Pedals VS Plug-Ins

S

Sir_Doof_Alot

New member
I did a quick search, and none of the posts I found had what I was looking for.. Sorry if this has already been asked.. :)

I'm trying to teach myself guitar. I'm finally getting to the point where I can play a few songs, thank goodness.. lol

I bought a cheap Fender Squier to learn on, and hopefully can get a good guitar next year. I'd like a SG Classic, (saw a band one time, and the guitar sounded amazing, not to mention I love the look of it.)
I'm probably going to get a Epiphone G-400. From what I've read, I can get the look and tone of the SG Classic.


Anyways.. onto what I am wanting to ask.
I'm wanting some new effects. (Been just using the COSM effects that comes with my BR600)
What would you guys recommend? Pedals, or Guitar Rig/Amplitube?
Been searching around trying to decide.
I don't play live, just around the house really, although, I do take my guitar to my friends house to play every once in a while.

Would a pedal give better sound quality than a computer plugin?

If I decide to get GuitarRig or Amplitube, I'm probably going to have to get a new computer. (right now 2.5ghz celeron and 1 gig of ram) But I plan on finally building a new one when I get my car paid off anyways..

Anyways..

Enough ranting..
Pedal or Plugin?

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
I wound up going with a POD/Pedal,,, same reason the pc.

My old pc is a pos and too many plugins is what crashes it...other than that it handles a lot of tracks ok...but adding plugins I guess is the overload line or whatever you want to call its ability.

Sounds like your pc should handle plug-ins easily?
 
Since your just now teaching yourself how to play guitar, I would suggest not messing with pedals right now. At this point in the game, they're just a distraction and will draw your focus away from actually learning how to play cleaner, smoother, better, faster.

I fell into the multieffects and recording trap early on after I had been playing a year or two and I strongly regret it now. I learned a lot of stuff, but I didn't get any better at actually playing a guitar.

You hear people say it all the time, but SCALES, SCALES, SCALES. Practice the shit out of scales so that you don't even have to think about playing them, you just KNOW them and how to connect the patterns all over the fretboard. I slacked in this area and now I'm having to go back and relearn everything after about 8 years.
 
I have to agree with Sloan, forget about pedals at least for now. Sure, pedals are fun and allow you to get certain sounds and effects but they can lead to some very bad habits with beginner (and intermediate) guitarists. The truth is too many guitarists rely on pedals far too much. Learn to play well and you will find you will have little need for most pedals. The temptation to take "shortcuts" by using pedals instead of relying on playing ability lures many aspiring guitarists into the trap of using pedals to compensate for their lack of playing ability. I'm not saying efx pedals are bad, they are quite useful in certain cases but should not to be used to mask a lack of ability when it comes to playing. Learn chords, scales, and picking technique, then practice to develope the nessassary dexterity to use them..... then add pedals to enhance your sound.
 
Dani Pace said:
I have to agree with Sloan, forget about pedals at least for now. Sure, pedals are fun and allow you to get certain sounds and effects but they can lead to some very bad habits with beginner (and intermediate) guitarists. The truth is too many guitarists rely on pedals far too much. Learn to play well and you will find you will have little need for most pedals. The temptation to take "shortcuts" by using pedals instead of relying on playing ability lures many aspiring guitarists into the trap of using pedals to compensate for their lack of playing ability. I'm not saying efx pedals are bad, they are quite useful in certain cases but should not to be used to mask a lack of ability when it comes to playing. Learn chords, scales, and picking technique, then practice to develope the nessassary dexterity to use them..... then add pedals to enhance your sound.
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True enough, but to your question - do you really want to depend on a computer every time you play? Have you had the musician's nightmare yet, the one where you're at a jam or a gig, and everyone's gear is working but yours? I have that dream all the time, and IMO relying on a computer can make it come true.

Pedals are simple and standalone; you plug them in and they work, and if one gives out, the rest keep working. They are reliable and relatively cheap, too.

I say pedals.
 
I'd have to agree with the majority that pedals are the way to go. I can't see how using plugins for live applications could even be practical, just more of a hassle.

I started out on a little digitech multieffect pedal and it was good times. In time though I grew out of that tone and moved to a boss me-50 which i also grew from. so your effects taste will also grow in time so keep it short, sweet, and to the point. no need to run out and buy a pod xtlive or something along those lines...
 
UnityRecordings said:
I can't see how using plugins for live applications could even be practical, just more of a hassle.
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Actually, quite the opposite. If you're playing a timed show, the settings can automatically change for you on the fly exactly where they're needed. Ever watch a big touring group live and see a guitar player with nothing on the floor, yet his sound changes? The wonders of technology!

i.e., amp1, setting 1 to start a song, at prechorus setting 2 is auto, then chorus amp2 setting 1, then it boosts at the proper point in the chorus, then changes back for v2. Pretty cool actually, but way beyond a beginner.

My advise, get a pocket pod and have fun!
 
do you really want to have to take your computer with you when you jam with friends? i'd recommend starting with a couple of pedals. they are portable and you can get a case to contain them and keep them all plugged together when you go play somewhere else.
 
