Skinnyman

I’d suggest a stomp box or something like the Simplifier and FRFR rather than a dedicated guitar amp. Or there’s a Roland Cube which has a mic input, I believe?

It’s strange but I’ve never really got into the guitar (or bass) mags. I used to get motorbike and car mags regularly but I’ve never really bothered with the guitar titles. In general, I think the magazine sector is now holding on after a period of consolidation. While we may have turned away from printed media for our news, we still like to sit on the loo on a Sunday and read up on our hobbies. Given their reach into commercial radio, I’m surprised Bauer Media don’t have any music or guitar titles. That seems a strange omission from their portfolio. From what I remember of the ones I’ve read, Total Guitar was quite heavily focused on learners and Guitarist is a bit “coffee table, lifestyle” for my taste. That seems to leave a gap in the market for a mainstream review magazine but perhaps that’s the area that YouTube now owns and the only place left for magazines is the high-end, glossy boutique stuff or the “How To Play Sweet Child Of Mine”-type tutorials.

Interesting question and one I struggle with too. I’m another who starts out looking for something mid-priced but decent and then gradually talk myself into the top-spec, super-duper model with the go-faster doohickey and the Unicorn horn inlays. In reality, I think that (assuming that the amp is at least reasonable) below a certain quality level the guitar is the limiting factor. At the very top level, you’re mainly paying for finish and decoration which have either a limited impact on tone or are so subtle that you need a much better amplifier/cabinet to hear them. Somewhere between those two is the Goldilocks point where the instrument has decent pickups, bridge, but, etc and is put together properly. After that point, I’d start looking at upgrading to a better amp and speaker combo…

I have a Boss DS1 which is excellent for heavier stuff. I also have an EHX Soul Food which is really nice for more subtle, less “grainy” drive. I’d recommend either or both of those but going off your post, it sounds like the EHX would be just the ticket

That’s a lovely neat job. I have similar levels of Untidy Cable Hatred but less aptitude to do anything meaningful about it.

Looks like he’ll need to check on the rules in Germany. Or you take it over in person and “forget” to take it home

Oddly, my GAS has subsided for a while as I’ve got the ideal (for me) stable of guitars. I will be moving some basses on (don’t play them any more) and will then start gassing for a new synth/workstation - but for now the GAS has settled down. I must be coming down with something

Great topic! Gallaghers Music in Grimsby is trying hard in the face of the online giants to maintain a decent stock of guitars, basses and amps. They have a decent range of PRS and some good quality budget offerings (Vintage, Cort and the like) and they always have a good supply of interesting second-hand stuff. A real old-school guitar shop and I really hope they can keep going in the face of the online competition

That’s my thinking too (just need to convince the others that it’s the “right” approach). The Mackie system looks interesting too, depending on the capabilities of their mixing app. I feel a trip to G4M or PMT coming on….

The band are talking about upgrading our current PA (in stages if possible) and starting by replacing the current Yamaha mixer with a digital unit that allows multiple monitor mixes as well as the main output feeds. I have heard good things about the Behringer X18 and it seems like that plus a few of the personal monitors would do the job, giving everyone the chance of creating their own IEM mix. There’s also a new Zoom L12 mixer which also records and can support 5 monitor mixes - that would do the job but it means that someone (usually me) has to constantly adjust the monitor mixes to everyone’s satisfaction. My preference is for the behringer but I may be outvoted. Are there any others I should be looking at that might get more universal approval?

I got mine from Andertons for £280. I’ve rehearsed with it a few times and will be gigging with it in a week or so’s time. Very impressed with the sound. The Mooers look like they’d do the job too but, obvs, with more real estate on the board. That would allow foot switching between amp models which isn’t possible with the Simplifier. In my case, I do a mix of the signals from my pedal board, synth and guitar synth to balance the levels and send one signal to the PA, so I have the Simplifier velcroed to a music stand alongside a little behringer mixer. As a result, it’s an easy job (albeit the switch is a bit small and fiddly) to just flick between the different amp models.

This sounds like a case of the classic “try them all and see which talks to you” but, really, that’s your best option. Plus, half the fun of getting new gear is the hunt; the research, the YouTube videos, the reviews, checking prices… Of the models you’ve listed, I’d probably be boring and go for the Fender for no better reason than Classic looks, versatility, they look mean in black and resale value down the line. But that’s just me - you need to find the guitar that fits you. Just to make things harder, have you thought about a Kiesel A6? Good amp choice by the way. Good luck with the hunt and have fun looking

I’m having a bit of a clear out and first up is my Zoom G5. I’ve had this from new and it’s only ever been used at home for practice, as a result, it’s in excellent condition. There’s a ton of FX built in, plus a looper and a “tube boost” which is a handy bit of extra drive and grit for solos. It has XLR output so you can use as a DI box and there are 20-odd amp sims built in so you could use this straight into a DAW for recording or into an FRFR speaker and go ampless. The unique feature on the zoom is the “Z” pedal which is genius. It goes up and down as you’d expect and has different functions depending on the effect - but it also goes from side to side. This allows it to have dual functions - flick it left and press down and it’s (for example) chorus, flick it right and it’s (for example) reverb. Keep it centred and it does both. Brilliant idea. Heres a review: https://guitargearfinder.com/reviews/multi-effects-pedals/zoom-g5-review/ These seem to go on the ’Bay for about £140 but I’ve priced this to go as I really need the room. Price is for collection from Cleethorpes or me dropping it off/meeting when I’m on one of my regular trips to the Home Counties - PM me and we can discuss options. I can also post within the UK but this is a chunky beast so it’s likely to be a bit pricey. Say £15 max (but if it ends up costing less then you only pay the lower amount). The unit is boxed and comes with the PSU. I’m afraid the manual is long since lost but it can be downloaded from the Zoom website. I’ll try and get some pictures later but in the meantime, here’s a stock picture so you can see which unit we’re talking about. PM with any questions

