Guitar Nerds Anonymous

Look what I got to play with at the weekend!

Gonna do a gig at the Brixton Windmill with my wee Guild tonight. Last minute opening slot thing. Would be looking forward to it more if I hadn't woken up with a throat like sandpaper and a shattered voice. Tom Waits covers all round then.

or phone sex operator...

/memorises sort code.

Decided I want to put a bigsby on my Tele. It's a yr 2000 American Standard with a Glendale bridge http://www.glendaleguitars.com/glendale20.html and compensated brass saddles. Anyone know if it's possible to keep the bridge (modified I assume)?

This looks good but I want to retain my bridge plate. http://www.vibramate.com/vibramate-v5tev2-install.php

Something like this: http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/forum/modifying-a-vintage-style-telecaster-bridge-plate/

The "new" band I'm in (we've been jamming for about a year and a half) played our first show last Saturday. Went well, except the Ampeg 8x10 I used sounded a lot different to the 4x10 I have. It was a lot brighter and a bit off putting.

Here's our last two songs.

http://youtu.be/xN6uzdRrRZQ

^ Probably sounded brighter 'cos it was ear level rather than leg level. Always offputting when I use the 2x10 and 4x10 together rather than one or the other...

PS - got a gig at green note in camden tonight if anyone's bored...

^ Probably sounded brighter 'cos it was ear level rather than leg level. Always offputting when I use the 2x10 and 4x10 together rather than one or the other...

Yeah, could've been that, plus better speakers, plus not being on the wooden floor of the practice room.

For one of the songs, I use a cheap bass equaliser pedal with everything down except the lowest frequency and the volume and it sounded terrible at the show, but sounds great at practice. There was no sustain playing through that cab either, which surprised me, because I can usually hold notes forever on my bass.

Liking the songs V&N - I see what you mean about the bass sounding very bright though. Obviously I don't know what your usual sound is but it definitely sounded to me like something is being cut out of the bass sound & the highs are being pushed. Was that your usual head? Was your neck pick-up turned down?

Yeah, not sure. It's my usual head, and I'm pretty sure I was running both pickups. My tone is bright, but not that bright.

Guitar > bass amp question;

I want to play around on & record a bit of my electric guitar but don't have the space to buy a guitar amp so I've been playing it through my bass amp (2x10" speakers) which is fine but when I want some overdrive I've been having to use an old bass distortion pedal I have which sounds a bit poo with a guitar.

Anyone know of a cheapish but decent guitar pedal or something that can give me a more classic sounding overdrive when going through a clean bass amp? The sound is around the heaviest parts of Biffy Clyro or Hundred Reasons leaning towards bands like Touche Amore/La Dispute etc...

I Don't know who those bands ^ are but any old overdrive pedal* should sound fine through a bass amp... It's what a lot of stoner/doom/sludge boyz and gurls already do...

• within reason... I swear by the Mk1 Marshall Guv'nor...
  

Check out Joyo, they make loads of OD/Dist pedals, including clones of popular boutique pedals, for around £30.

I have an Ultimate Drive and prefer it to some other, much more expensive OD pedals that I own. The Sweet Baby is next on my list.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joyo

best place to buy an acoustic? want some thing small, no electronics, pref. american made so it'll hold its value.
should i be trawling shops in person, or trawling ebay? any good forums that you'd recommend for this?

V&N - not sure then, definitely sounds like something is amiss to me (though I would have just thought that was the sound you're going for if you hadn't said) but I think my bass sound is much different to yours.

TS - thanks, I'll check out a few from the brands I've heard of then (of which that marshall doesn't look bad).

That particular Guv'nor is great, three bands of EQ so you can muck about quite a bit and the overdrive/distortion is pretty good... I used to use one to make my Twin sound like a JCM800... Worked a treat...

This may sound incredibly patronizing (not meant to) but did the 8x10 have a tweeter in it? I always turn those fuckers off if the bass cab I'm playing through has one.

Again apologies for potentially pointing out the blindingly obvious but cabs do tend to sound loads harsher at ear level - it's a common complaint from soundmen that what sounds great to a half-stack playing guitarist on a stage with a cab pointing at his legs sounds harsh as fuck to someone 10 foot away and at ground level.

This may sound incredibly patronizing (not meant to) but did the 8x10 have a tweeter in it? I always turn those fuckers off if the bass cab I'm playing through has one.

Again apologies for potentially pointing out the blindingly obvious but cabs do tend to sound loads harsher at ear level - it's a common complaint from soundmen that what sounds great to a half-stack playing guitarist on a stage with a cab pointing at his legs sounds harsh as fuck to someone 10 foot away and at ground level.

I actually have no idea whether it had a tweeter or not.

I used to always play through two 4x10's, but sold one (for bike parts), so maybe I'm just used to the one 4x10 now. Plus my speakers are probably shot compared to the Ampeg cab.

Fuuuuu!!! That Guv'nor went for only £27!?!

Yep seems crazy cheap compared to some of the buy it now prices on there. I was going to bid on it when I got home but train delayed me by over an hour sat in the countryside with no reception. Bit annoying.

There seem to be a few of those boss overdrive pedals knocking about - they any good? Seem to remember their tuning pedals as being ok...

Guitar > bass amp question;

I want to play around on & record a bit of my electric guitar but don't have the space to buy a guitar amp so I've been playing it through my bass amp (2x10" speakers) which is fine but when I want some overdrive I've been having to use an old bass distortion pedal I have which sounds a bit poo with a guitar.

Anyone know of a cheapish but decent guitar pedal or something that can give me a more classic sounding overdrive when going through a clean bass amp? The sound is around the heaviest parts of Biffy Clyro or Hundred Reasons leaning towards bands like Touche Amore/La Dispute etc...

Marshall DRP-1 pre amp - awesome - crop up on ebay cheap as chips - they never sold in great quantities but are fantastic - only downside is they are not foot switchable - however, it's just like the olden days of going over to your amp on stage and messing around with the gain a la Pete Townshend

Very good for 'Marshallizing' any amp/cab combo and the boost channel is insane if you like that sort of hi gain thing

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-DRP-1-direct-recording-Preamp-distortion-pedal-vintage-uk-/321314457174?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4acfd58656

^ I like the look of that...
adds to watch list

PS - got a gig at green note in camden tonight if anyone's bored...

how was it? I keep meaning to get in there.

I used to use one with an old Selmer head and it sounded incredible. Solid state, so the overdrive doesn't break up quite as smooth as tubes, but not so much as you would really notice

The pre-amp in a pedal idea seems sounds. Or just find any OD type pedal you like that works. Josh Homme plays though a bass amp in QoTSA doesn't he? I have a feeling David Gilmour played though a bass amp too.

Just started thinking about the worse pedalsI ever owned (Dod "Grunge" by a mile)and it lead me down a misty memory lane of early terrible sounding gear. Powerful nostalgia ju-ju. Gonna complie a post of my first "rig" for my own amusement.