ANSWER:

David Gilmour, The Edge, Danny Danzi, Dolly Parton












QUESTION:

What  four people have the biggest racks in the business?

ampfixer


This is just my personal observation, but I'd like to know if anyone else has noticed. 

Most of the guys I work with that make a living playing guitar live have pretty cheap pedal boards. I ask all the clients what they use for patch cables, power supplies and pedals. Guys that have "people" often don't know what cables they use. They send a guy out to buy a bunch of cables for the tour and don't spend time agonizing over the capacitance etc. They tend to use readily available pedals from Boss and Voodoo labs. If they break, off goes the roadie to the music store for another.

Studio guys and hobby players go for the expensive stuff like evidence audio cables, clon pedals and vintage uni-vibes. Double this for lawyers. They buy Dumble amps and 59 bursts.

I think pedal boards are similar to studio rigs. It's not so much what they are, it's more about what a given individual can coax out of the gear on hand.

Great post, John! So true too! I'm one of those guys that buys good cables and stuff, and then buys back-ups of everything. So if I have a problem, I have extra stuff waiting in the wings. I learned years ago that I should always have 2-3 of the same EVERYTHING so that if something goes down, it's right there with me. That's another cool thing about the big rack...something goes down, it takes a second to change to the aux patch set using different pre-amps.
 
As long as we can pinpoint where the problem is, (which we always have) I can sort issues out in about 2 minutes or less. A power amp dies, I have another ready to go on another circuit within my Bradshaw. Bradshaw main pedal dies, there's one my roadie has on the side. Wah pedal dies, the Dunlop Rack allows for 6 pedals to be used at once...so I have plenty. Wireless transmitter dies, I got a box of them. Receiver dies, instant change over to the other unit.
 
You get the idea. One of the coolest things I added which most would think is stupid to get excited about...lol...but I have a Juice Goose line conditioner that eliminates all power packs and turns them into phone like looking ends. You kill all hum possibilities and free up so much space for other things to plug in...it's just unreal. Those dumb things are the cause of hums and other oscillations 9 out of 10 times.
 
But your right in what you say about just making things work. I've seen some really freaked out systems in my time as I'm sure you have. The most remembered, was a guy that came into my studio one time with some Laney amp or something. I hate those....I have never heard one sound good other than when Warren DeMartinni from Rat used one years ago. But anyway, he had this pedal board....unlike anything I have ever seen. There must have been...and I kid you not....50 pedals on this thing set in all different directions just to fit them all in!
 
Well needless to say, I cringed when I saw this stuff and just knew I'd be greeted with "shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE oooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww huuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
 
He turns on and plugs in....the above is exactly what I heard. I'm thinking...oh man, this is gonna be a loooong night! He hears all this noise and says...ah man, I know why this is happening...sheesh, I forgot. He opens up a bag and puts like 5 more pedals on the board. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just shaking my head and ready to go out there and make something out of this mess myself.
 
He turns the thing on.....it's quiet as a church and the sound was incredible! LOL!!! He had took a few of his pedals off the board to use for something else and had forgotten they were disconnected and not completing the chain...hence all the noise and crap. Hahaha! But man, the tone was really awesome considering the board literally looked like a city. Hahahahaha! So you just never know....I'm sure you can attest to some weird rigs through the years. Trust me....I can too...uggh!
 
In the early days, I was stuck between a good 80's processed tone (like an in between of Randy Rhoads, Tom Scholz and Eddie VH) and couldn't make up my mind. So I lumped a bunch of crap together and created something pretty cool using the first version Rockman, a tube Screamer, a heavy metal pedal and an old Rat. Of course there was a noise gate as well as a hushIIC noise reduction unit....and as you can guess, I was one heck of a good tap dancer to boot! Hahaha!
 
I'll tell you though...I got one VERY important lesson out of using all those pedals that to this day, is a great habit that I'm glad I have. Can ya guess what that might be other than the fact that I have cleaned up my act and my sound? LOL!
 
When you have that much crap going on, you gotta really know how to work a volume knob. I'm so fast with turning my volume knob off and on, it's a part of my style now. In the studio, I can literally play without a noise reduction unit because I can turn my volume knob down so fast between passages where you start and stop. It's really a great habit to get in especially live when you turn up a bit and the drive you use can become feedback in between parts of songs where you stop. Lots of guys just leave their guitars open during those times and you can hear the squeeling in between....I soo hate that! Totally unprofessional in my opinion.
 
