You can use it to play Gentle Giant's I Lost My Head.
You can use it to play Gentle Giant's I Lost My Head.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
My Progressive Workshop at http://soundcloud.com/hfxx
A question from the novice. I'm playing this semi-hollow body now and it's been a bitch trying to get it to roar. My Boss DS-1 didn't do much to it. I checked around and ended up getting an Electro-Harmonix Soul Food overdrive pedal. That finally got me some crunch. Then I got the idea that I could stack them, even though I don't know the first thing about stacking pedals. So I tried guitar > Soul Food > DS-1 > amplifier and that sounded quite filthy. So, did I do it right? Is there a right or wrong way to do this?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I think you did it the way most would do it. But there is no right or wrong way, it's only down to whether you're getting a sound you like.
Seems like the main issue could be that the pickups in that guitar are kind of low output? Putting the overdrive before the DS-1 allows you to boost the signal level higher and then the DS-1 can "clip" the signal resulting in distortion. If you are having too much distortion (and the Dist knob on the DS-1 isn't already set super high) now you can try just turning up the Volume knob to a healthy level (which should help the DS-1 work optimally) and bring the Drive knob only up to the point where it doesn't get too crazy. Play around and you should find something that works.
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Or put a compressor pedal at the beginning of the chain to boost the level.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
For Christmas my beloved gave me a headphone amp and some basic Sennheizer headphones. It's amazing the amount of tones that come out of such a little thing. Considering that my one Fender amp is a leviathan, this is a game changer in terms of playing guitar in whatever room I want to be in.
rushead-max-valeton.jpg
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Not really new gear, but an update. I got the Analog Lab V as an update, which has sounds from the instruments that aren't included in my Arturia V Collection. Found a very good church organ which seems to be made with Pigments. I'm going to use it for a rerecording of my old composition Rotterdam.
https://rarebirdproductions.bandcamp...rack/rotterdam
Because I'm not feeling like composing, I've picked the old sheet-music of this composition and put it in Cubase.
Basses
Mayones BE4
Status S2
Fender Professional USA Jazz
Maruscszyk Elwood 4a fretless
Yamaha JM6
Amps
Genz-Benz Streamliner 900
Orange Terror 500
Cabs
Barefaced Big Twin 2
Barefaced Midget
Effects
Boss OC-2
MXR M288 Octave Deluxe
EHX Big Muff Pi overdrive
Source Audio Aftershock Bass Distortion
Source Audio C4 Synth
EHX Ravish Sitar
MXR M300 Reverb
Boss BF-3 Flanger
Also got a beat up old classical guitar and a PRS custom 22 for trying out ideas when writing music, and a LINE 6 Spider amp
Oh yeah... got a Microkorg keyboard that I really need to make some time for...
I have had an itch for a very deep snare drum for a long time.
I stumbled across an older Yamaha marching snare drum (birch) that was converted. It has “normal heads” (not the high tension heads that marching snare drums usually have) but still retains the synthetic gut snare wires. It is a wonderful sound. It is a perfect “Ballad Snare.”
I've had my acoustic Epiphone Hummingbird guitar for at least six years. It never came with a manual and because I didn't have an amp until last summer, I never plugged the guitar in or messed with the little pickup controls. I kinda thought it was broken because the last time I tried to play it through the amp I had no sound coming through the amp. Yesterday I checked the batteries and fiddled around a bit. Still nothing. Today I tried again and found I had the mute on and the pickup volume down too low. She's ringing loud and clear now. Now I just need to get the action lowered by someone who knows what they're doing.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
If it's just a truss rod adjustment then maybe watch some YouTube videos on it and do it yourself. Be patient and make small adjustments.
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I took the acoustic to a music store 90 miles away (everything in this state is worth a drive) and the tech/luthier did a full set up, replaced the bone, lowered the action, replaced the strings, etc. It sounds great and the action is much better. The body still frustrates me - my short arms have a hard time until I get in a groove. BUT so much better than before.
A week ago I was scrolling through Sweetwater and noticed for the millionth time they were back-ordered on a lot of electrics. Then I found the discounted demos. And now, my acoustic has a louder sister. Behold.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
My latest addition to my instrument-collection is a tenor-banjo, my dad owned. I can't play it, thought I sometimes pick it up, to touch the strings and make some noise on it. I use my fingers, not a plectrum, which should be the right way. I should tune it as well.
This is an old picture of the streetmusician, who owned it before my dad.
Sentiment7.jpg
^^ And of course, you Europeans use the proper term "plectrum." At the risk of being picky.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
As portable keyboards go, the new Casio WK-7600 is pretty kick ass. It has built in drawbar organ function, complete with switchable percussion. The WK-3000 series also had organ function, but the drawbars are virtual like the old Nord Electro 1 and 2, with only 4 positions. The old WK-3000 series is also much larger and bulkier than they need to be. The 7600 is a more reasonable size. Not to mention it sounds great.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
Perfect partners in crime...
hfx-p7qc.jpg
Last edited by hFx; 05-08-2021 at 08:38 AM.
My Progressive Workshop at http://soundcloud.com/hfxx
Nice patch name, lol.
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I bought a Boss Katana MK II 50 amp as a birthday present to myself. It will take a while to master the tone library but I like the sounds I'm getting out of it so far. My tendinitis, as expected, flared up horribly with all the summer chores. But those jobs are going away and I've started playing through the pain (ice and ibuprofen are my friend).
Rig with Katana I.jpg
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
That amp is sure to serve you well!
I recently dumped a chunk of $$$ into Superior Drummer 3 in the hope that it will enable me to throw together some decent backing drum tracks. Pretty amazing piece of software! The variety of drum sounds available is staggering. Also hope to use the Tracker function to replace my recorded acoustic drum kit sounds with better ones.
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I am finding some rather choice tones through it now. I had convinced myself I didn't need to buy any more pedals. I was wrong: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e-fart-pedal/#
I absolutely have to have this.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Surely some of y’all got some new gear for Christmas! Fess up, please!
While not related to the holiday, I did get a few used pieces from my old keyboard pal:
A Roland MKS-20 piano module (to match mine)
A Yamaha 81-Z (to match my other TWO)
And an old Ibanez DD.
A few months ago I added to my cymbal collection. A nice chap that I bought a snare drum from two has ago had a few more pieces for sale. While most of my collection is Zildjian, I have some UFIP; and the new pieces were a set of 12” Hi Hats. They sound better than the Zil 12s that they replace.
Not technically for Christmas, but I got a Vega Trem for my Strat to replace the stock six-screw bridge. It's an expensive unit, but it feels SO much better than the stock bridge, and it stays in tune much better. So far, I absolutely love it!
https://vegatrem.com/
Bill
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