Support NeoGAF

[adamsappel]

Anybody have any recommendations for a looper pedal?

Ditto (also comes in X2 or X4 flavors, but the basic one is cheaper and works well, though the advanced versions let you download loops); has 5 minutes of loop-time and unlimited overdubs. The Zoom G1on has a looper that syncs with its drum machine patterns (I recommend the G1Xon with the expression pedal; worth the $20 more); 30 second loops. The Digitech Trio and Trio+ are loopers, with a generated rhythm play-along.

 

[Sarcastic Poster]

I've just seen the Kemper apps now. Wow, fucking incredible. If I ever have a lot of money saved up I'mma get one.

 

[Wag]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zm_ho26O2U

Holy shit. I tried to do this warm up exercise from Justin Guitar and I got a sharp pain in my hand. I guess I should work up to it gradually.

 

[Strangelove77]

I need to force myself to play my electric over my acoustic.
The pick up and play aspect of the acoustic is just too strong.

Anyone else have this "problem?"

 

[Syncytia]

I've just seen the Kemper apps now. Wow, fucking incredible. If I ever have a lot of money saved up I'mma get one.

I spent a lot of time researching whether I wanted a Kemper or Axe FX. I finally decided on Axe FX due to the effects and I'm completely happy with it. I kind of want a Kemper though as well but I really have no reason to spend the money. From what I can tell you can't go wrong with either.

 

[Surfinn]

I spent a lot of time researching whether I wanted a Kemper or Axe FX. I finally decided on Axe FX due to the effects and I'm completely happy with it. I kind of want a Kemper though as well but I really have no reason to spend the money. From what I can tell you can't go wrong with either.

Are those comparable to recording miced? Sounds significantly better than digital amp sims? I don't really get what makes them so expensive (like I actually don't understand).

 

[EVOL 100%]

Are those comparable to recording miced? Sounds significantly better than digital amp sims? I don't really get what makes them so expensive (like I actually don't understand).

I haven't tried them, but apparently very close to being completely accurate emulations of tube amps, enough that some bands like Garbage replaced their rigs with them

 

[Syncytia]

Tons and tons of people use Axe FX. Steve Vai, Avenged Sevenfold, Periphery, Animals As Leaders (don't use their first album as an example though, it sounds good but Axe FX 2 destroys the original). Lots of people use them. It's an amp emulation, so basically it's a computer emulating an amp, plus it has impulse responses for the speakers. The idea is to play them through a flat response speaker system and it emulates the sounds of the amp and speaker you've selected. Well, same goes for Kemper and I'm sure lots of pros use Kemper too.

Kemper uses a different approach. It's a "profiler" and you have to use a real amp and speaker (and mic I think?) which the Kemper sends a signal through to make a profile of that amp at whatever settings it's set at. Then you can play your guitar through just Kemper and you get the sound of the amp that was profiled. Apparently it's pretty amazing. It has EQ and stuff so you can modify profiles and all the basic effects, but not as many as the Axe FX. I'm 99% sure it comes with profiles but then there's also a site where people upload their own profiles and also some studios sell profiles.

Also you can play 2 guitars at once through an Axe FX, or a guitar and a bass. Blew my fucking mind when I learned about that.

What else...the 2 guitar thing works since you can load 2 amps and speaker cabs on the same patch so with just one guitar you can blend two different tones together which is cool. Or you could do one amp into two different speaker cabs.

Check out Periphery Select Difficulty album - all guitars and bass is through an Axe FX 2 XL. I'm sure their previous albums are also on an Axe FX but I just know that one for sure...

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Anyone else have this "problem?"

No, I play for fun so if I am having fun I am not too concerned if it is the wrong sort of fun (until someone calls the police).

Inevitably I will expressly want to play the other so I will make an effort to.

 

[teruterubozu]

I need this pedal. I wonder what it sounds like?

 

[Wag]

Any tips on warm up exercises? That justin guitar one is hard. I don't want to permanently damage my hand.

 

[NEO0MJ]

I need this pedal. I wonder what it sounds like?

Why would you share that?!

 

[Syncytia]

Any tips on warm up exercises? That justin guitar one is hard. I don't want to permanently damage my hand.

Maybe try that one on higher frets so the stretch distance isn't so far.

 

[Wag]

Maybe try that one on higher frets so the stretch distance isn't so far.

My hand still hurts from yesterday. I have to give it a day or two more rest before I try it again. I had a sharp stabbing pain in my hand. I'll try it higher up.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Most guitar stuff is going to be a little painful at first because your hands don't want to make the kind of movements required in playing guitar.

