jimmarchi1's forum posts 8022

But like Jimmy says, if you are seeking a boutique pedal as a collector's item or as a supplement for practicing and talent (not YOU, but the proverbial "you" readers) then just avoid them at all costs. Your wallet and your talent will be better off.

Listen, if you can't make the track special with hand technique and inspired writing then you are fucking it up. Effects are the icing on the cake, but first pretend its not nyone's birthday and let 'er rip old school. I love the crazy sounds Geoff Emmerrick cooked up with the fab4, or that Holdsworth and Floyd pioneered on Dark Side, but that music holds up on acoustic and piano. Examine your motives and only then will I grant you a 'caveat emprtor' in reference to your over-the-top paper weight.

Remember this, few of you have owned more effects than I have. And when it comes to universal classics? Probably NONE OF YOU. I once possessed every tone bender but a mk 1, 2 fuzz faces (60s and 70s), 2 Maestro fuzzes (FZ1 and FZ1a), boutique versions of some of these classics, a univox superfuzz, a modern take on the FF I designed and made (still own it), a coloround overdriver, an original Boss SD1 (might still have that in storage), original tubescreamers? 2 TS9s, 2 TS5s, a turbo and a TS808! A Roland Echo-Chorus from the early 80s, an ecoplex EP3, an old WEM copicat tape delay, the venerable Yamaha SPX90, multiple Alesis units, a Lexicon Alex, TC G major 1 and G sharp, an original DM1 and DM2 by boss, an Ibanez AD-80, a Boss CE-3, a Boss purple flanger from the 80s (BF2?), a rare Mu-Tron 'foot' flanger, a second series EHX small stone from the 70s and the late 80s green Russian version, fulltone fulldrive 1 and 2, 2 OCDs, a couple early zvex and catalinbread boxes, DOD OD250s and an MXR Dist+from the 70s, vintage script-logo dynacomp, rangemaster clones, a Brian May touring booster, DOD bifet preamp, and just in the muff camp I have had a Ram's Head, Skreddy mayo, early black Russian, green Russian, BYOC large beaver, 80s IC powered version.... probably more! Tip of the iceburg. Rarely used any of it, even in the studio. Want a standout studio tone? Slam your guitar into an old Telefunken or Neve pre, then take the direct out of that preamp into another channel on the board, EQ to taste and HAVE AT IT!

Jim, would you ever be caught with one of those D'Angelico pedals?

Hahahaha, if it sounds good for what I am trying to do? Sure I would. Though I have a less is more approach to my signal chain usually, I think my enormous instrument/gear horde should tell you that I know there are times when MORE IS MORE

Instead of the guy from THE Legend.... why not Tim Curry from Legend.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/4135785/legend-satan-laughing-o.gif

he's totally going for a super-high falsetto note there like Rob Halford would!

That's funny to me, because I just got done reading an article about how all Big Muffs sound different and players who use them tend to only use 'the one' and it's irreplaceable. I have never been a fuzz guy or a heavy dist guy. I have never plugged into a Big Muff or little Muff or Sovtek Muff or Pi. But, being heavily afflicted with G.A.S., the thought has crossed my mind to at least play through one at the store on occasion.

Its such an apples and apples comparison that the difference between your rare and expensive triangle muff and a cheap current production one are not going to hit the audience. Even in a solo guitar shootout I find the differences to be so subtle that they only matter to muff lovers. They are not as consistent as tubescreamers, for instance, but they are way more consistent than fuzzfaces. Vintage guys are nutty. I own a vintage AC30 and a modern handwired and whie they are different it is, again, an apples and apples comparison. Guys obsess about JMI-izing their new HWs and I am telling you its diminishing returns from an amp that already sounds great and really gets frighteningly close to my 62 through the same speakers. Yes there are component value differences from the JMI schematics, but my 62 is a bass voiced model and the HW is still damn similar. I think all the perceived 'improvement' in these mods is mostly psychoacoustic. The desire to spend the time and/or money is also a bit of a dick-envy thing from guys who didn't score a good old AC when they were readily available and still somewhat affordable. Sure, my 62 is a status symbol, but is it BETTER than the new one? Not in any measurable way. Its just more collectible. When I bught it the only handwired AC30s you could get were old ones, and if you wanted the tube rectifier it had to be an original JMI because the handwired 70s Arbiter model had a solid state rectifier. I bought mine because it was the only option if I didn't want to deal with a PCB and sacrifice the GZ34, not because I wanted to be cool and show off my british invasion amp. I literally had no options. Its a wonderful time to play now. You can go out and buy a hand made ac30 with a gz34 rectifier at a good price and other than the omission of vib/trem it is pretty spot on.

... that's why your blues junior was okay overnight. It was idling. While that's not the same as standby where only the heaters get current and there's no HT on the plates, in a cold biased amp the idle current is pretty easy on the tubes.Fixed bias has more inherent crossover distortion but also produces more clean headroom per watt. ...

All that said, don't do that to your amp again, man.

