Wizard
Ok ... Scene: Beginner player with Strat-like guitar into Fender Super Champ XD amplifier.
I want to experiment with new sounds & things.
Like looping ...
And delay ...
And possibly recording ...
And experimenting with different special effects.
There are just so many different ways of achieving the above ... and I'm not that keen on learning the proverbial "hard way".
I've spent a few hours reading old posts on this forum to get insights.
More confused than ever.
Went to Bothners and saw some Christmas specials:
- ME 70 R 2,200
- ME 25 R 1,800
- GT-10 R 4,800
I think the ME-25 includes an audio interface which the ME-70 doesn't. (addressing recording desire)
GT-10 would possibly require more marketing to financial management than I'm interested in doing.
So ... where to from here?
Is the ME 25 the sweet spot for my beginner position?
How well will this work with my guitar / amp setup? (which doesn't have an effects loop)
MoJo-JoJoe
MWHahahaha .... hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha
ActionArnie
I had a GT-10 and it sounds exactly like what you need. You should be able to pick one up second hand and I wouldn't pay more than R3.5k for one in decent condition.
Ray
Listen I'm not so into multi effects and stuff but I think you'll have to look far to get a gt-10 at the price you list here hey.
ActionArnie
Ray wrote
Listen I'm not so into multi effects and stuff but I think you'll have to look far to get a gt-10 at the price you list here hey.
Didn't say they'd be easy to find at that price, but to me they're not worth much more than that. Having said that, there are a lot of them around in the second hand market so I'm sure you'll find someone willing to negotiate. Saw a guy selling one on gumtree (that's what the GT in GT-10 stands for by the way ? ) for R2800 a few months back.
AlanRatcliffe
There's a GT-10 in the classifieds for R4k at the mo - that's about the going rate for s/h. While it does happen, they rarely show up for less. It does do it all, but is a fairly complex beastie, so not the best choice if you want to keep the learning curve to a minimum.
I haven't spent any time with the ME-25, but that may do what you need - it does have the USB audio and a PC based patch editor. The ME-70 does not have the USB or editor, and is more complicated to run (but is more programmable and more flexible), so you might as well find a GT-8 s/h.
Wizard
Thanks.
Suddenly seems very simple.
ME 25 if I want to spend a little ... or GT 10 if I want to spend a lot.
Will sleep on it.
MoJo-JoJoe
Spare yourself the frustration, treat your ears, divorse yourself from horrible digital artifacts .... buy a Vox Tonelab SE, Vox Tonelab LE, or TC Electronic Nova System. Those are the next-best thing to having the stomps. Realistically budget-wise, I'd suggest the Vox Tonelab LE.
The hearty laugh earlier was because of the conversation we had last time I was at your place. This is a natural progression ... and there is but only one way to learn and it IS the "hard way".
makepeace
+1 on the vox tonelab. i was about to get one before i decided to go the standalone route. very cool things!
FruitarGeek
I disagree. I think the GT-8 is a not so good starting out pedal. I have one, which Im currently trying to sell, but its a beast to operate. If you have the patience and the technical knowhow that more experienced muso's have (just from experience and learning etc.) then go for the GT-(6,8,10). Only now, after I have learnt what I have learnt, including many things from this forum, do I now feel confident to operate a GT-8. But still I love what the stomp boxes do for me ?
IMO you cant go wrong with a good overdrive/distortion and delay pedal. So many possibilities.
Wizard
The hearty laugh earlier was because of the conversation we had last time I was at your place. This is a natural progression ... and there is but only one way to learn and it IS the "hard way".
I did fully appreciated the source of your hearty laugh. And it did make me smile ?
Realistically budget-wise, I'd suggest the Vox Tonelab LE.
Ok ... you've opened another avenue for investigation.
Useful.
I now won't go dash out and buy tomorrow.
Actually ... as I walked out of Bothners and got into my car I thought to myself:
This is GAS !!
Do NOT buy while you feel like this ... Do NOT buy while you feel like this ... Do NOT buy while you feel like this ...
Seek help. The forum can help you.
Do NOT buy while you feel like this ...
?
ActionArnie
You might want to have a look at this:
http://johannesburg.gumtree.co.za/c-Stuff-for-Sale-musical-instruments-Line-6-Pod-X3-Live-W0QQAdIdZ249643387
Not sure if it does all the looping and such that you're after, but that makes R3.5k for a GT-10 look quite steep IMHO.
TomCat
Here's my 2c worth and what we are doing on our album.
If your primary goal is recording.......look at the approach below.....
We record the guitar through the amp by mic'ing the amp. The only pedal we use is distortion (Pro Co Rat). Once we have the basic guitar sound down on the Mac we then add all the other effects such as delay, reverb and modulation afterward using plugins. The nice thing about this approach is almost total flexibility in shaping the recorded guitar sound with unlimited undo and experimentation. The cost of a simple USB audio interface is fairly low and will be useful. One could also get a fairly inexpensive mic such as a Shure PG-57 for recording.
It also allows you to experiment and develop your sound without the expense of committing to purchasing EFX gear. If you use something like Reaper, you get a whole bunch of plugins as part of the software that are really usable and you can use Reaper for free while you play around and decide whether you like it or not.
Malkav
TomCat wrote
Once we have the basic guitar sound down on the Mac we then add all the other effects such as delay, reverb and modulation afterward using plugins.
This method wouldn't really work if you wanted to go a bit more crazy on the effect side - some things just can't be added post recording.
inflames
I would go for the GT-10, it is a bit more, but your possibilities is endless.
The patches you get for the GT-10 is excellent, you can get your favorite bands sound in seconds.
The sound quality through the earphones output is amazing!
AlanRatcliffe
Not for everything, no - certain effects you want in front of the amp (drive, wah, etc). But it certainly works for delays, reverbs and many modulation effects. These days I usually send a DI'd guitar sound directly to the PC too, then if I need to, I can do whatever I want in Guitar Rig and stack the sound on top of (or even replace) the real amp sound.
Still for straight-up playing fun, it's nice to have a pedalboard/ multieffect and not to have to rely on pc-based FX.
singemonkey
The other recording compromise that is the most flexible, IMO, is to use a high quality simulator like amplitube 3. The advantage here is that you're recording the signal dry. Any kind of amps, speakers, effects, can then be added, removed, chopped, changed. The range of effects is enormous, and a few are better than anything available in a pedal currently (amplitube's spring reverb and tape echo for example). Plus, as TomCat says, you can use all kinds of other effects software directly on the dry signal or where ever you like in the chain.
This software is also much simpler to use than a floor multi-FX. The disadvantage is that it's tricky to set up to use live.
I'd definitely seek this route for recording unless I had a professional producer, great room, and a great amplifier all at once.
I say all this, of course, not having any real recording chops. But I know what I hear, and some of the new emulators would require optimum conditions to beat, plus, since you're recording dry, you can re-emulate in 5 years time using even spankier tech.
Jack-Flash-Jr
The Super Champ already has a dozen "voices" i.e. simulators, some of which are pretty damn good. Not to mention a bunch of effects, standard to leslie?!?
Maybe recording gear will be a better investment?
TomCat
Every approach has it's pro's and cons. My thoughts were in the direction of recording/experimentation. It is certainly not the ideal for live.
Alan makes a very valid comment regarding a multi efx as it also offers flexibility and lots of power. For me they tend to be too complex initially and require lots of time to sit through and figure out. playing with a dry or OD sound on a PC with plugins is more user friendly.
We have found it very effective way to record the guitars while recording the album. WE have used both old school approach while taking advantage of modern technology. It's a case of using what works for you.
