I had an itch this week

yek

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Some weeks ago, I immensely enjoyed playing through an evening with just a Plexi model through a cab, nothing else.

Things started itching, and since that evening I've been toying with the idea of building a traditional rig again. I started imagining how my ideal rig would look, just for fun. Here’s what I’ve arrived at, on paper. A mono rig with lots of mini pedals. Basically based on my kitchen sink preset on my Axe-Fx III.

It will be of no interest to most of you here, but I’m enjoying this so-far virtual project. It somehow inspires, although it’ll probably not ever see the light of day. Why? Because my Fractal rig already does all this, and the bloody project would cost over 8k. 😊

My shortlist is below. Let's hear your must-haves and thoughts behind it.

Amplifier
Marshall SV20H + SV212 cabinet
Tone King Iron Man II Mini attenuator

Pedalboard
Probably a large Pedaltrain
Power supplies: many options
Buffer: Suhr buffer or Xotic Super Clean Buffer or TC Polytune III (or Empress or JHS etc.)
I/O: Little Lehle III or Lehle 3at1 or JHS AB (already have one)

Silent load / IR
Fractal Audio LB-2 or Suhr Reactive Load I.R.

Loop switcher
RJM PBC/10 or GigRig G3

Volume, expression and more
Dunlop Volume (X) Mini (already own it)
Gamechanger Bigsby

Tuner
TC Polytune III Noir (includes buffer)

Wah
Wah pedal: to be determined
Auto-wah: Keeley Monterey

Boosts (pre and fx-loop)
Keeley Katana Mini or TC Spark Mini Booster or Xotic Super Sweet Boost

Compressor
Xotic SP or Origin Cali76

Fuzz
Suhr Rufus Reloaded (includes Octavia) (or Keeley Monterey or Pigtronix Disnortion (already own it) or Pigtronix Octava)

OD
Wampler Tumnus V2
Maxon OD808
MXR Duke of Tone
Lovepedal Amp Eleven

Octaver, Pitch
Suhr Rufus Reloaded (or Keeley Monterey or Pigtronix Octava)
Digitech FreqOut (already own it)
Digitech Ricochet

Looper
TC Ditto (already own it)

Phaser
MXR Phase 95

Vibe
DryBell Vibe Machine (or Keeley Monterey)

Leslie
Neo Micro Vent (or Keeley Monterey)

Tremolo
JHS Tidewater

Flanger
TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger

Chorus, Vibrato
DryBell Vibe Machine (maybe Keeley Dyno-My-Roto)

Delay
Keely Halo
MXR Carbon Copy Mini
or Boss DSD-2 (already own it) or Strymon El Capistan

Reverb
MXR M300 (or Line 6 DL4 MKII)

Other
EHX Freeze
EHX C9 Organ Machine
 
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The gearwhore in me also grew restless not having new toys show up in the mail after 4 years with Fractal gear, so I’m currently putting together a pedalboard and I’ll figure out the amp(s) over time. I’m still in the beginning phases of buying a stupid about of dirt/fuzz/OD pedals…..got two more Dover Drives on the way, then I’m going to start on delay/modulation.

AB6BCFE7-2A84-4EB0-BA5C-B68093283962.jpeg
 
Yek, which TC Ditto do you use (there are more than one) and if you didn't already have one, is it still the one you'd buy? I realize the Axe has a looper, just considering a standalone for other purposes
 
Does the GigRig obviate the need for a buffer?

I'm pretty intrigued by this because after having created a pedal board of (nearly) all mini-pedals--and then having sold them all, along with my last tube amp, I've been hankering to grab one of this 20 W Marshalls. I still have a bunch of pedals with which I could not part (and will no doubt acquire more, as I am weak).
 
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Funny, I’ve been doing a bit of the same thing with some pedals like the Sabbidas Funky Vibe Filmour East, Axis Fuzz, etc. It’s not only a great sounding vibe, but you can keep the pedals preamp active and just turn off the bulb, which is worlds different than the world of true bypass pedals.

Thing is, getting these crazy impedance mismatches really colors the sound in unique ways based on the chain of pedals and interactions so it’s producing some really unique Jimi sounds that you just can’t do with modeling.

