair! I try to get out, but you people keep reeling me in!  In all seriousness, though: I really liked it and, if you plan to build more, I'll be more than glad to buy one off you.  No bullshit.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2016 04:59
|
|
|
So, tour begins tomorrow. I'm kinda nervous about going back on tour after so many years. At the same time, I feel pretty excited about that nervous feeling, because I think that will force me to try and do my best. If I see any weird gizmos worth buying, I'll be definitely posting here. Take care, in the meantime! JohnnySmitch, while I cannot PM you, I'm still interested in that delightfully hosed up delay pedal of yours. If you plan on making more and can send it to either my Mexican address or to an Aunt's PO Box in Mission, TX, I can be contacted at manji.architect@gmail.com
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2016 02:34
|
|
|
Some dude just came into tour bus and apparently he's from Fishman or something. I don't know what to make of this.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2016 14:48
|
|
|
muike posted:get those pickups son From his intensely enthusiastic info-dump, I learned that these Fluence pickups are basically the 2nd coming of Papa Hendrix or some poo poo. Also, he gave me 2 USB rechargeable battery packs or something? Once I get a day off, I'm gonna install them. My tech is loving awesome but I don't want to bother her right now.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2016 18:05
|
|
|
Aren't BADASS bass bridges considered to be decent? I genuinely do not know. I've stuck with Gotoh for both my bass and guitar needs for the longest time.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2016 22:53
|
|
|
widefault posted:Picked up a Squier Jaguar and Jazzmaster to go with my Squier Mustang and Mustang bridges for all three because the stock ones are terrible. Be-yoo-ti-ful.  As someone who used to be way into Fender guitars, I kinda wish Lefty versions of these weren't so friggin' expensive.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 26, 2016 04:26
|
|
|
So my tech finally installed the Fishman Modern Fluence pickups in both my old Super Swede and my Schecter ATX (she also installed the USB rechargable packs), leaving my old PT as the only one with normal pickups. And here's what happened when she woke me up yesterday. Wark, you need to play these loving guys now. What's up, girl? Holy poo poo, dude. They sound loving awesome. What, the fishman pickups? Yes! Okay.(After playing with them for 10 minutes) HOLY. loving. poo poo.That last one is me. Because holy crap muike, you were right. If I get more than 2 days off, I'm probably going to make a video of this. Also, I just saw a picture of the guy who came to our tour bus 2 weeks ago. It was the dude from Unearth. 
|
|
#
¿
Feb 27, 2016 15:53
|
|
|
Of all the guitars made by Gibson, the RD and the SG are my favorites. That is one sexy-looking SG.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 11, 2016 02:42
|
|
|
I think the only model I outright dislike from Gibson is the Les Paul. I think it's mostly because at this point in time, there are companies that do the "Les Paul" body a thousand times better.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 11, 2016 03:11
|
|
|
Due to who knows what reason, my boss was surfing guitar websites. It's not sufficient that I've been teaching her how to play guitar using my own guitars and she's been learning as if it was the easiest thing in the world (I'm lefty; based on the fact that she plays violin normally, I thought she was right-handed), she apparently wants to play guitar more than once per night. Then, this happened: "Hey, Wark! Look!" "What's up, boss?"She shows me this page: http://adirondackguitar.com/lefty/esp/16/SC607_7-String_Baritone.htm "Wouldn't it be cool if you were to get that? It even has the same pickups as you have on two of your guitars"" "Well, yeah. But it says that it doesn't arrive until may" "Well, I already reserved one! Is that okay with you?"I think she's trying to bribe me with instruments so I remain part of her band beyond May? I honestly don't know anymore.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 04:23
|
|
|
Warcabbit posted:At least she knows where to shop for lefties. I don't know any guitar store better than Adirondack for the sinister sorts. Wasn't Xtreme Lefty guitars also pretty good? From the few times I visited that website, it appears that the dude is a Lefty sinister sort as well, so I'm guessing he gets a chunk of that market. Professor Science posted:can someone please tell me what the opposite of the Kanye West multi-platinum hit song "Gold Digger" is, I believe it may apply to this situation The ones I have on my Hagström and Schecter ATX are loving badass. For the Schecter, my tech put a new control for the tone which allows me to use them with a push/pull. My Hagström already had a designated coil-tap, so she re-routed that switch to make the voice changes with that. It's like having a passive and an active pickup in one. 80% of the time, I'm not even using the OCD to get overdrive anymore. unlawfulsoup posted:She's buying you guitars? She just reserved it for me. Also... comes along bort posted:just a gigolo Warcabbit posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrd14PxaUco I don't know why I found this funny, but it is. Wark Say fucked around with this message at 12:20 on Mar 21, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 12:16
