The Gear we use to do what we do!
Gibson 2008 Les PAul Standard-HCs
On the Gibson website it says that this is "The world's most legendary guitar" and I have to agree. This is a thing of beauty both in terms of looks and sounds.
This is the 2008 Standard Les Paul in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. It has a chambered solid mahogany body with a maple top. The chambering in the body is to reduce weight without impacting the sustain. Early Les Paul's were notoriously heavy, but this weight and solidity delivered beautiful sustain. This new model still has that sustain but with some weight relief.
It has a asymmetrical mahogany neck which means it is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble side which more closely mimics the shape of your hand when gripping it. The final shaping and sanding is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.
It has a rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium/jumbo 'Pleked' frets. 'Plek' refers to the automated process Gibson use for the final dressing of the frets.
This guitar is fitted Burstbucker Pro pickups, designed specifically for the new Les Paul Standards. The Burstbucker Pro features an Alnico V magnet (instead of the Alnico II), which offers slightly higher output and allows preamps to be driven a little harder to achieve a more natural break-up. Like all Burstbuckers, the Burstbucker Pro has asymmetrical coils—true to the original PAFs—which supply a more open sound. The Burstbucker Pro Neck is wound slightly less than the original PAFs, while the Burstbucker Pro Bridge is slightly overwound for increased output. The Burstbucker Pro pickups are also wax potted to allow loud volume pressures with minimal feedback.
It is fitted with a Tune-o-matic bridge which was designed by Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954, and sets the standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered.
This 2008 Les Paul Standard sports a revolutionary enlarged neck tenon. The expanded neck tenon features an innovative interlocking joint that allows the neck to be dropped into the body from the guitar’s top side, as opposed to sliding the neck in from the rim. When the glue is added, a solid unyielding bond is created that maximizes the wood to wood contact between the neck and the body, offering increased stability and superb transfer of vibration for enhanced tone, improved sustain, and superior resonance. It is also the largest neck tenon in the history of the Les Paul.
I have had this guitar modified. I have had the standard nut replaced with an Earvana compensated nut. This helps with the issues I had with intonation when playing chords in the first position by introducing a more even temperment across the strings. For a more detailed explanation of how this works see here http://www.earvana.com/technology2.htm
Because the Les Paul has a slightly shorter scale length of 24 and 3/4 inches I prefer a slightly thicker string as I think it improves tuning stability and tone without being to hard to bend. I find myself alternating between the D'Addario EXL115 (11-49) Nickel Wound Blues/Jazz Rock strings and the D'Addario EXL116 (11-52) Nickel Wound Medium Top/Heavy Bottom strings, the later are particularly good from drop D tuning.
This is the 2008 Standard Les Paul in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. It has a chambered solid mahogany body with a maple top. The chambering in the body is to reduce weight without impacting the sustain. Early Les Paul's were notoriously heavy, but this weight and solidity delivered beautiful sustain. This new model still has that sustain but with some weight relief.
It has a asymmetrical mahogany neck which means it is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble side which more closely mimics the shape of your hand when gripping it. The final shaping and sanding is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.
It has a rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium/jumbo 'Pleked' frets. 'Plek' refers to the automated process Gibson use for the final dressing of the frets.
This guitar is fitted Burstbucker Pro pickups, designed specifically for the new Les Paul Standards. The Burstbucker Pro features an Alnico V magnet (instead of the Alnico II), which offers slightly higher output and allows preamps to be driven a little harder to achieve a more natural break-up. Like all Burstbuckers, the Burstbucker Pro has asymmetrical coils—true to the original PAFs—which supply a more open sound. The Burstbucker Pro Neck is wound slightly less than the original PAFs, while the Burstbucker Pro Bridge is slightly overwound for increased output. The Burstbucker Pro pickups are also wax potted to allow loud volume pressures with minimal feedback.
It is fitted with a Tune-o-matic bridge which was designed by Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954, and sets the standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered.
