Skybone

Have a look at the Zoom units.

I've been using the HD500x for years, brilliant unit with some really great, usable sounds in there. Use it at home, for recording and gigging, though it still amuses me when the sound guys insist on using the Amp's DI instead of the HD's DI.

Zoom G3?

A decent Attenuator is possibly one of the most overlooked / underrated bits of kit ever. Shouldn't you be putting it between the power amp & the speaker(s)?

Yamaha tried to renew interest in them a few years back, introducing some new models (the one with the P90's for a start). Unfortunately, they just didn't seem to catch on, or importantly, gain much promotional support. Yamaha released the RevStar around about the same time, and that seems to have gained far more promotion than the reissued SG's. Whether it's a cost thing or what, I don't know. Most of the SG reissues were MIJ, and so were not cheap. In fact that they were priced against Gibson LP's and the "mid range" PRS guitars, as well as some smaller "boutique" manufacturers, which can't have helped, especially as the competitors were boasting figured timbers and other more cosmetic flourishes etc., etc. Rough deal? I think they kind of lost momentum in the early 90's, especially when the LP style guitar market was picking up again.

Matamp are ace. Proper hand built amps at good prices, great service from Jeff and the team. Owned a 1224mkII for quite a few years, superb bit of kit.

My favourite shop closed down relatively recently, a real shame. Electro Music Services in Doncaster. There's a couple of shops nearby now, but they seem to cater for the Acoustic market more than electric, and the one that has quite a few electrics in, doesn't have that great a selection (to my mind anyway).

Another passive Fishman pickup owner here (the Neo-D Humbucker). Can't comment on the low output, as I only use it for recording, and adjust to suit.

Alternatively, you could use something like a PODxt or a POD HD / HDx, and get the appropriate Bass Pack for them. However, there shouldn't be any problem using a bass-specific modeler for guitar. Just use the Fender Bassman model.

Colorsound Wah Sold elsewhere

Was never happy with the CryBaby or the Morley style wah's. The boutique wah's were just too expensive. Stumbled upon a Colorsound Wah during my "analogue/retro" phase, and it was superb, great sweep, superb sound, built like a tank but didn't weigh as much as a CryBaby. Result. No idea of the vintage of them, my first was a red one, battery only. My second was a black one, which had been converted to run off a 9v PSU.

Hang on, in that pic, you're sat down and we can only see 1 arm...

I know, however, to get a truly representational FRFR setup, you need to spend a lot of money, as opposed to a "reasonably priced" FRFR powered PA monitor. Most guitarists will have at least 1 amp kicking about, so why not use what you have and save some money? Just putting the idea out there.

Running a Kemper / Helix / AxeFX / Headrush / or other such Amp Modeler / Pre-amp? Why not discuss them here? I'm running an old POD HD500X for both bass & guitar, I've owned various Line6 units for quite some time, from a POD v2.0, to a PODxt, and a PODxt Live. I'd love to get my hands on to a Helix, but I'd need to sell a kidney or something. What you got?

Here's a question for you... Do you have a guitar amp? What sort of rig are you using? I'm assuming that the intention of the FRFR setup is to take to band rehearsals & gigs etc. so that you can monitor your guitar sound. If you're at home, just plug in some headphones, or buy a phono to jack lead and plug it into your Hi Fi. Instead of buying a dedicated FRFR rig, why not simply plug the output from your amp modeler into the Effects Return on your amp? By doing this, you're bypassing the amp's pre-amp, and going straight into the power amp. Your modeler is your pre-amp and volume controller, your sound is coming from guitar speakers. Theoretically, the power amp shouldn't colour the sound, as that's done in the pre-amp. Currently using this method with my HD500X into a bass amp (for bass).

You also can't go wrong with an Epiphone Les Paul or SG if you're leaning towards a rock sound. Gordon Smith guitars are great, I have owned a couple of Graduate 60's in the past (single cut LP style guitars). Also maybe look at a second hand PRS SE. Again, I've owned a couple of the Singlecut Soapbars in the past, and they were great guitars, well built, played well & sounded good. Regret selling them.oo. The JHS "Vintage" guitars get a good write up too. The usual advice of "try before you buy" stands up well in this situation though. Take some time out, visit a guitar shop or two (ahem), and try as many as you like. Buy the one that plays, sounds and feels the best to you.

D*A*M Sonic Titan sold elsewhere

Clearing out some guitar kit I unfortunately don't use anymore. SOLD: Colorsound Wah Wah: £85 + £10 postage SOLD: D*A*M Sonic Titan: £160 + £10 postage Belcat Analogue Delay: £20 + £5 postage Bought second hand, it's a Chinese built, "bucket brigade" analogue delay. I never really got on with it, so it's been sat in a box for years. Custom Built Pedal Board: £85 + £15 postage I had this built by a guy in Austin, Texas. It's solid. Sprung clamps & handles, no lip to the board itself, approx. 300 x 650mm, space for plenty of pedals. It comes with 1x 5 outlet 9v Power Supply, 2x guitar long leads, & 4 patch leads. It's not light, but it will survive the rigours of regular gigging.

I used to be a bit of an analogue purist, my pickups were hand wound, my pedals were analogue (apart from the tuner), and the amp was all valve. Since coming back to bass, I've revised my opinion, and I'm now using an all digital setup for both bass & guitar. A Line6 HD500X. Might not be quite as touch sensitive as the analogue setup, but it's good enough for me.

Who loves the sound of some outdated electronic glass bottles with killer voltages running through them? I've been lucky enough to own a few good ones, a few dodgy ones, and I still own a great one. Worst was a Marshall TSL122. The clean channel was alright, the other 2 channels were dreadful. It was too powerful an amp for the house, even with the Power Reduction switch engaged. Hey ho, you live & learn. Had a JCM800 2x12 combo for a while. One of the single channel ones. Sounded great, but it had been revalved many moons previously for 5881's, they sounded good, but they didn't last very well, so it had to be revalved regularly at great expense. After I got it, a speaker failed, so I had to get a replacement (Celestion V30), then the other failed, so I stupidly put another V30 in it. Completely ruined it. Sounded awful with 2 V30's, couldn't get it to sound right after that. The best one, is a Matamp 1224. Hand built in Yorkshire, pure valvey goodness, and with a really nice vinyl finish that they managed to source specifically for me. Got a matching 4x12 cab and a 1x12 cab for home use, both finished in the same vinyl. Had the faceplate replaced after a year with the "block" 70's Matamp logo. The amp has valve switching features where you can choose 4 different power valve combinations, 1 valve in Class A, 2 valves in Class A, 2 valves in Class AB1 & 4 valves in Class AB1. There's also a half power switch and a Pentode/Triode switch on the back. What have you got???

I'm GAS-ing for another Les Paul, had a superb Tokai Love Rock up until a few years back when I had to sell it. Really fancy another Les Paul style guitar. The guitarist in the band has a really nice Les Paul Classic, looks great and sounds great too. Quite fancy a Firebird too, or an Explorer... or an SG, or a Yamaha SG... or an Ibanez Artist. Owned a few really nice late 70's Artist's in the past too. Superb guitars. Really want a Ric 480 or a 481 too (wonder why??? ). Guess that'll never happen either!

Hello, I'm Skybone from BC, and I dabble with guitar as well as bass.

Woohoo...