PRS into triple recti sound on a budget

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Halion

Halion

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I have a Fender Mex 50's reissue strat. Bites like a mosquito and sounds crystal clear. Same goes for my 15 watt fender frontman amp (solid state). I couln't think of a better funkmachine for the price. However, I don't record funk at all. I used to love the peppers' guitar tone, to which I think I got pretty close, but it's really a one-trick-rig that I got now. I've been trying to get that huge nu-metal guitar sound out of my gear. I'm not getting anywhere near it.

I have mics and a a preamp, and I want to use those. I tried a VAMP a couple of days back. Not bad, but not good enough. So basicly I'm asking to see of I could trade in my stuff (guitar + amp) to get something that'll give me the high-gain sound I now so desire. Doesn't have to be a triple rectifier through a 4x12 with greenbacks, but something better than the shiny sound I get from my amp now.

Is that a possibily?
 
Try out one of the PRS imports, like the SantanaSE, or a used TremontiSE. You can toss PRS pickups in it and get awfully close for a fraction of the real deal....if you want to keep the name. Truth is you can use anything with hot humbuckers to get there. Try out some SG type guitars. Then look at Hughes & Kettner amps. They can get quite numetal and are usually pretty cheap used. You could also try a small amp like a Fender Pro Jr, into a 15" cabinet, and use a couple pedals upfront. That will give quite a good recorded sound for what you're trying to do...though a bit cumbersome. The other is to find an old Ampeg Tri-Axis VT series amp. It's 3 channel, and the one I had sounded a whole lot like a recto to me. If you can find one, theyre nowhere near the dime that Mesas are.

H2H
 
Load an EMG-81 into the bridge of your guitar.
Find a Mesa Quad preamp on ebay for $300 or so, probably replace the tubes, run it through your amp, learn to tweak it, and go. Maybe hunt down a Mesa Mark III for cheap, think "...And Justice For All" on that one... find those cheap sometimes too.
Cheapest real rec sound will be a Single Rec head, used about $650 occassionally.
I'll set you up a payment plan on my dual rec 3 channel :)
 
The closest you will get on your budget is a direct device like a POD or Tonelab.

Why you want that generic tone is beyond me. PRS thru a Mesa... puke. So sick of that tone.
 
It is pretty generic isn't it. Hmm, I don't like generic. I'll agree that is mostly not a good idea to try to copy a sertain sound, but I'm not looking for that exact tone, I don't really mind if the tone is not exactly like that (infact, I would like to be a little different). I belief that I can still make good use of a generic and standard tone by creative compositing and music design options.

All that stuff seems nice but still beyond my budget. I'm cheap, really cheap, really really cheap, I know. I'm also a student, that might explain alot ;) Thanks for the help though.
 
i guess you get what you pay for ...

...there is no cheap way to get a car that does 160mp/h, either...

but i´d also say that the best bang for the buck is to switch pickups and maybe the speaker of your amp.

this should change the sound of your setup quite dramatically, but again, dont expect a 15w SS amp to sound like a 100w all tube head
 
Put a humbucker or hot rails in your strat, run it through a DS-1 and/or a TS9/OD-1 and into a Marshall JCM 800 head, no effects loop or any of that jazz, and out to a 212. 412 if you can afford one. The Marshall will be the expensive part, but...

My best advice to you is get the best amp you can get and sub in some pickups. I'd rather have a $1000 amp and $200 guitar than a $1000 guitar and $200 amp because the amp makes more of a difference in the sound. Once you get a nice amp, then guitars may make more of a difference.
 
If you're looking for a high gain sound for cheap, you won't find it with a tube amp. All the low budget tube amps I've ever played (as I am a student too and I know what you're going through) don't have anywhere near as much distortion as the comparably priced solidstate amps. A line 6 spider, or maybe even a good crate would give you a lot of distortion.

Also the more output the pickup has the more gain you will get, if you can afford a dimarzio pickup for the bridge position you'll be set. To really get that nu metal sound (I don't go for it, but thats just me) you could get an equalizer pedal and scoop the mids.

Start with the amp though, that'll make the biggest difference.
 
Chill said:
Put a humbucker or hot rails in your strat, run it through a DS-1 and/or a TS9/OD-1 and into a Marshall JCM 800 head, no effects loop or any of that jazz, and out to a 212. 412 if you can afford one. The Marshall will be the expensive part, but...

My best advice to you is get the best amp you can get and sub in some pickups. I'd rather have a $1000 amp and $200 guitar than a $1000 guitar and $200 amp because the amp makes more of a difference in the sound. Once you get a nice amp, then guitars may make more of a difference.
Click to expand...

Notice how he mentioned the word BUDGET. Jcm 800's are about 1700 new now, almost the price of a Triple Rectifier. That isn't cheap. Marshall prices is a crapshoot and you wont get remotely near that "PRS through Triple Rectifier" sound with a marshall anyways. Marshalls are biased warm where as Rectifiers are biased much cooler, which is a big part of what makes the rectifier tone... the rectifier tone. For a budjet amp. I would go with crate. Crate's solid state distortion is perfect for those budget, high gain lovers.
 
Order one of these with a humbucker (~$120), and get one of these for ~$60. Then you can sound like any of the electric guitars here.
 
Forget changing pickups

Get the PRS Tremonti SE.. I picked one up for $368, out the door w/ tax and plush gig bag. The stock PU's are great for rock, not overly hot. The only way to get a PRS sound is with a PRS, IMO... If you like the guitar drop in the Tremonti USA PU's and you will have a great guitar!! You can get the Tremonti set on EBay for $169 daily...
 
For the amp side of things, look for a Peavey Rockmaster Preamp, and couple it with a tube poweramp of some description (Peavey classics go cheap and are reliable). Get an EQ and compressor in a rack, and if you can spring for it, a BBE Sonic Maximiser. Those Line 6's sound good played by themselves, but lack balls in a band situation. I'd suggest going for an EMG 85 in the bridge position of a guitar, I like them better there as they less of a scooped sound. I've always found it funny that people like to put the 81 in the bridge when it is already a trebly pickup, and put the 85 in the neck, when it is more focussed in the bass and midrange registers. But maybe it's just me, I personally prefer to use a lot more mids than most metal players, its how all these new heavy bands get that huge guitar sound.
 
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