This 2008 Les Paul Standard sports a revolutionary enlarged neck tenon. The expanded neck tenon features an innovative interlocking joint that allows the neck to be dropped into the body from the guitar’s top side, as opposed to sliding the neck in from the rim. When the glue is added, a solid unyielding bond is created that maximizes the wood to wood contact between the neck and the body, offering increased stability and superb transfer of vibration for enhanced tone, improved sustain, and superior resonance. It is also the largest neck tenon in the history of the Les Paul.
I have had this guitar modified. I have had the standard nut replaced with an Earvana compensated nut. This helps with the issues I had with intonation when playing chords in the first position by introducing a more even temperment across the strings. For a more detailed explanation of how this works see here http://www.earvana.com/technology2.htm
Because the Les Paul has a slightly shorter scale length of 24 and 3/4 inches I prefer a slightly thicker string as I think it improves tuning stability and tone without being to hard to bend. I find myself alternating between the D'Addario EXL115 (11-49) Nickel Wound Blues/Jazz Rock strings and the D'Addario EXL116 (11-52) Nickel Wound Medium Top/Heavy Bottom strings, the later are particularly good from drop D tuning.
Below (left) is probably the reason I bought a Les Paul... The greatest riff ever, played on the greatest guitar ever.
|
|
Ibanez Premium SR1200-VNF
Oh look at this baby! It is absolutely gorgeous.
I brought the Ibanez Premium SR1200-VNF as I felt I needed a bass which had a bit more of a modern sound and with the flexibility to change tones for all the various styles we cover. This bass comes with the EQB-IIISC 3-band EQ, with mid frequency switch and an EQ bypass switch which gives you a lot of possibilities in tone shaping.
It has a mahogany body with an Ovangol top. Ovangol is a darker wood that the more usually used maple and give the bass a darker, deeper, rounder tone. I am a sucker for natural wood guitars and this one is a beauty.
It is fitted with Nordstrand™ "Big Single" pickups which produce a full-bodied, powerful, aggressive total texture, while still retaining the clarity of single coil. You can definitely hear the difference between this bass and the Guild with the Ibanez having more punch and body than the warmer sounding Guild. It has been described as a “Jazz bass on steroids.” The key to this pickup design is turning traditional Jazz bass pole pieces at a 45-degree angle, allowing a wider pickup with more wire.
It is also fitted with a mono rail IV bridge. This is basically one separate bridge for each string rather than having them as one piece. This type of bridge allows each string to vibrate fully with no interference from the other strings. It also has just one screw to adjust each unit’s string height—so no worrying about having less-than-even saddle to plate contact.
I have fitted D'Addario EPS165 XL Pro Steel strings to this bass EPS165 is a popular D'Addario hybrid bass set combining the high strings from an EPS170 (.45 and .65) with the low strings from an EPS160 (.85 and .105). This set is optimal for the ideal combination of biting high end, punchy lows and super long life. A specialized steel alloy delivers a harmonically rich, brilliant high-end coupled with deep, tight lows that work in tandem to create the coveted "Piano tone"
Overall this is a sleek, light, modern-looking bass with flash and style with an on-board EQ which allows for plenty of tonal variation, oh and it looks great too!
I brought the Ibanez Premium SR1200-VNF as I felt I needed a bass which had a bit more of a modern sound and with the flexibility to change tones for all the various styles we cover. This bass comes with the EQB-IIISC 3-band EQ, with mid frequency switch and an EQ bypass switch which gives you a lot of possibilities in tone shaping.
It has a mahogany body with an Ovangol top. Ovangol is a darker wood that the more usually used maple and give the bass a darker, deeper, rounder tone. I am a sucker for natural wood guitars and this one is a beauty.
It is fitted with Nordstrand™ "Big Single" pickups which produce a full-bodied, powerful, aggressive total texture, while still retaining the clarity of single coil. You can definitely hear the difference between this bass and the Guild with the Ibanez having more punch and body than the warmer sounding Guild. It has been described as a “Jazz bass on steroids.” The key to this pickup design is turning traditional Jazz bass pole pieces at a 45-degree angle, allowing a wider pickup with more wire.
