Question for guitar players

Re: Question for guitar players

Early last year, I covered a few weeks on a tour with a very well known pop artist. I talked to the guitar player after soundcheck to find out what amp he was using as I had never heard such great sounding, drastically different tones out of one amp. Turns out he was using an Avid Eleven Rack. I was amazed. It sounded AMAZING.
 
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Re: Question for guitar players

This is the best sounding guitar processor I have heard for live sound: http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-axe-fx-ii-preamp-fx-processor.php

Nothing else even comes close IMO.
A guitarist in one of the bands that I work with regularly uses one, he never brings a amplifier anymore.
Just feed him some signal back through his monitor and he is good to go.
No idea what the cost is, all I know is that if I was a guitar player this is what I would want.
 
Re: Question for guitar players

If he likes the sound of his current rig, just get one of these:

http://www.jamsaudio.net/pga04.shtml

No "amp simular" will ever sound as good as a tube head, IMO. We've got an Eleven Rack for our SR guitarist. It sounds good, that's for sure, but the Vox AC30 and Marshal JCM900 our other guitarists use blow it out of the water. We use the Palmers and absolutely love them. If you want a great guitar tone with no stage volume, that's the route I'd take.


Evan
 
Re: Question for guitar players

Guitar is not my main thing but I use a Pod HD300, and it actually sounds very good if you take the time to make a few of your own presets. It's not that expensive, is built like a tank, and has XLR outputs. If you need more features there are larger models in the same line.

Not quite in the league of the Fractal Axe-FX, but darn good in the hands of a competent user at a fraction of the price. Sounds are about on par with Eleven Rack IMO.....
 
Re: Question for guitar players

Andy -

If you're working with an individual, "picky" guitarist, I suggest you sent him out to the music stores of his choice with his guitar and some head phones and try out as many multi-effect & modelling pedals as it takes for him to find his "happy place". Most guitar players who have an intimate relationship with their "sound" are not too keen on anything that doesn't measure up to their expectation. The main problem with trying to find an emulator, is the impact the speaker has - and it is about impossible to reproduce electronically. If you can get the talent to invest himself in the processor, you're on your way to success here.

Will he be using a wedge or IEMs for guitar monitoring?

-Tim Tyler
 
Re: Question for guitar players

The Palmer units work great! You still have to cart around the amp to drive it, but if your guy loves his amp it lets you get rid of the speakers.
 
Evan Kirkendall said:
If he likes the sound of his current rig, just get one of these:

http://www.jamsaudio.net/pga04.shtml

No "amp simular" will ever sound as good as a tube head, IMO. We've got an Eleven Rack for our SR guitarist. It sounds good, that's for sure, but the Vox AC30 and Marshal JCM900 our other guitarists use blow it out of the water. We use the Palmers and absolutely love them. If you want a great guitar tone with no stage volume, that's the route I'd take.


Evan
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's the thing. Wanna get rid of the tube head entirely.
 
Tim Tyler said:
Andy -

If you're working with an individual, "picky" guitarist, I suggest you sent him out to the music stores of his choice with his guitar and some head phones and try out as many multi-effect & modelling pedals as it takes for him to find his "happy place". Most guitar players who have an intimate relationship with their "sound" are not too keen on anything that doesn't measure up to their expectation. The main problem with trying to find an emulator, is the impact the speaker has - and it is about impossible to reproduce electronically. If you can get the talent to invest himself in the processor, you're on your way to success here.

Will he be using a wedge or IEMs for guitar monitoring?

-Tim Tyler
Click to expand...
I thought some of the newer modellers might have finally achieved close parity with the amps they're simulating. He's on ears.
 
Re: Question for guitar players

Rob Ottaviano said:
Check out what Line 6 is up to and no I don't work for the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zP2790_It8&feature=player_embedded
Click to expand...

Another iPad product. I just don't like the idea of involving a third party in a customer service issue if it can be helped. I can just hear it now, "It's the iPad app. We're just the interface device. Here's Apples number...". Back OT I've heard (literally) some nice sounds from AVID's Eleven and even the Line 6 HD. Although it's long since out of production and the (original) company is long gone, I still use an ADA Ampulator when the occasion calls for it:

http://www.adadepot.com/adagear/gearpages/cabsims/ADA-Ampulator.htm
 
Re: Question for guitar players

kristianjohnsen said:
Coincidentally I just started this thread on PSW that may have relevance to this thread:

http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,135729.0.html
Click to expand...

Does that mean I need to answer you again?

Evan has pretty much answered you succinctly.

People have been trying to get the "sound" without the SPL since the days of the Rockman, then Line 6 modeling amps, etc...

------
Has you question changed from "lets get together and figure this out" to "what do you use that sort of works"?

JR
 
Re: Question for guitar players

Tim Tyler said:
Andy -

...The main problem with trying to find an emulator, is the impact the speaker has - and it is about impossible to reproduce electronically...

-Tim Tyler
Click to expand...

I've come to the conclusion that there are a few things that, almost by definition, can't be recreated by a "silent" system. One is the way the guitarist can feel the sound (and for a lot of guitarists that might just be rattling their knee caps). The other is probably the more important one and sometimes it's an ego thing; a lot of guitarists want to feel like they are filling the room with their sound. When they hear their notes bouncing off the room it makes them think that the audience can hear their brilliant playing. You might be able to get close to this with a good in-ear mix and a lot of comments from everyone that you can find to reassure them that they aren't being lost in the mix. This mostly pertains to smallish stages btw. On big stages, the musicians generally do whatever they want anyway.
 
Re: Question for guitar players

John Roberts said:
Does that mean I need to answer you again?

Evan has pretty much answered you succinctly.

People have been trying to get the "sound" without the SPL since the days of the Rockman, then Line 6 modeling amps, etc...

------
Has you question changed from "lets get together and figure this out" to "what do you use that sort of works"?

JR
Click to expand...

Nope, no need :lol:

Still looking for someone who'd like to take some measurements to investigate if we can replicate some of what either a guitar speaker cabinet or a speaker cabinet simulator DI is doing, by using the built-in processing of a digital mixer.

Not looking for a silent system, btw - looking for alternative ways of transferring what is coming out of the guitar amp to the mixer. Guitar speaker cabinet will still be wailing away!
 
Re: Question for guitar players

Vinny D'Agostino said:
This is the best sounding guitar processor I have heard for live sound: http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-axe-fx-ii-preamp-fx-processor.php

Nothing else even comes close IMO.
A guitarist in one of the bands that I work with regularly uses one, he never brings a amplifier anymore.
Just feed him some signal back through his monitor and he is good to go.
No idea what the cost is, all I know is that if I was a guitar player this is what I would want.
Click to expand...

I did a show last year and the headliner had a new Fractal that he hadn't had time to tweak the efects on so he used his pedal board into the Fractal into a stereo Mosfet amp with 2 single 12" cabs. Miced each with a Senn 906......freakin' awesome!! Best sound of the week by far. I would have liked to try it direct as I am a fan of direct guitar sound for live in most situations, but the sound itself was fantastic. Another local guy has one and proceeds to destroy the sound with over the top effects.
 
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