Danuman

[quote name='randythoades' timestamp='1472797476' post='3124268'] I don't know if it would be the same for the BM, but I had the PRS SE One, the Les Paul Junior a-like. I also found it a bit generic but changed the pot and wiring instead of the pickup and it made a huge difference to my ears. More transparent tone and much better control. Maybe try that first, if you were changing pickups you ought to upgrade the wiring too. [/quote] I swapped out the pickups on a strat last year and the bridge pickup didn't live up to my expectations, whereas the other two did in spades... At first I thought I didn't do something right or that the unit was faulty. After going through extensive trouble-shooting without much success, I gave in and changed all of the wiring, pots and the pickup selector... and there it was. The difference was night and day. Happy with that guitar ever since.

Haha, you're right! We had one of those at my secondary school. Absolute pants. 😂

I used to gig a valvestate head, and as long as you relied on a good drive pedal to provide the dirt, it sounded pretty nice. I've also played the 212 combos quite often, they might get a bit thin on loud volumes, but perfectly serviceable. In my experience, the trick is not to push them, but I suppose that holds up for most transistor-based amps.

Haha, wow, a neck reshape... you make it sound easy. I'm debating whether it's worth sinking some money in this. It seems to be a cheaply but rather well made guitar. The neck is a bit chunky, but it's quite narrow, which - to my surprise - seems to be working for me. It's light, resonant and well balanced, so I guess I'm just going to start fixing minor issues first and see where I'll end up.

A friend of mine found this in the attic of his girlfriend's house. Looks like it's a Teisco. Plywood body, bolt on neck. It's not in great shape, but it sounds surprisingly good! It shows lots of signs of extensive work, so I'm guessing some previous owner used to really love this guitar. (Or hated it, for that matter, but I prefer not to think so.) As is, it plays like a cricket bat, so I'll have to see whether a new nut might make it play a bit nicer. Not bad for a free guitar. Anybody know anything about these?

I seem to be most disappointed when I find out I'm playing through a Randall amp, but I imagine some other people have found 'their' sound in one. Maybe I only played duds. Luckily, I usually find something to like in most amps.

I totally agree. I love (most) fender designs, there's something very pleasing about how their contours communicate. My guitar, however, has been through some rough times. Some previous owner saw fit to refinish it with a paint brush, and the neck and headstock are badly dinged. Still, I love it to death. It just sounds so deliciously sweet. Hardly touched any of my other guitars since I bought it. (Except for my bass, obviously )

Heh, I had a similar experience. Back when I bought my first guitar, the internet wasn't what it is now and none of the very few players I knew had a strat... anyway, long story short; I thought what I now know to be the out of phase 'quack' came from a Les Paul. It made sense to me - round sound from a curved guitar. 😂 I guess learning was a little different, then. Congrats, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do my strat these days! (Doesn't look like a million bucks, but it sure sounds like it!)

You better believe it. If I could've justified getting it, I would've bought it a long time ago. But I'll only be using it sparingly, so it's just too darn expensive...

Thanks for the suggestions! The nux seems fine in sort of a low key way, but my experience with really cheap stuff is that, eventually, you're going to fork over the cash for something better. I've known about the Orbital for some time, and it's an attractive proposition, but I'm not entirely sold on the inherent sound and it seems a little finicky with only two memory slots. That hot hand gizmo looks like a hoot, though! ...and completely impractical, but I guess you can't have it all. I'm definitely going to take the Orbital for a spin.

This 'Vega Power' Jazz was given to me when I was 16. It was in a sorry state with only two strings and broken electronics, so I spent the next decade or so not thinking terribly much of it. Then a couple of years ago I sort of absent-mindedly bought a couple of dirt-cheap Kluson 'Jaco' pickups and, lo and behold, it sounded awesome! So I gave it a good setup and now it's just a brilliant bass. I know next to nothing about it. It's presumably from the late '70s, made in Japan from uber heavy plywood. It's sounds brilliantly clear and burpy. I love it.