It is also fitted with a mono rail IV bridge. This is basically one separate bridge for each string rather than having them as one piece. This type of bridge allows each string to vibrate fully with no interference from the other strings. It also has just one screw to adjust each unit’s string height—so no worrying about having less-than-even saddle to plate contact.
I have fitted D'Addario EPS165 XL Pro Steel strings to this bass EPS165 is a popular D'Addario hybrid bass set combining the high strings from an EPS170 (.45 and .65) with the low strings from an EPS160 (.85 and .105). This set is optimal for the ideal combination of biting high end, punchy lows and super long life. A specialized steel alloy delivers a harmonically rich, brilliant high-end coupled with deep, tight lows that work in tandem to create the coveted "Piano tone"
Overall this is a sleek, light, modern-looking bass with flash and style with an on-board EQ which allows for plenty of tonal variation, oh and it looks great too!
Crafter GAE15/N
I fell in love with the sound of this guitar when I went to Holiday Music to look at their selection. They left me alone in their first floor acoustic guitar suite for hours so I could play around with everything they had to offer. I had tried all the guitars in my price range and had finally settled on one, but I saw this one hanging on the wall and thought it looked nice as it was a darker colour that all the others. I plucked it off the wall and gave it a strum and was amazed at the warmth of the tone it gave, far better I felt than all the other I had tried and some which were three times higher that my price range. Now here was the kicker, it didn't have a price on it. I was sure it was going to be way, way out of my range. I asked the assistant what the price was and was gobsmacked to find out that I could afford it. Needless to say I paid them straight away and it was back home before you could say "Bob's your uncle"
This is a Grand Auditorium cutaway electro acoustic style guitar which has rounded shape that's good for both finger picking and strumming. I find this shape more comfortable because of the narrower 'waist' than what you get on a dreadnought.
It has a solid cedar top rather than the more usual spruce. Cedar is a softer wood than spruce, which produces that warm, mellow, 'earthy' tone I fell in love with. Traditionally cedar has been used for many years on the soundboards of classical guitars.
It has Dao wood back and sides. Dao is a chinese wood, with a deep brown colouration and a remarkably straight grain. Again this produces a warm tone with plenty of bass and midrange.
The neck is mahogany with an Indian rosewood fingerboard with wooded snowdrop inlays with 21 frets.
The electronics fitted are the LR-T RX (LCD Tuner) Preamp with L.R.Baggs Element Pick-up.
Currently I have strung this with D'Addario EXP11 (12-53) coated 80/20 bronze strings.
This is a Grand Auditorium cutaway electro acoustic style guitar which has rounded shape that's good for both finger picking and strumming. I find this shape more comfortable because of the narrower 'waist' than what you get on a dreadnought.
It has a solid cedar top rather than the more usual spruce. Cedar is a softer wood than spruce, which produces that warm, mellow, 'earthy' tone I fell in love with. Traditionally cedar has been used for many years on the soundboards of classical guitars.
It has Dao wood back and sides. Dao is a chinese wood, with a deep brown colouration and a remarkably straight grain. Again this produces a warm tone with plenty of bass and midrange.
The neck is mahogany with an Indian rosewood fingerboard with wooded snowdrop inlays with 21 frets.
The electronics fitted are the LR-T RX (LCD Tuner) Preamp with L.R.Baggs Element Pick-up.
Currently I have strung this with D'Addario EXP11 (12-53) coated 80/20 bronze strings.
Guild B-302
I bought this bass second hand back in 1984, back then it was only seven years old having been made in 1977 (I was later able to confirm its age by checking the serial number against a Guild database). Mine is in almost perfect condition and still has it's original case. These are considered vintage guitars now and can sell for up to £1,000. Not bad for a bass I paid less than £100 for!