Not planning to :) But you bring up an interesting point about letting the amp run or idle. I have heard many players say they like to leave their amps on after soundcheck, or running about an hour before the gig, so the tubes can warm up and sound their best. I've seen this first hand, too with Fender [amp] guys like myself. What are your thoughts about that? Have you heard this yourself?

Yes and for lots of sciencey reasons its a good idea in fixed bias circuits. Ever notice that a big fender tweeds or a marshall sounds different after you play it for 15 minutes? Idling the amp in 'play' mode for an hour will have a similar effect of stabilizing the amp's response, especially with big bottle, octal tubes like the 6L6 and EL35. With the itty bitty EL84 in a cathode bias configuration less warm up time is needed. But Vox based circuits have their own warm up needs that have more to do with how hot the whole circuit gets. Matchless did the light-up logo and faceplate to help the small components in the circuit heat up faster and sound its best. Those lightbulbs are actually heat lamps that get the caps and resistors nice and warm! The Matchless DC30 gets the circuitry nice and hot like the poorly ventilated vox cabs, but the tubes ventilate better for longer life. I still love a real AC30 though.

Yeah, definitely taking my guitars to the "dentist" at my earliest convenience.

None of my guitars feel like they have relief issues or intonation problems, or else I definitely would've run to the shop (because I couldn't use them on a gig). But I do agree having them looked at periodically is a wise move. I guess I let that slip.

Can't really put my proverbial finger on the "mojo" aspect, they just feel right. If forced I would probably say a combination of the fret wire, neck scale, string action, and bridge hardware. Secondary for me would be the shape of the neck particularly the shoulders (not necessarily thin vs thick).

I know, shoulder is such a dig deal.... I like thick necks with medium to small shoulder personally... a roundback is good for me even if its max depth is an inch or more, V and soft V shapes are also fun, but a vintage U is wrong for me.

I just mention grant green because he covered "so what" -- as far as Wes? I have a warm place in my heart for Wes's understated cool. His playing turned me on to a new way to make use of octaves at a critical time in my music education as well as the idea that only the melody has to be a sacred when you are covering a famous song. He isn't the best from a purely technical standpoint, but he sure influenced all of us and to me deserves the same iconic status as Charlie, Django, Les, Chet and the british blues rock 'gods.'

I was actually a real Lee Ritenour guy coming up, but I outgrew that phase.

Lucky, my starter cable were a bunch of funky looking Roland Cables. Got a yellow one that doesn't twist well, a black one that's really weak, acts like a string, and a few shorter ones.

They're old, and something tells me I should buy new cables.

On a side note, and very slight derail of thread, take a look at this: https://reverb.com/item/123175-reverb-20-foot-1-4-guitar-cable-orange-limit-1

For $9, it's deceptive, but I trust Reverb.com. Fairly new product.

that's pretty cheap! come back with a report....

The above knowledge is first-hand from working part-time in my dad's residential construction business. I do not pretend to be an expert on wood and certainly not on guitar woods. Just trying to add some perspective to the conversation regarding kiln dried wood.

you seem pretty knowledgeable to me

So at what point do you recommend checking the truss rod? For some reason, I have always been afraid to touch my rods. My luthier doesn't seem to mind at all. We have a dentist relationship. I often will procrastinate bringing him my guitars for setups because I'm afraid he will change something I like and it will all go to pot :P

I check neck relief every June and then again around October as a matter of habit. If a guitar is fine in June then I don't think about it again until the fall unless it feels or sounds off to me before then.

I am going to violate my usual DIY ethos because you are a gigging pro. If you have a good tech and you are not used to doing your own work then stick with him. Do NOT procrastinate though. The further off spec one of your guitars goes, the harder it will be for your tech to put it back in fighting shape without 'changing' anything. That said, I highly doubt that an experienced Luthier will ruin what's good about your guitars setting them up. If I were you I would endeavor to figure out what you like so much that you feel afraid to have it changed and then ask your tech to set the guitar up AROUND that quirk. For instance, maybe your necks have warped some and have more than average relief and that is working for you? Well tell him you like that relief and that he needs to work to make the guitar sing with that forward bow....

I have firm personal opinions about setting each guitar up to SOUND its best (and then setting the player loose with a mission to bend it to his will), but if a guy has a preference for low action, plenty of neck relief or maybe a string break angle over a tuneomatic that I KNOW will hurt sustain? Or maybe there's some hardware that is worn, needs to be replaced, but the player feels this old hardware is special or has mojo? I explain things to him (with varrying degrees of science) and then I get the guitar sounding as good as it can while respecting his needs as a player.

Typically though making a good guitar sound its best will also make it more playable and often players only THINK they know what they like or feel comfortable on. I don't try to step on that, but when I talk to a client I try to get them to consider letting me set the guitar up my way (which involves a certain degree of 'ear work') and then have them take it home and see if they can get next to what I've done. I will of course make detailed measurements prior to turning a single screw in case the guy wants me to put it back and start over from scratch.

Well I am impressed, and mind-opened. You make some very good arguments for lighter gauge strings. Regarding the fundamental bit, I am wondering now if that is why Jeff Beck and Steve Vai and so many other cats who do lots of harmonics and squeals prefer lighter strings (whether they know it or not, it sounds like they get more overtones and harmonics from those thinner strings). Very interesting.

