advice on gear

bobbyg67 · #1 10-19-2020, 03:28 AM

this is what i've got:

aer60/3
2 qsc 10s
1qsc cp8
dual redeye
lr baggs equalizer
tc body rez
soundcraft efx 8 mixer
heil pr 35 mics
martin om28 with passive k&k
martin d-18 with passive k&k
2019 taylor 714ce espression 2

i keep reading about the harshness and brittle sound of the qsc 10's and am always looking for improvement. i don't have anything to compare them with anyway.
i play solo mostly but sometimes in a duo. lately i've been going down the rabbit hole in my mind looking for a better sound.

what would you get rid of ,change aquire or whatever in my situation? i wish they would quit making new gear. i need peace.

sometimes it all sounds fine but lately its been bugging me. i'm open to anything.

rmp · #2 10-19-2020, 04:06 AM

Some times we force ourselves down rabbit holes. What we hear isn't always what's coming out of our "Stuff"...

Are you reading about the harshness, or are you experiencing that when you use the stuff?

QSC is good stuff as is the rest of the gear you've got listed.

Methos1979 · #3 10-19-2020, 06:09 AM

You've got all top-shelf high-end gear there! You say you "keep reading" but what do YOU hear? What do others listening to you hear? You have everything you need to get great performance tone not matter what your playing venue-wise.

The only thing I would change (and did) is to with a less-is-more approach but that's more about my age. I had a pretty large amount of gear that I quickly tired of schlepping around and setting up. So once I peaked I made the decision to dial back to the absolute bare minimum in size and weight but still have great quality.

And once I found it I stopped looking. Sure, it's fun buying new stuff but you'll drive yourself crazy (and quite possibly to the poor-house!) trying to achieve some perfect tone in your head. But I know what you mean about new gear. I'm always wondering if I should try something new but but then I remember I'm happy with what I have!

varmonter · #4 10-19-2020, 08:22 AM

I agree with methos ..you have
Top notch stuff and should be able to get
A great sound out of this.
My Only suggestion if your not happy
Would be adding really high end stuff
Like studio recording channel strips
And thousand dollar mics. Really just
Overkill for bar gigs.
What you own is decent. And should be
adequate enough. What is it you
Think your lacking??
If your young enough and dont mind lugging speakers
You could certainly upgrade to k12 . Youd lose any harshness
You might be perceiving and add low end and warmth. But the k12 or 12.2 or cp12 are bigger speakers.
Not knowing exactly how your using the list you posted it's hard
To give any advice. But if your using ALL of what you listed in your guitar chain then You would need to watch your gain staging

Rudy4 · #5 10-19-2020, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

this is what i've got:

aer60/3
2 qsc 10s
1qsc cp8
dual redeye
lr baggs equalizer
tc body rez
soundcraft efx 8 mixer
heil pr 35 mics
martin om28 with passive k&k
martin d-18 with passive k&k
2019 taylor 714ce espression 2

i keep reading about the harshness and brittle sound of the qsc 10's and am always looking for improvement. i don't have anything to compare them with anyway.
i play solo mostly but sometimes in a duo. lately i've been going down the rabbit hole in my mind looking for a better sound.

what would you get rid of ,change aquire or whatever in my situation? i wish they would quit making new gear. i need peace.

sometimes it all sounds fine but lately its been bugging me. i'm open to anything.

They'll always make "new gear". After I purchased my Roland Cube EX I have absolutely no desire or need to buy it.

Here's an example of guitar through a Cube EX with "nothing added" other than running through a looper to do the overdubs.
https://youtu.be/S3G2zpcA2-Y

Vancebo · #6 10-19-2020, 11:41 AM

You have good stuff.

I am not saying this is the case, but sometimes we can attribute some of our dissatisfaction to user error. Dialing sound is sometimes not easy. If it's not easy, then the combination of your gear may not be helping things. One man's K&K, Red Eye, AER 60 Combo may work great for one guy and then may not work great for another. The K&K SBT may be the greatest variable. I have used K&k in combination with mics and the K&K always was hard for me to dial in properly. Others have found it to be quite nice and are very satisfied. If you are not satisfied, then change it or learn to possibly work it better.

