#1
|
|||
|
|||
SOLVED: Advice please: Adding a little dirt while playing an electric though a PA
Some background first (and I apologize if there’s too much, or not enough, information). I’m a rhythm guitar player and singer, the frontman in a band that includes keyboards, lead guitar, harp, bass and drums. To date, I’ve been playing almost 100 percent acoustic guitar when on stage (and most of the time we play through a house mixer and PA).
A while back, I bought an Eastman T-184 hollowbody to try out, thinking that I might use it for some of the vintage rock and blues songs that we play. I’m very happy with the guitar, but have only used it a couple of times when playing out. I bought a Boss Katana 50 at the same time, and am pretty happy with the different tones I can get out of it, especially when I want to introduce some dirt into the tone. I have a very simple pedalboard – a Boss BCB-30, with Boss TU-3 tuner and Boss GE-7 equalizer pedals (and 1 slot left). I also have a TC Helicon Play VG - I use the pass-through jack to bypass the guitar effects, while still being able to use it for vocal harmonies. Not sure if this matters, but I also have a RedEye Twin that I could work into the chain, if that would make things easier/better While I can always bring the Katana with me, mic it, and dedicate it to the Eastman, I’m wondering if I can get something that I could use to play the Eastman through the TCH Play VG into the PA, while getting a little dirt into the tone. One thought is to just add a Boss Blues Driver ($99-ish) to the last slot on the pedalboard. The other is to go for something like a Quilter MicroBlock 45 ($149-ish) or InterBlock 45 ($249-ish), which was recommended by a lead guitarist that I know. I know next to nothing about electric amplification, so I would greatly appreciate if you would be gentle and speak in plain language. Thanks.
__________________
Barry Last edited by Long Road Home; 03-28-2019 at 12:56 PM. Reason: Added RedEye Twin |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
A Boss SD-1 at $50 was the patented inspiration for the slightly different Tube Screamer. Both designs use clipping diodes in the feedback loop of an opamp. The SD is asymmetrical with two diodes in one direction and one diode in the other (sort of like a class A preamp tube). The Tube Screamer beat the patent by using one diode in each direction (sort of like the A-B output stage of most amps).
Distortion/Overdrive is a rabbit hole where electric guitarists pour a lot of cash. The Zoom MS50G is another slightly more expensive modeling option which gives access to decent simulations of a range of classic pedal and amp distortions. But you have to deal with its user interface... The SD-1 is cheap, easy, will fit your board, and will do the job.
__________________
jf45ir Free DIY Acoustic Guitar IR Generator .wav file, 30 seconds, pickup left, mic right, open position strumming best...send to direct email below I'll send you 100/0, 75/25, 50/50 & 0/100 IR/Bypass IRs IR Demo, read the description too: https://youtu.be/SELEE4yugjE My duo's website and my email... [email protected] Jon Fields |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Get a Line 6 POD...you can get a range of overdriven tones out of anything with one of those in 'direct' mode...PA, keyboard amp, etc.
__________________
Larrivee L-10 Custom Larrivee DV-10K Larrivee L-03 Taylor 412K ('96) Yamaha LL16-12 (SOLD) PRS 'Studio' (SOLD) Rickenbacker 660-12 (SOLD) Fender USA Deluxe Strat Fender USA Roadhouse Strat Fender MIM/USA Partscaster Fender MIM Nashville Tele Kelsey Custom Hardtail Strat Fender MIM P-Bass |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
I use the Tech21 Sansamp ParaDi with my jazzbox for exactly this. Turn the footswitch off and it functions like a great sounding active DI. Engage it and you have a clean to dirty amp simulator with with sweepable mid, and a nice cabinet output EQ curve. It can be powered either by a 9v battery or phantom power. It’s all analog and I much prefer it to the digital modeling boxes.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...xoCOLgQAvD_BwE |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
The Sonicake rock stage pedal for $65 has distortion, compression, chorus and delay. I have one and like it. My previous thread on it has a link to a YouTube review...
Some distortion pedals don't seem to work that well in front of a clean solidstate amp like a PA system. The Sonicake sounds good in front of a PA system (I used it at church this way) |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Line 6 HX Stomp.
__________________
Current: 1952 Gibson J-45 - Schatten HFN passive / Fishman Matrix Infinity 1983 Washburn Timber Ridge Custom - Fishman Onboard Prefix Premium Blend & - Schatten HFN passive 2016 Gibson J-45 Standard - Fishman Onboard Prefix Premium Blend & - Schatten HFN passive backup Tonedexter & Sunnaudio Stage DI 1990 Yamaha FS-310 Past: 1995 Martin D-28 2015 Eastman E10SS |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
When practicing at home while my kids are asleep, I take the simple pedalboard I use away from my AC-15, add a SansAmp GT 2 in the last slot, and run it into a cheap headphone amp. It sounds pretty decent. Decent enough for me to wonder if I would enjoy using it out instead of lugging amp.
