Newbie guitar player seeks first elec. guit/amp/efx processer cobmo purchase help.

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anppilot

anppilot

Never Act Like U Know All
Hey guys. Im a keyboard player normally. I have a acoustic guitar I've ben playing for years, and I play OK. Nothing great. If its a song has C, D, E, Em, G, A, Am, or Bm, I'm your man! LOL. But anyway, I want a electric guitar now, a great sounding efx processor and an amp.

I've playing around at Guitar Center with a:

Roland Cube 30X Guitar Combo Amplifier - $230.00
Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Pedal - $500.00
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster w/gig bag - $400.00

I think the amp sounds good, the Strat sounds good for the price and the GT-10 makes some good grundge, metal, etc sounds all around. I dont think this is to bad for $1130.00 eh?

The thing I like with the amp is the recording out so I can patch it to my Yamaha MG32 32 channel mixing board then to my DAW to record and still hear the guitar through the amp, not just the monitors at the output of the DAW.

Any feedback is appreciated.
 
In your price range you can get the Fender Superchamp XD - 15 watt, tube power section and 16 different "amp" voicings (fender/marshall/vox etc.). It has some built-in effects, which may mean your FX processor is optional (unless you want more controls over effects).

The amp also has a "line out", but the way it sounds (SWEET) you're gonna WANT to mic it :)
 
Well, I like guitar efx processors because its like creating your own sfx pedal selection (chain) chorus, flange, distortion, etc in one unit without having 5 million pedals. I always have been a Roland fan, so I'm kinda partial to Roland. But I like Feder and their amps. I will have to go and play around with this amp.
 
yes, I can understand about multi-fx. there's another current thread here about the SCXD, where I posted links to another forum, where there's pictures and instructions on adding a "line in" mod, which lets you use a POD or any other similar digital modeler directly into the tube power section of the SCXD.

you're partial to Rolands? ok, I was partial to Tech 21 Trademark 60 - a $500+ amp. I was also skeptical about the SCXD because it had something digital in it (I still hate everything digital :p ). anywho, after reading some reviews (those links I mentioned) and seeing the SCXD as a "blem" for $230 I thought: "with 45-day money back what have I got to loose?".

At this point, believe me: the only "step up" from this amp would be nice all-tube expensive amps. It is simply an amazing, as of yet unbeatable value of TONE (and there is more than one TONE here), features, price and ease of upgrades.

If SCXD had a boxing match with Tech 21 (or Rolands for that matter) it would be disqualified for hitting below the waste! :D
 
no, no, the trademark is the one got hit in the groin!

i was further praising the SCXD :D

trademark is a nice amp feature-wise, but way overpriced. it would have to cost $200 to even be considered.

but give 'em both a try! just for kicks... (but do protect yourself!)

:rolleyes:
 
As a former GC manager (with above average time to sit around playing with toys), relentless gear whore, and lost soul on a never-ending search for tone, may I humbly recommend the following...

-Go with whatever guitar feels best in your hands...

-Unless you need some of the crazier effects offered by the big floor processors, find yourself a used (or new maybe..) POD 2.0 ...always sounded more natural than the XT ver. to me. Should be able to pick one up for no more that $199. One thing it does lack is a phaser... but has a great leslie setting that can do the job most of the time. It also sounds fantastic direct once you learn it.. kinda eliminating the need to output from your amp as well as something else in the signal chain.

The other side of the coin is if you are prepared to spend $500 on an effects board, you can build yourself a heck of a used stomp-box collection... with patience to find the great deals. (edit: I know you don't like the idea of multiple pedals, but they sound better... In keyboard terms, would you rather have the "elec. keyboard" setting on a roland, or would you rather have a real Rhodes or Wurli?)

-Fender Blues Jr. You can pick one up used usually for under $300. You will be reaching for the amp modelers a lot less because this little thing is a beast. It does the real Fender clean sound, and an entire range of great real tube overdrive... you will be MUCH happier with this amp in the long run. In my collection I have several amps of all shapes, sizes, and vintages- this is one of the first ones I reach for almost every time. It records great, its great for small live situations... I can't recommend it enough.

any questions just yell

-Pete
 
Well, help me with one thing. The thing I hate about my acoustic guitar (witch is some off brand thing called a Mitchell about $199.00 or so) is the frets are so far apart. Maybe I just suck, but I just cant change frets that fast. do you need to look at the fret width l<-->l vs l<->l as something to look for in purchasing a guitar? It seems like electric guitar frets are more narrow than acoustic, maybe its just my imagination...
 
anppilot said:
Well, help me with one thing. The thing I hate about my acoustic guitar (witch is some off brand thing called a Mitchell about $199.00 or so) is the frets are so far apart. Maybe I just suck, but I just cant change frets that fast. do you need to look at the fret width l<-->l vs l<->l as something to look for in purchasing a guitar? It seems like electric guitar frets are more narrow than acoustic, maybe its just my imagination...
Click to expand...
uummmm .... what?
No ...... while there are different guitar scale lengths ...... they're not so different as to be a big factor in how you can reach the notes. A Strat has a 25.5" scale while many other gits like a paul use 24.75" scale.
You're looking at a 3/4" difference over the entire string length so that's gonna break down into a very small difference from fret to fret. It's there but not very great distance-wise.
 
(getting back to amps/fx) even though i'm partial to the SCXD (as the overall "package deal"), I'll support others in regards to having a tube amp. All-tube amp.

