Essential gear for rock/metal?

[Greg Ellis]

I'm heading into a reunion jam in a couple of weeks, with some guys I played with many, many years ago.

Over those intervening years I've let most of my gear go. I spend most of my practise time on a toneport system these days.

I'd like to get some opinions on the essentials. Which items do you consider a bare minimum for a happy jam?

We're using a fully equipped space - there should be a few tube heads with 4x12 cabs and maybe a Fender combo or similar.

The musical styles are primarily late 70's and early 80's rock and metal (Priest, Scorpions, Maiden, Sabbath, Dio, Rainbow, AC/DC, etc.) with some Zeppelin, Purple, Bad Co., and maybe even CSNY thrown in.

Here's what I'm thinking - any opinions?:

Noise Gate
Boost for Leads/maybe with EQ?

Chorus
Delay
Flanger or Phase Shifter

Am I missing anything critical? Is there something here that's less than critical?

And finally - any ideas on how I might get my hands on this stuff without spending a pile of money?

[mhammer]

From your description, "roadworthiness" is not an essential characteristic. With that in mind, people have had very good things to say about the various "FAB" series pedals from Danelectro. They look cheap. They ARE cheap. You could pick up an Overdrive, Metal, Chorus and Flanger for under $100. The Echo is a single preset delay but can be easily modded to give the same delay time as an old Memory Man. That's a little more involved than you probably want to get.

The other route is to simply score yourself one of the little digital multi-FX from Zoom. Those can often be gotten for $80 or less and pack everything. Not always the best version of each of the effects, but its inexpensive and there's no patch cords to worry about.

[Hamm Guitars]

I would bring some type of distortion/overdrive, and maybe a chorus and that would be it.

It might not be a bad idea to see if you can find out what type of amp you'll have in the rehersal space, some places will let you make a request from what they have if you ask real nice.

Like mhammer has suggested the Fab line are pretty good for what you pay for them. I have the chorus and the delay, but for your purposes, I wouldn't recomend the delay.

I wouldn't suggest dropping allot of money on gear for a reunion jam, just take what you need to have a good time - all the money that you don't waste on gear can be used for beer or whatever your intoxicant of choice might be.

[Mooh]

Beg, borrow, or rent a multi-effects unit to help you decide. Use it once or twice to help you eliminate what you don't need.

Peace, Mooh.

[suttree]

a fan to blow back your hair. spandex. lighters. an armadillo in your trousers.

[suttree]

on the serious side. rent a multi-effects unit. L&M will happily do this if someone closer will not. most of the time, they'll refund the rental towards purchasing the gear, if it's a short time.

[RIFF WRATH]

Ya, and don't forget a few groupies...
cheers
RIFF

[Greg Ellis]

Beg, borrow, or rent a multi-effects unit to help you decide. Use it once or twice to help you eliminate what you don't need.

Yeah, good idea. I don't need a multi-FX though; I've been using my Toneport GX & the Gearbox software to work through this and whittle-down the list.

Assuming the amp sounds good, and has reverb, I don't need a whole lot.

I've already got a tuner and a distortion pedal (hope I don't need it) and a Cry Baby Wah that's currently dead but hopefully just needs a bit of attention.

Mostly I'd like something to kick me up over the mix for solos - maybe an EQ pedal with a level control. I used a Boss GE-7 for this, years ago. Has anyone tried the Behringer EQ700? It's like $30 or something.

I'd also like a delay (~400-500ms should work) for stuff like "Mistreated" and to double as a Chorus.

A Flanger would be nice for some quiet intros and stuff like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" etc. The Danelectro FAB Flange might work, if it can do that slow rise and fall thing - has anyone tried one? $20 seems like a bargain.

Does L&M rent out individual pedals?

I'd just borrow this stuff, but so far I'm coming up empty. It sucks being out of the scene for so long.

[Mooh]

Greg...I'd loan you stuff but you're too far away.

For a lead boost I currently use an MXR Boost/Line Driver, but often have used a Boss EQ, and a Marshall ED1 Compressor (Edward The Compressor). I really like the MXR.

