Live Guitar Sound [Archive]

Ronny

09-17-2002, 05:50 AM

Hey Voice, cool thread.

I play an Ibanez electric and a Fender 100 watt twin with built in chorus. The "Dirty Channel" is so good I don't use any other effects. I just line-out to the pa for some larger gigs but usually don't.

My Seagull acoustic is direct to the pa and I use a Boss ME30 effect pedal (bright acoustio effect) which gives the richest sound ever.:thumbsup:

boudreaufrancis

09-17-2002, 07:52 AM

For my live guitar sound, I simply use a line 6 flextone II and a boss gt-5 as a foot controller and for effects... I really didn't wanted to buy that line 6 very expensive foot controller but, I liked the sound of the guitar amp simulation..... Sounds like you have many amps in the same box and quite realistic!!

strummer

09-17-2002, 08:09 AM

I just use a GT-5 in to my Peavey PA now that sounds a bit naff but I get some great sounds and I don't have to carry my twin or marshall around with me.....save me space and back ache.

Strummer

davph30

09-17-2002, 12:37 PM

I have a v-amp2 and have tried the pod etc but still use my trusty old DIGITECH RP1 for playing live and plug it into 2 channels on the PA sounds great.

midiaxe

09-17-2002, 01:01 PM

For live sound, I use Roland VG-88 to a Roland KC-300 keyboard amp. The VG-88 gives me all the sound that I need from acoustic guitar to nylon to 12 string, from a strat to a les paul to a rick, using just one guitar.

-MX

lostdave

09-18-2002, 06:39 PM

I use a Boss VF-1 wither DI into the PA for duo..
or my Marshall Quad for the trio gigs...

voice of god

09-18-2002, 10:43 PM

Dave, what do you prefer and what sounds best, the amp or straight to P.A?

If I was going to buy an amp(a loud one)Anyone got advice on the best amp out there?

Is it a Marshall stack, Fender twin, Wizard or whatever else there may be? Anyone swear by their amp of choice? Or any dud amps to avoid? Let's hear it.

lostdave

09-19-2002, 02:01 AM

I personally love nothing more than the the sound of a marshall JCM900 pumped thru 4 X 10" Speakers and the amp set to 11

But it is not practical for all purposes....

Hence the DI solution...the VF-1 does a pretty good job...but it ain't a quad box...

Recorded it doesn't sound too different( i usually use a messa boggie sim for that)

Dave

mkharvey11

09-19-2002, 11:33 PM

Here we go:
ELECTRIC RIG (I'lldo just that fo now)

Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Custom '57 reissue Black Beauty (for thick rock sound)
Fender Roland ready strat with Duncan pickups (for strat/midi sound)
Ibanez S-470 with amber flamed maple top (for whammy shred stuff)

Amp & Effects:
For small venues I use a Hughes & Kettner Tube 50 1-12" combo. For bigger venues I use a Hughes and Kettner Tube 50 Half stack. Either way the wiring and settings are the same, so the only change in sound is the cabinet.

I built a custom pedal box (top of case comes off like a Fender Rhodes piano)
On a panel is a plug for guitar input and another row of plugs for "to preamp" then "from effects send" and two (for stereo when recording or sending to midi box) "to effects returns" Also, in the row is a midi footswitch plug. I had both amps modified to use MIDI cables for the footswitch instead of the other 5-pin non-standard cable.

in the pedal box: My guitar goes first into a Boss pedal tuner then to a Morley Bad Horsey Wha. That is sent to the Hughes & Kettner preamp. I use the H&K footswitch to select between clean and 3 different distortions. After the preamp, the effects send goes into a Boss Tremelo pedal, then an MXR phase 100, then a Danelectro Dan-echo Delay, then a TC Electronics Chorus/Flanger, then a Boss Stereo Volume pedal. (I put the volume last so that adjusting it does not affect my distortion drive) The volume goes back to the effects return into the tube power amp.

If I want MIDI: I route the "guitar out" on the Roland GR33 to the "guitar in on my box, then "to effects return" to "guitar Return" on the Roland. Then the roland "mix out" to the power amp.

Nothing beats real analog stomp boxes and tube distortions. It's about TONE.

