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Random (Music and Guitar Related) Thoughts Thread


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When I think of Hamer and shredders, I think of what consider the Big Four:

Californian

Centaura

Chaparral

Diablo

That ignores the Steve Stevens, the Vintage S, the TLE, the Virtuoso, and the Scarab. I guess some might consider the Jeff Watson a shredder. I've heard the Prototype and Phantom also called shredders.

From a certain perspective, the quality of Hamer guitars is such that you can shred on just about anything. Not sure if the presence of a trem is required to be a shredder, or 24 frets, or a single coil in the neck, or a variation of a Superstrat, or pointy protrusions, or what combination of those attributes, exactly, make a shredder guitar.

I think the reason I think of just those four, though, is because those are the only clear/obvious shredders on the "Hamer Guitars A to M" webpage that I referenced constantly for a few years. It left me the impression that those are the Hamer shredders, because those are the ones I saw the name of so often.

But since those aren't the only shredders, what should we call them to refer to that group? They gave the last one the name "Diablo" instead of another C words like Creation or Counterpoint or Cadenza or Capriccio or Coloratura*, so I can't call them the 4C shredders.

C/D shredders?

1st Page shredders?

Hamer's Classic Shredders?

Any ideas?

* which makes me think: you could do worse than having a line of guitars named for Italian musical terms

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OCD organizes my random thoughts, making them not.

Making this thought music-related:

http://youtu.be/UhVCEvgkkFs

That was not only freaking hilarious, that was a pretty good song!

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LucSulla, on 22 Dec 2014 - 02:07 AM, said:LucSulla, on 22 Dec 2014 - 02:07 AM, said:LucSulla, on 22 Dec 2014 - 02:07 AM, said:

Goddamn I hate amps in a box. Had to run through a Pod HD500 tonight that was running straight into the PA. Sounded great out front, but there was absolutely zero feel to it. Nasty trend I see in cover bands around here. I continually get asked, "why have an amp, just get something like a Pod and DI. Everything you want is right there."

I want to say for the same reason that I didn't lose interest in sex just because jerking off is generally more convenient and less trouble.

Or more simply, because this sound awesome.

My heart sinks every time someone asks if I can just DI...

Edited by jettster
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LucSulla, on 25 Feb 2015 - 7:06 PM, said:

^Argument for modeling amps?

No argument here.... I've been a tube amp guy since my first one over 30 years ago. Had six of them up until a couple of years ago, only the Budda remains and it hasn't been turned on in close to a year. I still plug in and check them out when hitting the local music store but I've never been happier with any piece of music gear in my life.

edit_zps6dafe973.jpg

MFC_Edit_zps596bf94f.jpg

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Yeah, we had a pretty good argument about these a couple of weeks ago. I've played a good bit on an Axe FX II and the Kemper stuff, and they are quite cool. Personally, I enjoy playing through my Mesa more, but I certainly get why others have made the jump. I'm weird because the older I get, the more I think about just getting a one channel Soldano or something similar.

I will say this though, it is fascinating to me how bitter these discussions can get. I'm not sure if it is some tube guys not giving the modeling stuff a fair shake and goading people that like them, or some digital guys treating anyone that just digs glass as a troglodyte, but it starts looking about as warm and fuzzy as a religious debate in 16th Century England. At the end of the day, I really just think that it is awesome that there is so much awesome gear out there for so many different preferences.

The only thing I hate is when I get, "play through this, you'll like it better." And when I do, if I say, "well, that certainly has its appeal, but I still prefer my stuff," I get, "No, you're wrong. You actually prefered my stuff but are too XYZ to understand why." That shit I CANNOT stand, which was sort of what that post you quoted related to.

I don't like Fender amps either. I don't think they suck, and there is a helluvalot of great music that I dig that has been made with them. I just don't personally like playing on them. And I think most people get that, but it also seems a high percentage of the ones who don't also frequent Internet forums, haha.

Edited by LucSulla
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Well, I have a Kemper now.

After 3-4 days of noodling around, I'll be honest: I have discovered 53+ different settings that all sound like a good distorted amplifier. Pick one. Any one. You'll be happy with it. It will sound good. Guaranteed.

