El Toro's Official Guitarded Thread...

[Jack Drugless]

(upgraded to the Digitech Harmony man)

You elitist fuck.


How's it work? I still haven't fucked with my JamMan much.

[lerxstcat]

Defeat. Point.

Exactly. The wiring setup is key to actually getting the Brian May tones. A friend of mine has his Strat wired up with the May setup and that's key to getting those sounds.

[lerxstcat]

anyone got anything new?

I got a Jet City JCA20H recently. Pretty cool amp for only $249. Cranked it sounds kind of like a baby Marshall JMP with more gain, except that it is nicely dynamics sensitive and will go from semi-clean to crunchy depending on your pick attack. Prescence control goes WAY brighter than needed but that's cool since you don't have to crank that control. I played it basically with everything at 12:00 except that I took the master volume down a bit and did play with the gain from 1-2 to dimed. I also ran my DOD Grunge pedal into it with the gain at about 2 and the master at 12:00 and that sounded pretty grindy.

FAR from the ultimate amp, but pretty nice and toneful for a $249, 20 watt amp head. Ran it through a Carvin 212 vertical slant, but want to get a sealed back 112 cab with a Vintage 30. The cab I'm using now has the Carvin Jensen copies by Eminence. Sounds good but I think one Vintage 30 will sound a lot better, if not as loud.

[Sleek]

(upgraded to the Digitech Harmony man)

You elitist fuck.


How's it work? I still haven't fucked with my JamMan much.

It WORKS great.

...but as with most gear, it's a little frustrating for the couple little things about it that are stupid design. In this things case those are:

1. Only 4 user memory locations...I mean, it takes 2 just to play "Killer Queen"...if you're using this for a whole set, there just aren't enough presets...it's not like tiny memory allocations like that are resource hogs these days.

2. You set the key by playing a chord or sequence, and it autodetects the key...but it fucking mutes the signal while you're doing it! So it's not like you can hit an A chord and have it set itself while you're doing a song.

However, for price+features+sound, it is unbeatable, and it really DOES sound great. The auto-detect is damned good, and it even has settings for true harmonized chorusing...and you can do either two effects or two intervals at once, so it will do HUGE easily.

[ElToro]

So, the $195 on the p/u's is a waste without the wiring.. really? F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll just off the pick ups...

[Sleek]

So, the $195 on the p/u's is a waste without the wiring.. really? F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll just off the pick ups...

They're fine as just single coils, but nothing ground breaking. It's the nutty wiring that makes them come alive.

You can find schematics for doing the wiring without the mini switches...in reality May only uses about 5 sounds with any regularity.

[ElToro]

where do I find it w/o mini switches?

[Sleek]

Good question. I know I've seen it, but I can't find it now I am looking for it.

Why you no want to get the minis?

[Jack Drugless]

(upgraded to the Digitech Harmony man)

You elitist fuck.


How's it work? I still haven't fucked with my JamMan much.

It WORKS great.

..if you're using this for a whole set, there just aren't enough presets...it's not like tiny memory allocations like that are resource hogs these days.

You know how Digitech does it, just hang in there until the next version.

[Sleek]

You know how Digitech does it, just hang in there until the next version.

Actually, I don't! I think this is the only Digitech box I have.

[Jack Drugless]

Just when sales start to lag on something they'll go "Look! v.2!- more features, more switches,
and more memory! Available now!"

[Sleek]

Just when sales start to lag on something they'll go "Look! v.2!- more features, more switches,
and more memory! Available now!"

Oh great. The early adopter nightmare.

[wattage13]

anyone got anything new?

I got a Jet City JCA20H recently. Pretty cool amp for only $249. Cranked it sounds kind of like a baby Marshall JMP with more gain, except that it is nicely dynamics sensitive and will go from semi-clean to crunchy depending on your pick attack. Prescence control goes WAY brighter than needed but that's cool since you don't have to crank that control.

Great amp, ditch the stock tubes, unbranded Chinese, very low end. I dropped in Tung Sol 12AX7's and EH EL84's and it really made the amp. They are built really well too, very solid, almost identical to Soldano. Biggest difference is the smaller pots.

[lerxstcat]

anyone got anything new?

I got a Jet City JCA20H recently. Pretty cool amp for only $249. Cranked it sounds kind of like a baby Marshall JMP with more gain, except that it is nicely dynamics sensitive and will go from semi-clean to crunchy depending on your pick attack. Prescence control goes WAY brighter than needed but that's cool since you don't have to crank that control.

Great amp, ditch the stock tubes, unbranded Chinese, very low end. I dropped in Tung Sol 12AX7's and EH EL84's and it really made the amp. They are built really well too, very solid, almost identical to Soldano. Biggest difference is the smaller pots.

Yeah, I had heard that as I read the reviews or quite awhile. What it does right now is not bad, but Tung-Sols are definitely coming for the preamp and I will take your recommendation on the EHs as well. It's better than I even expected it to be, so I am happy. My last EL84 amp was a Carvin VT50 and though that was more flexible, I like how the volume knob on my guitar and pick dynamics work on this little thing even better! They say this is basically the Atomic 16 and it has a little more gain than I was led to believe by people saying it won't do metal. It will totally do 80s metal, maybe not heavy thrash but Van Halenish stuff, no problem. Pretty happy with the tones it gets at a low volume. Tung Sols and EH tubes, and a 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30 or a Greenback and I think it will be a little monster!

