Trey A - Summer 2017 Rig - Version 1!

[iaresee]

Hello Fellow Phans!

Summer has officially started! You know how I know summer has officially started? Because PHISH is back and touring again! They just wrapped up night 2 of 3 in Chicago and it was a SUBLIME show! No rust to remove or dust to shake off here, the boys are in top form.

Inspired by this post that captured (finally!) a close up of Trey's Komet 60 settings I decided it was time to dust off the old Trey A preset and update it with the Komet+G12-65 pairing as the core tone and, of course, give the old Quantum 8.02 love. Can you believe the last update I posted to this preset was Quantum 3.03??? Seems like a lifetime ago but really it was only a year.

The big changes are, of course, the use of the Comet 60 in the AMP block:



And a G12-65 impulse response from Celestion in the CAB block:


I'm not 100% settled on that IR yet because I haven't had a chance to play this loud, with the band, using my hollowbody (it's at the rehearsal space so it was dialled using my PRS Standard 24...a fine-sounding guitar in its own right). But tonight that IR was feeling tasty.

If you're not an owner of the Celestion IRs, flip the cab to the Y side and it's using the perfectly adequate 4x12 G12H Anny Mix (Cel) IR -- a gift from Celestion to the Fractal users out there that's include in the newer firmware updates.

The AMP block as External 6 tied to the input drive. I really liked the natural amp distortion and I wanted to be able to tap into that live so I used one of my external IA switches on my board to go between clean'ish and mean'ish settings on that input drive. The drive on this amp, paired with the G12-65 is to die for; it just sings and sings.

The DRV blocks are a little different too. In DRV1 is the old Analogman mod'ed TS-9 set for low'ish gain but lots of output. This is Trey's "juice it" setting pedal. The sound of this was matched to my in-real-life Analogman-modded TS-9. DRV 2 is no longer a TS-9 setup! It's a Microboost -- set to do a full-spectrum boost on the signal with some light drive. It's an alternative to the input drive. The two drives stack beautifully and you can get some amazing feedback with them both on.

The COMP block is off in all 5 of the configured scenes! Yup. I just didn't think this amp needed it. It's so squishy when you hit it harder, unlike the MkIII clean setup, that I didn't like the COMP block keeping the level of the drives. It's there in case I miss it, but right now I'm not.

I dropped the scene 5 whammy setup -- I just wasn't using it live and it was pretty useless except for some sonic "whale call" effects in the rare space jam we do so out it went. Scene 5 is now a reverse delay scene. I kept the Mu-Tron (scene 3) and octave down (scene 4) effects in place because I get good miles out of those with the band.

Be sure to check the controller assignments page to see all the things that are assigned to externals. I have a full array of external switches and knobs that I assign to my presets so I can twist and tap to change things up when I play live. I've got a second foot controller on the "big board" now that I'll probably work into this somehow, but as of right now it's unused.

Expect this one to evolve as I gig it over the summer. As a first pass though I'm really happy with how it sounds. These amps are stupid easy to dial in now. Actually getting it setup and rolling while listening to the show tonight took all of 5 minutes. And most of that was time spent waiting for my slow-ass iMac to churn through the computations.

We're living in excellent times my fellow guitar players. Excellent times!

Preset for an XL+ is here: http://axechange.fractalaudio.com/detail.php?preset=5641

Enjoy!

 

[iaresee]

Revisiting this today I'm already suspecting it's going to need more high-mid and high content when I use it with the band next week. Easy to dial it in dark at home, for sure. Smaller speakers, solo'ed so you want more meat there than there really needs to be once you're with the band.

Look for a v2 next week some time!

 

[jefferski]

Nice Ian! Look forward to trying it out (as always). It's funny... your earlier Trey patch that was my go-to for a long while has sort of fallen by the wayside. Even though I've done some tweaking I think I've just lost the feel of the Mesa, so I'm excited to work with this one.

Now I just need a Koa 'doc... ;-)

 

[iaresee]

Nice Ian! Look forward to trying it out (as always). It's funny... your earlier Trey patch that was my go-to for a long while has sort of fallen by the wayside. Even though I've done some tweaking I think I've just lost the feel of the Mesa, so I'm excited to work with this one.

Yea, I too migrated away from the MkIII cleans a while ago. Did the Deluxe setup for a very little bit but just couldn't gel with it. I ended up building an ODS Ford-based preset that's been my main gigging patch for 2017 so far. This Comet 60 setup is more like the ODS Ford but crunchier. The ODS Ford setup is much cleaner, this ones got hair on it unless your roll back quite a bit.

