The Guitar Thread

[Gemmill 46013]

2 minutes ago, Monkeys Fist said:

Quick question gents- a while back someone recommended a gadget that plugs in to your guitar and acts like an effect pedal - ring any bells? 
 

Fist Jnr. has saved up a fair stash and if he doesn’t spend it this instant the world will explode, or something. 
 

It looked very neat and compact but I can’t be arsed trawling back through pages and pages   

 

Cheers in advance. 

 

I think that might have been me recommending this thing...? 

 

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/201202364713025--fender-mustang-micro-headphone-amp?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqc6aBhC4ARIsAN06NmMA91hsEzIo8B7F-Ye7A8z7XRcVx_W8AgGcoUCXee8DW5rhmzv0AWoaAuTxEALw_wcB

 

It's pretty good for £99 and it's an easy way to get access to different sounding amp models and effects without spending hundreds. Plus you can play backing tracks through it and play along and stuff. All through headphones so his mam and dad don't have to listen to a fucking thing.

 

Let me have a quick look though in case there's other things have come out in the meantime that might be a better option. 

[Tom 14013]

18 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

I'm just pleased you didn't instantly hate it.

 

Gets a solid 10/10 so far and I've barely scratched the surface.  
 

I'm basically using the HX and my loop pedal. It's a mad as fuck. I think the neighbours are going think I've turned into Beethoven overnight.

[Gemmill 46013]

Reet, there's a thing called the Nux Mighty Plug which is £60 - of the two, I'd go for the Fender one. The Nux requires an app on a phone or tablet to change settings whereas the fender's controls are all on board the little unit. The Nux apparently has latency issues too (delay between hitting the string and the sound coming through his ears) - it'll be measured in microseconds and barely noticeable, but why get that when the Fender seems to not have that problem. 

 

The upgrade from both of these would be the Boss Pocket GT. It's £180 though and I don't know if we're getting into "that's a bit much for now" territory. 

 

Honestly I would probably say to go for the Fender one and when he outgrows it, go for a bigger upgrade than the Boss. 

 

Depends how he goes with the digital stuff too, although I would imagine most kids starting guitar these days, once they discover digital modelling and plugins on their PC etc, they'll just naturally go down the digital route. 

[Monkeys Fist 43060]

Cheers man. 👍

The Fender is the one I was thinking of. Thanks for the advice on t’other one too. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

( you see Andrew… I told you Quiff was wrong about Gemmill  ) 

[Gemmill 46013]

3 minutes ago, Tom said:

Gets a solid 10/10 so far and I've barely scratched the surface.  
 

I'm basically using the HX and my loop pedal. It's a mad as fuck. I think the neighbours are going think I've turned into Beethoven overnight.

 

 Excellent 

 

It's just a super easy way to get access to effects that you would have to spend literally thousands of pounds to put together on a pedal by pedal basis (not to mention the amps). 

 

Especially for what you're trying to do where your drives will come from proper analog pedals and you'll use the Stomp for the back end of the signal chain stuff where the difference between analog and digital is much narrower. 

 

Give the Transistor Tape delay a go of you haven't already. The Glitch Delay is canny too, although that might be on a later firmware than you've currently got. I'm guessing you're missing the shuffling looper too currently? 

[Tom 14013]

Yeh at the moment I suppose Im just getting myself familiar with the pedal itself. Then I think I'll get myself a few delay patches in a row and operate it like that.

 

Also tempted for a Kaoss pad as a midi controller  

[Blastronaut 1344]

On 22/10/2022 at 17:31, Gemmill said:

 where your drives will come from proper analog pedals and you'll use the Stomp for the back end of the signal chain stuff where the difference between analog and digital is much narrower. 

 

Dont tell anyone I said this but I'm not sure the difference is really any greater, I think people are only aware of it more since there's more of an expectation for modulation to be more clean and precise than there is with overdrive, fuzz and distortion. 

 

My take on the digital/analogue debate: if Tom, Gemmill, Andrew and me all buy a JCM800 and Tom and Andrew don't like theirs, there's a massive chance theirs just sound radically different from mines and Gemmill's. If we all bought a Helix and I'm the only fucker that didn't like it, mines is either faulty or I'm just too thick to work out how to use it. 

 

Digital wipes out 95% of the unpredictability of of fully analogue gear. Tom's Helix will sound pretty much identical to Gemmill's and every other Helix. Your Rangemasters and Steel Stringers much less so.

 

[Gemmill 46013]

Good post. The truth is that I've never been a massive pedalhead so I don't feel in a position to argue with someone when they tell me that digital can't compete with analogue from an overdrive perspective. I just tend to take them at their word, cos there's enough people saying it. 

 

I know when I watch side by side comparisons of helix models and the real thing, I genuinely can't tell the difference, but I know there also might be confirmation bias there too - I've got helix stuff, I want it to sound as good, so maybe I just believe that it does. 

 

Great point about the variability being more or less removed. I know when I had my Stomp and the HX Effects, if I set up an identical signal chain in each unit and flipped back and forth between them, there was zero difference between the two. Which supports your point. 

 

 

[Tom 14013]

Well I've spent an absolute fortune on drive/fuzz pedals down the years and I'm having just as much fun with some of the models on the HX. 