The CryBaby brand is on a lot of different wahs, most of them good. It's what I started on, and have come back to after other wahs.

Your other choices sound good to me.

Peace, Mooh.

[Vincent]

That Danelectro Fab Flange doesnt sound very good to me...if you listen to the sound clip it sounds more like the thing has gas than an actual flange.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Danelectro-Fab-Flange?sku=151846

This flange sounds a bit better for about $10 more

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Danelectro-DJ8-Hash-Browns-Flanger-Pedal?sku=151867

Of course if you had $200 to burn you could get the MXR Flanger which is the pedal I want but dont have the cash to buy it right now.

Rock This Sound
http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=262&pmh=products/p_and_e_detail

[Greg Ellis]

Yeah, the MXR stuff looks amazing - Phase 90 (or Phase 100), the Flangers, the 10-band EQ - all totally wicked.

WAY out of my price range of course.

I'll see if I can find a convenient shop to test drive the cheap stuff.

I saw that Danelectro has a 7-band EQ as well. From what I've read, the only real complaint is about the switch.

Vincent - I actually laughed out loud when I heard that farty FAB flange clip. Maybe they should change the name to "Flab Flange"?

:)

You would think they'd put something a little nicer up for advertising. Unless it's true, and that's as good as it gets.

[mhammer]

I find a lot of posted soundfiles wanting. Sometimes the sound quality is simply poor. Sometimes the poster is more interested in showing off what they can do than what the pedal/product can do. Sometimes the clips posted only demonstrate a very small, and unrepresentative portion, of what the device can do. Sometimes, it's impossible to tell what portion of what you are hearing is the device in question, and what portion is some other product or unusual combination of products. Some of the most useful clips to be found are those at Tone Frenzy or at modezero.com. While those sites are useful and have a big selection, they won't have all the things you want to be able to compare.

[Greg Ellis]

Sure, but the clip in question was posted on the product-specific page of an e-tailer site, presumably by the manufacturer of the device. That's what makes it funny.

[mhammer]

It happens all too frequently. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to get the nod for the Beta Test team for the Line 6 Tone Core pedals, and was also fortunate enough to receive pretty much all of the pedals to tinker with and enjoy. As hard as they tried (and they tried harder than many), I don't find any of the posted soundfiles on the Line 6 website particularly illustrative of what some of the pedals can actually do. Again, it's not their unique sin.

Personally, I think the best thing to do is to simply try the pedals out at a retailer. Hopefully, with some knowledgeable staff. That second part may be the harder one.

[Greg Ellis]

<grin>

Cooperative and helpful staff would do, for me.

I have a fairly good idea of what sorts of sounds I'd like to be able to make.

I'll try Cosmo on Yonge St in Richmond Hill - that's on my way home from work.

BTW, what was your general impression of the Line 6 pedals?

[mhammer]

<grin>
BTW, what was your general impression of the Line 6 pedals?
1) I thought/think the personality module idea is brilliant. (You do know those plastic modules can be swapped out?)

2) I do not like the two-switches-under-one-treadle thing, but I understand the desire for smaller footprint on an already glutted pedalboard.

3) The sound quality is great to my ears, but we have a ways to go in terms of using multiple digital pedals with wallwarts.

4) The stereo aspects of the Tone Cores are extremely powerful things that few people realize have as much potential as they do. The Liqui-Flkange or Roto-machine into two amps is a thing of rare beauty.

5) Glad I don't have to cart them around to a gig.

[Budda]

for metal:

OPTIONAL: delay, reverb

NECESSARY. quality high gain tone. bust out the halfstack!

[ne1roc]

Darn......................Suttree beat me to the spandex recommendation. :mad:

[Greg Ellis]

Darn......................Suttree beat me to the spandex recommendation. :mad:

Heh...

I think I've still got some spandex, packed away somewhere in the garage, with my tiger-stripe bandanas. Seriously.

Not that anyone would want to see my dressed up like that these days...

Well maybe the wife.

Er... no, not even her!

:lol:

[Universe]

Good tube head/cab + gmajor + fcb1010.

[ENDITOL]

Sounds like you've pretty much got it covered. A wah maybe as well...