Go science, right? I am not saying light strings are best, I am just saying that they are not inherently weaker in the sustain department and that good tone is subjective and really more of a cultural construct (though I have considered a physiological theory as well, but psychoacoustics is a slippery slope). I think you are correct about Beck and Vai viz-a-viz light gauge strings. Also keep in mind they are both wang bar masters (abusers???). This will be more true of Beckola than Vai because the big V favors the Floyd rose system with all that locking hardware, but lighter strings tend to be easier to set up vibrato systems for. With less tension to balance with the springs its just easier to get your vibrato set up to be very responsive and to generally return to pitch when used correctly.

So basically I agree with you, there are so many factors... the wood type, the fretboard type (ebony bounces notes off the fingerboard more than rosewood, for example) and of course the string gauge. Heavier strings does not guarantee more sustain or better tone. But maybe, perhaps, it can help lean you in that direction.

but then there's the South American rosewoods like Kingwood and the now-elusive Brazilian variety... so dense and reflective. My older rosewood boards are very dense and bright sounding like my ebony equipped les paul, whereas unplugged my tele and modern SG have more in common with eachother tonally than the SG does with my older set necks or the aforementioned LP. Of course, they also aren't maple capped. So many things. Its best just to own a fleet of guitars and enjoy them for what they are, isn't it?

Anyway, the heavy-string sustain you are experiencing is probably a sense that the fundamental sustains longer with 10+ gauges while the harmonics decay quickly after the initial attack. So in a sense they are helping you in that direction by taking a guitar that is already well-designed to sustain with any type of string and allowing it to create the sort of sustain that pleases your ear. Picking a string gauge on these criteria is also like the decision to play on pure nickel, nickel wound or all steel wrapped strings.

So, couple months ago I was playing guitar in an off-Broadway theatre production (Avenue Q) and you know it was six shows a week, 7pm-11:30pm kinda schedule. Anyway my amp was a small Fender Blues Junior. One night I get home and realize I left the amp on! It was past midnight, everyone was long gone, theatre was locked until 7 PM the next evening ... I prayed and went to sleep. Next night, I walked up to the band loft and sure enough the amp was on. I switched it off and let it cool down for a half hour, but then I had to switch it back on for the 8:00 curtain. I was nervous but man it played totally fine and has not had a problem since (it's my practice amp so I would've noticed by now).

Ready for the fast and dirty science? Here goes: While a blues junior uses el84 tubes configured in class AB, push-pull like an ac30, the blues junior has them in fixed bias operation and if you still have the factory bias they are biased way on the cold side.... an ac30 is cathode biased where the tubes are working close to full tilt all the time whether they are passing signal or not whereas in fixed bias your tubes idle when they are not passing signal.... that's why your blues junior was okay overnight. It was idling. While that's not the same as standby where only the heaters get current and there's no HT on the plates, in a cold biased amp the idle current is pretty easy on the tubes.Fixed bias has more inherent crossover distortion but also produces more clean headroom per watt. The AC30 is literally one of the loudest cathode biased amps ever mass produced. Its an odd duck.

All that said, don't do that to your amp again, man.

I see, I've tried some Ernie Ball and Gibson sets (along with some other cheap lesser known brands) and I've liked them, I think the Ernie Ball strings are great. But I'm not sure which set to try out, I mean, I play drop D and half step down most of the time... is there any preferable gauge/tension for these tunings? Is there a preferable tension/gauge for my type of guitar? If so... How do I find out other than trying sets different sets?

you need to assess your tonal goals as well as the situation.... that means the instrument, the recording or performance environment.... its a lot....

on electric just pick a gauge and material and make it your own... acoustic is like, whoa duder... I too am a violinst/violist, on acoustic guitar its very similar to classical strings, on electric? questionable.... flat wounds are certainly their own thing and I love 'em... the whole thing is more subtle than amp or speaker selection on electric guitar! what makes you more comfortable as a stylist? If your playing is relaxed and comfortable then its immediately going to sound better and more tuneful than if you are straining yourself to meat soe artificial artistic benchmark for tone!

okay, I was supposed to write that but I got busy being a Dad, a working professional and a part time graphic artist (so many hats and now I added music journalist, heh)... there's nothing wrong with what's there, mine woulda been way more in depth (the AC4HW1 review I just turned in is like 5 or 6 pages of detailed info, history and hands on analysis) because I am a detail oriented lunatic.

I assume you're talking about the article. I think it's a great article for someone who's starting, lots of basic information and advices. But I think for someone who's a little more experienced a little more in-depth review would be better. Also it could be a series about different topics related to guitar strings or bass strings. Still, it's a great article.

Yeah, I did not write the finished article. I got too busy to even get near it. What the other writer turned in was definitely for young guys. Not how I woulda written it.