Ronny

09-21-2002, 03:15 AM

Wow mkharvey11. I've seen professional touring bands playing over here who don't have a set up like that. I can only dream of a set up like that. If I had it I'd never take it out of the house!!

mkharvey11

09-21-2002, 10:47 AM

If you don't take it out the house what's the point of having it?

The pedal case I built is real sturdy and I have hardshell cases for all the guitars. The Roland guitar synth setup usually stays home. I've only needed it live once. I use it a lot in the studio though.

Also, I own a recording studio and I let my customers use anything in that setup, so on paper, I really bought that stuff for the business. I usually get people coming is the studio with all-in-one digital processors that you can get away with live, but you don't want to put on your record. They are a lot of bang for the buck but they suck the real tone away. They use my analog effects and tubes to get that full dynamic tone like you hear on other professional records. The ONLY all-digital processors I would trust for not losing tone is the Boss GT-6 or the Roland VG-88.

Hope Ricky W. works for you guys.
Go Saints!

voice of god

09-21-2002, 08:54 PM

mkharvey11, have you tried any line6 gear, whats your opinion on them?

Also what do you think is the best amp head and why?

gmusic02

09-22-2002, 04:37 AM

i run my acoustic taylor 314ce straight to PA, using stomp boss chorus and boss equalizer (for volume control during solos), for now, it does the trick for me.

thanks to all here with their great tips as i will soon be incorporating electric into my set.

g

voice of god

09-22-2002, 06:22 AM

Ahhh The sweetness of simplicity g

mkharvey11

09-22-2002, 11:47 AM

to: Voice of God

I think line-6 is one of those "a lot of bang for the buck" processors. Pretty good, but I wouldn't take it over good analog gear. Like I said, the Roland processors are the only that come close to analog (and they're not cheap)

Amp heads:
There are a lot of good ones out there- I use the Hughes & Kettners because they have such a distinct variety of tones ranging from marshall-like to Fender-like to Boogie-like. H&K is one of the few all-tube amps that has such a variety of tone. Marshall, Fender, and Boogie all sound great, but have a single distinct sound. There are other good tube amps out there like Soldano and Rivera. Don't get something because of name-brand. Go play every amp head at every music store in town. Also, you get what you pay for. More expensive amps usually sound better, so if you look for something in the same price range as the Boogie, then it's going to be good.

Digital amps: I've played through a couple- I'm not too crazy over the Line 6 or the Johnson. However, Yamaha makes a pretty good one- it has motorized knobs so the presets dial up the knob positions then you can adjust it from there if you need to. That solves the general problem
I have with the digital stuff. You get the presets sounding great at home, then you take it to the reheasal room and it's different- then every club you play- it's different. At that point you're stuck unless you re-program. That's why I use real old-school stomp boxes.

voice of god

09-22-2002, 09:09 PM

Thanks for the advice mkharvey, thats good stuff.

I like the sound of the H&K's versatility and I am definately going analog.

I've heard a few Soldanos and I like that sound(spongy?), but they don't seem to have the chugchug thump of a Marshall. I would love an amp that combines both. Maybe its the HK.

Have you heard of Wizard Amps ? I read a few articles on them lately and they're supposed to be excellent. Built to army specs. and great sounding.

draccon

09-24-2002, 04:36 PM

I play a Jem (the frist model ,Black with the tree of life inlay) through a 5150 (normally a JCM 100 but i got to the gig 2 weeks ago & instest of checking my gear i had a beer with my duo buddy only to start the frist set to find my marshall had deciced to take the nite off,. ALWAYS SOUND CHECK!!) anyway theres nothing i like better than wheeling my amp & quad into a wee pub
& watching the looks on peoples face`s ( i`m a big hair rock dude) to boot (yes i know living in the past, but i love it):smart: dam i can waffle

draccon

09-24-2002, 04:44 PM

To "voice of god".
Line 6 gear rocks dude ,lots of guy`s are switching to them here in my home town, But the best amp in the WORLD is now MESA BOOGIE:finger: Man i seen those babies last week in the shop they`re $8500 here in New Zealand & LOUD & they look
like something god designed himself ,i WANT ONE , but @ that price i`ll be saving for a while.
Cheers, Drac

