Hi folks,
I am in a duo, sharing my Model II double bass system with my new music partner, a fellow guitarist-vocalist who plays both acoustic and electric at our gigs. I play two acoustic guitars. To date, he has cobbled together his gear pretty effectively, from amp to pedals, and run it to the analog in on the tower, with his vocal mic going to my T1.
We have acquired a second T1 so he can run everything through it en route to the analog in.
Any hints? His Traynor amp has an XLR out, so I am inclined to plug it directly into a channel, rather than miking it. He plays a Paul Reed Smith custom 22, which has its own T1 preset… but which isn’t nearly as interesting plugged direct as through an amp (perhaps a forgone conclusion…I am ignorant regarding electrics!).
Thanks for any thoughts. Of course, one day we’ll hope to have a second Model II array.
Mary
Well… Any direct connection to the T1 will benefit with some compression turned on. As far as the amp goes if he likes the sound direct out he could probably get a amp molder and leave the amp at home. When you go direct out you are only hearing the amp section anyway without benefit of the speaker. If it is a tube amp then that is a different beast altogether. It is something you and he have to experiment with. There are no easy answers and if you ask 10 guitar players you will get 10 different answers. Now you are even more confused right. 
Roy, thanks! No, not confused. Just clarified as to the issues involved. By amp molder you mean something like the Pod XT, right? That would be sooo much easier.
Yes any of those will work. Some have more bang for the buck. I use a Vox Tone Lab, but I am more often using just a tube screamer and a EQ pedal for volume boost. I use the compression and other effects on the T1. It depends on the gig.
As you are aware to us guitar players TONE is everything. It is hard to go from an amp to a modeler. It takes some adjustment and there will always be something missing. I haven’t played through a guitar amp in 15 years now. I am happy.
Thanks, I figured they might not all be equal. My bandmate is a superb player, awesome tone. A bit reluctant re modeler, but hates to haul the amp. I will definitely share your thoughts with him.
Much appreciated!
Hi Mary,
Great to hear from you. Sorry to be late to the party.
For your friend with Traynor Amp. (What model is it?) - I’m glad that he has his own T1® now.
If you run an XLR line out from the amp to the T1® this is probably the DI out that has the Traynor “DynaSound speakers compensated XLR direct output"¹ (depending on the model of Traynor amp this is). My example is taken from the Traynor YCS90 Custom Special
I would try these Presets:
Category: Electric Guitar
Presets: Miked Amp w/e609
Category: Electric Guitar
Presets: Miked Amp w/SM57
Category: Electric Guitar
Presets: PRS Custom 22
(this one may sound a bit bright when playing it solo, but it sits well in a mix).
Category: Electric Guitar
Presets: Flat, E. Guitar zEQ
If the amp does not have the speaker emulator then try this one that is meant to give you the same general frequency response as a 12” guitar speaker cabinet.
Category: Electric Guitar
Presets: General Direct
As a general note - it will take your time too - but I would audition the presets while you (Mary) are playing. Electric guitar sound can sound really reedy and thin when auditioning presets alone. This can be off-putting. But play that in a mix and it can be perfect. For years I would get the tone I wanted when I was alone at my place (nice and full, dark and moody) but when I got on stage with others, I got buried in the mix.
***
¹ DynaSound speakers compensated XLR direct output
quote:from Traynor Amps Product page:
Traynor’s new DynaSound direct output makes the amp sound much more like a mic’d cabinet for recording. DynaSound speaker simulation is on both the XLR direct line output and the stereo headphone for a more authentic headphone tone. A speaker defeat switch is provided for silent practice or silent direct recording.
Thanks, ST! (And hello, hello!) I will print this and take it to practice today. We’ll have to approximate; not really room in his rehearsal space for the tower. Friday is a low-volume gig so we’ll continue tweaking then.
I think Roy’s point is well-taken for those tired of hauling heavy amps, though! Just a matter of the extra cash for gear in these times!
Hi Mary,
I forgot to mention that most of the time when I’m playing electric I am using a modeller of sorts. (Roland VG-99 Virtual Guitar System) and I run this directly into my T1® - Category: Utility / Preset Flat.
A other times I run my electric guitars straight into the T1® using one of the Presets I mentioned above. (no modeller or amp in the signal chain). For me, this works well when playing in an acoustic-oriented setting with others playing acoustic guitar.
If I really really need that traditional tube amp thing going on, I have a little recording amp (3 watts with really nice speaker emulation) that I run direct into the T1®. I don’t bring it along very often because it is heavy.
But after all this rambling, I just wanted to say that most of the time I’m use a modeller. It may not be real, but it’s real-enough.
Yep, sounds like the way to go. we have plugged his PRS straight into the T1, but it just didn’t sound interesting enough. Gil plays a Martin D28 and gets tremendous tone and sustain with it… the electric is easier on the hands, and capable of so many interesting sounds for the eclectic array of Celtic-to-rock stuff we do.
I really like variety in instrumentation, get sort of bored when there’s one set of instruments/sounds playing number after number. As you recall, my old trio did this with 2-3 instruments each.
We are still working things out as we put our sound together. Things just take a bit more time and thought nowadays!
Thanks for all the good ideas, as usual! Much appreciated.
Hi Mary,
It’s not for everyone but it’s hard to beat a Roland VG-99 Virtual Guitar System for an eclectic array of sounds. This excels at non-traditional things. For example:
- Bottom two strings sound like a bass guitar plus an octave above (so you hear the regular guitar tone, bass guitar, and octave like a 12 string guitar)
PLUS
- Top four strings sound like themselves plus a 5th above
This setup sounds like a choir. It is incredible when I’m doing the solo singer-songwriter thing. I just do it on a couple of songs (never back-to-back)
It’s too much to do in a group with a Bassist but I would do it with a Drummer and a tasty lead guitarist.
I have also done this when accompanying others. You have to be of the mindset to play Bass on the bottom two strings and approach the top four strings sparingly. This is is not for strumming.
I’m just mentioning this as an example of the wide range of things you can do when you get into the virtual guitar world.
These systems aren’t cheap, but they are much less than the price of a Martin or PRS Custom 22. For me it can be the difference between bringing one guitar or many many more.