Finally, don't forget the only difference between Pentatonic (5-tones) and Major or Minor or other Septatonic scales (7-tones) is just two notes ... so if you can add some "passing tones" into your pentatonic licks then you're halfway there already.

good point there... I never even think about what scale and mode to select anymore, like the joker, "I just DO things".... 5 tones? 6 tones, 7 tones.... WHOLE TONE?! whatever

By the way Nick, even though I was hard timing you in that strings thread, I really like you and what you have to say. Man after my own black, guitarist's heart. I am loving the sketch with your band based on "so what" you posted to soundcloud... one of my favorite tunes to listen to or play. Do you like Grant Green?

PS: I am actually mouthier and more opinionated about music IN PERSON! I tone it down on the internet.

Yes, that is true many famous guitarists - another one being Jeff Beck - use light gauge strings. But it is a fact that thicker strings will increase your tone and sustain. If you want my opinion, thicker strings are preferable. I play .10's or .11's on my electrics so we aren't talking about bass strings or .13's. The .12 set I mentioned was acoustic strings.

As an experienced tech I would disagree that what you stated is a fact, though I used to believe that heavy strings equals heavy tone and sustain too. Lets get all Isaac newton for a sec. Logically a lighter string will resonate longer with less energy required to set it vibrating unless your pickups are set so high they exhibit string pull. The only fact is that heavy strings produce a stronger fundamental because the greater arir resistance allows for a different ratio of fundamental to harmonic than a smaller string, hence their popularity with jazz players. But the decreased air resistance we just mentioned would also tend to support a smaller string vibrating longer generally apart from a bevy of other reasons why this should be true. There's a lot of physics and personal experience coming down against the accepted wisdom and I do not blame you for spouting it as fact.

It would be more accurate to say that the way you have your guitars set up you find that heavier strings give you more sustain and the tone is more pleasing to your ear and that your experience jives with the accepted wisdom amongst guitarists. I think guitarists are the ultimate old wives, telling tales. I have often been guilty of this! I too prefer medium or heavy strings for a host of reasons, but better tone is purely subjective, a strong fundamental is not everyone's priority and the sustain issue is extremely debatable... not to mention the fact that so many other physical factors affect sustain right down to your fretting technique that it is just impossible to offer this as a blanket rule. I am not saying I am right, I am just debating the prevailing theory of big strings give big sustain. Life is never that simple.

Personally I think differences in neck scale, hardware and construction have a lot more impact on electric guitar tone than does string gauge or material. I use the same ernie 10s on every guitar I own, but I own a HERD of guitars and every one has a ton of personality.

I think young guys ought to just pick something they feel good with and stick to getting great at playing on whatever that choice is. That goes for every bit of electric guitar kit. Just pick some stuff that's easy to manage and get down to the business of playing.

Also, don't buy a coiled cable (the slinky ones) unless it has a lifetime warranty. I bought a Fender 'vintage' one and it broke after a couple months.

you gotta be selective about the coiled cables, although when I got my 1st stratocaster as a tike my uncle gave me his '64 Princeton reverb (god I miss that amp! where are you now, old girl?) but the patch cable he gave me was bad.... so I bugged my mom all day to run me to George's music or radio shack (there was no GC or even much near our house in the way of music stores back then, though now Philly is overloaded with music retailers of all kinds). She broe down and took me to the mall to visit the shack and she bought me a 5 dollar coiled shack cable that I used literally forever! I wish I knew where that wound up.... I am sure she has never stopped regretting that decision to give me my way!

Although when I was having some success as a local guitar hero in my 20s she had a strange grudging pride in what I could do.

Or, if you are willing, just man up and get the heavy gauge now. But you have to be totally honest with yourself, and understand it will not be pleasant until those calluses have grown. But they will grow a lot faster. So ... it's really up to you and your personality.

I am only speaking about electric because Acoustics are a world unto themselves, particularly when you are making an album.

Most people are not ready for the man up approach though it was mine 25 years ago when I pickup up my 1st strat and had at it. But I am a complete, single-minded lunatic. Or I was. I did a lot of growing up. That said, there are countless amazing players who use lighter gauge strings than you can even buy in stores. For instance, the Rev Bill F Gibbons of ZZ Top has a custom 7 gauge set made as his signature strings. Dr Brian May of Queen is well known for using 8s though I seem to recall that he recently gauged up to 9s. But he plays a short scale guitar. Even 9 gauges on a short scale will have about ZERO tension.

As an adult I have realized you do not have to prove your virtuosity by emulating SRV's use of tree trunk string sets. I use Ernie regular Slinkies because I am used to the feel and sound. No better reason. This is an area where sheer laziness may be your best ally! Get used to something that works for you and stick with it. Changing string brands and gauges is like constantly dicking with your rig. Its an excuse not to work on the biggest no-money tonal improvement you can make to your guitar sound.... PRACTICE!

In short, if you are constantly learning to play on different materials and gauges you are not learning to be a better player, you are relearning what you already knew because you changed the rules of the game. Just pick something, buy a case of them, and get back to playing.

okay, I was supposed to write that but I got busy being a Dad, a working professional and a part time graphic artist (so many hats and now I added music journalist, heh)... there's nothing wrong with what's there, mine woulda been way more in depth (the AC4HW1 review I just turned in is like 5 or 6 pages of detailed info, history and hands on analysis) because I am a detail oriented lunatic.