|
|
|
unlawfulsoup posted:So your boss is pushing you into buying guitars so she can learn/play more? My boss probably got the idea from my fiancée (she's also been teaching my boss how to alternate between pick and fingers) since she has a 36 inch scale 5-string bass that just sounds stupid deep at home. For this tour, I actually told her to just use her Fender Roscoe Beck, but she ended up buying a beat-up Spector we found like a week before the tour.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 14:21
|
|
|
Dirt posted:Came home today to this monstrosity waiting for my on the porch. Is this like the Traynor QuarterHorse? Because that ampedal was the bomb.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2016 23:19
|
|
|
Dr. Faustus posted:This is *not* a post about bein' butt-hurt from the word fanboy. I know that when Dirt used it he meant no harm or foul. I hear ya' dude. I bought an Ibanez S from a fellow lefty a few months ago, and the thing plays great and once I'm back home from all the touring, I'm probably gonna do most of my practice / composition / overall playing with it, despite the fact it cost me less than a hundred bucks and the fact that there's nothing wrong with either my Schecters or my old Hagström. Holy poo poo was that neck smooth as hell. I'm also getting a baritone 7-string soon, but that neck (are those the "Wizard" style necks that people worship, because drat) on the Ibanez just feels like home, and I have sausage fingers for hands. I honestly don't know if I can get comfy with the mammoth of a neck on that Stef Carpenter guitar.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 27, 2016 21:57
|
|
|
Does the Line 6 M13 have any Delays, Reverb or Modulation worth it? My main pedalboard is working, but yesterday I thought it was a goner and I had to use my backup. Some dude just offered me one M13 for like 150 bucks and aside from all the corny-rear end stickers, it seems to be working fine.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2016 22:20
|
|
|
uncle spero posted:... They're not great or anything but the whole thing is definitely worth $150 if it works. DrChu posted:The M13 should have all the same delays as the DL4... Yeah, I actually decided to buy it just based on these two things. I actually decided to play-test it on tonight's gig. Programming my delays and tremolo was piss-easy, and the spring reverb actually sounds really neat. DrChu posted:The overdrives are not good and almost all default to 100% volume so be careful as you scroll through them. After fine-tuning a couple of things during the tour, I had already reduced my pedalboard from 6 to 4 pedals (The Drop > Faux Tape Echo > Semaphore Tremolo > OCD) + the TC mini polytune. When my tech finally installed the Fishman Fluence pickups and I got the hang of the push/pull controls to switch the two voices, I've basically stopped using my OCD almost entirely, to the point she took the pedal away from the board for a couple of nights, so yeah: I pretty much ignored the overdrives on the M13. There's an Autowah which was kinda fun to play around, though! Boss lady kinda gave me the "what the hell, Wark?" stink-eye for a second, but funking the room up did feel strangely satisfying. Maybe I can try alternating between pedalboards every night. Hopefully my tech won't murder me in my sleep!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2016 04:36
|
|
|
Nebraska Tim posted:Don't know what it is, don't care what it does. I want one. Of the whole "Handmade OD/Disto Boutique-ish Pedals done by a goony guy or girl" market, Fuzzrocious makes the most stupidly delicious gain/OD pedals. The Demon (which I think I once heard a friend call it "The OCDemon") is just the best pedal if you want to metaphorically kick someone's teeth in with your overdrive. The Demon King I haven't tried, but if it's anything like the original, it loving WRECKS.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2016 02:09
|
|
|
Was his reverb pedal any good? Once my hired gun period ends and I go back to Monterrey to tend my recording studio, I kinda want to get my shoegaze on and try getting as many delay and reverb pedals in one board.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2016 02:15
|
|
|
Chinatown posted:Just got this mint thing. (restrung to lefty) We lefties occasionally get some swanky stuff. 
|
|
#
¿
May 4, 2016 22:52
|
|
|
There's nothing wrong with Short scales if you have small hands and whatnot. Also musical dorkery is part and parcel of the music trade here.