I still don't like things that "boot" (digital) in music, but at least now I'm convinced that digital modelers can sound as good as the real thing IF they go through the power section of the real thing :)
 
just for the record... a lot of the DSP Fender amps, while they sound pretty good, had a bunch of QC issues and often had problems right out of the box... just something to consider
 
If you're gonna spend a fair amount on a good floor processor, maybe you should spend your amp cash on something simple; you don't need built in amp effects if you have a decent modeller. My .02 cents.
 
Last edited:
anppilot said:
Hey guys. Im a keyboard player normally. I have a acoustic guitar I've ben playing for years, and I play OK. Nothing great. If its a song has C, D, E, Em, G, A, Am, or Bm, I'm your man! LOL. But anyway, I want a electric guitar now, a great sounding efx processor and an amp.

I've playing around at Guitar Center with a:

Roland Cube 30X Guitar Combo Amplifier - $230.00
Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Pedal - $500.00
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster w/gig bag - $400.00

I think the amp sounds good, the Strat sounds good for the price and the GT-10 makes some good grundge, metal, etc sounds all around. I dont think this is to bad for $1130.00 eh?

The thing I like with the amp is the recording out so I can patch it to my Yamaha MG32 32 channel mixing board then to my DAW to record and still hear the guitar through the amp, not just the monitors at the output of the DAW.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Click to expand...



I have the GT 6-B and the GT 8 and love both but I havent tried out the GT10 yet.
it would have to be an excellent Processor if it does more than the GT 8 and the Cube series amps are excellent amps for a lot of different applications.
anything made by Roland/Boss is good equipment IMO.
 
Yeah I hear you on that. I am very partial to boss/roland. In the past, I have owned a Roland JV-1080, JD-990, JV-90, S-330, JW-50, JV-880, Fantom XR, Boss DR-660, etc. Their sound quality is fantastic, nothing plastic about their stuff. I just wasnt sure where they were quality with their amps/efx processors. I have YET been unsatisfied with any of their products.
 
Any decent sounding amp, whatever guitar feels nice to you (I'm a vintage Fender fanatic, but the new American and Mexican built instruments are generally indistinguishable from one another, other then pickups. I actually like some of the Mexican ones better) and buy a POD!!!

Once you get used to it, you'll never use any rack-mount effects processors ever again.

Latest album is nothing but the POD, straight into Pro Tools. Not an amp in the bunch. They sound GREAT live (pumped through an amp) also. Let the POD be the preamp, use the guitar amp's power tubes.

-Kev
 
eh ..... I have about 8 modelers and, to my ears, the POD is the worst sounding of the bunch.
I find the V-Amp2 sounds MUCH better and it's half the price although it's built pretty light weight so you wouldn't want to drop it.
My J-Station isn't as good as the V-Amp but still sounds better than the POD.
I think all my Digitech moderlers are about the same level as the POD and way better than any of them is my Rocktron Utopia.
Absolutely the best sounding modeler I've used by far although it has a sort of cumbersome interface.
 
anppilot said:
Yeah I hear you on that. I am very partial to boss/roland. In the past, I have owned a Roland JV-1080, JD-990, JV-90, S-330, JW-50, JV-880, Fantom XR, Boss DR-660, etc. Their sound quality is fantastic, nothing plastic about their stuff. I just wasnt sure where they were quality with their amps/efx processors. I have YET been unsatisfied with any of their products.
Click to expand...

their stuff is built like a tank and very reliable!
Like I said I am very happy with both the GT 6-B and GT 8 FX processors so ya I would say the GT 10 is built every bit as good as either one of these.

I say go for the FX processor for sure and the cube isnt a bad choice for an amp either even though it is SS.:p

you will definateley get what you pay for Buying Roland/Boss.
Reliable Quality
icon14.gif
 
if I just may prioritize, because it took me some 10 years just to realize that a tube amp is the single most important ingredient to getting good tone, more important than guitar, pickups, strings, effects, cables, etc. even cheap guitars will sound great through a tube amp. best of guitars will only be mediocre through just about any non-tube amp, no matter how good the claims are.

same goes for effects, processors, you can invest a lot of money into boss/roland, they will be solid, but it won't help your tone.

start with a good budget guitar, which will be comfortable to play (rondomusic.net has probably the best values).

figure out which tube amp you can spring for.

worry about effects afterwards.

the reason i was mentioning SCXD was because of that "line in" mod you can do, which will let you run any multi-FX "into" the all-tube power section of it. If you have the budget for it, you can get the "atomic reactor" for the same purpose. There's a Line6 all-tube amp with digital modeling, but it has better controls over the models/fx and you can store patches, etc. it's more $ as you would expect.
 
I hope you don't mind if I jump in here...

I am also currently looking at my effects units but the key here is that I only EVER use them for recording (Quadraverb GT and Korg Ampworks). I quite like the Ampworks for recording my Rickenbacker as you can get a decent garagey sounding guitar. It does seem a bit noisey though.

But I've never been that happy with the GT, expecially for a heavier, rockier (but not seriously overdriven) sound, which is what I'm trying to get for my Les Paul! I find the distorted effects on the GT sound a bit "false" and I want something a bit more organic.

Can anyone recommend a suitable effect? I don't mind if it's purely a fuzz/distortion effect as I'll probably keep my GT anyway.

Thanks for reading.
 
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