And that's just the settings I've tried. There are something like 200 installed, plus hundreds out there you can download.

So why did I spend $2500 to get 53+ (actually 314+, probably) near-identical distorted amp sounds?

Well, because at some point that slight difference might make a difference. Even among the 53 distorted amp settings I've tried, I can pick out some that are more appropriate for "Don't Fear the Reaper" and some that are less appropriate. So there is some slight difference! Yay!

Maybe the most important thing to me is: I don't ever have to worry about tubes going out. Or if the sound will be slightly different if I replace a tube with a cheap Chinese tube, or a high-end US tube. If I find a sound I like, I know have that tone until the end of time.

Plus, there are some other aspects I will eventually get into. Cabinet differences, gain differences...I'm sure that of the 53 distorted amps I've tried out, they would sound much different if I backed off the gain or volume a little. Then there are all the built-in effects.

So I guess what I got for my money is something that will grow with me. I know I can never be held back by the Kemper...I couldn't say that about the Peavey Classic 30, as good as it sounded, as good as it made all my guitars sound.

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And that's just the settings I've tried. There are something like 200 installed, plus hundreds out there you can download.

That is where the psychology gets involved for me. I quite literally become so worried that I am missing out on something with that many choices that I never enjoy any choice I make. That is partially why I don't enjoy playing on modeling amps. I feel like I am wasting money by not really using them to their maximum potential. I'm verifiably OCD, and a plethora of options is a nightmare to me. A Mesa Mark V is *ALMOST* too much in one box.

I actually ran across a bit of research the other day as I was doing some lit review for an technological adoption study I am part of. One thing researchers noticed was that the more goals a thing satisfied, the less people valued its ability to solve any one goal, so being a multitasker actually reduced some aspects of desirability. Likewise, I saw another study that looked at why people preferred smart phones to dedicated high end cameras and kind of worked out a curve where price and innovation dictate preference. All interesting stuff when it comes to these kinds of technologies.

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The Kemper is like a computer. Actually, it is a computer. By programming, it allows to serve nearly any goal soundwise. The question is: What is YOUR goal? To find that out and implement it takes as much time it takes to swap gear the old fashioned way.

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The Kemper is like a computer. Actually, it is a computer. By programming, it allows to serve nearly any goal soundwise. The question is: What is YOUR goal? To find that out and implement it takes as much time it takes to swap gear the old fashioned way.

But much, much cheaper. No shipping time involved, either.

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The Kemper is like a computer. Actually, it is a computer. By programming, it allows to serve nearly any goal soundwise. The question is: What is YOUR goal? To find that out and implement it takes as much time it takes to swap gear the old fashioned way.

But much, much cheaper. No shipping time involved, either.

In case a download is more fun than waiting for the brown car.
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LucSulla, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:15 PM, said:
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame, on 25 Feb 2015 - 9:43 PM, said:

That is where the psychology gets involved for me. I quite literally become so worried that I am missing out on something with that many choices that I never enjoy any choice I make. That is partially why I don't enjoy playing on modeling amps. I feel like I am wasting money by not really using them to their maximum potential. I'm verifiably OCD, and a plethora of options is a nightmare to me. A Mesa Mark V is *ALMOST* too much in one box.

I actually ran across a bit of research the other day as I was doing some lit review for an technological adoption study I am part of. One thing researchers noticed was that the more goals a thing satisfied, the less people valued its ability to solve any one goal, so being a multitasker actually reduced some aspects of desirability. Likewise, I saw another study that looked at why people preferred smart phones to dedicated high end cameras and kind of worked out a curve where price and innovation dictate preference. All interesting stuff when it comes to these kinds of technologies.

I'm just the opposite, the guitar and amp (model in this case) clearly impact my playing. For instance, if I'm playing a T51 through a Matchless I'm not going to be shredding it up. I find myself playing for an hour on one amp, flip to another and play for another hour. As far as tweaking goes, I have to adjust the same or less than a real amp. usually leave the controls at the default "noon" and adjust the master and gain. Having a guitar cab makes all the difference in the world for the amp in the room tone, no need to mess with any cabinet simulations. Interesting that you bring up price as I could have bought two Mark V Mesa's for what I have in my setup.

