I am going in raw

[Securb]

I am back in the studio this weekend, so most of my gear, including my pedal board, is already packed up. Tonight, I have rehearsal with Whiskey Freeze, my classic rock band. It will be me, my Strat, the Carvin X100B, and a cord. I am going to get there a little early to futz with the amp settings. It should be fun. I am looking forward to this.

 

[Seashore]

I am back in the studio this weekend, so most of my gear, including my pedal board, is already packed up. Tonight, I have rehearsal with Whiskey Freeze, my classic rock band. It will be me, my Strat, the Carvin X100B, and a cord. I am going to get there a little early to futz with the amp settings. It should be fun. I am looking forward to this.

Yeah baby. For all of the time I was playing out live in NY, the only pedal I had in the signal path was a noise gate, and the only thing I stepped on was a channel switcher. Gotta say, the difference is subtle, but my guitar sounds its best going straight in.

 

[DankStar]

I'm sorta getting there - I at least need a tuner pedal and a wah. The boost doesn't make a huge difference and delay is nice but kinda just gets lost in the mix anyway

 

[Securb]

Wow, does my amp sound amazing without 9 pedals in front of it. I had a lot of fun tonight. I was rolling my guitar's knobs a lot more than I can ever remember doing.

 

[jeremy]

i am happiest if the amp can do everything i need. guitar->cable->amp,

 

[PS412]

No pedals.
I will make exception for a tuner, aby, or noise gate but guitar,cable amp is the best.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Do the EQ knobs on a Carvin 100b work like on a Mesa Mark where they're before the distortion?

 

[solspirit]

Gonna wear the pj's?

 

[Securb]

Do the EQ knobs on a Carvin 100b work like on a Mesa Mark where they're before the distortion?

I have no idea what the signal path is and have never given it a thought. It either sounds good or doesn't.

 

[AdrianSD]

Wow, does my amp sound amazing without 9 pedals in front of it. I had a lot of fun tonight. I was rolling my guitar's knobs a lot more than I can ever remember doing.

Going in raw absolutely rules as you have just found out, the ladies would most definitely agree!
Jokes aside, for high gain I found it depends a lot on the amp & the pickups, can get flubby very quickly if not careful, or can sound uninspiring...

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Fun times I'm sure :bigthumb:

I always go straight into the amp, (never had a pedalboard) rehearsal or live...cuz balls :bigthumb:

My Yngwie Strat plugged straight into my Laboga The Beast Classic 30 ..nothing in between but a tuner:

It's the only way to go...bigger/better sound & less **** to lug around/lose at gigs :bigthumb:

 

[ErikH]

I find I play better when I keep what's on the floor to a minimum.

 

[Securb]

I put a DD7 in the loop tonight but still only used the amp's foot switch. I am seriously thinking about simplifying. With the H9 in the loop, I can do anything with my two cover bands.

 

[Seashore]

I put a DD7 in the loop tonight but still only used the amp's foot switch. I am seriously thinking about simplifying. With the H9 in the loop, I can do anything with my two cover bands.

If I could get around needing a noise gate, and a boost or OD in front for lead parts, I would be way happier straight in. I've just never found a good lead sound putting any kind of boost, od, or compression in the loop.

 

[ErikH]

If I could get around needing a noise gate, and a boost or OD in front for lead parts, I would be way happier straight in. I've just never found a good lead sound putting any kind of boost, od, or compression in the loop.

That’s because those don’t work well in the loop. Well, a clean boost would for a kick in volume for leads but the effects loop sits between the preamp and power amp so better suited for modulation and time based effects.

 

[Seashore]

That’s because those don’t work well in the loop. Well, a clean boost would for a kick in volume for leads but the effects loop sits between the preamp and power amp so better suited for modulation and time based effects.

Yes. Thanks. I tried anyway. I thought maybe some kind of light distortion could work as an extra gain stage, or the right combination of compression and EQ in the loop could get the smooth sustain I was looking for. Got close but it was never good enough. Whereas any decent tube screamer or even an EQ pedal with a little high mid boost in front gives me exactly what I need, but then I also need to turn on the delay, which I'm not doing live while I'm doing vocals, which is why after hemming and hawing about it I got an HX Effects a few years ago, and now I can do everything in 4CM with one footswitch at a time. It's fine. The difference is really subtle. But every time I plug straight into the amp, everything feels better, and I remember what I'm giving up on the compromise.

 

[Securb]

If I could get around needing a noise gate, and a boost or OD in front for lead parts, I would be way happier straight in. I've just never found a good lead sound putting any kind of boost, od, or compression in the loop.

The Carvin has a built-in boost I have been using the past few weeks

 

[Seashore]

The Carvin has a built-in boost I have been using the past few weeks

The VHT has a great tube boost stage as well, I just always leave it on because I love the way it sounds. When I get to crank up I actually don't need it, especially with two guitars. I usually play and record quietly at home, but maybe the solution is just to record with a cranked amp and use the boost for leads, like Fryette intended. Really make friends with the neighbors.

 

[ehdwuld]

my Carvin has a Diode based lead channel called "SOAK"
its like having a built in DS-1
as that is exactly what it sounds like

my H&K Tubemeister
has a lead channel and a boost
boosted clean is just what you think it is
the lead channel sounds like the clean with a DS1
the lead with the boost sounds like the MT2

 

[Seashore]

This thread inspired me to mess around more with the loop on the VHT and see if I could finagle something into a lead channel entirely in the loop using the HX Effects, rather than hitting the front with a drive. I'm still tweaking but there are a couple of dirt pedal models that are full-range enough to actually use. Right now the loop is gate > parametric EQ cutting a little high end and boosting mids around 600Hz > Alpaca Rouge (Red Llama overdrive model) > delay, and I have the EQ, OD, and delay all on one switch, so it's an on/off lead effect that sounds great through either the dirty or clean channel of the amp. Teemah (Timmy model) also sounded good. This way, I can enjoy the extra definition and nuance of plugging straight into the amp without giving up a sound I use a lot. I'm back to going in raw.