Hello everyone. Right now im thinkin about buying an amp and an FX pedal. I basically have no knowledge of Fx pedals so i need some help.
1. Would it be worth it to buy an fx pedal for between 50-100 dollars?
2. I dont know if anyone would know about this. But i like to record myself by plugging in my headphone out from amp into the line in to my computer. Of course the amp decreases the volume quite a bit considering it does think its going to headphones. Would it be possible to plug my guitar into the fx pedal but intstead of going through the amp go to the computer?
3. Currently im in a "garage band" the same one as lazerkrust ( a new member) in fact. Currently i have a 15 or 20 watt amp (i forget an am to lazy). it sounds decent but it doesnt have very many effects which is the largest reason i want to get a fx pedal. Anyways how many watts should i get? my friend recently got a 65 watt but that seems to be a bit overkill. I was thinkin 30 or 35 would that be enough?
Any and all information is appreciated. Thanks.
#2 - in general yes, you can go from the FX box to the computer.
With regard to #1 and #3, most folk here will ask you what tone or effect you are trying to achieve. If your amp sounds good, but is not loud enough, can you mike it? If you don't like the sound, what do you like? What FX do you want/need to use?
-Laz
What effects i want to use? mostly distortion for soloing. Also reverb/echo other similiar stuff. I just need a wider range to expirement with.
Also i dont even know what miking is. By the sound of it, it sounds it means to put a microphone in front of the amp. If thats the case i dont want to do that. Also I have been thinkin about a new or used electric guitar for around 500. Any suggestions? Or a good online site that sells them and has good info, not just great design blah blah blah.
Also what makes a more expensive electric guitar sound better? Is it the wood or something? Pickups maybe? I really dont see how the wood would make a diff but any help/info is appriciated.
A more expensive guitar doesn't just sound better, theres more to it.
It will tend to be better made. Even frets, less string buzzing, doesn't fall apart, less whine from the amp, better wiring.
As for the sound, yes the pickups play a very large part in that. Single coil or humbucker will affect the sound a lot. The posistion of the pickups will affect the sound as well. The wood can affect the sound although to not as great a degree. Certain woods tend to give better sustaine, and warmer tones.
As far as being able to mike an amp, it doesn't mean puttinga mic right infront of it, but connecting it to a PA system... (as far as I understand) Generally, 40 watts will be loud enough to get you over the drums. Heck, 30 will do the trick, especially if its just in a garage, I can't see how you'd want it louder than that, you'd be at a loss of hearing pretty soon.
Guitar for around 500 thats used. This depends on the type of music you play. What would that be?
With so many effects on the market and more showing up everyday it comes down to being a personal choice. Something like a Multi-effects Zoom 505, digitech RP50 to name a couple are small floor pedals that have multiple effects and plug into just about everything. Mixer, Computer, amp, stereo power amp, etc. Either one of these run under 100.00. And sound great.
Joe
Hard to say what wattage you need. For example, the Vox AD15VT is louder then the Behringer GM110, with the former having 15 watts and the latter 30 watts. In general 30W should be enough for band practice if the speaker is decent. The more distortion you use, the less wattage you need, since you usually can't crank an amp while maintaining a crystal clear tone. Try to get a proper distortion from your amp instead of from a cheap MFX pedal, a decent amp will sound better. For reverb, echo, phaser and the likes you can go with stuff from Digitech (RP Series), behringer (X V-amp), Yamaha (UB series) and Zoom (New GFX series, ask Wes about it).
Shop ebay for guitars, amps, and effects. If you are patient you may can get alot for your money.
Start with a good amplifier and you may find that you don't need alot of effects. My 20 watt Fender Deluxe is plenty loud and my all tube 40 watt Marshall will rip your head off. 20 to 40 watts of class A or class A/B tube power is alot. I rehearse with these amps and also play large indoor and outdoor venues with the same amps, using mics.
What kind of sound are you after? That will influence what type of guitar/amp/effects combo you would need.
I use a Line 6 Variax modeling guitar for live performances. It allows for quick "guitar changes" on stage. It's quite versatile and can be had on ebay for around $500 w/shipping
For effects, I'd suggest that you get yourself a cheapo multi-fx unit, like the Zoom 505II or the Digitech RP50 and play around to see which effects you like. After you've got over the novelty of all the different things that you can do, you'll start to settle for, say, 3 or 4 regular effects. You'll probably find that you have no more than 5 or 6 patches set up, using only those few effects. Once you've reached that stage, you're ready to go out and buy those 3 or 4 effects as floor pedals.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
As many of you asked what music we play, its very general. Alternative/Rock/Punk music. Less punk though. As for the FX pedal i believe i will do what greybeard said, just buy a cheap one with as many fx as possible. Also we are trying to get our hands on a cheap PA system but they all seem so expensive (as of right now we are using a kareokee machine that my parents own)
As for wattage I guess we are all loud enough to get over the drums (except singer perhaps). The problem with my amp is that if i want to practice on my own with distortion on it must be extremely loud. Also the distortion on it is very limited in that i cant get the sound i like/want out of it no matter what i do.
As for the new/used guitar its the same story as amp. I would like to be able to sound better. Im not sure that this would be worth the $500 would it?
On a side note we all use earplugs so more wattage wont deafen us (hopefully).
Here's what I do if I show up somewhere to play or practice totting a 15 watt amp and everyone is banging away to loud that when I'm playing leads and its not the loudest thing going. I wait till of the song and tell everyone to play softer and turn down. If everyone is banging to loud through the whole song then there is a chance that the dynamics for the song are just not there. And it more than likely sounds like,**** well you know.
With either of the two multi-effects pedals suggested you can use a stereo chord and run into and other guitar amp or into the mixer, which will expand the fullness of the effects.
Joe
