Six String

I love the guitar but can't answer your questions about a pickup. Blue Dog knows a good deal about electrifying acoustics so he might be able to help there. I know I really was jonesing for a Mini-GS but realized it was too nice for my use. In my case I needed a low cost small guitar I could travel with and use on the boat with now worries and ended up choosing a Martin LXM.

Ditto on the great job. I suffer with the same anxieties you express and have also been victim to all the gotcha's CapM relates. With 3 sets of material there are some songs where I'm just trying to hang on and get through. When the monitor mix is wrong, or you land on the wrong beat or there is a squeaker note and you don't know if it was you or the other guy all pile on to the anxiety level. However, I've also lead myself into a flub with over confidence when you start showing off or thinking about the next song or something besides the task at hand and suddenly you're flubbing up. We'll be doing our 3rd show with only 2 new songs in the set list but I am more anxious about this show that ever for some reason. I'm planning to run the sets every night I'm home between now and the show and focus on my problem areas in hopes of getting myself in a better place. It seems I always forget about this part right after the show...until the next show.

Really sorry to hear that you lost so much. Glad everyone is OK and you still have your home, even though its damaged. Best wishes for getting a suitable studio assembled ASAP.

This is the one I have. https://www.loop-master.com/looper-wtuner-strip-p-133.html

I wasn't trying to copy anyone, your Bonamassa rig is very close to my analog pedal board. That signal path goes: Guitar>5 Loop Switcher>Loop 1, Cry Baby Mini and Fulltone 70's Fuzz (I use one or the other at not together)>Loop 2, Univibe >Loop 3, MXR DynaComp >Loop 4, Wampler Euphoria > Loop 5 Unused > Budda Superdrive 18 (Bonamassa apparently used Budda's for at least one tour). EDIT - I left out that the loop switcher also has an out for tuner pedal. I have that routed to a Polytune. Definitely an important pedal. That is the one thing about my analog board that is clearly superior to the Helix. The tuner in the Helix is no where near as nice as a Polytune. In the Amp Effects loop the path is: Mooer Orange 90 (Clone of MXR EVH Phase 90)> MXR M234 Analog Chorus >TC Electronics Flasback Delay. The Flashback is a digital delay that gives you a bunch of delay types, and I highly recommend it for its versatility. This makes a pretty versatile rig and you can replace any pedal in it with whatever flavor you like. You can do without the loop switcher but it is a pretty slick pedal in that you leave all pedals on, and only insert the ones you are currently using into the signal path. With all the loops off, the signal path is guitar straight to the amp so you are not running though 4-5 pedals to the amp. I typically run with the Loop 3 - DynaComp always on, and add other effects in and out of the path depending on the song. On the Helix, I use 3 rigs to cover our 3 sets. The virtual rigs are set up in the Helix to be pretty close to the analog rig. They are based on a Fender Deluxe Reverb (maybe 80% of our material). a Marshall 1974X (most of the other 20%) and Marshall JCM800 (one or two songs). I run the Helix in stomp mode because that is what I am used to but there is a Snapshot mode that may be better for someone willing to learn how to use it.

Gotto is spot on. These days there are many paths to tonal nirvana. Tube amps are awesome but even a 5 watter sounds its best at volumes untenable for most of us at home (yet is not quite loud enough to gig). My 18 watt Budda through a 212, will make ears bleed at full roar, and I have nothing but respect for guys that can stand in front of a 50 or 100 watt tube amp through a 412, but most venues today would make you turn down or throw you out. If you can play loud at home and love tubes then they are awesome. Besides being able to dial in good sounds and any volume, modelers offer the advantage of offering an extensive amp and pedal collection. That can be a distraction, but once you get your base tones figured out usually 3-5 setups for most of us, you can forget about the rest until you feel adventurous or want to create some specific tone for a song you are learning. You can get great sounds out of a lower priced modeler as I learned from my POD HD500X. It took a lot of time to study and tweak to get those sounds though. I upgraded to the Helix mostly for the greatly simplified user interface and probably wouldn't have done that if I didn't see how quickly and easily my buddy was dialing in great tones on his Helix. The higher end units aim to be more intuitive but there is still not a 100 percent correlation to a tube amp so there is quite a learning curve even with higher end units.

Welcome to the digital dark side. Have fun dialing in the sounds you are looking for.

Congrats. I got to borrow a PR from a buddy, so got to play one for a while. It's a really killer little amp. I'm pretty much digital now, but my main amp model is the Fender Deluxe which is the closest thing in the Helix to that Princeton.