 

[blinkz]

I need a good practice amp that sounds good at low volume.

My tube amps are just too loud for my current situation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My old Fender Princeton Chorus from the 80's finally broke down and needs a bunch of repairs so I am looking for something newer.

 

[teruterubozu]

I need a good practice amp that sounds good at low volume.

My tube amps are just too loud for my current situation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My old Fender Princeton Chorus from the 80's finally broke down and needs a bunch of repairs so I am looking for something newer.

I'm enjoying my new Vox VT40X. It's a combo+single small tube amp so you get a bit of tube-y tone without getting too loud (there's a small grated opening where you can watch it glow - lol!) . It also connects via USB to computer/phone/laptop and you can control the effects on screen using Vox's ToneRoom app. Really awesome when you're jamming at your desk! Also works with the more affordable VT20X. Headphone input as well! Just a fantastic practice amp!

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

My hand still hurts from yesterday. I have to give it a day or two more rest before I try it again. I had a sharp stabbing pain in my hand. I'll try it higher up.

FWIW, I get shooting hand/forearm pain if I play a guitar with a neck that's too thin. This was not a problem as a child/teenager, but came about as I became a professional code monkey and spend my days typing.

Aside from just playing two octave scales forward and back, evenly— straight up (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8...), skipping notes (1,3,2,4,3,5,4,6,...), and triplets (1,2,3,2,3,4,3,4,5...), I do fairly simple hand exercise that I just tried to type up and couldn't manage it. It involves placing your palms together and wiggling your fingers— index fingers, middle, third, pinkies, etc, in sequence and out of sequence. I think it's supposed limber them up and encourage independent movement.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I need a good practice amp that sounds good at low volume.

My tube amps are just too loud for my current situation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My old Fender Princeton Chorus from the 80's finally broke down and needs a bunch of repairs so I am looking for something newer.

I guess it depends how you define loud by my Jet City 22H112 combo isn't particularly loud and unlike a lot of amps, actually sounds good at relatively low volumes. It also doesn't have a volume curve that goes from whisper quiet to LOUDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD immediately.

 

[blackjaw]

I need a good practice amp that sounds good at low volume.

My tube amps are just too loud for my current situation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My old Fender Princeton Chorus from the 80's finally broke down and needs a bunch of repairs so I am looking for something newer.

Blackstar Fly 3 is my travel/back deck with a beer practice amp

 

[adamsappel]

I need a good practice amp that sounds good at low volume.

My tube amps are just too loud for my current situation. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My old Fender Princeton Chorus from the 80's finally broke down and needs a bunch of repairs so I am looking for something newer.

I love little bedroom/desktop amps! Don't buy those tiny Fender or Marshall speakers, they are just toys. I can whole-heartedly recommend these, which can all run on batteries as well:

Blackstar Fly 3. 3 watts, $60, though I like the added cabinet combo for $100, which adds another 3 watts. Best bang-for-buck.

Yamaha THR-10. Very versatile, lots of great tones. Several different versions, $300. Expensive, but worth it. Is the best sounding of all of them at low volume.

VOX DA-5. Might be my favorite amp. Great VOX tones, and good "other" amp modeling. $70, used? Get the DA-5 over the Mini5. Can be 5W, 1.5W or .5W.

Roland Micro Cube. $80, used? I see these all the time on Craigslist, usually included with a guitar.

If you want to jam through headphones, the VOX AmPlugs have a wide range of styles for $40. I also like the Zoom G1Xon multi-effects pedal.

 

[zbarron]

I'll throw my hat in.

I really love my Orange Crush combo amp. They have a great sound, are sexy, and are small and easily portable. Most guitar stores have them so you can try one out to see if you like the sound.

If you want a cheap low watt real tube amp I've heard good things about the Monoprice 5w tube amp.
https://www.monoprice.com/mobile/pr..._G3bMWxbGl1O6zmhbWx8hWhhUrvksmxC8kaAnpv8P8HAQ

 

[Wag]

I bought Fender Mustang V2 used for $50 at Guitar Center. Nice little amp.

So I just did that Justin Guitar warm-up but I started 1-fret lower down the neck. Seems to be OK. Eventually I'll start moving up the neck as I progress.

 

[teruterubozu]

Blackstar Fly 3 is my travel/back deck with a beer practice amp

Blackstar Fly 3. 3 watts, $60, though I like the added cabinet combo for $100, which adds another 3 watts. Best bang-for-buck.

