Musician's Hangout 2.0 (Post-Rollback Edition)

[Rockstar1983]

I'm just looking for a amp for bedroom pratice for now. It dosen't have to be big. I'd rather it be small, but still have the option for a clean sound and a distorted sound. By the way, I'm getting pretty good at guitar.

Getting better, huh? Good to hear, Lefty! Keep up the good work!

Based on what you've told me, I would suggest a Fender Frontman 25R (25watts, 10" speaker, clean and overdrive channels with reverb) DEMO here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJY8b6RtcT8

If effects are a big deal, I'd suggest one of the smaller Roland Cube amps (Models of many "big name" amps with clean and overdriven sounds, chorus/flange/phase/tremolo FX, delay, and reverb... speaker size and wattage depends on the model). Demo HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qygpkj6rDzo

I can't personally recommend Line 6 amps, because I've not had much experience with them. I've pretty much stuck with Fender amps as long as I can remember (except my first amp, which was a "Pignose" 7-100... one volume knob, killer vintage tone. DEMO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_t5dX_YonA) and only tried the Roland Cube at the urging of a friend who owned one... I set his Cube to the "Black Panel" amp model with a bit of reverb, and it sounded so much like my Fender Twin, I got goosebumps. No lie!


This post turned out a bit long, but I hope you find some of it helpful.

[LeftyGuitar]

Thanks for the help. I'll more into the Fender amps.

[Technetium]

Hey I'm a drummer and I love my metal music. I'm currently thinking about buying another kit. Would you guys recommend any specific brands? Be aware that I'm short on options as the best music store in my general area doesn't have a wide range of
drum kits. Any ideas?

[Rockstar1983]

Be aware that I'm short on options as the best music store in my general area doesn't have a wide range of drum kits. Any ideas?

That's OK, I'll just tune-in my psychic abilities... But seriously, here are my thoughts on your question.

I like the sound of the Pearl Export sets (that's what the drummer in my band plays), and almost anything made by DW... I've heard mixed reviews on Pacific Drums (PDP), mostly good... but ultimately, I've learned that with drums, brand isn't everything. What your drums are made of, if they're built solid, and if they feel good when you hit them are much more important factors. Slightly less important, but still a large factor, is what kind of heads you put on them.

For example, I own two kits. Both are bought second-hand from other musicians, each for less than $300... my first was a 1965 Slingerland (looked kinda rough, but the drums were still in-round, and it tuned up well) and the kit that I gig with steadily now is a mid-70's Pearl, branded as "Reuther".

I use the same heads on each kit... Remo coated ambassadors on the snare/toms and a Remo coated Powerstroke or Evans EMAD on the beater-side of the kick. The Slingerland sounds deeper, having thicker, heavier shells (made of maple, I believe) with wooden stabilizer hoops on the inside, where the head touches the shell... The Reuther (Pearl) sounds good, but the lows aren't as round and "boomy" as the Slingerland (despite the drums being bigger and deeper), because the Reuther has thinner, lighter shells with no stabilizer hoops, made of softer wood (not sure what kind). Each is a good set, but for different reasons.

Moral of the story - In the end, a name is just a name... Look 'em over, hold 'em in your hands, play on 'em if the store lets you, make your decision based on what you hear and feel. It's gonna be your kit, so it should feel good to you. If you're still unsure, find a friend who knows a bit about drums and take him/her along to the music store.

Best of luck, and be sure to post here again when you get your new set!

[Jazzmarazz]

Oh, I just remembered. Im also working on a sine wave generator.
But not any old bleeper, im making a series of five 555timer chips that activate with the push of a guitar Hero controller button. Each fret button will have its own 555timer with a different capacitance (different pitch). I could simply hook up one 555timer for all five buttons, but then I couldn't play chords. Its gonna have an internal speaker and a 1/4" output, but I need to figure out how to wire in a very simply audio mixer. Something that will take up very little room.
then I will also have a master pitch potentiometer hooked up to the whammy bar. YAY

This is basically a 1 bit instrument.

[Rockstar1983]

Sounds pretty cool, Jazz. Can't wait to see it!

[Snig501]

Hello guys

I'm new here and I thought this might be a good place for me to start.

I play guitar and I have a Fernandes Pro 81 and a Squier Telecaster, a few pedals a Vox VT30 amp

[T12av1S]

Name's Travis (I think some of you might know me o.o) and I'm a guitarist of 4 years and apparently a saxophone player. I picked up a saxophone about a week ago and I have been told by quite a few people that I'm good at it. Who would've thunk it?

But anyway, I got two guitars. A Behringer Strat Copy (my very first guitar), and an Epiphone 1966 G-400 SG. I'm in love with the Treble for my Epi. It just makes everything feel right.

[Rockstar1983]

@Snig501 - This is a *perfect* place to start. Sounds like you've got a good, solid rig. How long have you been playing guitar, and what kind of music do you play?

@T12av1s - Those G-400 SG's are nice guitars... I'm not a humbucker guy (usually prefer single-coils), but I like the sound of 'em.

Thanks, both of you, for posting and keeping the Musician's Hangout alive.

[Snig501]

I've been playing for around seven years and I play almost anything from Oasis to Metallica and Megadeth.

[Snig501]

Anyone know of a cheap good AMP brand that has good distortion options and is a good amp in general?