So though I don't get noise or anything, sometimes you pick up some hums from the lights or whatever when you plug into an outlet at a place. You know how bad some of them can be. It's nice to just jump on that volume knob and shut the darned thing up in an instant...and has really become a cool habit to have. The downside is...I'm constantly cooking volume knobs at least once per year. Part of that is probably due to me doing this habit of mine while the other is doing stuff like Cathedral in my Van Halen tribute band where you have to really use the volume knob swell technique like mad. But...if it weren't for my pedal and tap dancing days, I'd probably not have gotten into the good habit of controlling my sound from the volume knob...so it worked out to my benefit. :) 
 
LOL @ "the biggest racks"!!!! Hahahaha!! That was good...I'm crackin' up over here. :) Wish you didn't live so far from me John, I got soo many things I could send your way for repair or modification. We're hurting in this area for guys like you. :(
 
-Danny

dxp


Hey Danny, remind me never to get on your bad side... Lol

The 112 questions\points of interest in your earlier post provide plenty food for thought. 

What I currently use is a line 6 spider valve MKII.
(2) 12" Celestion vintage 30's.
Not sure if you are familiar with these amps or not.
16 amp models and built in effects.
I have found that I do not care for the effects all that much.
The longer I play thru this amp it seems the less I like how it sounds.
I will say the class A model has some warmth to it when playing clean, but add any built in drive and it just feels muddy.

Perhaps it is just me running out of talent when it comes to fine
Tuning any sounds from it.

I don't think my ears are what they used to be...

I wonder if anyone here likes Boss pedals??  :)

Tom:  that pic was great! Old school man.
Drummers, generations come and go and yet they remain unchanged...
Don't get em wet and keep them out of the light.

Ah bro, honest....I'm harmless and would give ya the shirt off my back. I just hate when people come on here and act in a manner that you know they wouldn't to a man face to face. Or, they come on here and post information that is completely misleading to people that really want to know/learn something and come off in a harsh manner. It's just uncalled for. We're all in this world together...why not make the best of it as a team, ya know? That rack of "junk", flea market...whatever.....cost me nearly 20k back in the day and it works fantastic to this day and has given me my own unique sound identity.
 
Sure, a lot of that comes from your tonality in your fingers, but that rig is just something else when you play through it. I don't expect everyone to go out and buy one or even entertain the thought of a monster like that....but I came up with something that works really well for me and I adore the tone every single time I plug into it. Not to mention, with the weapons that thing has onboard, it's a single guitarist in a band's dream come true because you can literally play super long passages, sample them and maintain your effects over top of the sample and play over top without losing a thing.
 
Just as an example...here are some of the super cool capabilities it has:
 
Ever hear Steve Stevens ray gun sound? Got it to the T and have my own variations of it as well. I can also (when using my stereo rig) put sounds in 3d which doesn't do anything for what people hear through the mains, but man, it sounds sick on stage!
 
Van Halen phaser, flangers that trigger exactly in time to the songs just like the albums. I can't do that or get that sound with the new gear. You gotta have the older stuff that gives you a bit of that analog thing.
 
8 seconds of sampling with pulse control....I can play a passage and press hold and it will never lose time because it receives pulses from my drummers kick drum...so it's spot on. This allows me to play rhythm and lead at the same time without ever missing anything.
 
The horn sound for Running with the Devil in real time without the use of a sampler.....space ship sounds, incredible harmonizing capabilities, 12 string sim, keyboards without a synth, I can use an amp or 3 different pre-amps at once due to the switching capabilities in the Bradshaw. I can trigger old effects that aren't midi...I can control midi of all pieces in one button press, it's just limitless man.
 
And the coolest thing....it changes patches instantly without a gap/delay in the change and the sounds morph to the new patch you select. So if you had a delay on a lead sound and switched to a rhythm sound or a clean, the patch changes instantly and the delay from the last patch moves into the new patch you selected. Stuff like that, I just can't get out of all-in one boxes and what can I say...it's important to me and a part of what makes me, me, ya know? 
 
Anyway, onto your rig now! :)
 
-Danny

dxp


Hey Danny, remind me never to get on your bad side... Lol

The 112 questions\points of interest in your earlier post provide plenty food for thought. 

What I currently use is a line 6 spider valve MKII.
(2) 12" Celestion vintage 30's.
Not sure if you are familiar with these amps or not.
16 amp models and built in effects.
I have found that I do not care for the effects all that much.
The longer I play thru this amp it seems the less I like how it sounds.
I will say the class A model has some warmth to it when playing clean, but add any built in drive and it just feels muddy.

Perhaps it is just me running out of talent when it comes to fine
Tuning any sounds from it.

I don't think my ears are what they used to be...

I wonder if anyone here likes Boss pedals??  :)

Tom:  that pic was great! Old school man.
Drummers, generations come and go and yet they remain unchanged...
Don't get em wet and keep them out of the light.