The fact that your O.P. broke soloing and chords into two separate categories is a red flag. Here's what you need to do (and I apologize if it's already been said; I only glossed over the previous posts):

as a guy who does joe pass chord melody a lot and incorporates it into ALL my playing in every style, I cannot agree more... I think you raised great points.... I got into chord melody by combining a tendency as a kid to try arpeggiating everything with my SRV/pianist tendency to play simple 'bass lines' on my wound strings while doing 'rhythm parts'... being a big band guy as a tween, teen and college student made chord melody a no-brainer leap, and it has informed all my playing, because good chord melody often requires a lot of reharmonization to be able to get the voicings that allow effortless melodic phrases to spin out of those chords... and as you get really advanced being able to revoice or reharmonize a song will help you shift the mood when you want to... harmony is just mood, atmosphere

I have also run into the same tuning problems the author from ES335.org mentions (strings going magically sharp) with every modern guitar that's passed through my hands every goddamn summer when said guitar leaves my air conditioned home... or all of them at once if I open the windows on a cool but humid day.

BTW, the bit about expanding and contracting with the weather is definitely true. 100%. All instruments have that issue, not just guitars. Even brass instruments have that problem. Everything expands and contracts with weather. Even the highways, that is why large interstate bridges will have [expansion] joints in them. Anyway back to guitars ...

I get it, but another theory has to do with the strings and machine heads expanding and contracting as metal is even more susceptible to this phenomenon than wood. Poor brass players! But when the whole guitar goes out of pitch in the same direction (sharp) you know its probably the wood swelling. When some go sharp and some go flat and all to very different degrees? then you are definitely looking at the metal components or a combination of the wood and the metal.

For bass because of the huge string tension I prefer bolts. Guitars? That's another story. The ratio of neck-tensile-strength to string tension, even in summer humidity or an utter lack thereof is way in favor of the guitar neck keepin' the faith so to speak. A little general maintenance every summer is all you need on a set neck guitar. But with big strings come big problems and a bolt is best for bass. Plus Leo invented the bolt and invented the bass. Its the classic combo.

I don't even own a bass right now even though I am really solid bassist. It just feels pointless to own one because it is so seldom anyone would rather use me on bass than guitar or keys. There's lots of competent bassists in any situation but even if I can outdo the guy they are handing that bass to, people who know me are always like "what guitars did you bring, want to take lead?"

oh hey, if you want channel switching I was kinda impressed with those EVH branded heads. Not my thing, but they sound good like a Soldano hot rod.

Right. Don't hijack the thread. So, I have a very good friend with the Vox AC30HW with the half power switch etc. etc. He loves it, and whenever I'm over his house, I play it. I'm a Fender guy myself so I don't own one, but I can definitely recommend it. And I did use it on a studio session once, and got a really nice classic Rock sound out of it. I am not surprised to hear that it can handle Metal.

Mine goes toe to toe with my beloved '62 AC30.... not quite as 'good,' but more versatile (apart from the lack of vib/trem channel, which is a highly underrated sound). I actually play the HW more than I play any other amp I own. I like it that much and with the hot mode, half power and master it can do world of tone that even my HC30 cannot cop. I have played jazz, blues, rock and country gigs with this amp using teles, strats and gibsons of all stripes. I always get compliments on my sound. What I like about the ac30 in general is that it gets out of the way of your hand technique without being overly polite when you need to dig in and bring the rock. If, like me, you have spent decades perfect your touch with both hands you do not want a bunch of circuitry in the preamp mucking up your interrraction with the speakers (which in mine are a blue and an H30 bass cone, a combo I heartily recommend s the crème de la crème for british amplifiers).

I have owned or been loaned EVERY decent model that marshall ever produced (apart from a pre-JCM series MV head, but you get the idea! 45s, various 100 watt plexi and JMP 4 holers, clones and RIs, my trusty old 800, I had a 900, used an SLX briefly, I know my marshall), old blackface fenders in every wattage range, vintage ampegs from a jet to a fire-breathing VT40, a tiny but fabulous supro 1624, old tweed/2 tone Gibson combos... the Vox HW is my favorite stage amp hands down, even over the Matchless. It is a do all and its built like a tank. Definitely better laid out inside and generally sturdier than my beloved '62! Plus it is NOT finicky about tubes like the HC30 and vintage JMI Vox. Any old Chinese or russian junk sounds fine in the HW. My vintage AC is really particular from V1 to the power amp. And it eats some of the best sounding tubes with catastrophic results whereas the better ventilated modern cab seems to be a lot easier on them. I have never got the HW hot enough to fry an egg on the control panel, knock on wood!

I could go on and on, but I will stop now. Sorry.

Dont suppose youve checked out the night train by anychance?