Yeah the Black Fly 3 is kickass for $60.

Roland Micro Cube. $80, used? I see these all the time on Craigslist, usually included with a guitar.

I never heard one of those, but apparently people either prefer the Roland Cube or the Black Fly when it comes to mini amps.

 

[Surfinn]

Anybody know a good tutorial for recording direct/using amp sims? I'm having trouble finding a good one.

I'm getting some clipping in s gear.

 

[ShipTheCheese]

Anybody have any recommendations for a looper pedal?

+1 for the TC Ditto. If you can afford it, get the X2 as it has a second switch dedicated to either Stop, 1/2 speed, or Reverse.

Stop in particular is really useful if you want to time the loop to stop exactly when you want to, without having to double tap.

 

[Syncytia]

Anybody know a good tutorial for recording direct/using amp sims? I'm having trouble finding a good one.

I'm getting some clipping in s gear.

How are you connected?

Make sure you've got hi-z selected on your interface in you're going straight to your interface. If using a DI box have hi-z off since the DI box puts it at mic level.

Make sure you input level isn't too high so that doesn't clip.

Amp sim > speaker IR.

 

[Surfinn]

How are you connected?

Make sure you've got hi-z selected on your interface in you're going straight to your interface. If using a DI box have hi-z off since the DI box puts it at mic level.

Make sure you input level isn't too high so that doesn't clip.

Amp sim > speaker IR.

I'm in the process of trying to buy an interface. Any suggestions? I'm correctly going into my boss ds 1 into a real tone cable (from Rocksmith) into the USB in my computer. I'm confused on whether or not a dedicated audio interface would make a difference in sound quality. There's not a ton of info on recording with it but some people claim the real tone cable's quality is pretty much as good as anything else. But now I'm wondering if it's responsible for some of my issues.

The research I did said to run a pedal first so that it's a hi z input. At least that's how I understand it.

I'm using ASIO and getting low latency and my dry signal sounds great with no clipping.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

Rocksmith cable works fine for me. I would suggest you try it without the pedal and without changing anything in the sim see how you get on.

 

[Surfinn]

I've got a question..

I bought a new guitar a few weeks back and I'm trying to adjust the intonation. When I try to adjust the bridge to make the notes more sharp (they're all flat by about the same amount), nothing happens on some strings.. the note doesn't change on the 12th fret.

Is this because the truss rod needs to be adjusted? All strings are too flat on the 12th. I was able to correctly adjust the intonation on the first two strings, but not on the others.

I'm nervous about adjusting the truss rod as I've never done it but it seems like it's relatively simple.

Rocksmith cable works fine for me. I would suggest you try it without the pedal and without changing anything in the sim see how you get on.

Thanks, I've tried this before but I'll do it one more time to see what the difference is like.

 

[Syncytia]

I'm in the process of trying to buy an interface. Any suggestions? I'm correctly going into my boss ds 1 into a real tone cable (from Rocksmith) into the USB in my computer. I'm confused on whether or not a dedicated audio interface would make a difference in sound quality. There's not a ton of info on recording with it but some people claim the real tone cable's quality is pretty much as good as anything else. But now I'm wondering if it's responsible for some of my issues.

The research I did said to run a pedal first so that it's a hi z input. At least that's how I understand it.

I'm using ASIO and getting low latency and my dry signal sounds great with no clipping.

If your dry signal is not clipping, it seems the problem is actually somewhere else. Are you using S Gear stand alone? Try using it inside a DAW. You can try the full version of Reaper for free (and I think the trial period doesn't end, it just keeps bugging you to buy it). Set up a track and select the input to be from the Rocksmith cable. Add the S Gear VST and make sure you have record enable and monitoring on and you should be able to hear your signal. You can use the volume fader on the track to reduce the level before it goes into S Gear. Then use the S Gear volume or master fader to raise the output volume. I don't think you should need to run a pedal or anything to get the signal to hi-z. I would think the cable should more or less take care of everything if it's going in via USB. The cable is essential a mini interface.

Onto interface stuff, although I suspect you may not really need one. Unless you want to get one for some of the in/out options or recording with a mic...

Without having used the rocksmith cable I would say most likely, an interface would make a difference in a quality. Now, there's a lot that can affect the quality - pickups, cables, speakers on your computer. So whether or not you can discern an increase in audio quality may or may not be possible dependent on other components of your system.

