• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

To all you guitarists out there....

B

Bling Bling

Banned
Let's make this the ultimate guitar hardware thread. I'll start by asking for suggestions:


I'm looking to buy a multi-effects board. I was looking into the BOSS ME-30, but i've read both good and pretty bad reviews on it.

What do you guys suggest? Keep in mind i'm not that good. I've been playing for less than a year (but i don't exactly suck...i can play quite a bit of stuff). I don't have much cash either (~$200 right now). What would be a good buy? (I play heavy metal stuff.)

Also, would it be better to get pedals seperately (i already have distortion and flange) even though it's way more expensive?

And oh yeah, i may be looking into a better guitar sometime in the future. Right now i have a baseline/crappyish Ibanez. I'd prefer an ESP or sticking with Ibanez. Something with dual humbuckers and a good tremolo system. Yeah. What do you guys suggest on that too?
 
All I can say is that I am happy with my Zoom 505, and it will be less than $200

Not the best, but I still don't feel the urge to upgrade.
 
i know the guitar is the more valuable piece of equipment, but i'd really like to get some effects going on this thing.

by the way, what guitar would you suggest i look into?
 
I was thinking about this thread, and you know what isn't a bad deal if you're looking for a cheap all in one effects unit, it the Korg ToneWorks units (the AX1-G, the older one). I got one to 4-track with, and it works pretty damm good. it cost about $300 bucks, and got lots of toys in it, including a pressure/expression pedal. But if you want a really good, easy sound, i think seperate pedals are the way to go. I've owned every Guitar Processor there is to own (figuratively speaking, of course) and just about every Boss pedal ever made, and Now I never use any of them!!
I just use my Les Paul Special (P-90's), and occasionally my '72 Tele, a Wah, an old Boss (analog chip) Delay, and a Limiter Pedal. And I Plug it all into a Marshall JCM-900 50 watt Half-Stack!! or occasionally my old Flaky Fender Twin via a Rat Pedal!!
I must agree with JMaster, I've been playing for 15 Years, and just recently accepted what I've been preaching for years... A Good Guitar, a Good Amp, and Great Playing = Good Tone!!
Guitars are a Matter of Taste, I'm a sucker for Real Gibsons (not the Studio's or Epiphones, I own a Les Paul Studio as well, and I hate it), a good Les-Paul, or SG, and Old Fender Guitars (w/o tremelo's). You cant go wrong with a Good Stock Gibson, or Fender
 
Ack, multiFX pedals are the devils spawn IMHO. I really can't stand them, although I suppose they can be handy if you're into using all these effects. Personally I only use clean/crunch/overdrive/heavy distortion/noise - which I can get from my amp and a marshall overdrive pedal. Not to mention my guitars 🙂
 
what about stuff like phasers/chorus/compression/other effects? do those sound better on individual pedals or multieffects ones?
 
Individual pedals are way better than an effects processor, the sound is just better. Plus, you get a million knobs to play with when you buy pedals seperatly. A good site for guitar review stuff would be here
 
All the stuff I mentioned in my equipment post in this thread. Although you do need a distortion pedal of you don't have one already. I'm lucky cause my amp has it built in. But I'd say a distortion pedal is the most important thing.




Here are direct links to reviews of users who have the same pedals as I do:


Digitech Whammy Reissue


Jim Dunlop Crybaby Wah


Boss DD5 Digital Delay


Boss BF-2 Flanger


Boss PH-1R Phaser




Boss makes good stuff😀




From my experiance, effect processors are a real pain in the ass. The sound isn't as good as individual pedals. It's a maze to go thru when using them. Like my friend has a Digitech RP3. It can make alot of different effects, but alot of them sound really cheesy and gay.




Although if you must have an effect processor, I'd get a Boss GT3. Although I don't know the price on that thing.
 
Mark: i did some research today and "picked" ALL of those pedals except for the whammy, which i didn't think of (i knew something was missing!). I also looked at the compression and noise reduction pedals, cuz i heard those are good too. Not to mention the chorus/superchorus (BOSS CE-5). by the way, how cool/important is the delay pedal? it's purty expensive and i was thinking about holding out on that for a while.

The GT-3 is a little out of my league. However, it would cost me more to buy the pedals separately...unless i get em used/off an auction, which i'm pretty sure i'm gonna do.

I have a distortion pedal (DOD Grunge FX69) but i'm thinking that i'm going to sell/trade it to get a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (my pedal is good and has a nice crunch to it, but i've heard awesome shiat about the metal zones). I also have an Ibanez flanger, but i might get rid of that cuz it kinda sucks (it's not that bad though).

Anyway, which do you think would be the most important pedals to get (not counting distortion)? and what's the best place to get equipment (both new and used)?
 