draccon

09-24-2002, 04:49 PM

To mkharvey11
:jawdrop: nice set up dude

jetsam

10-29-2002, 05:40 PM

I'm very happy with my Marshall Valvestate 100W (VS100), this is pretty loud, and has a tube head for a proper tube sound. It has a power dimension button - to drive it harder to emulate it's loud profile when quieter. It's loud enough to play to a hall of several hundred people adequately, and is not so heavy i can't carry it. Obviously has a transistor second stage and not as nice as the bigger fully tubed amps, but its affordable. For home studio use i use my pedal board with a Boss ME 10, cry-baby wah and Sansamp GT2 for amp emulation - a purchase i have never regretted, it really is beautiful when overdriven on its marshall emulation. Lovely harmonics! The output is line level and safe to put into my computer for sequencing / practicing against mp3's

Nyxan

10-29-2002, 06:05 PM

We just mic up the marshall. Can't beat it

jetsam

10-31-2002, 09:21 AM

I agree - that'll give the best sound, but I often practie at night with headphones to avoid irritating wife or neighbours!

scenario

11-03-2002, 01:24 PM

I use a 1973 Fender stat L/t that I bought in '77.
I have a Roland GT3 which I favour but also a Behringer Vamp. The Behringer is easy to use but a pain in the neck to set up every evening because it needs a Morley volume pedal and also its own 2 pedal box for patch selection to be any use on stage. I select patches mainly over midi driven from my sequencer.
|The Gt3 is 'the one' though although it took me a while to get a good sound on it. I would recommend this one to anybody for live work

song demon

11-05-2002, 03:27 PM

Guitar wise.... i go for Ibanez! Got a 540 Power which is beat-up now after many years of use and abuse but still plays and sounds incredible..... and just bought a 7 string Ibanez RG series, which is interesting to play!

Live, I use a Boss GT-6 effects processor, which I send either to a Marshall Valvestate 2000 Combo with an additional 4x12 Marshall Cab, or (if the venue allows, which it often doesn't :( ), to The Valvestate combo AND a Marshall JCM 2000 Dual Super Lead Ltd Edition Head and 4x12 angled cab. And that setup is a killer, trust me!

Can't see how anyone would want to gig without some sort of real amp/combo..... surely that takes away alot of the fun!

Stilcrazy

11-13-2002, 02:16 AM

Working here with a Strat ... GT6 for effects ... thru a Blues Deluxe set to clean settings.

beaster

11-18-2002, 01:53 PM

The Line 6 POD rocks!! Any guitar sound you could possibly want is right there in one unit!! And you can always download more!!

If it's an amp you desire, I'd definitely stick with line6 (the flextone), which is basically the AMP version of the POD, I guess.
OR
Get a power amp and a couple of cabinets (if its feasible). I am running the POD (L & R) into both sides of a Peavey CS-800 Power Amp which goes into two Marshall cabs (4x12) so I have a stereo signal. It's great and also works very well at low volume. By the way, I use a '75 Les Paul thru this, and sometimes a Fenser Strat Plus, but mostly the Les Paul.

beaster

11-18-2002, 01:54 PM

Oops, yes I know that was supposed to be Fender....
sorry!!

rknrne

11-20-2002, 02:57 AM

I use a music man 210rd and an 86 Fender Strat with analog pedals also. od chorus dd wahwah

I tried the rockman /zoom 505 trip but it just isn't the same as having to replace patch cords all the time. joking

besty

11-20-2002, 04:30 PM

I also use POD direct into the PA! I wouldn't bother changing in a duo situation because I think you can't beat the POD sounds at that lower volume. Even at a higher volume it still goes well!!

Besty

besty

11-20-2002, 04:34 PM

Oh yeh! I use a strat plus with a seymour duncan custom humbucker in the bridge! Didn't like the lace sensor there but like it in the front! It sounds great with the POD!

Besty

chriscc

02-04-2003, 08:37 PM

mesa boogie tone is spectacular and easier to carry and heeavy.i still use a fender 35 watt 10" speaker sealed in an enclosed cabinet and miked.works great. quiet stage and live guitar sound.i like the stage quiet so i can hear the front end and try to save what hearing i have left

hootch

02-05-2003, 05:53 AM

The Boss GT6 is the only gear I use.
I plug it into the PA-mixing console.
That's the real deal to make Top 40
and wedding-jobs. All sounds I need and
a pedalboard on aboard

shorts

03-22-2003, 09:05 AM

Pod Pro with a Gibson E2 Explorer... :)

Yeah the rack version is lots more expensive but it stays patched into my PA full time. Call me lazy...