If you get an interface, you'll want to have your speaker outputs go through that as well as the DAC on the interface will most likely be better than what is built in on your computer. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is probably one of the best smaller interfaces you can get, and has nearly any feature you would need, except for optical in/out. If you want to go all out look into the Steinberg MR816X. Very good interface and can be had very cheap used.

 

[Ampersands]

+1 for the TC Ditto. If you can afford it, get the X2 as it has a second switch dedicated to either Stop, 1/2 speed, or Reverse.

Stop in particular is really useful if you want to time the loop to stop exactly when you want to, without having to double tap.

Pulled the trigger on the original Ditto (X2 is too much for what I'm planning on using it for). I'll give impressions tomorrow or whenever I feel like it really.

 

[Slackbladder]

Why am I so tempted?

 

[NEO0MJ]

Why am I so tempted?

Personally I'm not a big fan of this style of exterior color/design.

 

[Slackbladder]

Personally I'm not a big fan of this style of exterior color/design.

I don't actually like the colour much but I love the neck. Always wanted a Tiger eye guitar. But I'm not a big fan of the RG's. Had it been a red or blue I might've got it. Still, if I had the cash to spare (as if) I'd get it. But no, I'm tempted but not this time.

 

[ExMachina]

Pulled the trigger on the original Ditto (X2 is too much for what I'm planning on using it for). I'll give impressions tomorrow or whenever I feel like it really.

Love the Ditto - was the first pedal I bought and I still use it nearly everyday. Doesn't have crazy features like some other loopers but build quality is rock solid and it's super easy to use. Hopefully you enjoy it too.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Why am I so tempted?

I personally don't like the color but that is a great guitar.

 

[Lan Dong Mik]

I need this pedal. I wonder what it sounds like?

Sounds pretty cool! Going for that Big Muff sound. Looks like it's sold out? Or maybe it's just not out yet. Here is a demo of it, but the artwork is different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL2H9cDTsOXDjWgVXLSc1sTqD3gyWyt3wj&v=5mhDhL-TV7M

Reverb page on it:

https://reverb.com/item/1939002-noisekick-fx-reagan-fuzz-2016-kuato

 

[triplestation]

What do you think of my playing? :O

https://youtu.be/gtv2talsnhc

 

[teruterubozu]

What do you think of my playing? :O

https://youtu.be/gtv2talsnhc

Sounds pretty nice, but I had to crank my volume all the way up to hear anything. I almost thought there was no audio. You should repost with the mic closer to the guitar. Keep it up, I love youtube guitar videos!

 

[triplestation]

Sounds pretty nice, but I had to crank my volume all the way up to hear anything. I almost thought there was no audio. You should repost with the mic closer to the guitar. Keep it up, I love youtube guitar videos!

thanks ^^

yeah i should just get a better mic and a better camera this potato wont do lol

 

[enbred]

Not sure if this has been posted before. I guess it won't hurt to share it again:

check out this forum about everything guitars and specifically everything digital guitar amp modeling. The sticky posts regarding each given topic is usually full of useful information for newbies. You can learn the in's and out's and how-to's of everything hardware, software, recommended plug-ins, DAW's and user presets for your amp simulator, etc.

What i would like to note though is my new discovery of something called a speaker/cabinet impulse. And for those who don't know, what is an impulse response? I'll quote one of the Admins there or you can check the thread here:

What is an impulse response?

For the guys that don't give a fuck about explanations: what is an impulse response? A .wav file. This is all you need to know.

For the others:
An impulse response is the output of a system when the input is a Dirac impulse (for digital stuff). The Dirac impulse doesn't really exist, cause theoretically a signal with amplitude 1 and length 0 (that's why it doesn't exist). So if you run a Dirac impulse in the input of your system, you'll get the impulse response on the output. The impulse response contains the linear characteristics of your system (i.e. frequency response) and does not capture non-linear things (i.e. distortion/saturation). This is just a rough/stupid/useless-for-musicians description, for more information you can search on the net...

Basically impulse responses can be used to capture frequency response and reverb.
The cab impulses you'll find here are just impulse responses of cab + mic systems (remember also the they contains also the frequency response of the power amp and the mic pre-amp).
Impulse responses are REALLY accurate. An analog cab sim (like ADA, Palmer, etc.) will NEVER match the accuracy of an impulse response. In this case the digital world fucks the analog world right in the ass. Believe it or not.

