T-Rex SoulMate Acoustic

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by JackB1

FINALLY snagged one of these for a good price. They are hard to find used! I guess everyone holds onto them?

Anyway, can't wait to try it out. Anyone got any setup tips for first time
users?

I took a long time deciding on whether to get one or not and I'm pretty glad to finally have one as well.

The only thing I can think of to offer right off is to take the effort to make sure your controls on the in/out panel are correctly adjusted, and then push them in so they can't be bumped out of adjustment.

[gfirob]

Thing that impresses me is that the guitar still sounds like a cyber-guitar even with James May's pickup. It needs a Tonedexter in the signal chain which means you are talking about $1,000 altogether if I'm figuring it right. Tonedexter gives you a boost and tuner in addition to feedback treatment and of course the Tondexter effect itself.

Since I switch between electric and acoustic guitars I have a TC Electronic's reverb and delay pedals in the same path as the acoustic guitar (with true bypass clearing the way for the acoustic) but I am still able to use the two pedals for the acoustic guitar if I want. And I have never been adept at a looper, though I have one. Sounds like a lot of money for a pedal that never really takes the acoustic guitar to the level it needs (if you want it to sound like an acoustic guitar only louder). Not the case if you are playing with other guitars, but for a solo player, pretty essential IMHO.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by gfirob

Thing that impresses me is that the guitar still sounds like a cyber-guitar even with James May's pickup. It needs a Tonedexter in the signal chain which means you are talking about $1,000 altogether if I'm figuring it right.

I think the pedal is a good addition for me as a soloist but will admit that part of my satisfaction with it is that I still have my BodyRez inline and am using either my Peterson Stroboclip HD, Shure GLXD16 or internal tuner for tuning functions. Having bought both the T-Rex and the BodyRez used, I guess I've got about $400 into a setup that I'm liking more and more with each usage.

[SoggyBottomBoy]

What is the rationale for buying this unit over a Helix Stomp?

[Nama Ensou]

Real knobs that you change at any time and actually see what you're doing to your sound. Other than the fact they're both covering a wide range of capability for your guitar, they're really not competing for the same market. This unit is going to work much better for a non-preset player like myself who wants instant access to individual controls.

[Ruppster]

I bout one used from Sweetwater a couple of week ago for $265. The unit looks brand new, couldn't believe the deal I got. I've found the T-Rex to be built like a tank with every effect seemingly tailor made for acoustic guitar. Since acquiring the unit I've sold four pedal off my board and more than paid for the unit. Th EQ really seems to be a cut above and overall I'm very pleased.

[Andy Howell]

Originally Posted by SoggyBottomBoy

What is the rationale for buying this unit over a Helix Stomp?

Nothing. I would go with the stomp.

The soulmate is a wonderful unit but the stomp gives you those snapshot changes which can be superb for acoustic. You might only want a slap back delay or exaggerated delay for one song but you have it very easily.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Andy Howell

Nothing. I would go with the stomp.

The soulmate is a wonderful unit but the stomp gives you those snapshot changes which can be superb for acoustic. You might only want a slap back delay or exaggerated delay for one song but you have it very easily.

Here are some of the reasons, not for you, but for players like myself and others who are glad to get away from snapshots and actually have realtime ability to make changes on the fly.

Bottom line is that they're not in direct competition with each other because they're aimed at two separate mindsets.

[Strat80hm]

Very good sounding device - probably the most important right?

Preamp, Para EQ, Boost, Tuner, all really useful on stage
(the rest is just additional fun to have under your foot)

Even though i got mine 2nd hand and pretty cheap, the absence of FX loop is an issue for me:
- if you re gonna use a more complex loop pedal (say a multi-loop solution like the TC DittoX4 or Boss RC 600), how are you supposed to plug this?

- before the input makes little sense..
- after the input can work but then you need another DI box to go to the mixing board..

Any suggestion?
Does someone know how to build my own FX loop inside this box?

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Real knobs that you change at any time and actually see what you're doing to your sound. Other than the fact they're both covering a wide range of capability for your guitar, they're really not competing for the same market. This unit is going to work much better for a non-preset player like myself who wants instant access to individual controls.

Originally Posted by Andy Howell

Nothing. I would go with the stomp.

The soulmate is a wonderful unit but the stomp gives you those snapshot changes which can be superb for acoustic. You might only want a slap back delay or exaggerated delay for one song but you have it very easily.

The above two posts clearly demonstrate why there no right answer here, and that there is more than one way to skin a cat...

I have two basic pedal boards that I carry to gigs, they are always loaded up to go.

On some of my gigs which are steady I had time to make some really cool presets that just work in the rooms I play, and the board I use most of the time for those gigs is based around an HX Stomp, although for quick EQ Adjustments I used an outboard preamp (JHS Color Box), as I have to be able to adjust EQ on the fly and for that I prefer analog style knobs. But for tremolo, reverb, and, delay, I LOVE the presets which are all beat timed to the songs!



On gigs where I'm walking into something unknown, I like to use my more simple pedal board based around a Keeley Delay Workstation. This board, which is set up more like the soulmate is, is just very easy to dial in good 'verbs and delays on the fly, and the Alix preamp is just as easy for dialing in solid EQ. If I'm on a gig that I feel I may improvise more I prefer to use this board. I think I would like to compare a Acoustic Soulmate to this board!

[Stratcat77]

I had the Soulmate and think it’s a fantastic unit. The only reason I went another direction is because of the position of the looper. I need the looper for live use and it’s just not in a good location for live performance. Otherwise it would have been a keeper.