I am not in love with the night train (I prefer the tiny terror), but I barely played through the one I tried. It just didn't have 'it.' I have heard good things about the new night train 50. Its not trying to be as voxy and apparently sounds pretty good in its own way. I also don't think the Chinese made vox stuff is as reliable as the Chinese made orange stuff either. I've never seen a broken tiny terror, but broken night trains?

In the budget range I give orange the edge in build quality and tone but not features if you care about having lots of features. If you can spend real money a top of the line vox will murder anything orange makes. Even the discontinued single channel AD30 that is inarguably orange's best sounding EL84 amplifier is a pale reflection of my handwired ac30. I have literally had them right up next to eachother and the orange sounds small, fuzzy and grainy no matter how you set it. The vox sounds big and open even when gunned sledgehammer overdrive. But that's comparative, the orange sounds fine as long as its not being played right next to an AC30HW. Its the contrast that makes the orange's lack of definiton and bandwidth so glaring. Same goes for the orange stuff versus my ceriatone matchless clone. The HC30 just womps on the AD30. But in the lunchbox format I I think the Tiny Terror is the winner. Its not that versatile, but it just sounds less cheap than the night train. There's also less components and less that can go wrong with it. The Tiny Terror is so popular because it sounds like a more expensive amp. If you leave that price range you get diminishing returns from Orange whereas the more you spend with vox the better your amp will be and if you are willing to blow your whole max budget of $1k on a used fawn ac30 you will be getting an amp that can go toe to toe with a vintage JMI vox.

That's if you are shooting for the el84 sound. If you are not so sure you may want to look at lots of other amps.

Funny you mention it. I was talking with my church's pianist and got motivated enough to start teaching myself piano. It's difficult to stay focused on what Im doing though. I was running my hands through the C scale (just knowing the name of a scale is different for me) and realized it was all the notes for the Adam's Family theme. Once I matched up songs to the scale I left the scale behind and just started playing the songs. It's hard for me to turn off the music side and to just play the boring patterns.

I totally get what you are saying, Boom! I'm mostly self taught on piano too because the music part of my brain always gets in the way of doing the exercises that build correct hand technique and teach you position. Because I was so much younger with guitar it was easy to learn positions and good technique as a physical challenge, but as an old guy I can't stop myself from being musical when I sit down at the piano. I've managed to sidetrack some of teachers, LOL. And I actually play really well, but I find playing off the page to be a challenge sometimes because I don't approach the pieces the right way to make them easy.

when you sit down to come up with a solo also try reharmonizing the chords, then base your solo on that.... either sub some new chords that change the mood or omit the roots and 5ths from majors and minors and add some extensions, get way out there and then springboard off that alternate universe rhythm part. So the song is in Bminor? You don't have to play your solo across Bm pentatonic od Dmaj pentatonic. If you can't come up with anything in your imagination reimagine the whole song to open up those doors to the paths less travelled. You will be discovering what jazz guys call guide tones and these guide tones will get you where you want to go if you have enough theory internalized to use them. take the whole piece to the outer limits, then bring the guitar lead and solo back from the other side and plop it into the arrangement you started with. Eventually you will be able to do this in 1 step and these ways of playing will become part of your improvisation technique.

Try writing your solos out for the next year instead of improvising with your limited muscle memory of scales other than pentatonics (if those are what your hand knows those are what your hand will play.... I still fall into certain things when I improvise if I let myself be lazy).... in fact, write your solos on piano, then learn them on guitar. Write out 3 solos every time you need a solo. One that is based on the melody, one that is 'in the style of' a guitarist you wouldn't normally copy but who might really add to the mood of the song if he were around to play the solo for you, then write a 3rd wildcard that is all about flash, creates a brand new melodic theme and isn't about serving the song so much as changing the song through your solo.... also, when you set out to write these 3 solos you should sit down and say to yourself "the mood my solo should express is ________ " Then get busy setting that mood in the first bar or two.

it may not even be an Ibanez, I think in the 70s and 80s the Fuji Gen factory build Icemans (Icemen?)and Destroyers and such for other companies but they had different cosmetics.... my Greco doesn't have a direct Ibanez equivalent but the cheaper, 22 fret version of my guitar was also produced for Ibanez to import to the USA as the Artist solidbody that's currently being reissued by one of Hoshino's Chinese factories.... MIJ guitars are crazy and all the models have mind-bending stories behind them.

Oh, wait. That link ahs a shot of the Ibanez logo.

750.... okay

I'd spnd 150 of that going to see your favorite band play live and a backstage pass. There's your motivation. Go mark out and get excited to be there. If your favorite band is Rush, all your moneys is Geddy's.

600 left.

Spend 50 on guitar heavy music that you wouldn't normally listen to. If your a blues man, get some Pantera or some Dream Theater. If your a metal man, go get some Bonamasa and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

550 left.

Go check out some specialized pedals like a Ditto or a Red Witch Synthotron. If you dig them, buy them. If not pedals, maybe an entirely different instrument to widen your skills. A Takamine Acoustic or a used Spector Legend Bass Guitar. Playing a different instrument will do a number on you mentally and give you a better idea of what you want in your music.

that's a good thought.... why not invest $750 on piano lessons? If you took them as a kid then get someone to teach you who can take you to the next level.... your guitar tone willg et better because the piano will inform your guitar playing and when you start playing new stuff you will sound great because you are excited!