Kind of taking the “coily cable” effect to the next level, but lots of fun to mess around with and more enjoyable than just tweaking pages of advanced parameters in the Axe
 
Does the GigRig obviate the need for a buffer?

It can, but it doesn't have to. The G3 is basically a lot of logic & MIDI around a bunch of loops that use relay-based switching. They call it true bypass, but it's functionally "perfect" bypass. When a loop isn't on, the audio signal is routed completely around the cable via relays...there's no way it can pop, and it doesn't leave the input impedance of the pedal in the circuit (which some variations of True Bypass does).

It also has clean "preamps" (buffers with a gain control) that you can use on its input and output. If you need a buffer somewhere else in your signal chain, you have to use a separate one.

But...I've thought about this idea too. Every time I do, I come to the conclusion that I just don't want to go back to (much) physical gear. There are a few things I sometimes use when I prefer my "real" ones to the Fractal models. I don't know why...maybe it's just the impedance interactions like lqdsnddist mentioned, even though they're not drastic for anything I actually use.

I've never done the clean pedal platform thing. I've kind of tried it. But, other than buying some well-regarded but available ODs, I haven't bought anything specifically to do it. The closest amp I've owned to that idea is a Hot Rod DeVille 2x12. And, I've just never been happy with my results of getting everything from pedals. I'm sure it's a personal shortcoming, because a LOT of guitarists I admire get great sounds that way.


Yeah...that.

Every time I try to start thinking about it and lay something out in Pedal Playground, it winds up so freaking complicated that I just give up and go back to playing my Fractal.
 
I suppose if I were to do this I'd consider an IR loader like the TC Impulse into a passive FRFR cab (why limit myself to one cab sound?). So who makes a good passive FRFR cab?
 
why limit myself to one cab sound?

IMHO, It adds some consistency to your performance. You can change effects, gain structures, etc., but if you use the same "cab", it all has a "family" resemblance.

I like it better that way, personally. I also have a clear favorite, at least right now.

Honestly, the reason I don't use a normal cab & SS power amp (for the high damping factor, since the amp block already does the impedance interactions) is a combination of being lazy and cheap. And because that "favorite cab" that I've found through Fractal factor IRs isn't something that I've found for sale or to try out.
 
How do you like the Drybell?

I LOVE it!

I also got a Change Vibe the same week, it’s the guitarists from Mastodon’s pedal company, just an optical vibe. It’s cool, but the Dry Bell really does that thing where it’s swirling in/out/around the main guitar tone as where the Change Vibe seems like it’s floating on top. The Dry Bell can do the old vintage sounding thing as well as a more modern, thinner kind of sound.

That pedal is responsible for many hours of noodling…..vibe is the perfect word for it because it just has such a cool vibe!
 
Having watched tons of pedal vids lately, I initially wanted to get some "essential" pieces and use an amp in the room again. Then I noticed even the "dumbest" pedal is often between 200 and 400$ :eek: For the cost of about 5 of those pedals I'd rather order the FM9. If I already had a current unit and a normal income, I for sure would get a few items/pedals.
 
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The best looking cab for a Marshall SV20H is a 2061CX if you can find one.
I use to own them both. here is a pic. Looks so much better than the cab they currently offer.20190129_140613.jpg
 
My shortlist is below. Let's hear your must-haves and thoughts behind it.

Amplifier
Marshall SV20H + SV212 cabinet
Tone King Iron Man II Mini attenuator
I was thinking the same thing with the SV20, been interested in one since they came out. They've really gone up in price the last couple of years, though. And you still need the attenuator.

Got a real nice Bogner 212 cab with GB and G12H30, just wasting away.....But the Fractal just keeps getting better. Major 1st world problem.
 
Having watched tons of pedal vids lately, I initially wanted to get some "essential" pieces and use an amp in the room again. Then I noticed even the "dumbest" pedal is often between 200 and 400$ :eek: For the cost of about 5 of those pedals I'd rather order the FM9. If I already had a current unit and a normal income, I for sure would get a few items/pedals.


Of course a lot of those pedals used to be like $50 or less ten years ago.