Haha, even though the Netherlands is (are?) quite a small country, Heerlen is about as far away as you can get without crossing the border. Thanks for the offer though! I've been tempted to get that box set on many occasions - it's just beautifully done - but i could never justify getting it as I already own every strip that was ever published, plus some of the collections... Back on topic, however: I learned about the Keeley mod workstation, which looks like something I might like but, there I go again. Small budget, expensive taste. 'Twas ever thus.

I'll see if I can play one to get a feel for it. I'm a little reluctant about most multi-effect pedals because of the deep/menu editing necessary... It's just such a rabbit hole, and boards can be so distracting. (Even with a relatively simple setup like mine... Well, to me anyway. ) Nice profile pic, by the way. I love C&H.

Thanks! You made me realize I had sort of unconsciously discounted Line 6, based on my experience with the DL4. I have yet to find a delay that does so much so intuitively, however, I found its sound uninspiringly lifeless. I'll definitely look into this one, although I fear it might be a little too finicky for the stage.

Hi all, I've been looking for an all-round modulation pedal, and the criterium I've been using is it has to sound good enough. The only effects I really want are chorus and some uni-vibe/rotary chewiness. Vibrato, Phase and Flange are nice but expendable, and I've got my tremolo needs covered. I like the sounds of the Strymon möbius, but I'm not THAT keen. Same with the Eventide stuff. It just has to cover some basic uses with function type gigs. I really like the Empress Nebulus, but that is only marginally cheaper. I guess I could spring for two separate pedals (I like the TC viscous vibe!) but if possible, I'd like to keep my board small. Anybody know if there's something out there?

Wonderful, please do tell how you get on with it. I'm a big fan of TC's digital stuff, but somehow the recent range of drive pedals sort of put me off - even though the ndr1 is my favourite drive (barring some prohibitively expensive tube-based alternatives).

Thanks for the suggestion! I guess it would be safe enough to do so, but I'm hesitant to invest in a solution if the result might be less than desirable. I'll try first whether the little monster can manage on its own.

Haha, that might be true. I believe I paid around 60-70 pounds for it. (70-80 euros) Maybe that's not dirt cheap, but it's great value. Or maybe it was luck.

I fitted a Kickass bridge recently as well. Drops right in a standard five screw mount and I don't think the setup could be easier. I was able to get my bass to play light as a feather within minutes, and it sounds and looks absolutely brilliant. It's a bold hunk of metal, though, but I suppose that's part of the attraction for most.

I picked up a second hand TC Hall of Fame because it was cheap. I didn't have any pressing need for it, but I've since had some gorgeous results in the studio -- so now I just use it because it sounds good and it's convenient. It won't do the really exotic stuff some other brands are known for, but it does certainly allow for some tweaking. Simple but great tool.

Whenever I think of Stingrays, I think of Gallien Krueger. It's not my cup of tea, but it's an indisputably strong sound.

Squiers are a great place to start. Come to think of it, I knew a great pro guitar player that played Squiers almost exclusively. (And I don't mean the vintage ones!) I'd say get a second hand one to get the most for your money, and if you can, get a friend who knows good guitars to size it up for you. A badly playing instrument can be hell on your motivation.

Haha, I agree. I never used it, I completely forgot about it, actually. Always wondered what ideas went into designing those drive channels...

Thanks! That's pretty much what I had gleaned from various sources. It still kind of confuses me why they put in the external socket, if you're not supposed to use it with the amp's own speaker, but I guess it's nice to have options. There's a project looming which might ask more than the single twelve inch speaker can deliver. Maybe if I have some spare cash (ha!) I'll make it into a head.

I favour the middle pickup, although I use all of the traditional settings at one time or another. Never knew it was so unpopular. The neck pickup, though still nice, is my least favourite. It tends to be a bit edgy for my liking. When I want to be heard, I go to the bridge - but then that is not as beefy as the middle pickup, so guess what...