I spent a lot of time and money chasing the rabbit hole. I have been happy the past few years and found that my guitar budget has a lot of extra money in it now because I have seemed to have found that nice happy place of ease and satisfied ears. My gear combination is working and I have no interest in changing. I can't say that if everyone went and bought my gear combination they would be happy too. That would be all too easy wouldn't it.

Br1ck · #7 10-20-2020, 01:58 PM

Gee, a Vancebo post with no mention of Dazzos. Well I have to rectify that. After having them exclusively in all my guitars, I bought a K&K equipped D 35 thinking I probably would not need different pickups. I was wrong. I just did not want to fuss with EQ all the time. Think of it like an analog stereo system. You need a cartridge you really like. It's where your signal starts. If you aren't happy with that, you then have to compensate all down the line.

I heartily agree that if you are reacting to reading about your speakers instead of your own experience, you're on the wrong track. It's like reading about the new model of something. A lot think it's better. you may not. The 2012 and newer D 18 comes to mind. I'd rather have a mid sixties D 18.

Overall your gear is really good. One set of Dazzos into a SunnAudio pre is all I'd suggest.

bobbyg67 · #8 10-31-2020, 05:58 PM

i listed the gear i have at the beginning of the thread. i'm stuck on doing something and the tonedexter has been mentioned in another post. after doing more research on pickups, gear etc i'm willing to take one more rabbit hole trip and thinking about the tonedexter.

tonedexter owners, convince me this would be a wise choice.

Rudy4 · #9 10-31-2020, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

i listed the gear i have at the beginning of the thread. i'm stuck on doing something and the tonedexter has been mentioned in another post. after doing more research on pickups, gear etc i'm willing to take one more rabbit hole trip and thinking about the tonedexter.

tonedexter owners, convince me this would be a wise choice.

They're starting to show up in the used gear section so it might be a good opportunity to find out for yourself without spending a bunch of money.

Some folks just like to jump in, though.

guitarwebguy · #10 10-31-2020, 10:47 PM

Interesting discussion, I agree with the others who’ve said you’ve got great gear ... you might invite a friend over to play your gear and you listen and see if you what you are dissatisfied with is wha you are hearing ... taking a different approach, I have spent way too much $ and time looking for yet another piece of gear to make my sound “better”, the end result (for me) has been to sell off most of my gear and drop back to a simpler (and as it has turned out better) setup .... I use only a tonedexter with my various instruments (sound system is flat EQ) with a little reverb. To do that I did invest in mic that gave me a nice flat response (if Doug or James is on I’m sure they and others can recommend a mic that has worked for them with a tonedexter) when I created my IR’s with my tonedexter. The upside is that I no longer spend time tweaking various boxes, amps and or sound systems, and with the tonedexter, I’ve got the ideal sound for 3 guitars and banjo in one place and I can easily switch. I’m a big fan

Vancebo · #11 11-01-2020, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyg67

i listed the gear i have at the beginning of the thread. i'm stuck on doing something and the tonedexter has been mentioned in another post. after doing more research on pickups, gear etc i'm willing to take one more rabbit hole trip and thinking about the tonedexter.

tonedexter owners, convince me this would be a wise choice.

I think it is a great choice for sure. You will end up with a natural sound that is very much like your guitar. I tested out mine pretty thoroughly and it served me well. I think there is enough control there to get you through most situations. I think it’s a smart choice.

Goat Mick · #12 11-01-2020, 05:39 PM

I play a lot of gigs and one thing I’ve found is that a good pickup in a good guitar straight into a good amp is all the tone you need for live gigs. I have a Bose L1c, a Bose S1 Pro, a Fishman Loudbox Artist and a Fishman Loudbox Performer and I choose the amp based on the venue. But the only thing between my guitar and the amp is a cord and occasionally a tuner pedal. I constantly get compliments on the sound of my guitar. I’m using Baggs Anthem SL pickups. I’m definitely a believer in a “less is more” approach to my gigging setup.