Solid State NAD

[Phantasmagoria]

Slow neoclassical w/ some lite shred and tapping :bigthumb:

Also I just got notifiedt hat my Two Notes Captor X was finally shipped out ....so hopefully I can have a few more clips with that up in here soon

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Oh yeah, ^^ that was with the onboard "spring reverb" selected...

It's all just digital reverb though ..but certainly very usable. I had it set too high the first bunch of clips. It's great for solo's dialed back to about 8-9 o'clock..

In the reviews they rave about the new Super Crush 100's onboard reverb being way better, but I did'nt really hear much of a difference personally when I tried them out.side by side at the store..

Still, the Super Crush is a pretty different sounding/feeling amp overall ..more lean & tight ....and Marshally.

Been giving it some thought lately :lmao:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Something a bit more shreddy & tappy, but also tastefully restrained in an orchestral context of neoclassical improvisation :bigthumb:

Mic'd with my Audio Technica AT2020 which is probably my fave condenser for mic'ing up this cab. Onboard hall reverb & that's it.

The Compression this amp has is nice & soft/tubey/spongy & great for tapping...makes it really effortless & fun.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Last night I went to the store and plugged into a Super Crush head again, cuz it's been playing on my mind . Definitely has a different sound/feel/flavor to it than the CR120. Not better/worse ..just different as in different enough to make me take notice

It's a little more controlled in the lows with more upper mids and a more "forward/present" sound. It actually gets practically as thick as the CR120 but maybe a bit tighter and not as sludgy. More modern (80's/90's/2000's) Sabbath than 70's. Totally rips for tapping and shred as well :bigthumb:

The reverb is'nt nessesarily better but there's more of it and it's definitely a nice sounding reverb (but so is the CR120's)...but yeah the sound while being in the same Orange-y/Rockerverb-y ballpark is still different enough from my CR120 to warrant my interest. And yeah it can also do some really nice/classic sounding Marshally-tones as well cuz of those tasty upper mids

Very tubey ..both sounding & feeling. Insanely so .. but then I'd say the same about the CR120..although both amp's do feel different under the fingers.

This guy put's it through it's paces really nicely...

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Lowered the level of the solo a bit in the mix for this one to make it sit better.. :bigthumb:

Don't know if it's personal taste or just a touch of modesty on my part but I've always liked to have my solo's sit a bit lower in the mix, ie still clear enough, so you can hear all the notes & nuances but not Malmsteen loud... especially for clips like this where I want my tasteful restraint to shine through...

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Actually on second thoughts, I still prefer my first mix ^^ with the louder solo. Pretty sure the tasteful restraint I showed still comes through nicely despite that :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Believe it or not, there was a time I thought tasteful restraint was just plain boring and an excuse for "lack of chops". But now I get that it's the spacing that's important. If tasteful restraint is all you got, then yeah, boredom can creep in for both the player & the audience (less is less, more is more) but if you mix it up it can serve to make the less tastefully restrained bits stand out more when they do pop up in your playing.. :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Though at the end of the day I do think that tasteful restraint is better suited for classical/orchestral stuff. ^^ ...not metal and shred. But that's just me.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

As a rule I try to keep tasteful restraint to the bare minimum in my playing when it comes to stuff like neoclassical metal/shred/tapping...

Like so...

But I've now learned to make an exception for ^^ orchestral stuff... :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Got up at 4:00 am this morning and could'nt get back to sleep so I adjusted the truss on my Ibby SA which was something I needed to do but had been putting off. Then i thought I'd give the orchestral track another go and practice my tasteful self restraint a bit more (which I've found works great in the context of orchestral stuff). Used my Ibby SA (neck single coil).cuz it was handy though I stilll need to re-adjust my pup height after adjusting the truss. I'll get around to that later today.

Anyway, had to have the amp turned down way low (cuz ****ty neighbour's) so there's a bunch of string noise on the recording but anyway...still mic'd with my AT2020 condensor :bigthumb:

"
Slightly less tasteful self restraint this time (but it's still enough to provide the "light & shade" I think this orchestral stuff requires)

To much much tasteful self restraint = Boredom.....too little and it just turns into a fun shredfest as usual. So balance is the key :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Another orchestral version with my Ibanez SA after readjusting the pickups (& switched from hall to spring reverb on the CR120) with equal parts tasteful self restraint & untasteful nippy-ness...

.....unfortunately just as I was about to launch into the untastefully unrestrained grand finale of fun & unrestrained tapping my faithful mutt Cleo decided to make a huge racket and that was that. As everyone knows I use my ears (& no music theory) so if I can't hear, I can't play & things just kinda fizzled out..eh..too bad.. :lmao:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

More tastefully self restrained + shreddy orchestral fun....this time w/ my RG 652 Ahm (Air Norton neck pup).

This axe is pretty much in in the same super league of shred-worthiness as my Saber's..the neck is lightning fast & has the same thin/light varnish finish as my old S540 Ltd, unlike it's lower end lookalike the RG470Ahm (which I also have) . that one has an unfinished/satin neck ..still rips though :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

And speaking of shred-worthiness....another pretty unlikely contender. My Chinese "Grote" Semi-hollow axe. Fockin "Rocket Queen" A2 neck pup. I love this pup. It sounds like a thick single-coil & has a raunchy raspy sweet tone....great feel for tapping as shred but also rocks for rhythm playing with a roundish but pretty tight & punchy low end..

Man.... I wish they'd get on with delivering my Captor X. It was shipped 3-4 days ago and still no sign of it, Tracking says it got to my city this morning & that's where it ends :angryfire

Anyway, hopefully tomorrow....

 

[Phantasmagoria]

A bit OT ( but then what isn't in this thread :laugh2

Not in the mood to do another clip atm (getting kinda sick of the Orchestral stuff ) ....but eh:

....here's something else from a while ago with the Grote (Fokin "Saboteur" bridge pup for the rhythm & "Rocket Queen" neck for the solo). That raspy single coil-ish aspect is really OTT and very clearly apparent here. Used another awesome SS amp for this one ...my AMT Stonehead. The whole thing was recorded on my Nux Loop Core loop pedal.


Tube amps are pretty much the gold standard for guitar tone...but nothing makes me happier than finding/playing (and especially owning) an SS amp that matches them note for note for both tone & feel

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Now that I'm in the mood again..time to switch tracks... (cuz who has'nt had enough orchestral stuff :lmao

Mid-paced melodic rock w/ my Metallic Purple Kramer Pacer Special (Custom 5 bridge pup). CR120 mic'd with an Audio Technica 2020 condensor. Nothing else.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

V2 w/ the midpaced rock. Might be imagining it but it does sound to me like their might be a hint of some kind of phase issue with this one. Has'nt happened before..
Anyway ..it'st with the Kramer again. Just moved the mic a bit..

In other news ...still waiting on the Captor X. Got a notification saying the shipment's been "delayed"

 

[Phantasmagoria]

^^ actually after giving that another listen it just might be that the guitar needs some tuning :lmao:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Called the courier company & was told it was delayed due to (local/state) elections (???) .
It's reasons like this (and so many more) make me glad I never vote. :cussing:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Another go at the mid-paced rocker ..this time w/ a crapload of tasteful restraint. :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Here's one with the TC Electronic Mojo Mojo drive in front. Move over J.P. :laugh2: ..all that's needed for those fancypants D.T tones is a Mojo Mojo and a CR120. :9:

Like thus:

^^ The tasteful self-restraint's 'cuz I cut my finger on my strings after my recent orchestral shredding blitz (this has always been an issue for me...It's my soft skin) ....so Ima have to give things a rest for a while & just continue being tasteful until things are back on track