I always like the way others sound on Mesa's but never cared for any of the ones I've played through. Had one of the early Lone Stars and couldn't get rid of it soon enough. Mesa EQ sections always seem really difficult to dial in and often have the opposite affect that you might expect. I tend to like Marshall style amps and their variations. Plexi's JTM-45, Soldano's, Splawn, Carol Ann Triptik, Tucana. As far as Soldano's go, I have played through most of their amps. didn't care for any of the lower wattage single channel amps, Astroverb and Atomic. They sound much smaller than my 18 watt Superdrive. The Avenger is pretty wicked for a single channel amp but isn't very versatile. All of the SLO's I've played through had the deep mod and were killer through their cabs. I really like the Splawn combo's far more than the Soldano's.

When I played amps I would be happy for six months or so, always looking at the newest, next best thing. That's how I ended up with six amps at one time. I've had the AxeFXII for well over a two years now and always have a huge smile every time I plug in.

I like Fender / Vox type clean tones so it would take two or three tube amps minimum to cover the type of tones I like to have available. That kind of setup would be far more complicated than my current solution and that's without considering pedals and effects. My 2x12 cab weighs less than 30 pounds, same for the rack. I can setup in 10 minutes or less. If you can cover all the basis with a single amp then that would be a great simple solution. Bottom line, play what inspires you.

Edited by jettster
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I have a cheap modeler (a $300 Mustang III). I really enjoy radically changing my amp tones with a turn of a dial and a push of a button. I believe that I may be giving up a lot of tube mojo for that, but right now it's a good trade-off.

The feature that I utilize most, however, is playing overdriven tones at low true-volumes or through headphones. This allows me to play deep into the night without disturbing the neighbors or keeping the family awake with my ruckus.

At this point, I can't rationalize stepping up to Kemper or Axe FX rig.

Ignorance is bliss.

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I have a cheap modeler (a $300 Mustang III). I really enjoy radically changing my amp tones with a turn of a dial and a push of a button. I believe that I may be giving up a lot of tube mojo for that, but right now it's a good trade-off.

The feature that I utilize most, however, is playing overdriven tones at low true-volumes or through headphones. This allows me to play deep into the night without disturbing the neighbors or keeping the family awake with my ruckus.

At this point, I can't rationalize stepping up to Kemper or Axe FX rig.

Ignorance is bliss.

Send your wife to China for 3 months. That helps.

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I feel like I am wasting money by not really using them to their maximum potential.

i felt the same way w/ my axe fx.

i just dont use a buncha tones, usually a few variations of fendery clean and high gain

w/ some light delay & eq/volume tweaks, maybe an occasional phaser or trem.

plus i'd get all OCD tweaking chasing tone for hours on the axe-fx

& feeling like my ears weren't sophisticated enough to hear the difference in voltage/sag/etc

i REALLY like the feature set on my blackstar id15

("few variations of fendery clean and high gain

w/ some light delay & eq/volume tweaks, maybe an occasional phaser or trem",

all storable / footswitchable, & a tuner).

i like the high gain only slightly better on my mesa mini recto,

and miss the above conviences & flexibility.

really thinking about trying a 60w or 100w version.

but as always, use what works for you, use what you enjoy, use the right tool for the job, yada yada...

i would never swear allegiance to any one technology, brand, or style of equipment,

or deride others who do.

Edited by Brooks
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LucSulla, on 26 Feb 2015 - 11:28 PM, said:

This is fucking killer. Just fucking killer. What does Sulla like? Sulla likes this.

One of my all time favorites, killer guitarist / singer / performer and always has tone for days no matter what he's playing through. (Although I prefer his Marshall tone to this)

We had the chance to do a meet and greet when he did a solo tour four years or so back, that was outstanding. (Vid I taped at the show below) Also saw the Winery Dogs last year, just incredible. Dude has soul for days!!!

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