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Thread: Where to go from here?

  1. #1
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Where to go from here?

    As indicated in a previous thread I am like a fish out of water in the world of electrics. I now have a very nice playing Mid-Missouri em8 solid body and a Fishman Loud Box amp.
    So now what? I have been following this sub title of the Cafe Forum for a few months now and couldn't feel more in the dark than I do.
    Suggestions for equipment I need to enhance my electric experience without mortgaging the house sought. I know it cost money to go to school but I do want to avoid costly purchasing errors on equipment that I do not need. So, where do I begin this journey now? Suggestions for "must have" equipment greatly appreciated and what the new gadget would offer to my electric experience.
    Bill
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
    Kentucky KM-950
    Weber Gallatin A Mandola "D hole"
    Rogue 100A (current campfire tool & emergency canoe paddle)

  2. #2
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
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    Default Re: Where to go from here?

    What is your goal? If you want an electric but mainly clean tone, perhaps like 12-string guitars by the Byrds or Tom Petty, you will want a pedal that will clip the peaks very slightly, not noticeably, as tube amps do when played sort of loud. i think this is usually called "overdrive". Even with settings so mild you can't hear any clipping distortion the effect is still giving you the different attack and tone. Compression pedals can trim peaks but sound less musical to my ears.

    If you want a dark jazzy tone the same pedal is useful but extra tone shaping from an EQ pedal is good idea. I cut midrange (~1K Hz) a lot when using overdrive, as emandos are typically too strong in that range. Cutting this band lets you hear the more interesting highs and sweeter lows. Boss EQ pedals are good, and I like the MXR 6-band EQ pedal for its much lower noise level. Neither pedal is terribly expensive, but between the two you would likely spend a couple hundred or more.

    The Loudbox is good amp but its tone is optimized for acoustic, so extra tone shaping and peak smoothing would be the way to go. Another option is a "modeling" amp that has software that yields various guitar-amp tones. Others here are familiar with those. I prefer tone shaping before the amp.

    Most of my emando clips and tracks are on my 10-string and are done using an analog overdrive pedal. The CD tracks were straight into the recording board, no mic or amp.

    Good luck, finding the voice of an electric instrument is a journey.
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  3. #3
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Re: Where to go from here?

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Wright View Post
    What is your goal? If you want an electric but mainly clean tone, perhaps like 12-string guitars by the Byrds or Tom Petty, you will want a pedal that will clip the peaks very slightly, not noticeably, as tube amps do when played sort of loud. i think this is usually called "overdrive". Even with settings so mild you can't hear any clipping distortion the effect is still giving you the different attack and tone. Compression pedals can trim peaks but sound less musical to my ears.

    If you want a dark jazzy tone the same pedal is useful but extra tone shaping from an EQ pedal is good idea. I cut midrange (~1K Hz) a lot when using overdrive, as emandos are typically too strong in that range. Cutting this band lets you hear the more interesting highs and sweeter lows. Boss EQ pedals are good, and I like the MXR 6-band EQ pedal for its much lower noise level. Neither pedal is terribly expensive, but between the two you would likely spend a couple hundred or more.

    The Loudbox is good amp but its tone is optimized for acoustic.
    Tom, thank you for your thoughtful response.

    I do like a clean tone. Most of the music I have been playing of late is of the classic country honkytonk variety, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, and such and my intended use for the em8.
    I don't know enough about what I'm asking for to ask the correct questions. Thank you for your response and provides me with starting point prior to me opening my wallet.
    Some of what you said registers in my old brain and some does not. Hopefully I will soon know what I am looking for and the most cost effective way to accomplish what I am looking for.
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
    Kentucky KM-950
    Weber Gallatin A Mandola "D hole"
    Rogue 100A (current campfire tool & emergency canoe paddle)

  4. #4
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Where to go from here?

    Hi Bill,

    Where to go from here really depends on what you want to do with the EM8.

    My advice is to get a Line6 POD 2.0 off ebay or Reverb. They're cheap and they will allow you play with a lot of different types of amp and speaker cabinet emulations. (They're not perfect, but they're in the ball park.) The POD 2.0 also has a few effects built in, like chorus, delay, tremolo, etc.

    You can run it out to your Loudbox, using the Loudbox as a powered speaker. From there you can make good choices about what kinds of effects you like.

    Enjoy the search!
    Daniel

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