[Sleek]

Here is what de harmony pedal sounds like:

http://sleek.phreque.com/quine.mp3


I done this in about a minute and didn't really know what I was playing, so fuck you if you don't like the performance

First is a little with no harm on so you can hear the dry sound. (With 'verb)

Note how it tracks bends, keeping the correct intervals without the "stepping" sound.

[ElToro]

Good question. I know I've seen it, but I can't find it now I am looking for it.

Why you no want to get the minis?

Becaue I have an uber-cool cheetah pickguard with a standard strat config.

[Captain Morgan]

Contemplating a Dean Cadillac - one of the 1980s tribute models I guess...

Anyone have any good info on these?

[Sleek]

Contemplating a Dean Cadillac - one of the 1980s tribute models I guess...

Anyone have any good info on these?

I had one of the three pickup ones a while back...the third pickup annoyed me, so I sold it.

Pretty good quality, tho, and you can't beat it in the "guitar that isn't what everybody else is playing" category.

[Captain Morgan]

Contemplating a Dean Cadillac - one of the 1980s tribute models I guess...

Anyone have any good info on these?

I had one of the three pickup ones a while back...the third pickup annoyed me, so I sold it.

Pretty good quality, tho, and you can't beat it in the "guitar that isn't what everybody else is playing" category.

Those were kind of my thoughts too. Would you say it's better/comparable to an Epiphone LP Standard or so?

[Sleek]

Prolly better...this was about 8 years ago tho, so the modern ones may be different. Probably better the way things have been going with guitar construction.

[Captain Morgan]

Thanks Sleek - I'll keep y'all posted on what I decide.

Really wanted something with P-90s so I might stick some 'bucker sized P-90s in there.

[wattage13]

I gig with mine, run it through my PV 412MS. It has plenty of juice.

Yeah, I had heard that as I read the reviews or quite awhile. What it does right now is not bad, but Tung-Sols are definitely coming for the preamp and I will take your recommendation on the EHs as well. It's better than I even expected it to be, so I am happy. My last EL84 amp was a Carvin VT50 and though that was more flexible, I like how the volume knob on my guitar and pick dynamics work on this little thing even better! They say this is basically the Atomic 16 and it has a little more gain than I was led to believe by people saying it won't do metal. It will totally do 80s metal, maybe not heavy thrash but Van Halenish stuff, no problem. Pretty happy with the tones it gets at a low volume. Tung Sols and EH tubes, and a 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30 or a Greenback and I think it will be a little monster!

Picked up a Squier VM '72 Tele Bass - love it

[Ten Years Gone]

Cheap bastards unite!

Just got one of these babies for recording at home. Killer bass for $199.

[deathcurse]

That bass is dope. You got it for a steal.

[Ten Years Gone]

Oops. It's actually this one:


That other one is a short scale version.

[exitflagger]

You got it for a steal.

Not for a Squier. I've had a Squier P bass for about 10 years and mine was $180 new. Squier guitars are horrible but the basses are a LOT of bass for the amount of money you pay. Always have been.

I like that Tele Bass.

[Ten Years Gone]

You got it for a steal.

Not for a Squier. I've had a Squier P bass for about 10 years and mine was $180 new. Squier guitars are horrible but the basses are a LOT of bass for the amount of money you pay. Always have been.

You're right. I paid the standard price for it, but it kicks ass for the money. As for Squier guitars (and basses), they've really stepped up their game with the Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified series in the last few years. A lot of guys prefer them over the low to mid-priced Fender counterparts.

[ElToro]

Squiers are made prett well these days (upper models).

Back in the day, I wanted a Cadillac so it would be different and still have meat. Instead I took that shitty BCR endorsement and got squat.

[lerxstcat]

You got it for a steal.

Not for a Squier. I've had a Squier P bass for about 10 years and mine was $180 new. Squier guitars are horrible but the basses are a LOT of bass for the amount of money you pay. Always have been.

I like that Tele Bass.

Squier guitars are variable. I had a Korean Stagemaster neckthrough with licensed Floyd and 2 hums. It was not as nice as my Charvel Model 6 with Kahler, but it was still decent when A/Bed with the Charvel. Smaller frets and of course skimped on cosmetics, electronics and hardware, but still played and sounded good. I have a late 90s Chinese Affinity Strat that is better than the Mexican Fender Strat I had sat the same time, so I sold the Mexican Fender and kept the Chinese Squier. But they figured out the Chinese Squiers were too nice, so they downgraded the stats and moved production to Indonesia.

[exitflagger]

I've owned a Squier Strat and a Tele and my brother has a Squier Strat right now. The two I had costed A TOTAL of 200 bucks together. They're a quick fix when you've got the jones for a new guitar to fuck around with but don't wanna part with the cash. But I'll never get one again. There are just too many drawbacks to them and they end up bumming me out and making me not want to play.

The one my brother got came from ebay and it came with all kinds of aftermarket shit on it; new trem, nut, pickups, etc., and I warned him to think twice but he got it anyway. He's been trying to ditch it off on people ever since he got it. He owed a friend of his 50 bucks from a gambling debt and he tried to get him to take the guitar instead. No go.

My personal opinion: 4 strings = good; 6 strings = bad