Gear WANT thread
Discussion
JaymzDead said:
and so ampquest goes on! Had a go on an Orange Dark Terror and good god you can get a great high gain distorted sound through it! It's bloody inhuman!! However it has one (admittedly rather large) drawback for me, it is a single channel amp and being that the stuff that we're doing can go from the full on Neurosis style sludgy stuff into clean passages and back again I can't really see this amp working for me, which is a shame 
So it looks like the Blackstar HT-5 Metal is still favourite, my only concern about this being it's suitability for using for pub and small club gigs, I'm specifically worried about being heard over the drums, any thoughts, again would be greatly appreciated.
How about a Mesa Boogie Expression 5:50? Effectively a 4 channel amp with 2 cleanish channels and 2 driven channels, plus a foot switchable solo setting? I've just bought the 5:25 and if it's output is anything to got by the 50w version will be as loud as you ever need. The more driven of the two channels gives a great rectifier sound, and the clean channel is nice and clean, but can drive to give a nice crunch too. So it looks like the Blackstar HT-5 Metal is still favourite, my only concern about this being it's suitability for using for pub and small club gigs, I'm specifically worried about being heard over the drums, any thoughts, again would be greatly appreciated.Gaspode said:
How about a Mesa Boogie Expression 5:50? Effectively a 4 channel amp with 2 cleanish channels and 2 driven channels, plus a foot switchable solo setting? I've just bought the 5:25 and if it's output is anything to got by the 50w version will be as loud as you ever need. The more driven of the two channels gives a great rectifier sound, and the clean channel is nice and clean, but can drive to give a nice crunch too.
Looks nice, a tad out of my price range however, I'm looking up to £700.00.
JaymzDead said:
Dr Z said:
I would say the HT-5 is very good for small gigs. IME, being heard above the drums is more to do with the sensitivity of the speaker than the wattage of the amp. Chuck something like the Eminence Red Fang or The Wizard in, both being 103dB. Should be plenty loud enough to be heard above a drummer. Better yet, get the head and get a 2x12 cab with these speakers in. You'll be surprised how well these can hang with a loud band.
Thanks for the advice, interesting, will have a look into this...This is where wattage and amp voicing is important, as generally the higher wattage amps have higher head room, although the orange dark terror/tiny terror amps are kind of exceptions to that (compared to the HT-5). Having one channel and wanting a huge gain range (like the Dark Terror) is somewhat limiting, whereas if you've got two channels to play with you can voice the channels for maximum headroom or max gain.
Edited by Dr Z on Monday 7th October 15:06
Dr Z said:
Cool. I've only played with the HT-5 head before and not the Metal version. It's nice that it has got two channels with one voiced for good clean. I'd check out the clean headroom of the first channel and make sure it stays clean enough at the levels you'd be playing live. That's the only thing I'd be worried about, if having crystal clear cleans is important to you.
This is where wattage and amp voicing is important, as generally the higher wattage amps have higher head room, although the orange dark terror/tiny terror amps are kind of exceptions to that (compared to the HT-5). Having one channel and wanting a huge gain range (like the Dark Terror) is somewhat limiting, whereas if you've got two channels to play with you can voice the channels for maximum headroom or max gain.
To be fair as we're playing on the sludgier extreme metal side of things I'm not looking for ultra clean tones just a much more restrained tone with little or no crunch that is easily accessible.This is where wattage and amp voicing is important, as generally the higher wattage amps have higher head room, although the orange dark terror/tiny terror amps are kind of exceptions to that (compared to the HT-5). Having one channel and wanting a huge gain range (like the Dark Terror) is somewhat limiting, whereas if you've got two channels to play with you can voice the channels for maximum headroom or max gain.
Edited by Dr Z on Monday 7th October 15:06
JaymzDead said:
and so ampquest goes on! Had a go on an Orange Dark Terror and good god you can get a great high gain distorted sound through it! It's bloody inhuman!! However it has one (admittedly rather large) drawback for me, it is a single channel amp and being that the stuff that we're doing can go from the full on Neurosis style sludgy stuff into clean passages and back again I can't really see this amp working for me, which is a shame So it looks like the Blackstar HT-5 Metal is still favourite, my only concern about this being it's suitability for using for pub and small club gigs, I'm specifically worried about being heard over the drums, any thoughts, again would be greatly appreciated.
I wouldn't worry, most find it very loud for its size, It should be find, at least I found it very capable in jams with the ministack (so two 10inch cabs) and from what I've heard its very, very gigable. Perhaps sign up to a bigger site like Ultimate guitar or music radar (although I think that last one has had forum troubles) and ask for some advice from those with experience giging the ht5 head. So it looks like the Blackstar HT-5 Metal is still favourite, my only concern about this being it's suitability for using for pub and small club gigs, I'm specifically worried about being heard over the drums, any thoughts, again would be greatly appreciated.From one of your posts a while ago you were thinking of going with a bigger 4x12, which should be a good idea as you can have some more flexibility, plus most medium size gigs will be using PAs (hopefully!).
Have you had any thoughts on what cab you will couple with, I think the Orange is meant to be good value given its got Vintage 30s.
A Lag Arkane. Will have to be a second hand one though, the new ones don't seem to have the two tone headstock anymore. The hardest part would be deciding which colour, there are at least half a dozen different finishes I'd want.
Also a few of these hangers. So far I have been able to resist the extra expense of these over a perfectly good but boring looking conventional wall hanger.