Ok, want to add something that might help with context. Actually think I've seen this video on Equipboard before, but watch the guy play the 1st minute of the video - that's exactly where I'd love to be as a player. He just glides around super effortlessly... if I practice, I can probably get to about the 0:20 second mark. After that, I feel as if there's a big gap in technique and fluidity from me to him.

PRACTICE... you have to be playing all the time for years to be comfortable in your guitar skin

here's how you should practice: play more shows, the stage will sharpen your existing skills.... get outside your comfort zone and play music you normally wouldn't.... learn some country classics and try playing them with a chet atkins technique.... get the charts for a ton of standards from the American songbook and site read through the parts, then make them your own once you wrap your head around them (they are classics and you can fit them into any style you choose, but you gotta own them first! you will also learn a lot about songwriting from this exercise).... get a copy of the real book and find some jazz guys to jam on it with..... make yourself available to sit in with a wedding band when their guitarist is sick or busy... play more piano and bring the stuff that excites you back to the fretboard.... I like to dissect one line parts like riffs and solos and play them backwards or with inverted notes or I will often practice harmonizing by ear along with a record with a challenging guitar lead/solo or even along with the trumpet or sax on a jazz album.... find your inner Duane Allman, then lose him again and find yourself... NEVER EVER PUT YOUR GUITAR DOWN UNLESS YOU HAVE TO PEE (unless you are playing another instrument like the piano, then its okay to hang your guitar up)... if you are watching TV try to train your ear to play the chords and/or melody along with every piece of music that's on TV immediately, you will annoy people but you will train your ear, brain and hands to 'do the right things' without thinking about it... try to keep time ALL THE TIME, life has a rhythm and I am always counting time in my head to the rhythm of my day... never ever practice something you have already mastered, move on... go check out Richard Lloyd's youtube guitar lessons and go to his website for print lessons....

This is critical. Don't practice the notes, practice new ways to approach every note. Playing all the 'right' notes is just as pointless and meaningless as saying "these are the chords to that song" as if those are the only chords you can or should play under the melody line. There are definitely wrong notes and wrong chords, but there's lots of correct answers to every musical puzzle. You can decipher that but you are not going to do it meaningfully unless your approach to the part is right. Focus on the way you address the instrument until you can always command it to sound great no matter what you need to play on it.

Most importantly, always try to be the worst player in the room so that you can learn just by listening. In fact, even if you are playing with guys who are not great, make sure you listen, listen, listen and ask questions if they do something you never woulda thought of.

Also, that guy isn't doing anything difficult. He just has a real diverse style, well developed touch, blah blah blah.... play more, I am sure all that guy did for 10 years was play. That's how I wound up with good touch, an encyclopedic repertoire of techniques and a fluid an effortless quality to my playing even when a piece is particularly demanding. Just play all the time and don't be afraid to play shit you don't think you will do well, just get on it and muddle your way through.... then play it again, like Sam.... if you truly love to play the guitar then I feel improving your skills shouldn't ever be a chore.... its just going to happen because you are playing all the time

nothing wrong with your PRS and pedals are worthless without a good amp that's voiced well for your pedal choices.... not all pedals sound good through every amp

In your price range I would go on the web and buy a used Vox ac30HW2, but I am a total AC30 guy. It can do everything but the most modern metal styles and its built like a tank. Half power mode and useable PPIMV make it great for any size gig. Takes pedals well but also produces the classic ac30 overdrive and then some. "Hot mode" can get you into Brian May turf and beyond with no pedals.

Also check out Ceriatone.com, Nik makes some really winning clones. I own one of his Matchless clones, great amp, build quality is first rate apart from a few dodgy bits of hardware like the non-welded cassis and cheap fuse holder and jacks. He does all the classic marshalls, tweeds and boutiques you can think of all at great prices. His Marshalls really are standout clones at a good price, especially the 18 watt clone.

If you want some coin left over for pedals consider a blackstar or something from the orange terror series.... if you only need one channel of modern drive with a small wattage footprint I quite like the Orange OR15 head you mentioned, but it offers little in the way of cleans. I also seem to remember being taken with the Fender Supersonic amps a while back, but modern PCB fenders make me worry about reliability. Those amps have a lot of features to break. If you want affordable switching of 2 very distinct channels with a very modern voice look no further than Mesa's 90s Dual Caliber amps. They are not precisely my cup of tea, but I felt they were Mesa's best offering up until the Electradyne (which is probably out of your price range). You can never go wrong with a Fender Deluxe Reverb if you use pedals or just need a great clean tone at small gig levels. Did I mention the handwired AC30 yet? I did? Well, go try one and be amazed. If you scrounge you might be able to find yourself an old 50 watt JMP with master volume or a 50 watt JCM800. These are Marshall's most versatile amps ever and they just excel at everything under the sun. The RI is only of the less toneful and overly loud 100 watt 2203 model and you pay more for an extra 50 watts you will never, ever need. I miss my 50 watt 2x12 form '81. The prices on these have jumped dramatically in the USA, so I don't know if you could afford one on your budget. The Buddha superdrive aps are really cool and worth a try. Not my cup of tea, but if you like the OR15 then the superdrive 18 watt model will school it and provides channel switching (I think, its been awhile). I should again mention the VoxAC30HW, it is great.