Now I just need a Koa 'doc... ;-)

LOL. I'm on the list. Don't ever expect to be able to afford it when my name comes up. I got offered a spot by another phan last year but really can't justify it right now...maybe never!

I have Artinger plans for next year though...

Always love feedback on these patches. Thanks for the note!

 

[jefferski]

Yea, I too migrated away from the MkIII cleans a while ago. Did the Deluxe setup for a very little bit but just couldn't gel with it. I ended up building an ODS Ford-based preset that's been my main gigging patch for 2017 so far. This Comet 60 setup is more like the ODS Ford but crunchier. The ODS Ford setup is much cleaner, this ones got hair on it unless your roll back quite a bit.

I never seem to be able to bond w/ the D-types much. I tried to cop a John Mayer Dead Co sound based on some screen grabs I had from one of the shows but I didn't really like it and so I moved on pretty quick. I'm much more into the Wreckers so I think I'll like the Comet a lot more.

LOL. I'm on the list. Don't ever expect to be able to afford it when my name comes up. I got offered a spot by another phan last year but really can't justify it right now...maybe never!

I have Artinger plans for next year though...

You're on Paul's list?! Nice. But yea on the price... I've been eyeing either an Ollandoc or even a Phred which are both much more justifiable. I don't know much about Artingers, will have to check them out.

I just got a new set of Pearly Gates installed in one of my SE's. Will see how that sounds w/ your preset on Tuesday!

 

[iaresee]

I never seem to be able to bond w/ the D-types much. I tried to cop a John Mayer Dead Co sound based on some screen grabs I had from one of the shows but I didn't really like it and so I moved on pretty quick. I'm much more into the Wreckers so I think I'll like the Comet a lot more.

Yea, this ODS setup was the first D-type setup that moved me. There's a patch and a thread on it here: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/a-departure-from-my-normal.126096/

You're on Paul's list?! Nice. But yea on the price...

Yup! It took five years of emails and finally and introduction by one of his existing customers for him to take me seriously. I had to convince him I could afford one if/when my name pops up. I avoided telling him affording it was the second hardest thing, the hardest thing would be explaining it to my wife.

I've been eyeing either an Ollandoc or even a Phred which are both much more justifiable. I don't know much about Artingers, will have to check them out.

Artinger's are not cheap but Matt does a very well-regarded fully-hollow that's similar to a 'Doc. He also does all his own twists and designs too. At $5k for a well-appointed, entirely custom build, it's pretty reasonable. Less than half a 'Doc now.

 

[jefferski]

I'll have to check out the Fords too. I had a few minutes tonight and got the Komet set up. It sounds great in my headphones! Converted to AX8 which meant I had to drop some of the fx and switch the reverb to spring, got it level matched w/ my other presets, and I'm ready to try it out.

5K isn't bad for a full custom build but man, if you've gotten that far talking w/ Paul, maybe you ought to consider it! ;-)

 

[iaresee]

Had this out live with the band last night and I really, really, reeeeeaaaallllly like it. My PRS H-Spruce isn't as high output as my PRS Standard I was dialing this in with so cleaning it up with that guitar worked really well. The treble bleed on the H-Spruce also worked superbly with this setup.

I kept the drive on the Komet on the higher setting most of the night and rolled back the volume to clean up. It was only on a song or two where I really needed it to be clean that I stepped back to the lower input drive setting. Stacking high input drive, the micro boost and the TS-9 does work and I got delicious feedback on single notes on my neck pickup with this stack of drives. The bridge pickup in my H-Spruce is un-potted and tends to squeal with this configuration though.

The real star of the night ended up being that phaser. With the higher input drive setting on the Komet the phaser gets chewy and gooey. We did a long-jam on Come Together with a very deep, psychedelic diversion and the phaser just took it all to another level there.

I added a little more high end and a little more mid to push through the keys and our other guitar player a bit better.

@jefferski I have this one preset broken in to 4 for my AX8 I could publish a bank file for the AX8 later this weekend if you wanted. But FracTool will get you there too!

 

[jefferski]

Dig this patch! Gigged it w/ the band last night as well. I found myself mostly on the lower gain for the couple of songs I used it, with the drives or higher gain for leads. It was bright enough for me already, but I was also using an SE w/ new strings and the new Pearly Gates - so I'll see after the strings settle in - even the lower setting had a fair amount of drive. Of course your hollowbody is gonna sound very different than my SE anyway, and I want to try it out w/ my 513, which suddenly has competition for the role of #1 guitar ;-)

I like how you have the drives dialed in... the Microboost is a really cool addition. I'm looking forward to getting more time with it now that our run of shows has ended for the moment. And yea, that phaser is sweet.

I've already got it converted Ian, so thanks... but other people might want it too.