Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Dazza1004 on June 03, 2009, 11:42:30 AM
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I am looking for some suggestions for an alternative to my POD XT. 99% of my playing at home is through the headphones so I don’t disturb my kids, it’s time I had some tone I am happy with.
I don’t want this to turn into a debate, I can see why people like the PODs, it’s just not for me.
My main issues with the unit are; the high gain sounds are thin and all my guitars sound the same, I can’t get a mid gain tone I like.
I’m sure some people will tell me have not tweeked it enough etc, I have the gear box plug in and have spent as much time as I am going to messing with the sounds. I’ll admit I am not a tweeker, I would prefer 1 great clean, mid and high gain tone to loads of mediocre ones.
I have thought about the Axe FX but the price and the amount of tweeking required has put me off.
Cheers
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I still have my XT Live, but I only use it for Bass now.
I replaced it as my guitar "amp" with a VOX Tonelab LE a year or so ago - I've been very happy ever since.
It was the mid gain tones I was after, the XT doesn't quite cut it for me.
What I did was organise a session with a Tonelab in a shop, I explained what I was trying to achieve first, and that if it improved things for me I'd be buying. I took a guitar and lead, and my own headphones. I also downloaded the manual a week or so earlier so I knew roughly how to use it. They left me in a corner fiddling around.
I tried it for an hour or so, but I actually knew within minutes that it was what I was looking for.
I'm started to get tempted by the AxeFX, but I haven't found a way to justify the price to myself for what I'm doing at the moment!
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I'd also vote for the Tonelab LE, for what you want.
THe new top end Digitech stuff (RP500, RP1000, GSP1101) just beats the Tonelab for amp modelling IMO, but the cab modelling is better on the Vox units, so for silent practice or recording, the Vox is a better option.
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If you can afford the Axe FX, why settle for less?!
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If you can afford the Axe FX, why settle for less?!
I guess since I don't have any 1st hand experience with one I am still not convinced they are worth the hype / money, plus they seem like a bit of a tweekers paradise. It's a shame there are no dealers in the UK.
I am not sure I am helping myself with my choice of headphones either, I have a set of noise cancelling Bose's they are great for music but not sure they are right for this application.
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I'm not sure that helps but...I hate headphones when playing guitar :wink: :guitar4:
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This http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17340.0
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I think all the modellors can end up being a tweeker's paradise Dazza - the AxeFX might well be worse for that, don't know? :lol:
For me the main thing is to get some "half decent" tones and start using them. I find that when I'm using one, I can start to hear where I want more/less. So I take a copy and fiddle, live with that, and then it goes on.... but at least I'm playing stuff in between the fiddling :lol:
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Can you use POD farm with POD XT? I find it to be slightly better than the Gearbox software when I use it with my Toneport UX1. Dual amp thing is quite interesting.
I am not sure I am helping myself with my choice of headphones either, I have a set of noise cancelling Bose's they are great for music but not sure they are right for this application.
Yeah whatever you end up with you'll use your headphones so it makes sense to get a nice one. I have a AKG K271 studio and it's great. Great sound, very comfy and I can use it for over two hours without being in pain. Lots of people like the Sennheiser HD25 but I'm not a fan of on ear headphones. Grados are apparently good too.
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I don't know if it's suitable, but I heard a band using a Line6 M13 pedal last night & was really impressed with the tone.
I was playing a gig & the headline band had a really good guitar tone. When I was speaking to the guitarist afterward I said his Marshall sounded really nice he said it was just set to clean & all his sounds were coming from the M13.
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i would personally look into a GSP1101, if i were in the modeller market at the moment.
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+1 on the Vox Tonelab stakes
I played as many Multi-effects/modeller pedals as I could last weekend, and ended up buying a secondhand Tonelab SE. Fabulous sound from a superb effects unit, and if you're looking for something with great mid-range gain/overdrive then this has to be make for you.
Sgmypod does have a nice LE at a superb price! :wink:
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all good info chaps, thanks
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I read your argument about tweaking and it's true, you must be into that otherwise you won't get what it can do.
Try also a Peavey Vypyr, they seem to be great and the tone and overdrive shapin is analog.
Sansamp GT-2 should also be in the shortlist, though it doesn't have effects, but sound great.
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Sansamp GT-2 should also be in the shortlist, though it doesn't have effects, but sound great.
yes!
i have quite a bit of experience with sansamp gear now, feel free to message me about it anyone.
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Sansamp GT-2 should also be in the shortlist, though it doesn't have effects, but sound great.
yes!
i have quite a bit of experience with sansamp gear now, feel free to message me about it anyone.
I'm probably being a bit thick now, but you can't actually use the GT-2 as an amp substitute/headphone amp can you? Don't you have to run it through an amp (or "something")?
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dispite the tweeking thing I am leaning towards the Axe-FX standard.
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Sansamp GT-2 should also be in the shortlist, though it doesn't have effects, but sound great.
yes!
i have quite a bit of experience with sansamp gear now, feel free to message me about it anyone.
I'm probably being a bit thick now, but you can't actually use the GT-2 as an amp substitute/headphone amp can you? Don't you have to run it through an amp (or "something")?
Nope, it has cab sims and gives ready to use fullrange tones.
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I was thinking from the point of view of using the GT-2 as a standalone practice/headphone amp.