It all depends on what kind of stuff you play. But for you, I'd say the whammy. The whammy is pretty much an effects processor and that's the only effects processor I'd recommend. After that, it could be a wah, then a flanger, phaser, then a delay pedal. Delay pedals are cool, but not necessary. A delay pedal basically echoes the sound.
 
Whammy, eh? Hmm....

What are good/inexpensive ones that are easily available? (your one's name makes it sound like it's not manufactured anymore. i'm probably wrong).

Dang i'm tired.

I need help.
 
I need help guys. I really like the sound of blues . . . all the soul and heart behind it. Yet, no matter how INTO blues I get, my riffs just suck. They're just repetitive and kinda dull. Anybody have resources on how to expand blues knowledge/style?
 
OK, I'll just give you my take on what I think are priorities.. I have about 20 years under my belt with guitars... I don't play that much anymore, but I might be able to help you.

At your stage (1 year), quality is not the most important thing, versatalily is. meaning you need to expose yourself to as much as you can. Get your hands on as many effects as possible so you can play with them and familiarize yourself with them.

It's kinda hard to say what affects without knowing what kinda Amp you have. I'm going to assume you use an amp with ZERO effects... with the exception of distortion. (I used a Marshall stack, the only effect I used with it was the AWESOME crunch distortion)

Effects I believe are the most used (ALL DIGITAL) Stars indicate importancy

Delay ***** - digital delay will be your best friend. you'll need to learn to use it is a variety of ways. In the future, you'll want a controller (midi peddle, not effect box) to use to control your delay. Delay is something you use Very subtle, and when you break out in a lead can crank it up a bit.

Reverb **** - This goes hand in hand with your Delay, you'll want to learn how to use them together.

Chorus **** - You'll also want to control this via a midi peddle.

Compression *** - Very useful effect, gives you a balanced sound.

Those are the most important effects to master. Experiment in all aspects with them.

Flanger * - I consider the flanger effect the least useful of them all. I wouldn't waste too much time messing with it.

Once you get some experience under your belt, THEN you can concentrate more on quality. Your AXE (guitar) is THE most important part of your playing. Don't buy, Brand, Looks, Price... ALl that is CRAP! Buy a guitar for how "It plays for you!" How it Feels is the MOST important thing. In my years of playing, I picked up ALL the expensive guitars and played them... it was a cheesy $500 Charvel that I ended up with. Of course I customized all the hardware, but as far as "feel" I never played a better guitar than that one. (and I mean "ONE" guitar). You might play 10 of them same guitar, they will ALL play differently.

AMP! AMP! this is your Engine! You'll want to buy the Best amp you can Possible afford. Start saving now cause a GOOD one will cost you a fortune. I still recommend the trusty Mashall Stack ($2500 approx) for those metal players...

After you get your Dream guitar and Amp (count on spending about $3000) then you'll know enough about effects to buy something that fits your playing style.

SO, for now, just buy something versatile... make sure it has Delay, Reverb (never use built in reverb on amps), Chorus and compression.
If you can afford midi controllers, pick one up so you can start experimenting. On/Off button controllers SUCK! Get midi peddles.

Hope that helps.
 
A friend of mine has a metal zone. I really think the sound is wimpy. So do a lot of other people I know who have used it. I love Boss pedals, but for some I reason I hate all of their distortion pedals. I love my Big Muff. It may not provide the total metal sound, but it gives the best full distortion I've ever heard.
 
Whitedog has a lot of good points, esp. concerning buy what FEELS BEST TO YOU! I disagree with his plugging of a Marshall stack, because it only does one thing: sound like a Marshall!

The first question you need to answer is "What do I want to do with this guitar?" That answer will guide the rest of your choices.

Do you want to write your own music or just learn to play your favorite band's material? What genres of music will you be playing? You say you play heavy metal, but that could be anything from AC/DC (Gibson SG into Marshall, NO effects) to Korn/Limp Durst/RATM (7-string through a TON of effects into amp), so could you narrow it down a bit?

Effects should be used a frosting, NOT the cake. Beyond some delay, wah, flange, etc., most of the greats (Hendrix, Clapton, Van Halen, Satriani, Vaughn) didn't rely on them for their sound. The most important part in playing is your head, heart and HANDS. I never care much for Steve Vai because while his chops are undeniable, he uses effects too much to emulate. OTOH, if you have a decent guitar and amp and the CHOPS, you can be good too. Don't let effects be a crutch. They don't replace skillz.

The Whammy Pedal is really gimmicky. How much are you going to use it unless you plan on playing nothing but Korn and RATM?

I missed if you said what kind of amp you have. If you're just a "headphones player", then I'd recommend the Line 6 POD. It's about $300 (or $400, can't remember) but it has something like 24 amp models with everything from a Fender Champ to Marshall stack to a Mesa-Boogie (the sound of Metallica) to modded Soldano's and points in between. It amazing what having different tones may inspire. At practice, we went nuts for about a half-hour when I stumbled over a surf-guitar Fender Twin preset. Wipe Out!
 