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Ditto Sansamp.
I personally have never settled with digital modelling pedals like Line 6. I think I like it for a bit, then I start hearing latency and artefacts. So I've always gone back to analogue stuff. Always worth a try, and the new IR loaders are supposed to be a big step closer to the real thing. You could try the Joyo pedals - I currently have their American Sound which is a clone of the Tech 21 Blond. It was last on the board and now runs into an ADA GCS-5 cab sim. I like it for headphone practice and would be easy for rehearsal to go direct to the board. I think a Joyo AS is about 30USD on the bay. Most folk tend to like them. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
An inexpensive option could be the electric version of the Behringer Acoustic Adi21.
This one https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...river-di-pedal. It's basically a copy of the Tech 21 Sansamp G2,, so you'll have a cab simulator (which is important) and some dirt. Hope this helps. Last edited by jricc; 03-26-2019 at 11:18 AM. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Thank you to all for your input.
I'll start to do some research this week (and I'll try not to fall too far down that rabbit hole, Jon). I'm going to focus more toward the simple end of the spectrum rather than the digital modelling end (I think I may have that covered with the Katana 50), especially when on stage, where I'm more of a set and forget kind of person. Not sure if this matters, but I also have a RedEye Twin that I could work into the chain, if that would make things easier/better (**I added this to the first post**). My hope is to land on a good option that allows me to run the Eastman T-184 directly into the mixer and PA (or through the TCH Play VG bypass, and then into the mixer and PA) without having to put anything else into the chain. Please keep the suggestions coming...
__________________
Barry Last edited by Long Road Home; 03-28-2019 at 12:55 PM. |
#11
|
||||
|
||||
Hello!
I'll start by saying I think that I've tried about every option. I lead a large group of 12 people on stage so space is always coveted. I finally ended up adding the VOX MV50 Clean amp head to my pedal board. That's right...my PEDAL board. It's roughly the size of an average pedal. Has a line out, a speaker out (both of which can be run simultaneously which is very rare), built in attenuation, an eco mode (*Shuts itself off after not being used for a period of time) and actually has a new "tube technology" so it acts very tube amp like (*you can read all about it on the SweetWater page). It takes pedals REALLY well. I have a KLON Archer IKON, and a JHS Morning Glory that I use weekly through this head, as well as delays, reverbs, etc. I was able to remove my Fender Twin Reverb and my Egnater Tweaker 15 head with 2x12 cabs once I put this little amp head in place. They're truly phenomenal. I can unplug my board, take it to any venue and run the line out directly to their PA\Mixing desk. If a wedge or in ear monitor isn't enough I can also bring one of my 1x12 cabs (*which I've never had to do). These have PLENTY of power (50 watts). I run mine about 11 o'clock. When I first got it I tried it out at home through my 2 1x12 cabs and it was loud enough to peel paint at about 9. Mind you this was running directly into the cabs and in a smaller studio...but still. They come in different versions. I believe there's an "AC15", a "Boutique", a "Rock", and the "Clean"...which I prefer as my pedals add the dirt when I want it. As I said, I've tried a variety of avenues to be able to have a small footprint, and still have great tone. I had a Radial Direct Drive that lasted all of two weeks before I moved it along, and as good as my amps sounded..they were just too much. Whatever you decide I wish you all the best. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
If it were me I'd bring the Katana but the Tech21 stuff is pretty impressive too.
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
The issue is that using the Katana means I can't run the Eastman through my TC Helicon Play VG, which takes out the possibility of (non-human) harmonies.
__________________
Barry |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks again to all who provided ideas. Here's my current thinking. It looks like the Tech 21 SansAmp Para Driver DI that lkingston talks about in post #4 would work with both my Eastman hollowbody and my Halcyon acoustic (I rarely use the RedEye Twin, and can likely sell it for around what the Tech 21 would cost).
Opinions? BTW, I've started a thread in the acoustic amplification subforum on using the Tech 21 (for acoustic guitars) for people who hang out there and not in this subforum. Here's the link.
__________________
Barry Last edited by Long Road Home; 03-27-2019 at 11:49 AM. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
I ordered a Tech 21 SansAmp Para Driver V2 today. Thanks all.
__________________
Barry |