and check out this list of Aussie builders doing handmade stuff (support your local amp gurus!):

http://www.guitargear.net.au/discussion/index.php?topic=2009.0

Pedals.... you can't go wrong with the MXR Custom Badass overdrive, the little gold guy. Its a TS9/SD1 affair with better voicing, 2 modes, and a bass control... it is CHEAP and great at what it does. All of EHX's new overdrives are great, but in the TS9 camp I prefer the MXR Badass I mentioned to EHX's Green River drive. I have a soul food and like it sometimes and I also was quite taken with the log drive and that other one that sounds like a fulltone OCD for cheap. MXR's BC108 silicon fuzz recreates the band of gypsies era Hendrix fuzzface tone on the cheap and I like it. If you've never tried a big muff, EHX has lots of affordable options now. It may be way over the top for you, who knows? I never got too into it though I have owned dozens of muffs from every era as well as lots of tweaked clones. The proco rat is a classic, affordable distortion unit that I heartily recommend to rockers. EHX's smalls tone is my favorite phaser and I think MXR's current analog chorus is one of the best sounding chorus pedals for the buck right now. I also like the Ibanez CS9 reissue. Sounds pretty solid and is affordable. I love the old EHX small clone chorus but its hard to come by and the new ones suck.Analogman makes an improved clone of the small clone, but its pricey. The discontinued Boss BF2 flanger is still the best deal in generic flanging though as with the CS9 I am not in love with the buffer.

also think about investing in a new cab or at elast get some decent speaker in place of the OEM marshall junk that comes in AVT's

That's all I got....

BLASPHEMY! Ugggghhh. I've got to fight through the stroke to type :)

I did not follow Marvel beyond the image split, so to me Deadpool was a hazy occasional guest villain in the x-books, no offense meant.

Last time I listened to trance, Goa was all the rage, which puts a serious date on me.

Infected Mushroom?

that's pretty recent by my standards, kiddo

when I was a kid you could still throw warehouse parties because there were no anti-rave laws

No problem with pop. I just think Kygo can do better without the vocals, It's just not working for me. To pop-ish, and not in a particularly good way.

I'm just talking to talk here, I don't even know who Kygo is. Last time I listened to trance, Goa was all the rage, which puts a serious date on me.

Too much pop, like listening to an Avicii that learned to make real electronic music, actually did pretty damn well, but still retained a few bits of that pop.

Not that bad, but I have my doubts. Parson James really injects that pop sound it's kind of annoying, but Kygo's sounds are actually really good.

Kygo should just do a solo album with no guests.

what's wrong with pop music? Even some of what passes for music in the modern pop arena has some decent attributes! I a going to come clean here and admit that I was always terribly impressed both by Ricky Martin's "living la vida loca" and Britney Spear's "toxic". I mean this as pieces of songwriting, clever arrangements, wonderful production numbers with a mix that didn't hurt my ears and ABOVE ALL solid vocal performances (even if both artists reached for the auto-tune, it wasn't terribly overt). Is it my usual cup of tea? NO, but pop is not a 4 letter word anymore than metal is. And if you make metal a 4 letter word you get meal, and I love a good meal... obviously 4 letter works are cool anyway (punk, rock, fuck for example)... just sayin' I would rather listen to certain Whitney Huston recors than endure an hour of any music, say, Korn made after their first album!

I hate to say it, but this might be the first Marvel movie I'm not at all excited about. Deadpool wasn't a comic I followed though, so maybe I just don't get it. The trailer seemed super corny to me, and not in a good Guardians of the Galaxy way.

Deadpool was a pretty cheesy character in X-Force, but he made a good foil to super-serious cable in the early 90s. I was out of the mainstream comics loop by the time he got his own series though. I like how his pre-deadpool weapon X program character qas presented in the 1st wolverine solo film. Of course they killed him off in a totally weird way in that film. I ahte how the X-films have huge continuity issues whenever Brian Singer isn't at the helm. Anyway, the clips in the trailer seem just as true as the beginning of the Wolverine movie was to the Deadpool comics persona I remember from my youth. I just can't imagine 2 hours of Deadpool solo story making for compelling viewing. I am glad to see Colossus in it though... and Jason Lee from Mallrats? Love that guy.

I will add that both my SG and LP are going sharp this summer if I turn the air off. Neither of them have the dreaded heel rise, but they do not like the humidity in Philly! I bought my SG outside of Baltimore and it lived with me close to the Chesapeake for a while and I wills ay it goes less sharp in Philadelphia! My older jap guitars hold tune pretty well for weeks on end regardless of weather.

http://www.swiftfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Banner_DC-vs-Marvel.jpg

well Hulk, you may be green but gamma rays are no kryptonite, dude