Testing, testing ....

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VikingBlues
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Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 7:44 pm

Testing, testing ....

Post by VikingBlues »

In the absence of creativity and music making the most I can get at the moment seems to result from testing and fretting about gear. :sad:

But there can be a bit of music comes from that - so here's a couple of pieces - one not quite acoustic and one electric. :D
......................

I've been having some internal struggles with the merits of an acoustic guitar plugged in to an amp. Not getting an honest acoustic sound from it has been causing me problems. Having to adapt the playing style to suit an undersaddle pickup which stops playing a note as soon as a finger is taken off the fretboard - I d find the loss of an acoustic guitars body resonance in the amplified sound a bit of an annoyance. But maybe I should just look on it as being a different sort of guitar with a different sort of sound.

So I've been playing the Breedlove Concert Pursuit through the Fishman Loudbox Mini acoustic amp that I highlighted in the Gear section recently.
Trying to go for as few notes as possible and seeing what the amp can do in letting the sound ring on. Also trying to use the testing as a springboard for putting a tune together - so it's a DADGAD improv but around a preset type of pattern of chords / runs.

:music1: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13196702

I do like the sounds and music produced. BUT it is not really that much like an acoustic guitar. :roll:
......................

I recently sold of a modelling amplifier. Which I haven't been using as the tones (despite the Fender Fuse software tweaking available) did not match the Super Champ XD (humble as that is). It had been relegated to being used for backing tracks, but the Fishman Loudbox Mini can play them just as well. So I then stupidly started thinking about a new modelling amp! Until after several days wasted time comparing them all and researching I remembered I had a Vox Tonelab LE that I could plug into the clean channel of the Super Champ XD. Tests with this tells me I've got what I need already.
Some reverb and delay on the LE tested here on a Gilourish.com backing track "Marooned".

:music1: http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13197805

Yes - my playing is not at it's best. But the sounds tell me that the LE is good for me - it has the advantage of being subtle - even with fx parameters turned up it doesn't hit the silly overdone sounds of many more modern multi-fx units I've tried. It also has no computer interface which gets my vote!
So I'll be using the Super Champ rather than being a Super Chump! :big_smile:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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12bar
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by 12bar »

I can't record my acoustic (no pickup, no room for recording with a mic), but your solution sounds good. Not really natural, but interesting. Your playing in DADGAD is as good as always, it's your tuning. :clap:

The electric one is really great. The atmosphere, the overall sounds, the playing is like looking a good movie. :pray:

The tonelab does a great job. I had it on my whishlist, if I only had a bit more room. Although I thought it has USB?
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vancouverois
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by vancouverois »

Good tone and great playing! :clap:
The acoustic sounds good too with the added pickup, though the woody acoustic tone can't be accurately reproduced as you mention.
I guess that pickups mostly amplify the string vibration rather than the acoustic sounds.
On the other hand on electrics like Strats or Teles, some say that an ash body sounds different from an alder body but in this case the pickups really do pick the strings vibrations.
So it may be like an alchemy of different subtle ingredients and certainly the sonic qualities of an amp.

Marooned sounds really great, congrats! :cool: :clap:

I have a smaller Tonelab, the ST, that has an USB plug and it isn't so great.
It really gives better results - on my setup - directly plugged into a mixer, more presence and volume.
Jan 15th 2007
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VikingBlues
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by VikingBlues »

Thank you guys! :D

The Breedlove acoustic was an impulse buy - but so much of a bargain price it was difficult to resist. I'll just have to invest in something like a K&K Mini and get it installed in one of my other purely acoustic guitars if I want a plugged in sound that's more like the real thing.

There's now been (I think) 4 versions of Vox Tonelab.
Vox Tonelab SE : no USB : 2003 : 6.2kg
Vox Tonelab LE : no USB : 2007 : 4.2kg
Vox Tonelab ST : has USB : 2009 : 1.6kg
Vox Tonelab EX : has USB : 2011 : 3kg

The two most recent ones have USB. I first had the ST. Like VC I did not use the USB on it as I got better results with it plugged into my interface through the line out. I did like the sounds it made it in general, and it made a Line 6 interface I had redundant, but I got frustrated that there were not many parameters that could be adjusted - I think in general it was 3 parameters. I kept wishing there was one last tweak I could make to get the tone just right.

The older Tonelab models had more parameters that could be changed and a used LE that was for sale came to my attention and so I got that as well. The LE has 6 parameters in most cases. That was the problem solved. Where it did take me by surprise was in how transparent it was - it let the tone of the different guitars through in a way that no other multi-fx / modeller I've tried has done. It also doesn't swamp the amps own tonal qualities.

Image

The Tonelab LE also has as it's crowning glory that it is incredibly easy to understand how to use it - there's a wonderful lack of multi function button and menu systems. :clap:
I recently had the ghastly experience of wrestling with a Boss G001, released last year and "with premium sound and an integrated USB audio interface". All those features crammed into it and just 6 knobs and 7 buttons - I found it very unintuitive and unfortunately very unsubtle for sound without a great deal of effort being made to tame it - my fault for not being into metal and extreme rock. Maybe it's just me - I've had several goes with different Boss multi units over the years and just haven't got on with any of them - I just don't "get" the logic of the way their systems work. :sad:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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12bar
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by 12bar »

I'm searching ebay (.de) for a TL LE, there's none, zero. They MUST be good...
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vancouverois
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by vancouverois »

12bar wrote:I'm searching ebay (.de) for a TL LE, there's none, zero. They MUST be good...
The same here and indeed not easy to find.
Something more expensive but that seems to work good is the Rack Eleven.
Jan 15th 2007
MichaelRobinson
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by MichaelRobinson »

Hi VB.....

Very nice tests. It involve songs too that I like.

Yes, VB. I understand the problem with multifunctionel butons. They are there to tease one to get mad and do everything to make a guitarist not wanting to play. The multifuncinel butons induces wicked demons, suitable for death metal. At least it seams so.
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VikingBlues
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Re: Testing, testing ....

Post by VikingBlues »

I think with E-Bay for either the LE or the SE models it's best to log a search notification "thingy" so that you get an e-mail alert when one comes up for sale!

They do appear but not that often - there doesn't seem to be many of them around for sale.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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