Thanks for the info.

DefRef:

I have a Roland 405(?) Tube amp. It has distortion on it, which isn't too great, so i use my DOD FX69 on it. The loud clean/crip sound of the amp mixed with the distortion provides for a really nice, loud crunch. I like the sound, although it could be more death metallish (i'd prefer that).

As for the music i play: i play Metallica, Rage, Deftones, Tool, Soulfly and the like. (Sorry, no limp bizkit cuz they suck. i like KoRn, but their guitaring is not very appealing to me.) But other than that, i write my own music. Yeah i know it's kinda early to write my own stuff, but i do it anyway. It's fun, and i like what i've made up. Right now we're recording a song (which i think is really cool), and we have a bunch of other little riffs that we're gonna make into songs. The sound we have/are aiming for is a combination of sevendust, deftones, and rage. and of course throw in a little metallica, cuz that's how i learned to play. so pretty much the sound is a mixture of everything i play. I'm not trying to specifically emulate another band. I know the kind of sound i want to achieve and that's what i'm going for. I guess here's how i would describe it: some good, heavy distortion, some clean stuff, a little wah (haven't really used it in the song yet), and touch of flange and phaser. Usually we record it and then play around a little with it. So far the sound is pretty cool, but not exactly what i want (we're using the other guy's equipment...my guitar is busted 🙁🙁🙁). that's why i want to get my own gear so i can come up with more stuff using the effects (like single note riffs with delay or reverb or something like that, cuz no effects sounds gimpy). But yeah, that's basically what i do.

I hope that wasn't too confusing.
 
Sounds like you're going for a more OVERDRIVEN tone than DISTORTION. Stevie Ray Vaughn had a massive fat tone because he used a string set gauged like an acoustic (.013-.062) and a wall of Fender Super Reverbs modded out and driven by a Ibanez Tube Screamer for solos. Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) and used Supers. (Don't know what Tom Morello uses.) Try to avoid too much distortion and fuzz or you'll sound like Vernon Reid and your playing will sound indistinct and smeary.

The delay/reverb issue is a bit dicey because while it may sound too dry without it, the more you dial in means the LESS distinct your rhythm wil sound. Remember Helmet and the sound that they had on "In The Meantime"? Not only did they not have any reverb on their amps, they ran noise gates to totally choke off any hum, finger noise, whatver that they didn't want. Delay and reverb are like singing in the shower; they can fool you into thinking you sound better than you are. Try playing with and without the frosting, or better yet, try playing your electric riffs on an acoustic. If it sounds like crap, it may be because your relying on the amplification and effects to mask the imprecision of your technique.

One more thing to avoid: The scooped mids "bedroom tone". (Bass and treble at 11, mids at -1) As the name implies, it sounds cool in your bedroom, but it fails miserably live and with a band. The recording process uses a lot of outboard gear and trickery (compression, mike placement, multi-tracking) to create what you hear. Jerry Cantrell used three different guitar and amp combinations and then doubled tracked each one twice (panned left and right) to make that roaring tone on "Them Bones" and other heavy Alice In Chains stuff. Sound lives in the mid-range and a nice meaty roar needs some mids.

I know it's tough to get a monster tone together on a budget (sub-$1G for everything) but if you shop smart (tip: buy USED guitars, amps are a bit riskier to get used) you can piece a rig together. I've got a lot of amps and guitars, but it took several years of shopping and dealing to get them.

Good luck.🙂
 
I've heard good stuff about the Digitech RP100(?). It supposedly is a souped down version of a more expensive effects board, and it only costs $99. The low price makes me a little hesitant (if it's that low, can it be any good?). I also looked up classifieds and what not for used gear. The prices look very good on those (good individual pedals ranging from $50-$100).

The more i read up on this, the more confused i get. Dang it! 😕😱🙁

By the way, what does an octave pedal do? 😕
 
Man, just save yourself some time, go to a guitar shop with your guitar, and ask them if you could use whatever pedals you want so you can try before you buy. If you show them some $, they will let you test them out. I'd recommend going to Guitar Center if there is one near you. They've got everything there.
 
Will do. I got a Mars near home, and a Guitar Center near college.

I've pretty much got my mind set on the BOSS GT-3 right now, which means i'll need to save up another paycheck.

Parents = will be mad b/c i'm "wasting" money. MY money. Oh well.

Time to study fo' me exams.
 
Guitar Center is better in terms of bargaining. . I'm personally saving up for a McCarty (Paul Reed Smith). I think it's an excellent guitar for rock/blues type of sound. It has superior tone to a Les Paul, awesome sustain, awesome quality in general. Check it out, you'll probably like it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top