Hi Chris, Amp shopping is a journey that will likely lead you down many roads over a long period of time. I noticed your comment RE: Marshalls and I thought I'd throw out that "Marshall" covers a lot of territory. If you are looking in the price range of the Katana, I personally would take the Katana over any digital Marshall. It is an amp that could take you from bedroom to small bar gigs at an entry level price. There are other cool small amps int that price range if you don't also need something to deliver band volume. If you move up from the Katana price point. There is a big price jump to entry level Tube Marshalls (or other major name brands) like the Origin Series and then double plus some to get to amps some Marshall purists will tell you are the first "real Marshall". With any tube amp, including a Marshall, they sound best at full band volume and can be difficult to get the sound you want at more reasonable volume for solo practice at home. Many folks buy tube amps and are shocked at how loud they need to be to get that tube sound. I was a tube amp guy for many years, and keep a tube amp at our rehearsal space for use with my band at full volume. However, at home in my practice studio and out at gigs, I use a Helix Guitar processor through a PA monitor, as it sounds great at bedroom volume up to full band level (there is some tweaking involved between low volume and full blast). That said I know a mid-high range modeler like a Helix plus a monitor is not an entry level price point for most folks, but is in the price range with mid to high level tube amps but offers a lot of versatility for someone considering options in that price range and it includes dozens of amp models and hundreds of pedal models to help keep future GAS at bay. Thought I'd throw out some things to mull over as you do your research. Good luck.

Congrats! They get lots of love online. Blue Dog has one also. I considered the 100 watt to use for gigging in conjunction with my Helix plugged in through the FX loop I figured in the Helix died, I could resort to plugging in the front of the amp to save a gig. I decided to go with a Powerblock into a cab I already had, but it wouldn't be close to the versatility of the Katana if the Helix died on me.

That might make you miss out on the fun of having your band come in behind you and realizing you started the song way to fast and now you're gonna have to play it that way in front of people!

What most here have found is that getting into digital recording using a DAW and mic's is a learning curve just as steep as learning to play an instrument and can become just as gear intensive. Even doing a simple recording of acoustic and vocals through a DAW will require some learning, but if your goal is to eventually do high quality recordings of your playing, its the way to go. That said, I still wish I had gone with a Zoom/Tascam as my first recording solution rather than a DAW.

If you are an iPhone user, try the "Just Press Record" app. It will most likely suffice for what you want. If you want the capability to record at a higher quality but still a fairly simple setup/interface you can get a Zoom or Tascam portable recorder for around $100.

Congrats! That should inspire you keep on climbing!

Cool! I think you'll like it. EHX, Boss and MXR put out some really cool, reasonably price effects pedals. Just add gain a bit at a time and set the volume to be a little jump from your rhythm tone and you'll get it dialed in. Too much gain and/or too much volume boost are common issues trying to dial in a useable tone. FWIW, I have the EHX Soul Food but its not currently on my board, due to space considerations. The SF works best as a boost to put some hair on the amps tone and I among many don't love it at higher (still relatively low) gain settings. I got a deal on a used Wampler Euphoria and didn't have room for both as I would like. The SF is its own thing and I like it for cleaner stuff but the Wampler got the spot for now. If I ever rearrange my analog board, I'll take the amp switcher off it and make room for both the SF and the Euphoria. This is the downside of cutting and soldering your own custom length jumpers. It makes moving anything other than just a pedal swap more of a proposition.

Lots of folks in there I'd love to see, but the math doesn't work for me. Unless maybe I can convince them I need to be there for work......

I reckon Gilmour's Stats will bring way more than that and many of the most prized LP's have some sort of provenance as well but I get your point. I guess I never got the "collector" gene. Never could get into coins, stamps, sports cards, etc. so I guess its no surprise I never really think of my guitars in terms of a "collection" just various implements of enjoyment. Since I don't have the gene, I can't fathom the collector mentality.

Right. Was the difference worth $98,000 to $175,000.00 though?

Or you could buy a Helix for $1600 (or Helix LT for $1100) and have a Dumble-esqe model (Litigator) along with 59 other amps and several thousand dollars worth of pedal effects. JB might hear the difference, but I guarantee your audience won't and since most of us can't afford the real thing this is as close as most mortals will get.

Call me whatever you like, but if you pay $98,000 for an amp, you are the Dumbbell.

Great job Nutty and Texas! Nutty, great job writing lyrics that are lyrics and not a novella set to music. You followed Tom Pettys mantra, "Don't bore us, get to the Chorus".

Seems to be the missing link between "Guitar" and "Air Guitar".

Really? https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/musical-instruments/electric-guitars/circa-1995-tueffel-birdfish-blue-electric-guitar-serial-98/a/7206-85135.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Open-ThisAuction-120115

Wowza! That's exactly the model I would have chosen for myself. Love that Blonde look! Congrats!

Cool. I am pretty emotionally attached to tube amps so even though I have a really nice modeler that gives me access to ton of amp tones, I still sometimes jones for another tube amp. The Marshall Studio series (or more realistically for me, an Origin) and the Fender Princeton Reissues are constantly tempting. I think the Bassbreakers are designed to cover a lot of tones from those two.