Another POD at home for recording...

guitarswbars

03-22-2003, 07:07 PM

Marshall w/ a SM57 is my favorite. A little compression and a bit of delay(for solos) I have owned several Processors but you cant beat the tone of a tube amp. The only thing that made putting Marsall aside way a Lee Jackson amp. AMAZING!!!!!

Jayling

03-25-2003, 04:16 PM

Hi,
I use 2 set ups 1 for duo 1 for band.
I use a line 6 spider with optional floorboard for the duo work. I feed the line 6 straight into the P.A you get a good sound especially when working with midifiles. (not noisy on stage and plenty of control over mix.)

When I play with a "live" band I use a fender hot rod deville
4x10" speaker set up. for effects I use a Danelectro overdrive to boost mids in solos, a cry baby wah, an ibanez anlalouge delay and a digetech digital modulation pedalboard to give me chorus, phaser, tremelo and vibrato sounds.

The drummer likes to hear the guitar quite loud, and I prefer it as you get a different feel with volume "behind you" and you have the chance to use feedback. Great for live rock n blues!

Dallas Aussi

03-25-2003, 05:51 PM

Do yourself a favour & don't buy bigger than a 50W Marshall, Boogie or similar, unless you're playing stadiums or entertainment centres they're just too loud - valve amps have to be pushed to close to max to get the best sound

alexrox

03-25-2003, 06:20 PM

I've heard amazing things about the Marshall Quad-Box but haven't ever used one...

alexrox

03-25-2003, 06:22 PM

I use Line4 for the sound.

hypersoniq

04-07-2003, 10:45 AM

mid 80's Ibanez RG-550
Zoom 3000 pedal (which I end up only using for distortion and delay... and the so-so cabinet emulator)
Rogue 50 watt 4-channel PA (for mic and RT-123 drums)

Bricummo

05-08-2003, 07:58 AM

I use an Ibanez Frank Gambale FGMQM400 quilted maple top, an Ibanez sabre in Purple flame maple and a Parker Fly single deluxe in SIlver.
FX wise, i dont use backline, I have had this rack called a YAMAHA FX900 since 1991 now and love it!
It does virtually every sound I want and the distortion is huge!
I also have a Morley Bad Horsie Wah, Jim Dunlop Talk Box.
Studio wise, I have the POD Pro wich is amazing! But I'm just too lazy to program it all up and take out live plus I dont wanna be bringing it backwards and forwards each night as I work 5 a week!

I also have a LES PAUL GARY MOORE, PRS CUSTOM 22 in Emerald green, IBANEZ JEM 777 in black, JACKSON WARRIOR PRO in black LEVINSON BLADE in Reverse plum, WARWICK FORTRESS 5 string bass.

As far as acoustics go I have two OVATION slim roundbacks, one in turquoise and one in a plum sunburst, a good old trustworthy YAMAHA Jumbo which sounds great micced up, a YAMAHA AEX 500N slimline nylon elec, and a rare TAKAMINE EF3178 parlour guitar.

I also have two ROLAND VG8s, a ROLAND G1- 10 midi converter and various other bits and bobs!

There you go......oh1 by the way, I use Colgate toothpaste too!

Ha ha, CHeers Brian

voice of god

05-08-2003, 08:10 AM

ha!~~ nice brian!

so what is the best guitar you own Brian ? How do the Ibanez compare to the PRS?

Iam thinking of getting a PRS an Ibanez or a Maton Mastersound

Bricummo

05-08-2003, 12:29 PM

Mmmm, tricky one this.....

personally , I love the Ibanez Gambale, it has a humbucker and 2 single coils, all of which are coil tapped, so the sounds are amazing!!!!
It also plays like a demon!

But then again, I play in a Santana tribute band and just cant quite get that thick tone without the PRS.
It has a lovely sound, feels amazing, and plays like a dream! But in a sort of conventional way whereas the Ibanez is more of a machine.....but then you pick up the Parker Fly.......Oh ****! Who cares? I mime anyway! ha ha......

Where are you based? I can get hold of em really cheap!