 

Ive been proven wrong I suppose as in the past I've been a little snobbish regarding digital stuff. 

 

Some of it you simply couldn't get out of a pedal. There's a x 2 Overdrive + Boost patch I've been playing - simply has to be unique to the helix. 
 

Sounds/reacts wonderful

[Andrew 4856]

I thiiiink I have a buffering issue, but I don't understand this shit so paging @Blastronaut 

 

When I put my Caverns on I get a huge volume spike.

signal chain at the moment is;

 

Rangemaster > Precision Drive > Steel Singer > Preamp(Kraken v4) > Caverns > Power Amp.

[Blastronaut 1344]

18 minutes ago, Andrew said:

I thiiiink I have a buffering issue, but I don't understand this shit so paging @Blastronaut 

 

When I put my Caverns on I get a huge volume spike.

signal chain at the moment is;

 

Rangemaster > Precision Drive > Steel Singer > Preamp(Kraken v4) > Caverns > Power Amp.

 

If you've got any pedals that are buffered bypass (like a TU-2 or basically any boss pedals) try sticking that before the Caverns, leave it plugged in but off to see if that makes a difference.

 

Plan B: If I'm right that the delay side of the Caverns is the same as the Magnetic Echo, it should have an internal input level control you can adjust with a small screwdriver. Will look a bit like this and should be labelled "104".

 

[Blastronaut 1344]

Scratch the bit about the internal control, I've just found a photo of the Caverns internals and don't see one unfortunately. Hopefully a buffer sorts out the issue.

 

@Andrew

Edited October 24, 2022 by Blastronaut

[Andrew 4856]

11 hours ago, Blastronaut said:

Scratch the bit about the internal control, I've just found a photo of the Caverns internals and don't see one unfortunately. Hopefully a buffer sorts out the issue.

 

@Andrew

 

Cheers man, I'll do a bit of experimenting

[Blastronaut 1344]

49 minutes ago, Andrew said:

 

Cheers man, I'll do a bit of experimenting

 

If the buffered bypass experiment fails, take everything else out the equation and run just the Caverns (ideally with short cable runs). If it still noticably boosts volume when engaged it's likely an issue with your Caverns rather than a chain problem.

 

You could fuck around with the internal "trails" dip switches that but they're quite fragile and would probably just confuse the issue. "Trails" mode seems to be referred to as "buffered bypass mode" in the marketing for this pedal but I don't really buy that. I'd bet my mortgage both modes are essentially true-bypass. Buffered bypass would need a fuckton of extra components for both the reverb and delay sides. "Trails" is just a clever wiring trick.

[Andrew 4856]

Just booked tickets for a Nick Johnston clinic in March which should be fun, Ive seen a couple of them on youtube and hes usually good value!

[Alex 35568]

8 hours ago, Andrew said:

Just booked tickets for a Nick Johnston clinic in March which should be fun, Ive seen a couple of them on youtube and hes usually good value!

Get well soon, mate 👍🏻

[AlbertSmith50 13]

TURN UP the volume.

 

[Monkeys Fist 43060]

27 minutes ago, AlbertSmith50 said:

TURN UP the volume.

 

This is gonna sound fantastic on my LG tv and Dubly sound bar. 
 

 

 

It goes to eleven. 

[Blastronaut 1344]

1 hour ago, Monkeys Fist said:

This is gonna sound fantastic on my LG tv and Dubly sound bar. 
 

 

 

It goes to eleven. 

 

I made my brother-in-law a Celtic themed Rangemaster (the "quadruple treble" boost) as a gift not that long ago, somecunt saw it and asked if it could go further than 9.

[AlbertSmith50 13]

Down from the bar
There's a platform stage
People primpin' pi*ping
Sharp as razor blades
In from the street
While the little people stare
It's all about the style
And the clothes you wear

[Monkeys Fist 43060]

3 hours ago, AlbertSmith50 said:

Down from the bar
There's a platform stage
People primpin' pi*ping
Sharp as razor blades
In from the street
While the little people stare
It's all about the style
And the clothes you wear

But…

 

 

… Freddie’s dead. 

[AlbertSmith50 13]

6 hours ago, Monkeys Fist said:

But…

 

 

… Freddie’s dead. 

I'm a fly guyyyyyyy

[Tom 14013]

This is the guitar thread. We don't enjoy popular music, rock music or any music. 

 

We like transistors & valves. 

[Blastronaut 1344]

On 29/10/2022 at 13:47, Tom said:

This is the guitar thread. We don't enjoy popular music, rock music or any music. 

 

We like transistors & valves. 

 

Im not even all that interested in guitars half of the time tbh.

[Gemmill 46013]

 

 

New Helix Software Alert @Tom

 

You can now change the position of the mic on the speaker axis. Great news for everybody except me who now just has one more thing to wonder if he's doing it wrong.

 

The new Dynamic Ambience reverb should be canny. 

 

This free firmware update for Helix® and HX® processors features an entirely new IR-based cab engine and 24 new guitar and bass cabs, along with five new amps, seven new effects, and new features including Dual IR Blocks.

 

Includes a model of the Boss Bass Octaver pedal, and a couple of Earthquaker Devices pedal, including the Plumes which is their Tubescreamer. 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Gemmill