Hard2Hear said:
Actually, quite the opposite. If you're playing a timed show, the settings can automatically change for you on the fly exactly where they're needed. Ever watch a big touring group live and see a guitar player with nothing on the floor, yet his sound changes? The wonders of technology!

i.e., amp1, setting 1 to start a song, at prechorus setting 2 is auto, then chorus amp2 setting 1, then it boosts at the proper point in the chorus, then changes back for v2. Pretty cool actually, but way beyond a beginner.
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How do you know it's not just the guitar tech changing the settings? It seems to me that a time-based system would be vulnerable to variations in tempo; by the end of a song things could be considerably out of synch. I'd hazard a guess that the OP and 99.9% of us in here will never be part of a show like that, anyway.

Also, I like the flexibility of being able to try something different on the fly.
 
Sir_Doof_Alot said:
I bought a cheap Fender Squier to learn on, and hopefully can get a good guitar next year. I'd like a SG Classic, (saw a band one time, and the guitar sounded amazing, not to mention I love the look of it.)
I'm probably going to get a Epiphone G-400. From what I've read, I can get the look and tone of the SG Classic.
.
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Couple thoughts on this since i have an SG classic....

First thing, GREAT DAMN GUITAR, i highly reccomend it. However, there are somethings you might want to get striaght.

1. SG Classic (as opposed to an SG standard, or SG supreme (or any of the cheaper faded, specials, etc) has P-90 pickups. The others have humbuckers. P-90s are single coils (more like what is standard on a stratocaster or most tele's). P-90s still do have a their own unique tone, which can be incredibly warm and smooth (SG classic on "rythym" pickup) or very biting (the treble pikcup, same guitar). Make sure that these pickups are the tone and sound you want before buying one of these guitars.

2. The Epi G-400 if i recall, has humbickers, so other than the same body shape, you are deailing with a different tone. Again make sure you know what you want before purchsing.

3. Epi vs Gibson - lots to debate here, but i would suggest you stick with your first guitar and save up so the next one is as nice as you can afford. The epi G-400 and a squire are roughly the same in my book. I would hold out for the classic if you both like the P-90 and like the SG body. You defeinately don't get the same tone and body with the Epi

4. The SG classic is IMHO, the cheapest way to get a "real" gibson (SG in particular. The LP studios are also nice for the price, but i think the classics are categorically better (I own both) in quality of build. I picked mine up for about $500 used. Best deal i have ever seen for one, but for 500-650 you can probably find one with enough patience.


anyway, lots here, hope it is helpful to you.

Daav
 
ggunn said:
How do you know it's not just the guitar tech changing the settings?
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um, ...cause I set up the tours?

Anyways... its getting more and more prevalent, even in mid level or smaller tours. I know of a couple smaller bands right now that run everything through Guitar Rig live, have the drums going through BFD live and trigger live softsynths, and all vocal processing done in the box...AND each show gets recorded as well. All happening on a single computer. I think things will get more and more like this. At least, Ive been getting more and more requests to build live setups that are capable of this. The advantages are that the quality of the CD is preserved, the sound is consistant show after show, lots of sound being created by fewer people than possible before.

And I realized its not for the OP, hense my suggestion of the PocketPod! Its alot of great fun! Whatever encourages you to play more and more is what you need!

Oh, and I REALLY dig SG Classics as well. I have 4 SGs, one of them a first run Classic. The P90s are less versatile than the humbuckers to me, but they scream classic rock!
 
been there done that.... started with pedals and tubes, went solid state, then solid state midi controlled (fully programmable and computer controllable) amp, then computer #1, then computer #2 each with plugins that were admittedly cheap and sounded like the worst solid state guitar you can imagine.

Now I'm back where I started, except now the amp is better, the guitar is better, the speakers are better, the mics are better, and Yes......the pedals are waaaaay better! I'll never go back to computerized guitar in any form. Dont ever let your guitar sound disappear at the mercy of some cranky computer that fails to boot up an hour before show time, taking all of your settings and plugins down with it. If you simply must have midi control over your sound, then get a nice Line 6 amp that lets you take control manually with a foot board during times when the computer is puking it's hard drive guts out. Never rely on someone else backstage to be the master of your sound.

Yes, learn the guitar for it's own sake. But you dont have to be a hermit to do it. Get yourself a good amp and a good guitar, and grab a Sparkle Drive, Liquid Chorus, MXR Eq pedal and make the learning funner than it already is! When you get good you can move on to phire phasers and envelope phollowers! Enjoy the journey!
 
Thanks for the input guys. I'm looking up some guitar scales now..
(I've been playing tabs, I'm guessing the scales will help me produce my own riffs and train my fingers to play better?)
I'm going to take the advice most people gave and wait a while on the pedals. Seems like most people are leaning towards pedals rather than the computer effects. Sounds cool to me.. :)

Thanks again for the help. :cool:
 
Hard2Hear said:
Actually, quite the opposite. If you're playing a timed show, the settings can automatically change for you on the fly exactly where they're needed. Ever watch a big touring group live and see a guitar player with nothing on the floor, yet his sound changes? The wonders of technology!

i.e., amp1, setting 1 to start a song, at prechorus setting 2 is auto, then chorus amp2 setting 1, then it boosts at the proper point in the chorus, then changes back for v2. Pretty cool actually, but way beyond a beginner.

My advise, get a pocket pod and have fun!
Click to expand...


Yea! I saw Black sabbath a few years back at ozzfest and I saw tony playing and was just like "how does everything just change without a pedal?!"

that explains that. sounds like you have quite the visionary my friend. as someone just starting in this field people like you inspire me to just go all out!!
 
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