Isn't it designed to go into - maybe not an amp - but a mixer, perhaps even a hi-fi? I thought the output level wasn't really high enough to work with headphones?
(Sorry for asking the same question twice)
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I was thinking from the point of view of using the GT-2 as a standalone practice/headphone amp.
Isn't it designed to go into - maybe not an amp - but a mixer, perhaps even a hi-fi? I thought the output level wasn't really high enough to work with headphones?
(Sorry for asking the same question twice)
Ops, you're right. I was thinking to go to the mixer indeed (run all my FRFR units through the mixer for headphones anyways). That might bea bummer for the OP.
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I was thinking from the point of view of using the GT-2 as a standalone practice/headphone amp.
Isn't it designed to go into - maybe not an amp - but a mixer, perhaps even a hi-fi? I thought the output level wasn't really high enough to work with headphones?
(Sorry for asking the same question twice)
it will work good through a hi-fi or mixer
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well, I've ordered the AXE-FX standard.
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well, I've ordered the AXE-FX standard.
Good choice :O)
Let me know should you need any help or want some of my patches.
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well, I've ordered the AXE-FX standard.
Good choice :O)
Let me know should you need any help or want some of my patches.
Thank you, I am pretty sure I will need some help along the way.
If you have any Mark IV, Uber, Recto and Cornford patches I would appreciate that.
I have just ordered myself a cable so I can connect up to my pc
http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&product=15188 (http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&product=15188)
I hope it will do the job.
Cheers
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Good luck!
dibs if you don't get on with it :lol:
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well, I've ordered the AXE-FX standard.
Congrats .... definately a bit jealous here !
Did you order from G66 or direct from Fractal ?
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well, I've ordered the AXE-FX standard.
Good choice :O)
Let me know should you need any help or want some of my patches.
Thank you, I am pretty sure I will need some help along the way.
If you have any Mark IV, Uber, Recto and Cornford patches I would appreciate that.
I have just ordered myself a cable so I can connect up to my pc
http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&product=15188 (http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?category=610&subcategory=611&product=15188)
I hope it will do the job.
Cheers
I'll post you my FRFR metal patches later. My Favs are in fact Recto Red and the Ueber. Everytime I play with the VH4 I really like it, but I didn't yet manage to create a patch with it that sits well in the mix.
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Thanks Hunter, much appreciated.
Ordered from G66, hopefully here by next tuesday.
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congrats on the axe fx. i do recomend you get some new headphones though. im using some grado sr-80s which are great worth looking at i think (depending on your budget). for the kind of stuff you want to do with them i think open back headphones would be better...
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Ordered from G66, hopefully here by next tuesday.
Outstanding !!!! No lengthy wait !!
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The AXE-FX sounds intriguing, but the website and owners manual seem short on details. Like, "what amps/fx/cabs are we simulating?" and "how do we get more?"
I can vouch for the Grado SR-80s.
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The AXE-FX sounds intriguing, but the website and owners manual seem short on details. Like, "what amps/fx/cabs are we simulating?" and "how do we get more?"
I can vouch for the Grado SR-80s.
check this out, more detailed info here
http://axefxwiki.guitarlogic.org/index.php?title=Image:AxeFx.jpg (http://axefxwiki.guitarlogic.org/index.php?title=Image:AxeFx.jpg)
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Another vote for Grado sr-80s, some of the best headphones money can buy, and they're under £100!
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I love my Grado SR80s :) Definitely worth the money, they sound so clear and nice.
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Another vote for SR80s. Use mine every day! Awesome phones.
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I am not sure I am helping myself with my choice of headphones either, I have a set of noise cancelling Bose's they are great for music but not sure they are right for this application.
Yeah whatever you end up with you'll use your headphones so it makes sense to get a nice one. I have a AKG K271 studio and it's great. Great sound, very comfy and I can use it for over two hours without being in pain. Lots of people like the Sennheiser HD25 but I'm not a fan of on ear headphones. Grados are apparently good too.
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akg's are good i almost got a pair of those (also cheap) if ur looking for lower priced headphones my votes go to akgs, (which look cool to boot) senhiesers, (although the lower end stuff doesnt compare to these other brands it sounds abit artificial to my ear...) grados (although not for style or noise councelling but sound is excelent)
or audio technica's , i got a pair of ath-es7's and their increadable for ipod use, (they may not be best for guitar but i have also tried some of the studio range which can be bought cheap and i beleive these or grados are the best for clear organic sounds for studio use at a lower price, truly excelent company .... (sorry i cant be more specific for your needs , i dont really do modellers.....)
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Ordered from G66, hopefully here by next tuesday.
Outstanding !!!! No lengthy wait !!
Has it arrived yet? How are you finding it?
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Yeah, tell us!
(I'm still not interested in even considering upgrading to Axe, honest... no really... :lol:)
But I am very interested in hearing about it :D
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It's going ok. I have no band commitments at the moment so am giving myself plenty of time to fiddle around with it. There are a lot of options but I am finding out some make very subtle differences and others pretty major ones.
I have been pretty much focused on playing around with the Mark IV lead channel mode at the moment as it’s an amp I have always wanted.
I am pleased I bought it, it’s going to take a long time for me to fully figure everything out but I am getting to a point where I can make stuff up from scratch quickly and have it sounding good.
I won’t be selling my amp though; I am pretty much a plug and play guy when it comes to playing live.