The EL88s really thicken the sound up. Lots of combinations to play with - I’m impressed. It’s taken me a while but I’ve now got the board I want with nothing I don’t want on it. The Ocean’s 11 is lovely, although I don’t really use the shimmer and other more extreme effects. I really like that Soul Food too. It thickens up a clean tone without making it too driven and gainy. I might add a cheap Landlord echo pedal at some time but that’s about it. If I need any more esoteric sounds, I just use the synth

Does this count as a new Amp? Given that it’s advertised as a “0 watt amplifier” then I’m going to say yes. This is the DSM & Humboldt Simplifier Classic which is an amp and cab sim “pedal” (it’s not really a pedal as there’s no on/off button but it’s sized to fit on a pedal board and so…..pedal). I mainly play through my guitar synth which is plugged into the PA but I also wanted the ability to play the guitar “straight” and have that through the PA rather than lug an amp around with me. I initially started looking at things like the Headrush and Helix Stomp but I have a pedal board with all the pedals I need and the multi fx-style solutions are overkill (and expensive) for what I need. Having gone down the YouTube rabbit hole, I came across this little chap. DSM & Humboldt are, apparently, two Chilean companies who have produced this as a joint venture and I have to say that first impressions are very, very good. The pedal is very well made. It looks and feels like a lot of standard parts were used but they’re good quality and the whole thing seems well put together. Its also tiny. I have no idea how they’ve got everything inside, especially as this is an all-analogue product. Be aware that there is no PSU supplied with it so you’ll need to buy one separately (or use one of the millions we all accumulate and have lying around the place). It doesn’t run on batteries, only mains power so do t forget that PSU… I only received it yesterday so I’ve not had too much time with it yet. Switching it on, I’m impressed with the low noise floor and by how solid all the switches and knobs feel to operate. There are three amps simulated; A Fender blackface), Vox AC30 and a Marshall. Cab choices are 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12. You can switch between three different types of valve and you can alter the positioning of the virtual mics. Alongside gain, volume, presence and resonance, there are bass, mid and treble controls. The great thing is that each of these makes a noticeable difference to the tone. The amp models sound pretty close to the real thing but the tweaking options let you dial in exactly the sound you’re after. It took me all of ten seconds to find a beautiful clean tone to work with the drive pedals on my board and I could, if I wanted, just use that and never twiddle again. I probably will though. So, first impressions positive - here are some pictures of it on my board (not yet fully positioned or plugged in). I’ll update once I’ve had chance to gig with it.

Another Hercules user here with the clever spring operated clip things. No marking of necks. We have “dot’n’dab” plasterboard on all the walls so everything has to be drilled through that and into the brickwork (which is usually breeze block anyway). As a result, fixings have to be about six inches long to be sure of getting a decent purchase.

I have one of those little Bugeras which punches well above its weight. Those are Gear4Music exclusive cabs, aren’t they? I looked at those a while ago - what do you think of them?

Interesting. Beyond the fact that Gibsons are shorter scale than Fenders (usually), I had no idea that short scale guitars were a thing. I’ll be intrigued to find out more (another YT rabbit hole for me to disappear down!)

It’s been a fun process so far. I have a guitar which is hooked up the the GR55 synth so it plays patches through that. I also take the MIDI out from the GR55 and send it to a keyboard synth which I sometimes play via the guitar, via the keys or in unison with the GR55. As things stand, the drummer has no idea what is making all these noises and it’s hilarious watching his reaction when suddenly a sax starts playing, apparently from nowhere. The Simplifier should arrive tomorrow so I’ll report back once I’ve had chance to play with it.

My worry is that, not knowing the audience, I’d inadvertently say something that could be misconstrued or seen as offensive. I like Dad’s idea of having some rambling monologue prepared just to avoid the “dead air” and occupy time while the amp is being fixed/guitar being restrung/singer sobered up*. Alternatively, have an MP3 player plugged in and ready to go and announce “it looks like we’ll be a few minutes while these small technical issues are fixed so here’s a little music and I’ll go and get my potter’s wheel**” Then play some bland elevator music or something obviously inappropriate. *delete as appropriate **Obscure reference to the early days of TV when they would show little films, one of which was somebody using a potters wheel to make a bowl, whenever they had technical problems with the scheduled program. Might be a little too obscure for any audience less than 60 years old…

Fortunately there are very few videos of me out there on the internet and my face isn’t in any of them so you’d have to recognise my buttocks to realise that it’s me….

So this married woman becomes obsessed with you and buys (and ships) you a bass? I’ve had a couple of stalkers over the years but none of them have bought me a bass. I wonder what I’m doing wrong?

The lead guitarist in our band has gone full FRFR and is using a headrush unit direct into the PA system. It sounds great. I have a GR55 guitar synth and an actual synth plugged into a small mixer which then goes to the main PA. Occasionally, I need to play the actual guitar rather than through the synth unit and so I’ve been looking at options. This included the Sansamp units (the GT2 probably) and the Strymon Iridium but the one I’ve settled on is the Humboldt Simplifier Classic. It models three classic amps and three types of cab, has an FX loop and XLR outputs to the PA. A lot cheaper than the Iridium and substantially cheaper than a Helix or Headrush* I’ll report back when it arrives but the video reviews look very good. * Which I appreciate do a lot more

Blimey. Just….. blimey

Things have generally been fine but I did notice a slight tremor of the hands at the last rehearsal - because, for the first time ever, I was playing a synth in front of other people. It settled down after about four bars.