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  • Ethos Overdrive and/or Effectrode Blackbird. How/Where to buy and thoughts?

Hi All

I am trying to setup a worthy silent guitar practice and recording rig due to the fact that I have a 2 year old as well as Neighbours.

After much research I now believe the best way to go about it is to buy a good tube preamp such as the Effectrode Blackbird or Ethos Overdrive and DI into my mixer/DAW (via my Lexicon Omega USB interface and my little Tascam 4 channel mixer) with IMpulse responses going to a decent pair of headphones which I am still to purchase (I am currently looking at Shure SRH440 headphones). Of course for reverb/delays etc I can eventually add more pedals in the signal path but in the interim I can just use effects from Reaper/any DAW until I have more cash to buy Effects pedals.

What do you think of this setup? I just can't believe the Tone (dirty AND clean) that guys seem to be getting using the DI out of the Ethos Overdrive in particular so this is the preamp I am leaning towards over the Effectrode.

Last question: Does anyone know how/where I can purchase the Effectrode Blackbird or the Ethos Overdrive? I know these are not cheap units but if you look at what they can do I don't understand why preamps like this aren't the norm in guitar rigs?
    I have not heard of or heard the products you've suggested, so possibly I'm speaking absolute nonsense. But, I think you have many options.

    You could get just plugins, so plug straight into your interface and use guitar rig and the like. Check out http://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins.html as well.

    You could also look at something like the Elevenrack. Which will give you some pretty cool sounds all around.

    All that being said, listening to the demos of the Blackbird while writing this reply, it sounds pretty darn incredible. I would be curious as to how they recorded it though.
      pires100 wrote: I don't understand why preamps like this aren't the norm in guitar rigs?
      I guess it depends on what gear you already have and what you are trying to do? E.g. Home practice vs Home recording vs Live use.

      I've seen a few guitar rigs with something like a MXR Micro amp (I like) and a speaker emulator w/DI - but this is to get around lugging a amp around. I reckon most prefer to get their tone from a amp w/pedals than pedals w/DI - It's tradition? Add some speakers in and you have instant G.A.S.

      Though having a Kemper is changing things - enough like a amp to placate the guitarist who is used to a amp, but in my mind it's just a dedicated audio laptop with some damn impressive software...I'd have no issue using one :?

      I did try and setup a versatile software only rig a while back (laptop, interface, daw w/soft fx) and it was an immense PITA. You have to think about a lot of things that one takes for granted when using amp pedals (floorboard for switching & RTL (round trip latency)) - certainly doable, but not plug n play. Getting it consistently reliable like a amp & pedals needed more time & $ than I was willing to invest. But I was aiming at a something that I could use at home for practice and recording, then take to a gig - interesting idea, but ended up like a swiss army knife solution. Kinda worked, useful in a pinch, but results would be better with the correct tools.

      No idea where you'd get one of those pedals locally - If there's no 2nd hand ones, cheapest/easiest would be to self import. Local distributors (if any) too often mark things up to ludicrous levels.
        Ethos has a huge waiting time. Effectrode is also super expensive.
        I know someone with an Ethos that isn't using it. But I also know it isn't for sale.
        Reverb.com is your best bet tbh.

        no ethos, but there's a second hand blackbird, only $435.

        A tech21 Character series pedal is worthy to look at, as well as the Joyo knockoffs of these.

        What might be better in the longrun is looking at something like the POD HD500x or the Helix LT.
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