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2016 15:56
|
|
|
CaseFace McGee posted:
That bass is not pretty. That bass is loving incarnate.
|
|
#
¿
May 26, 2016 02:34
|
|
|
DEUCE SLUICE posted:If you buy a Peavey, but you didn't buy it out of the back of a VW van in a parking lot, do you truly own it? To this day, the 5150 I got from some dude in exchange for my old Vox is still the best thing that's ever passed by my studio when it came to balls-out Metalcore sounds.
|
|
#
¿
May 28, 2016 02:52
|
|
|
Sockington posted:Decided to just go whole hog and bought a Crafted in Japan Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. What's the difference between this guy and a 'normal' Jazz Bass? Been thinking about upping my bass-playing skills and I always sort of played Jazz Basses (whenever available)
|
|
#
¿
May 30, 2016 00:18
|
|
|
rio posted:Got an Eastman VB605 over the weekend. It is my first all carved bass and I love it. Asking price was 7k but I was able to get it for cost at 5200. HOLY loving poo poo. Nice bass! 
|
|
#
¿
May 31, 2016 22:34
|
|
|
Something cool is coming!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2016 18:36
|
|
|
So, about a month before I went on tour, this friend of mine contacted me about this one instrumental that he was going to serve as a jingle or something. And he told me: "Can you do a clean funky guitar for like 15 to 20 seconds?". Which I did. I sent him my contributions through Hightail once I was done and I hoped he got the deal. Once I got back from tour last month, he contacts me and tells me the story, which basically boils down to "The company that I did the jingle for decided not to use the advertisement they requested the jingle for but still bought the jingle from me, and I got stupid money from it". So he asks me if I want my share. I told him that I was super happy for him, but that it was cool that he got some moolah (he had been through a rough patch recently). Then that sweet mo'fo sent me a package:  The package was super light, so I thought "Well, what the gently caress is in it?"  Ba-dow!   Holy smokes! I checked around online and apparently they don't make these babies anymore! Which is such a shame because it's hands down the best sounding guitar I ever played. Or at the very least, the best sounding Les Paul-type guitar I ever played. After a calibration and a fresh-set of strings which took no time whatsoever (I don't know if you can tell from the crappy pictures, but the truss rod adjustment is between the 22nd fret and the neck pickup, which makes it super easy), it loving roared with all three of my home amps. I am in love with this guitar and I am seriously thinking that this is IT for me as far as 6-strings go. Funnily enough, once you grab it and play with it, it feels and sounds more like an ESP Eclipse.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2016 17:43
|
|
|
butros posted:drat. Nice man. Larrivee makes outrageously nice guitars for the price - my only acoustic is a Larry and is a keeper. Nice! If the acoustics are anywhere near as good as this girl, maybe I'll think about ponying up some money for an acoustic! I just found out about them actually. Apparently their strength is doing acoustics. Gotta be honest, though: This one I got is basically perfect for me. I decided to use it in drop C# tuning. Played some Iggy Pop and it just sang. It sounds strong, even when playing clean/softly AND especially in the neck pickup. Like the guitar is telling you "Let me go for the motherfucking jugular, man". Whoever worked on the pickups was not loving around.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2016 04:19
|
|
|
Schlieren posted:No professionals wanted to make me a custom bridge for any amount of money (replacement for my Fender Lead II which is annoyingly different from everything), so I'm having my engineer friend machine me one free instead That's both kick-rear end (for your buddy doing you this solid) and kinda sad. I often got used to getting the shaft in a lot of maintenance stuff, being lefty and all that. Thankfully, one of my homeboys in the local repair shops is also a sinister, so he's got me covered.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2016 18:16
|
|
|
muike posted:
loving awesome! I used to have an Angelus myself. Really loving rad guitars. Regarding your post, though: Wasn't the founder/lead designer for Caparison guitars the guy who designed the Jackson Fusion?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 15, 2016 20:18
|
|
|
meatcookie posted:
This pedal is just stupid fun and GUARANTEED bang for your buck. Enjoy!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2016 03:41
|
|
|
So, the ESP/LTD SC-607B that the boss I had at my last gig reserved for me arrived like a week ago. This weekend, I finally had the chance to take it for a spin. I set it up to Drop F# (I'm rocking the EXL140-8 D'Addario 8 string set, excluding the .10, which I'm saving for the standard tuned Larrivée to the left) and HOLY poo poo. Rocking that tuning was just what I needed, even if it feels like my hands are gonna fall off after I'm done playing. e: My Larrivée RS-2 is there because the guy who helped me with the setup for both guitars wanted a picture for his store's Facebook page. Wark Say fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Jul 18, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2016 15:46
|
|
|
comes along bort posted:.74 low f# on a 27" scale? I'm going to guess you meant "Soggy and loose", which fortunately is not the case at all. It's surprising how tight and swanky it feels. I'm still getting used to the bigger neck and scale, though. I think playing 25.5 scale guitars for as long as I have has left me unprepared for this switch. Hopefully I can get the hang of it soon!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 19, 2016 05:04
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:30 |
|
|
That is way rad right there!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 29, 2016 23:07
|
|