IR's they really do make a difference for sure! Perhaps many of you tried hooking up through your audio interface and it sounded like shit, right? well guess what, these IR's WILL make that difference and suddenly you will have a decent guitar tone. Provided you know what a 'decent guitar tone' sounds like. If you don't, then you probably shouldn't bother with this! There's lots to cover. Maybe i'll make a thread dedicated to digital amp modeling one day but... that's it for now. I hope this helps some of you. Check it out.

Spoiler

And let me know if you think its worth a well written thread?

Videos:
What are Impulse Responses and what do they do?
Recording Guitar With Load Boxes and Impulse Responses
Rosen Digital Impulse Response Cabs

 

[teruterubozu]

Flying V DIY kit project finally complete!!! The Hammerhead Banana! I plugged it in and it plays fine, no hums or static. I could still maybe add a shim and file down the nut a bit, but it's a functional Flying V! Spray painting was the hardest part cuz it requires a lot of patience. The final buffing takes a lot of elbow grease too. I bought volume/tone pots for a left-handed guitar by mistake so they rotate in reverse - lol! I can live with the quirkiness I guess. Just gotta break in now!

 

[TheVBkid]

I need to force myself to play my electric over my acoustic.
The pick up and play aspect of the acoustic is just too strong.

Anyone else have this "problem?"

It's not a problem, i always warm up on my acoustic since it has heaviest guage strings and can be really hard to play at times but once im warmed up i pick up the elctric and my fingers just glide so much quicker.

Flying V DIY kit project finally complete!!! The Hammerhead Banana! I plugged it in and it plays fine, no hums or static. I could still maybe add a shim and file down the nut a bit, but it's a functional Flying V! Spray painting was the hardest part cuz it requires a lot of patience. The final buffing takes a lot of elbow grease too. I bought volume/tone pots for a left-handed guitar by mistake so they rotate in reverse - lol! I can live with the quirkiness I guess. Just gotta break in now!

Looks awesome mate! Love the colour. Is there trusted brands for diy kits? Alwayd wanted to build one and thinking about a 7 string.

 

[ExMachina]

Awesome job on the build, looks dope. Really like the finish and the little painted touches. You gonna record a vid with it?

 

[NEO0MJ]

What do you think of my playing? :O

https://youtu.be/gtv2talsnhc

Just kidding. It sounds like actual music, something I still can't do without following a song

Flying V DIY kit project finally complete!!! The Hammerhead Banana! I plugged it in and it plays fine, no hums or static. I could still maybe add a shim and file down the nut a bit, but it's a functional Flying V! Spray painting was the hardest part cuz it requires a lot of patience. The final buffing takes a lot of elbow grease too. I bought volume/tone pots for a left-handed guitar by mistake so they rotate in reverse - lol! I can live with the quirkiness I guess. Just gotta break in now!

Nicely done! What pickups did you install in it?

 

[teruterubozu]

Looks awesome mate! Love the colour. Is there trusted brands for diy kits? Alwayd wanted to build one and thinking about a 7 string.

Thanks! You can go high end on the DIY kits like Warmoth, which can go well into $500+, or go cheap and get the Chinese kits for $150-$200. This one here is a cheapo $150 kit from bargainmusician.com - many distributors sell the Chinese kits, lots on eBay and amazon too. But the kit hardware is pretty crappy so I swapped them with more quality parts, including the pickups. The Chinese kits are hit or miss, but I like bargainmusician cuz they do some quality control and make sure they sell the better ones. GuitarFetish.com is a popular place to buy cheap but good parts and pickups.

Awesome job on the build, looks dope. Really like the finish and the little painted touches. You gonna record a vid with it?

I plan to record something with it this weekend hopefully. I'm still trying to get the action just right. Just holding the V is so awkward! Gotta get used to it. It's definitely for stand up playing, it's hard to sit down with it.

Nicely done! What pickups did you install in it?

Thank you! I put in Wilkinson high output pickups. I have the same ones in my Vintage V6M24 and they're great for that 80s metal sound.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Any of you guys ever sell your stuff on the internet? I've got a Fender Excelsior amp that I'm never going to use again so I'm going to try and sell it but I've no idea what to value it at.

 

[teruterubozu]

Any of you guys ever sell your stuff on the internet? I've got a Fender Excelsior amp that I'm never going to use again so I'm going to try and sell it but I've no idea what to value it at.

A guy near me is selling an Excelsior for $300 on Craigslist. $300 seems to be the going rate used on eBay and Reverb so it's fair. Anywhere between $275-$325 depending on condition. I would try craigslist first so you don't have to ship an amp.

 

[triplestation]

Just kidding. It sounds like actual music, something I still can't do without following a song

Thanks man!