Spider is a good front end. I'd ditch the 30's....for some reason bro, I absolutely hate those speakers more than any speaker...ok wait...JBL's are the worst for me...but those 30's...in all my years, I have NEVER gotten good tone out of them. Every client that has come into my studio with one of those, has driven me crazy to get a good tone out of. They are just way harsh and abrasive. I can't believe people mention those speakers and say "they are really warm". Furthest from the truth in all my years working with them. I'd definitely change them first and foremost brother.
 
 
 
 
The reason you like your amp as you play.....is because the highs are piercing you at first. As your ears get used to the high end, they get less sensitive...and this is actually, ear fatigue.
 
 
 
 
As far as running out of talent, no, that's most likely not the case so don't even think like that. :) It is easier to say "yeah baby, that is a great guitar sound" than it is to literally create one. LOL! That said, it's best when you know how and what to listen for. This is usually the biggest issue. Some guys think loads of gain are what their heros use when in reality, they use less gain than they think. Others substitute treble for gain, so the sound is super raspy and brittle. You have to get that right happy medium of good mids to keep the tone thick, and enough highs to allow the sound to cut without being too piercing.
 
 
 
 
Bass is also an issue for guitarists. They are always trying to go for this huge, thick tone....and think woomfing low end is the fix for it. That is the first thing a soundman or recording engineer is going to dial out. If you chug on chords and feel bass, you're using too much. The idea is to round out the tone with lows, not make it whoomf to where it's entering bass guitar territory.
 
Pedals are cool...but you have to see which will work for you. For example, I stay away from anything that is going to drastically alter the sound of an amp. You either like that amp just as it is, or you don't.
 
 
Tube Screamers are awesome at spicing up an amp to give it a litrle more kick. This work well with Marshall's just about all the time on the older models. The newer ones have more of a gain stage, so you usually don't have to do much with drive other than maybe add a Tube Screamer without using the gain knob. The output knob as open as possible until noise comes in with the gain on the pedal down to 0, tweak the tone knob to taste, and a newer Marshall or even the newer modern gain amps will come to life.
 
 
I've also had great results with the Boss Compressor Sustainer. Very clean and more of an over-drive than a compressor. As a matter of fact, it doesn't really compress at all. I use these in the same way I would the Tube Screamer...but because this pedal has such a low noise output, you can use a little of the gain in it and it will really bring some nice results to the tone without making it drive out and sound like a run on sentence when you play. If you get any pedals, stay away from the distortion types and go more for over drives because that amp has a pretty sick gain stage as is.
 
 
But in your situation, I really feel a new cab or new speaker will make an incredible difference as the Spyder valve amps have quite a bit of kick to them from the ones I remember trying. That Peavey Vyper is something else though bro...definitely worth checking out. That still amazes me. The other thing you could do...is post up a few sound clips of what you're getting. I know I can definitely talk you through a few things to try if I hear what you're getting. You can always email me or pm me with the files if you don't want to post them publicly. Think it over...we'll figure something out. :)
 
 
-Danny

This used to be mine up until a little while back but I had to sell it, very sadly. Anyone who thinks a POD is going to give you a sound like an Effectrode Chorus is on crack. That thing is just incredibly fat, rich, and sensual. And pedals like the Red Witch and RetroSonic, you just aren't going to get that kind of lovely richness in the digital world.

"Tube Screamers are awesome at ****ing up an amp to give it a litrle more kick. This work well with Marshall's just about all the time on the older models. The newer ones have more of a gain stage, so you usually don't have to do much with drive other than maybe add a Tube Screamer without using the gain knob. The output knob as open as possible until noise comes in with the gain on the pedal down to 0, tweak the tone knob to taste, and a newer Marshall or even the newer modern gain amps will come to life. 
      I've also had great results with the Boss Compressor Sustainer. Very clean and more of an over-drive than a compressor. As a matter of fact, it doesn't really compress at all. I use these in the same way I would the Tube Screamer...but because this pedal has such a low noise output, you can use a little of the gain in it and it will really bring some nice results to the tone without making it drive out and sound like a run on sentence when you play. If you get any pedals, stay away from the distortion types and go more for over drives because that amp has a pretty sick gain stage as is."





These are the two pedals I recommend to my home enthusiast friends when they figure out that they want to replace their practice amp with a nicer rig.

Each time they have gone out and bought the pair they come back with a story about how the sales person expressed that they had made two very savvy choices.


:-)


For myself, my home made amps get those sounds ITB. While I'd list these pedals as favorites I don't reach for them as often as I used to.


Those 2 pedals and a Fender Champ are enough to rock out... I've made drummers beg for mercy. With those 2 pedals and Fender Deluxe reverb and you can tear a new hole in the universe.


