Amps and Gear??....

artcore · #1 08-03-2011, 09:57 AM

Well, my setup is just not working for cord melodys..I need to think of a gear change...I have an Ibanez AF 75, a polytone mini brute 3 and a trex
reverb pedal..The mini brute is really a bass amp, can't really tone down the base without loosing the highs...Of course, I would love to get that ted greene sound but I can't move around that monster twin reverb...
Thinking of a G@L classic tele and a peavey Vypyr 30 watt amp...looking for a balanced tone...Not many music stores near me to try out a lot of equipment..So, I would like to get some opinions on gear that you like and use...these are bad time in the good old USA, so I'm trying to not spend a fortune on equipment.....

mtierney · #2 08-03-2011, 10:44 AM

I like the idea of the G&L, it will definitely clear up your sound, but I really dislike the Vypyrs... You may not need to get a new guitar though by the sounds of it. Honestly, I'd take it one step at a time and just go for an amplifier and see how that affects your tone. Depending on the budget, a blues jr will probably be a viable solution without getting a new guitar.

Unless you want a new guitar regardless. Then, I agree with the G&L, but maybe a Roland or, if you can find one used, a blues jr would be better...

FatJeff · #3 08-03-2011, 12:37 PM

Try posting this in the correct forum area (Guitars, Amps, Gizmos) instead of "chord-Melody" and you will likely get more responses to your question.

artcore · #4 08-03-2011, 02:40 PM

the reason I posted it here is I would like to know what gear solo players are useing , what gear they have found works for solo playing ..My interest is only in cord melody/solo playing....I'm not a gear guy...I'm not interested in playing in a jazz combo...The gear I have now would work fine in a group setting....But, heck, I can post it in the gear forum....

FatJeff · #5 08-03-2011, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artcore

the reason I posted it here is I would like to know what gear solo players are useing , what gear they have found works for solo playing ..My interest is only in cord melody/solo playing....I'm not a gear guy...I'm not interested in playing in a jazz combo...The gear I have now would work fine in a group setting....But, heck, I can post it in the gear forum....

Apologies, my bad - I didn't read that first part of your post.

I've got a Blues Jr that sounds really nice, but it gets somewhat dirty if you push it much in volume (a sound I love, BTW)...which should not be an issue for a CM solo gig unless you're planning on making ears bleed. I've also got a ZT Lunchbox but it's a bit mid-rangy...perfect for when I'm in a combo or even a big band situation (keeps me out of the way of the bass and piano), but for solo work you'd probably want that low-freq response. Have you considered the ZT Club?

Vihar · #6 08-03-2011, 03:01 PM

To me, the most important thing is to be able to get a clean and bright enough tone so all the notes in your chords will be heard. Kind of like an acoustic guitar, that naturally sounds that way. I mean, if you play with a tone that goes "thud-thud-thunk" then there's not much point in playing chords. lol

If you can achieve that with your current rig, I don't think you would need to get anything more. That's just my opinion.

Sandor · #7 08-03-2011, 03:16 PM

Have you tried lowering the bass side of your pickup a bit? That might be enough for you to get a more balanced sound. As far as Amps, I like henriksen, jazzkat, or acoustic image. I don't own these personally, but lots of players I like use these brands and get great chord melody sounds.

artcore · #8 08-03-2011, 09:11 PM

Never heard of the ZT club, Jeff, I'll check it out...I have to go back and retry the blues junior, messed around with one years ago...Yeah, man, I would love to get a henriksen..a bit more then I want to spend...I agree with Vihar, that balanced sound is what I want...I'm trying to get that with the polytone, just can't get the balance right...Thanks guys for responding...

mr. beaumont · #9 08-03-2011, 09:17 PM

What model polytone do you have? I've done a tone of solo jazz gigs with an archtop or a tele and a polytone mbIII...always liked the tone.

You can't go wrong with a henriksen though...worth every penny.

FlatNine · #10 08-04-2011, 11:43 AM

One amp I don't see mentioned very often is the Ultrasound DS4. Ultrasound Amplifiers - DS4 I bought one about 3 years ago when I was playing chord solo on a beautiful classical guitar. (Made by luthier David Flammang) It had a wonderful sound, so I used a Rode NT1-A nike with the Ultrasound DS4. It sounded *exactly* like the classical alone, only at a higher volume. The Ultrasounds are known for their clarity and purity. Since then, I have switched back to archtop (Gibson LeGrand and a new Carl Barney in a few more weeks) and the Ultrasound has a great jazz tone for that too. I was pleasantly suprised.

SteveCarter · #11 08-04-2011, 02:54 PM

I just bought a new rig that I'm very excited about: a Traynor Dark Horse "lunch box" head, with an Eminence Delta Pro 12a speaker in a Mojotone Lite cabinet. You can read about it in my Player's Journal:
http://koka.phpwebhosting.com/~scarterfrogs/player_journal.html#LunchBoxLite

I've written a lot about my other two rigs on solo gigs: a vintage Ampeg B-15, and a Peavey Studio Pro 112. If you browse around my Player's Journal and Gig Journals, you can find info and sound clips.

I'll be posting some sound clips of the Traynor on my site in upcoming days.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Steve

msr13 · #12 08-04-2011, 03:30 PM

I only play a small restaurant gig, but I am happy with my Acoustic Image and Raezer's Edge. Sounds great at both loud and low volumes.

bob32069 · #13 08-04-2011, 04:12 PM

When I first read your equipment list i was surprised that you couldnt get a satisfactory tone. One thing you might want to try is to turn all the eq settings on the amp all the way down and turn the tone knob on the pickup all the way up. Then start dialing in the treble and mid on the amp gradually until you get close to the sound you like. You may only need to use a little bit of bass on the amp, maybe even none at all. This might get the bass boominess out of your sound. You may need to back off on the guitar tone knob to somewhere between 5 and 8 if there is too much treble. A little bit of tweaking using this type of gradual method might end up saving you some cash.

bob32069 · #14 08-04-2011, 04:15 PM

Another thing you can try is to get your amp off the floor a little, maybe put some sound insulation foam underneath the amp and also make sure the amp is not in a corner or up against the wall of the room you're in. Those positions tend to enhance bass frequencies quite a bit.

jayv999 · #15 08-04-2011, 07:09 PM

Here's a couple of links that have just been uploaded to YouTube of Ted Greene giving a seminar at a guitar store. Most of what he discusses in these clips is about tone and touch, pickups, etc.
You may find this informative.
‪Ted Greene Blvd Music Seminar 8-22-04 pt.1‬&rlm; - YouTube
‪Ted Greene Blvd Music Seminar 8-22-04 pt. 2‬&rlm; - YouTube

--JayV

artcore · #16 08-05-2011, 08:47 AM

Bob, you are right on with the settings..Also I found moving the gear to the living room from the family room made a difference..And!, I think my
high E ( in my case F, I tune in 4ths)..is dead..I should have picked that up right away..I rarely change strings...The mb111 is really a boomer, I have to use almost no bass...Jeff, that ZT.club sure has a nice sound on the clips at utube...Amazing for such a small amp....