I shopped for years to get the right amp, and the Hiwatt is for sale, because the Orange is an absolute monster!!! I had wanted a Vox AC30 but was warned against it for reliability and weight. So I did as I was told, went to Penzance to buy the Orange and never looked back. The only thing to be able to spank a Marshall.
Next amp acquisition is to get a Fender Deluxe to replace the Peavey, and then run them in a double rig with the Orange…cant wait for that.
Mainly play fender guitars have 2 stratocasters and a Tele, but Im favouring the Tele more and more.
Sold a lot of my old stuff over the years, this is what stayed:
Japanese Les Paul copies - Tokai and Greco.
Marshall JCM 800 I got dirt cheap a long time ago and an old litte Marshall Reverb 12 for at home, which sounds brilliant.
Yamaha BBs and old 80s Trace Elliot amp for bass, heavy and loud as fuck.
Pedals is the worst though. Keep buying and selling.
Some favourites: Moog Minifooger pedals - they’re all brilliant.
Old Proco Rat. Hardwire CM-2 is the best Tubescreamer type ever imo.
yes some of the LP copies put Gibson to shame especially the Tokai, got an 02 Epi myself, and even though they sound divine as a lead guitar, Im unsure as a rhythm instrument. We used to joke at band practice ‘did you just hit a chord on that LP!’.
Nearly invested in a JCm800 myself because of Joey Santiago, wonderful amps, industry standard really.
Pedals are a chore for me too, stripped it right down in recent years. Love Moog, actually have a Voyager synth signed by Bob, its just cosmic! But everything they touch is ace, fancy a Clusterflux when I have a spare grand.
Tried so many fuzz pedals and eventually sacked them off for clipped distortion or power amp distortion, so using a Suhr Riot and an Earthquaker Acapulco Gold which I can get fuzzy tones from on the neck pickups.
Never had a tubescreamer as Im not that much a fan of mid-humps, and in running an Orange my rig is prone to that. Went into the Klon thingy a few years back and was not impressed, but wa s using the Wampler Tumnus.
I would really like an Eventide H9 Max, but they are over £500!!!
Yeah well, I love LP for rhythm as well, but to each their own
Love Moog, Voyager is NIIICE.
Used to have a Minimoog. Nowadays I just use the Minitaur with a cheapo foot pedal (poor man’s Taurus) when I want to see/feel the walls move.
Always wanted the old Moogerfooger stuff, but actually those Minifoogers are brilliant as well, especially with a foot pedal. What I like is that you can do weirdo out there sounds as well as really subtle stuff, everything sounds brilliant.
I like stacking overdrives, also with an eq pedal, works well for me.
I do use Les for rhythm if Im feeling really sinister, blows the windows out! Truth is it disturbs the dynamic range of the instrument and there is less clarity between strings. But yeah, LP on power-chords is mighty.
I do see this Fender/Gibson division right through guitar aficionados, but they’re both good, just different. Conversely, I think Strats sound really weak totally clean.
Yeah the Moog stuff is right at the top of the industry, the subtlety you can achieve with some modulation and delay. Always also fancied an A/D/A Flanger, but word has gotten around now and they are also top money.
Stacking o/d’s is a must!!! Added with a good compressor on quite light works a treat.
Not a Fender hater at all, love Teles and actually find them completely underrated for heavy sounds. Strats never worked for me though.
I’ve been playing bass in my current band, because a) it’s really hard to find a really good bass player and b) I’ve discovered that it’s very interesting/inspiring to start the songwriting on the bass, has lead to unusual stuff for us. Down side was that I initially actually found it harder to sing while playing bass than guitar, at least for the more complex parts. Got used to it though and love it now. And I’m still a better guitar player than our guitar player, so I get to push him around
I’ve had a checkered guitar history sadly. Too many cheap, poor quality instruments and bits but I’m working to change that. Lock down has helped me to reorganise a few things and pick it back up again.
Guitar wise I have an Ibanez Sz520SR, an Ovation roundback, and the little 1958 Framus 5/50.
Amp wise I don’t have anything as I would normally set up my Line 6 XT pedal board and plug some headphones into that. I am considering the Positive Grid Spark amp. Anything that allows me to play along with songs and help in that process is welcome. I need want to build my skills substantially.
I used to have a big 50w Marshall and a gorgeous Epiphone Les Paul that I still regret selling to this day.
Saving for a new electric now as well. Really torn on which way to go on this one. I’m leaning more towards a traditional type and sounding guitar but I’m not fan of huge great big bodied guitars. Strats and Tele’s are on the list as are the G&L equivalents. I also want versatility from the pickup / tone options. So I’m in a bit of a muddle.