Look at the price of something like a boss ce2, $200 easy and years ago they were well under $50, I think I sold one locally for $25 or so

Sovtek green Russian big muff in wooden box, I think like $80 brand new, now like $400

sun face nkt 275, I think like $199 new, now like a grand….

Klon……

Basically my 401k has lost all its gained value over the past few years, but I’d be looking at like a 400% return on gear I bought in my younger days if I didn’t foolishly sell it lol
 
Of course a lot of those pedals used to be like $50 or less ten years ago.
Being in Europe, I'm not sure I even saw those prices in the 80ies, as most stuff is imported.
Maybe there were a few pedal series like that; like maybe the Arion ones. Now maybe Behringer...
I don't have many. Last one I got (>10 years ago, IIRC) was the Barber Tone Press, and I think it was close to 150$ here.
My only vintage-y ones are a Boss Touch Wah and an Ibanez Digital Delay.

I’d be looking at like a 400% return on gear I bought in my younger days if I didn’t foolishly sell it lol
What sucks is that everyone seems to know the value. Asking an old musician friend, "Why don't you give me one of those oooold useless pedals there?" never seems to work... ;)
 
I'm with you - Just reinforces how good we have it with the Axe FX 3... You get al that for less than half price (Except the cab and Power amp).
It's like you've triggered a hidden memory of all that gear we used to have to lug around... Used to need a truck!

Don't do it!

Thanks
Pauly

Some weeks ago, I immensely enjoyed playing through an evening with just a Plexi model through a cab, nothing else.

Things started itching, and since that evening I've been toying with the idea of building a traditional rig again. I started imagining how my ideal rig would look, just for fun. Here’s what I’ve arrived at, on paper. A mono rig with lots of mini pedals. Basically based on my kitchen sink preset on my Axe-Fx III.

It will be of no interest to most of you here, but I’m enjoying this so-far virtual project. It somehow inspires, although it’ll probably not ever see the light of day. Why? Because my Fractal rig already does all this, and the bloody project would cost over 8k. 😊

My shortlist is below. Let's hear your must-haves and thoughts behind it.

Amplifier
Marshall SV20H + SV212 cabinet
Tone King Iron Man II Mini attenuator

Pedalboard
Probably a large Pedaltrain
Power supplies: many options
Buffer: Suhr buffer or Xotic Super Clean Buffer or TC Polytune III (or Empress or JHS etc.)
I/O: Little Lehle III or Lehle 3at1 or JHS AB (already have one)

Silent load / IR
Fractal Audio LB-2 or Suhr Reactive Load I.R.

Loop switcher
RJM PBC/10 or GigRig G3

Volume, expression and more
Dunlop Volume (X) Mini (already own it)
Gamechanger Bigsby

Tuner
TC Polytune III Noir (includes buffer)

Wah
Wah pedal: to be determined
Auto-wah: Keeley Monterey

Boosts (pre and fx-loop)
Keeley Katana Mini or TC Spark Mini Booster or Xotic Super Sweet Boost

Compressor
Xotic SP or Origin Cali76

Fuzz
Suhr Rufus Reloaded (includes Octavia) (or Keeley Monterey or Pigtronix Disnortion (already own it) or Pigtronix Octava)

OD
Wampler Tumnus V2
Maxon OD808
MXR Duke of Tone
Lovepedal Amp Eleven

Octaver, Pitch
Suhr Rufus Reloaded (or Keeley Monterey or Pigtronix Octava)
Digitech FreqOut (already own it)
Digitech Ricochet

Looper
TC Ditto (already own it)

Phaser
MXR Phase 95

Vibe
DryBell Vibe Machine (or Keeley Monterey)

Leslie
Neo Micro Vent (or Keeley Monterey)

Tremolo
JHS Tidewater

Flanger
TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger

Chorus, Vibrato
DryBell Vibe Machine (maybe Keeley Dyno-My-Roto)

Delay
Keely Halo
MXR Carbon Copy Mini
or Boss DSD-2 (already own it) or Strymon El Capistan

Reverb
MXR M300 (or Line 6 DL4 MKII)

Other
EHX Freeze
EHX C9 Organ Machine
 
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