Also a few of these hangers. So far I have been able to resist the extra expense of these over a perfectly good but boring looking conventional wall hanger.
Chimune said:
noob question:
why are there two jack outputs?
Gives you the option to split the signal, one pickup per amp. Iirc, Billy used it to run his Dimarzio P-style pickup into a clean amp, and ran the Dimarzio Willpower into an overdriven amp, run them both in parallel and it gives a monstrous sound. Not so useful at home, unless you live in an arena, but you can run the bass with one cable like a normal bass.why are there two jack outputs?
Mastodon2 said:
Gives you the option to split the signal, one pickup per amp. Iirc, Billy used it to run his Dimarzio P-style pickup into a clean amp, and ran the Dimarzio Willpower into an overdriven amp, run them both in parallel and it gives a monstrous sound. Not so useful at home, unless you live in an arena, but you can run the bass with one cable like a normal bass.
This is correct. Billy also drove the splitcoil with loads of treble and the Willpower with loads of bass, so a really bright, middy sound was created over a backdrop of monstrously distorted bass. Alembics featured stereo outputs too, and John Entwistle used to do a similar sort of thing with his Alembic basses (and perhaps his Frankenbass from Live At Leeds, if memory serves). That amber LAG guitar above looks quite Greg Howe!
Or maybe I just have Greg Howe on the brain today. I've been listening to a lot of his solo stuff since I got up. Funnily enough, I like his playing but it doesn't really drive me wild. He is a top flight fusion guitarist, and the more I hear the more I like so I will just continue listening! His Laguna guitar is a real looker though:
Here with some ripped biceps:
That said, it's still CAB's 'Bernard' that I'm listening to in awe today. I'm taking my guitar off to the shop tomorrow for a restring and setup (bringing it back to E as opposed to D#). Hope I don't end up buying something when I'm there!
Whenever I see a guitar with a hairband around the zero fret, I tend to immediately form an opinion of the guitarist. 
I understand that not everyone is able to perfect their muting techniques ( and I freely admit I'm one of them) but I ask you, a hairband?
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
I understand that not everyone is able to perfect their muting techniques ( and I freely admit I'm one of them) but I ask you, a hairband?
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
Edited by Gaspode on Tuesday 8th October 20:44
Gaspode said:
Whenever I see a guitar with a hairband around the zero fret, I tend to immediately form an opinion of the guitarist.
I understand that not everyone is able to perfect their muting techniques ( and I freely admit I'm one of them) but I ask you, a hairband?
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
It's for 8 finger/two handed tapping with distortion, lots of great guitarists use it, especially when playing high volume to prevent excess noise during hammering on 'from nowhere'. I understand that not everyone is able to perfect their muting techniques ( and I freely admit I'm one of them) but I ask you, a hairband?
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
Edited by Gaspode on Tuesday 8th October 20:44
You don't really need it unless you're using 8 finger/two handed tapping. I don't think SRV uses that technique, although I'm not overly familiar with his work.
Gaspode said:
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
Interesting you should perceive it in that fashion - whether a moderately talented blues banger like SRV would have used one is probably irrelevant (did he do much two handed tapping? I can't remember ever basic tapping in his music, not that I'm saying he didn't do it!), I think if SRV were still alive he'd be the first to admit that Howe's command of the instrument vastly outstripped his own, in which case I'd be tempted to say that there are much more important things to focus on than hair band or no hair band. And as Fantuzzi already rightly pointed out, once you have a certain amount of gain going on and you are doing a lot of out of nowhere hammer ons, no muting technique will clean it up, unless you happen to have 3 hands.Edited by Gaspode on Tuesday 8th October 20:44
Fantuzzi said:
It's for 8 finger/two handed tapping with distortion, lots of great guitarists use it, especially when playing high volume to prevent excess noise during hammering on 'from nowhere'.
You don't really need it unless you're using 8 finger/two handed tapping. I don't think SRV uses that technique, although I'm not overly familiar with his work.
Just making fun mate, I know why they do it. You don't really need it unless you're using 8 finger/two handed tapping. I don't think SRV uses that technique, although I'm not overly familiar with his work.
Mastodon2 said:
Gaspode said:
Would Stevie Ray Vaughn have used a hairband? I don't bloody think so!
Interesting you should perceive it in that fashion - whether a moderately talented blues banger like SRV would have used one is probably irrelevant (did he do much two handed tapping? I can't remember ever basic tapping in his music, not that I'm saying he didn't do it!), I think if SRV were still alive he'd be the first to admit that Howe's command of the instrument vastly outstripped his own, in which case I'd be tempted to say that there are much more important things to focus on than hair band or no hair band. And as Fantuzzi already rightly pointed out, once you have a certain amount of gain going on and you are doing a lot of out of nowhere hammer ons, no muting technique will clean it up, unless you happen to have 3 hands.Edited by Gaspode on Tuesday 8th October 20:44
h of a technique to 'keep' nailed down, I got it down a couple of months ago, but after a couple of sessions of not practicing it on more that two strings (or skipped strings so from A to B rather than B to E, E to A etc). You can get around the excess noise issue a little by switching to neck pickup, using reverb to clean it up, but its quite deceptively hard as the mechanics of the technique are easy (ish!) but controlling excess noise is the hard part, on a clean tone you think you're nailing it, switch on some gain and you realise why its a revered technique when done cleanly. I don't think Chris Broderick (of Megadeth, rather famous for his great 8 fingered work) uses one, but then its all down to the tone/what effects you are running.
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