I made that mistake when I started out, and had to sell all the cheap gear; good tone does actually cost money. But Ibanez make some great stuff, you should be well happy with that S model.
All the gear freaks I know are raving about an Amp you may be interested in, its called a Kemper?
Shouldnt have sold that Epi, but still there are lots about, anything made by Samek or Fine in Korea from mid 90s to early nougties should be really good.
Of course cant tell you what guitar to get but I am well impressed with my Tele @anon27364116; It cost me £275 its a 95 NOS Mexican and is totally standard, but rocks like fck on the bridge pick up. I had to upgrade my Strat pick ups for Custom Shop 69s and its a little better. Yep me too cant stand huge body guitars.
Its hard to find good bass players and drummers, the latter even harder! I cant sing and play at the same time at the moment. Tried bands but its real hard to find the proper balance of people, but will have another go soon. In my last band I got so wound up with the other guitarist, he would always crank his mids so that you could not hear anyone else. Had a rage in the end and fckd him off!!! Obviously had no fidelity!
Yep learned the hard way sadly and the SZ is actually a great guitar. A bit of a sleeper as you can pick them up quite cheap. It has a few qwerks that I might look at sorting at some point. One real downside is the weight. It weighs a ton, heaviest guitar I’ve known, by a mile. I used to go round a mates place and we’d play pretty much all Saturday afternoon, you really felt it after a few hours. I also fell that it has a slightly dated look to it now as well. I don’t have any intention of selling it.
But my tastes have softened over the years to be honest. Even the tone I like now has a smoother more traditional feel to it rather than a full one metal tone. More 70’s rock and blues now I guess. Tele’s are certainly on my list, as are Strats. I remember trying an old Tele many moons ago and to this day I remember how comfortable and easy the neck was. I was looking at this earlier.
I’ve also seen an advert for a Tele Deluxe not too far from me.
I cant get this feeling that I want to maximise my versatility out of my head.
I had an RG, and the thing took a week to change strings because of the locking tuner system; but I loved it, when it cleaned up it was great, and had my eye on an S, but a Strat bit me and I went that way then. Would definitely have another one.
Thats a very nice guitar but I am confused - is this your versatility thing - but that Tele has humbuckers, no doubt its a split coil set up, but from what I have been told, the split coil thing is a bit of a gymick and it wont sound a patch on two proper tele single coils, just what Ive heard from some pros I know. Versatility has its limits I suppose. But if I was going for a Tele it would have to be coils, thats what they are best at. The Seymour Duncan vintage tele pick ups are supposed to be the bees-knees but they’re close to £200 for the set, and £50 more to have them swapped.
I think maybe you need to be careful with this versatility thang, jack of all trades etc. You could still get great versatility out of the coils with pedals or some other augmentation, but my feeling is you cannot have both with humbuckers and coils both sounding great.
Might get me some guitar with P90s in next, just to be a devil!
Friend from another band plays one of those newer Yamaha Pacificas with a P90 in the neck position and a humbucker in the bridge - seriously, that thing has a gorgeous bluesy type of sound.
My SZ doesn’t have a trem. It’s string through the body. Big and meaty tones from it but I’m not 100% on the pickups and wiring.
I sometimes find the Strat and tele bridge pick ups too harsh nowadays. Must be the increase in hai I have growing in my ears these days or something.
Yes that guitar is fully coil tapped with a 3 way selector gives 5 pickup configurations. But I’m shopping round. I’ve completely undecided and open to ideas. Something second hand may well crop up as well.
Hmmmmmm P90’s. That could pretty close to the tones I like to be honest.
Actually one guitar I would really look at is a B&G Little Sister.
The Telecaster is my guitar of choice. It’s basically a plank of wood and you can’t piss about with that. Strats feel too fretwanky to me.
When I bought my ‘serious’ guitar, god knows why, but I went for a Jaguar. Probably Thom Yorke was playing one at the time. Leaving me with that, and the cheap Mexican Tele that I still plug in more often that not. I do regret that decision.
I used to play a lot more but not so much now. I’ve had loads of guitars over the years but just have one now, a Taylor 814ce. Nice guitar. My daughter sings very well so I occasionally play and she sings. Usually I learn whatever song she is interested in singing, so it’s a nice bonding thing.
When I used to jam with a few mates (good times) I used to plug straight into a PA my mate had.
Worked really well with the Line 6 POD XT pedalboard I have.
These days though I’m leaning towards a simpler set up I think. Guitar, amp (or modeller) and a pedal or two and leave it at that. Too much hassle to set everything up!!
