Re: Anyone played a ToneBone?
I'd hate to tell you what course of action to take and have it leave a sour taste in your mouth. I got a pretty good deal on mine used from a forum member here. I jumped on it because I had a good idea of what I thought I wanted and where I thought the TriAC would get me.
If you're not in too much of a hurry, the majority of my gear will be back at home (jazz band program at school is my main focus right now) in a few weeks. I'd be happy to record a few basic clips of what it does (Also gives me an excuse to start recording again!). I've owned two Tech21 pedals, the TriAC and Comptortion. Both are excellent units that seem virtually bullet proof.
Check out
Harmony Central for reviews, all are fairly good and reflect my experience with the pedal.
www.tech21nyc.com should have some clips.
Quote from Harmony Central Review:
"I have to confess: sometimes, when I'm doing a solo, I have an erection because of the sound of it."
I took a chance and bought mine sight-unseen, partially because I had a good deal lined up on it. I know you guys overseas tend to get raped on these sort of things so I understand why you're more hesitant to go after a unit such as this, when you can't play it in advance.
This unit is so versatile, like I said before, I can't imagine gigging without it. Even when I get old and rich like Scott_F (YEAH RIGHT!) and have nicer tube based amps, I would keep this in a bag when I gig as a back-up rig.
I want to tell you outright that it's worth the chance to bite the bullet, but I understand you're in a bit more of a precarious position because of customs and whatnot in your corner of the world. I hate to talk a unit up like this at the risk of somebody being disappointed...and there's plenty this unit CAN'T do (it IS analog-based amp modeling) but I personally feel there's a point where if you don't improve as a player, it doesn't matter what you're playing through.
The TriAC is a good unit and has some good sounds inside of it, and they aren't that hard to find. It's not a magic box, but a tool. It's easy to get set up with good tones, but the difference between good and great generally resides in your hands.
I would like to mention again the sounds I'm getting out of mine, just as a reference point. The first channel is set up for a little dirt out of a Fender. Really just more of a "shimmer" than anything else unless I really dig into the strings.
The second channel I've tried very hard to get into the realm of Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith. I kept in mind that Zeppelin's stuff isn't as heavy as you ever hear it in your head and I think I got pretty close to the mark. The channel fits quite well into tunes like "Rock and Roll" "Black Dog" or the infamous "Immigrant Song."
The third channel has been a problem child simply because the Mesa sounds are so compressed. The first two are so dynamic that it's easy to really dig into them and get loud and then switch to the Mesa settings for an extra boost and not get what I expected (usually just stays the same level). This is MY fault and none of the unit! It's set up for a ripping metal tone...I honestly can't think of a reference point for it like the Marshall channel, but this sounds great, trust me. It just takes a little bit of time and tweaking to get the levels adjusted correctly and predictably. I think I've about got it down, and especially with a little Wah in the mix, you're in metal lead/riff world.
I don't want to tell you yes or no just because these sort of things are so objective. Check out the tech21 site, and email the tech21 guys if you have questions (or feel free to PM me). It's a great unit but as with anything in this tone world, your mileage may vary.
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