I have all that happening ITB now... but I still like those pedals a bunch when I break out the Fenders.


best regards,
mike

  grrrrrr, I can't get the reply to message with the 'quote message' to work. for God sake, how hard can that be? Starting to think I should just punt work and go to the bar for breakfast.... So, let's do this manually. Danny - the stuff you put in your reply is now getting exactly to where I need to be. Really helpful stuff. (Some guys think loads of gain are what their heros use when in reality, they use less gain than they think. Others substitute treble for gain, so the sound is super raspy and brittle. You have to get that right happy medium of good mids to keep the tone thick, and enough highs to allow the sound to cut without being too piercing.) I had mentioned this earlier or maybe in a different thread, but as I try to get a good gain sound, it just ends up sounding distorted. That is what led me to start this thread. Thinking maybe the 'sound' I'm chasing is more compression than just gain, or at least better achievable thru a certain pedal(s). Even so, with gain adjustments on the amp, the distortion turns to crunch but then lacks power and sustain. I am getting so frustrated that I find myself NOT playing much lately. That's just not a good thing. Not sure about you guys but playing and creating music is what keeps me sane in this world. The balance is shifting so I gotta' get this fixed. I had thought last night that maybe what I should do is post a few samples of my sound to get some feedback from the forum. I don't think I trust my ears at this point so an outside perspective is probably a good thing. Then I read your post and you suggest the same thing. Must be the 'road to resolution'. ha I just need to figure out how to get stuff 'out there'. Never used dropbox or soundcloud or anything so have to figure that out first I guess. Your offer to PM you a wav file is also a good option. I may start there as I figure out how to get stuff to where others can hear and contribute feedback. I've sorta been wanting to do that with a couple songs anyway. Apparently 2013 is going to be 'glutton for punishment'... Dean: Sounds like you are sold on the Effectrode Chorus. I really like the sound of a good chorus. This one sounds like it is worth checking out. BOSS Pedals: Seems to be a pretty good opinion about these from this thread. I had overheard someone talking in a music store one day and they were really bashing them. Said they were noisy, didn't hold up well, etc. Maybe Pistol Pete was in there that day... ?

Someone earlier seemed to have questioned the practice of keeping the speakers as clean as possible and making sure the signal going into them is proper. Using speakers that color your tone always will color whatever they reproduce. That's perfectly fine if you want to sound the same all the time. However, keeping the speakers transparent, it opens up the opportunity to use amp simulators in the signal chain. So if I want to modify my sound, I can. It doesn't have to sound the same. Also, something about the new multi-effect pedals is that they eliminate a ton of the noise introduced by all the short little cables in the signal line.

Hi dxp,

2 things...

1) The EQ stack is related to gain staging. Most gain stages are passive but when you mess with the EQ you are effectively altering the results of the gain staging. It is all completely interrelated to the final sound. Almost every EQ stack has a make up gain stage right after it... so when you adjust EQ you are adjusting the tone just before the voltage hits it's next stage of gain. That gives you the chance to "voice" the gain and get the timbre you want.

2) Most people will not acknowledge the results of compression until they add some make up gain... so you should associate compression effects with gain as well... because it is all inter related to the final sound. If you just compress without using the make up gain then you are just turning stuff down. You use the compression settings and the make up gain to voice the gain and get the fatness you are hoping for.

You adjust a bit on the front end and a bit on the output and you find how that alters the tone and then you dial in your YOUness.


:-)


all the best,
mike

pistolpete


Someone earlier seemed to have questioned the practice of keeping the speakers as clean as possible and making sure the signal going into them is proper. Using speakers that color your tone always will color whatever they reproduce. That's perfectly fine if you want to sound the same all the time. However, keeping the speakers transparent, it opens up the opportunity to use amp simulators in the signal chain. So if I want to modify my sound, I can. It doesn't have to sound the same. 

Good point. I like my JBL D130s because they are like this... they are versatile.


But, I also like the speakers that Weber made for me where I specified the winding, magnet size, magnet material, cone material, cone ribbing design, and dust cap choice so that I could get just the specific color that I like... when I'm looking to like that sort of thing.


I very much enjoy the color that a purposefully selected speaker adds to the overall sound. I don't think you can get speaker color (for lack of a better word) from anything but the speaker and so I own more actual guitar speakers than foot pedals... cause I like the contribution they make to the sound.

Also, something about the new multi-effect pedals is that they eliminate a ton of the noise introduced by all the short little cables in the signal line. 

FWIW I think the shared power supply and the internalized control of ideal impedance bridging (either real or modeled) is the reason all in one units seems less noisy. The cords are just taking the blame.


:-)




all the best,
mike