Hey Lefty,

I depends on what kind of music you're wanting to play, but, if you're just looking for a cheap amp to practice on then I would recommend a Marshall MG, maybe an 15-watt or 30-watt. In my experience, that's a great little practice amp. Or if you have a few extra bucks and are looking for more of a versatile sound then I'd suggest maybe a Line 6 Spider 3 or, if I may, suggest a Vox VT series amp, again 15 or 30-watt. I got this amp a while ago, just looking for a handy amp to move around and I personally think I couldn't have got a better amp for the money I paid. But then again that's just opinion.

I must also note that I've never had a Line 6 amp but I have heard good things about it.

Hope this helps and good luck with your guitar skills in he future

[natethegreat]

Hi, I am an aspiring lyricist and vocalist. I had a band before, and we frequently play rock songs, and sometimes, pop/punk. Unfortunately, our band disbanded due to the academic pressures of college life. As of now, I write my lyrics whenever an idea hit me, anytime, anywhere.

[Rockstar1983]

Attaboy, Nate... never stop creating. It's what keeps musicians and artists alive!

[Brandenburg]

Sorry for the long post.. I get carried away at times

Been playing on and off for 20+ years...I go through spells were I practice alot or dont practice at all..depending on my mood..Most recent thing I learned was the Smoke on the Water Solo .. still working on it as its not perfect but... Not a hard Solo but to play it right requires not just playing the notes correctly but it has to be played with feeling and the groove must really be in the "pocket" IMO.. Problem im having is only on a 1 bar ,16th note passage.. I just need to smooth it out a bit. I have no desire to embarrass myself but here is the link http://youtu.be/rq-YHTgThj4.. Not bad but not great

Mainly I play 70's hard rock and metal, 80's and 90's metal and punk, blues, and do a little piddlin around with classical and jazz. MOST new music isnt that good IMO

Primary practice setup is playing through my PC.. XFI-Music extreme w/ IO bay (IO bay is an older model..bought it around 2006 and IMO is superior to the newer IO Bays...For the speakers.. I use 2 late 80's 150 watt pioneer towers and a sub powered by a 5.1 100 watt HT receiver.. for drums I use PC Drummer pro, use even though I occasionally piddle with FL Studio 9. The tab program is Guitar Pro 5 and have like 135,000 tabs..YES.. I know its an astounding number but I just ran checked the properties of the main folder I keep my tabs in.. actually it said 137,634.. And last but not least.. The amp program I use is Native Instruments GUITAR RIG 4 which is pretty damn good BTW..

My alternate setup is my '89 Randall RG 100es with a 4X12.. YES.. Its very loud and prefer this setup when volume and portability is more important than versatility .. Probably Would give most of you a whole new perspective on what constitutes loud I suspect..Reputed to be one of the best solid state amps ever made with good reason.. The sound is almost tube like and has an excellent distortion.. Occasionally I will use a 1987 PRO CO Rat 2 as it is very good at producing an overdrive sound...This amp is widely sought after for anyone wanting to reproduce a convincing 80's metal tone like Pantera, DIO,Metallica,etc and can still be had on ebay for $400 to $500.. Mine has the addition of a custom footswitch I made as I left the original at a friends house ages ago.. See below for pics

Both amp setups can get loud.. I can turn my 100 watt stereo receiver up all the way and my randall can easily drowned it out on a volume setting up ~ 3.5.

Guitar is a 2001 Jackson Dinky DK-2 that was made in India according to the serial number.. Dont let that fool ya.. It plays better than anything I have ever owned... Early 90's Kramer Focus 1000 with a reverse head stock, 1979 Gibson Les Paul with an EMG 81 and 85, and a 1985 Gibson SG with EMG 85 and H.. that I still own

24 fret rosewood fretboard,jumbo frets,1979 Gibson T-TOP humbucker,some cosmetic changes such as knobs,neck and jack plate, wrench holder behind the headstock AND the wiring is a custom job I did myself...

I NEVER break as string on this guitar.. Only guitar Ive had that is like that.. seriously.. i change more strings because of age than because of breakage.. im using d'addario .09 to .46's

Electronic Mods:
3-way switch.. Yes i took out the 5-way along with the middle pickup...
1979 Gibson T-TOP
foil shielding tape
multi- cap tone mod.. caps are Orange Drops
Volume bypass mod.. Some call this a "solo mod"
Kill switch (on/off that in the off position sends the signal to ground)
Took three schematics I found on the net, redrew the schematic and made a few changes so everything works as as single unit

I hate to describe my gear with out posting pics...

A family pic

Showing off my wiring skills.. Yea.. I'm proud of it because for once.. what I envisioned worked out to shear awesomeness

Custom pedal I made for the Randall

Internals of my workmanship

[Rockstar1983]

@Brandenburg - Thanks for sharing. You should be proud of your designs.


On an unrelated note, I've recently bought a Boss ME-70 effect unit from a pal of mine for $150. Good price, so I thought "Why Not?". The effects sound great, but the unit steals the high frequencies from my natural guitar and amp tone. If you always have compression or distortion/overdrive on, it's not a big deal, but I like to turn everything off and just hear my original tone. Think I'll keep it for awhile, but I'm looking for something more to my liking, that doesn't compromise my tone... considering adding an Eventide Modfactor to my pedalboard, for added versatility with my existing pedal setup.