The Guild B-302 is the two pickup version of the B-301 bass, and companion model to the S-300 guitar. The all mahogany B-302 first appeared on Guild price lists in late 1976, with the ash and maple version appearing in just under a year later. Mine has a solid mahogany body, it is long scale (34 inches), with a 3-piece mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and 20 frets. The pickups are Guild single coil units in black covers with two pole pieces per string.
The B-302 has a bit of reputation for neck dive (where the neck tends to want to drop down when you are wearing a strap) and I would say I have seen this myself, the neck is chunky and therefore heavy too, in fact the whole guitar is a bit of a beast weight wise as it is solid mahogany.
I have fitted these with Rotosound RS66LF Stainless Steel (45-105) strings.There were two reasons for doing this,
1) Because they sound great.
2) They are the most popular Roundwound bass string ever. Rotosound were the first string company to produce this kind of string back in 1962 and it changed the sound of the instrument instantly, so it seemed apt to fit them to this vintage guitar.
I love this guitar, probably because it was the first real guitar I ever owned, it has a lovely old school 70's sound, but does have some flexibility for other styles of music too. I used this guitar for 27 years and it never let me down, it was only this year when I bought the Ibanez SR-1200 that I let this one have a bit of a rest. I still use it though if we cover songs where it's special tone fits in, such as "The Boys are Back In Town" which we covered recently.
The Guild B-302 is the two pickup version of the B-301 bass, and companion model to the S-300 guitar. The all mahogany B-302 first appeared on Guild price lists in late 1976, with the ash and maple version appearing in just under a year later. Mine has a solid mahogany body, it is long scale (34 inches), with a 3-piece mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and 20 frets. The pickups are Guild single coil units in black covers with two pole pieces per string.
The B-302 has a bit of reputation for neck dive (where the neck tends to want to drop down when you are wearing a strap) and I would say I have seen this myself, the neck is chunky and therefore heavy too, in fact the whole guitar is a bit of a beast weight wise as it is solid mahogany.
I have fitted these with Rotosound RS66LF Stainless Steel (45-105) strings.There were two reasons for doing this,
1) Because they sound great.
2) They are the most popular Roundwound bass string ever. Rotosound were the first string company to produce this kind of string back in 1962 and it changed the sound of the instrument instantly, so it seemed apt to fit them to this vintage guitar.
I love this guitar, probably because it was the first real guitar I ever owned, it has a lovely old school 70's sound, but does have some flexibility for other styles of music too. I used this guitar for 27 years and it never let me down, it was only this year when I bought the Ibanez SR-1200 that I let this one have a bit of a rest. I still use it though if we cover songs where it's special tone fits in, such as "The Boys are Back In Town" which we covered recently.
Guild B-301 Fretless
This is the single pickup version of my B-302 described above, however this was originally a standard fretted bass, but has, at some stage, been converted to a fretless bass. You can tell this is a conversion as it still has fret markers in the fretboard, whereas a standard Guild fretless from this era would not have these. I was able to confirm via the serial number that this bass was made in 1978.
I saw this in the window of a guitar shop as I was passing by one day and couldn't resist buying it. One; because I didn't have a fretless bass and two; it was Guild the same as my other bass an so I would have a matching pair, although the first is in cherry and this is in white (now aged down to cream). It has had a bit of a hard life before I got it and has some chips out of the paint and a cigarette burn on it too. Still it is in a better home now!
I have fitted this bass with Thomastik Jazz Bass JF344 long scale 34" medium flatwound (43-100) strings. Flatwound strings have a very different response than roundwound strings and can be described as having sound characteristics very similar to the double bass. You can here this in the track "Johnny Got Boom Boom" where I used this guitar to mimic the sound of the double bass in the original recording.
I used to really dislike the fact that this had yellowed with age, but gradually I came to realise that it actually was a good thing, like the ageing of a fine wine. I wouldn't change it now, even if I could.
I saw this in the window of a guitar shop as I was passing by one day and couldn't resist buying it. One; because I didn't have a fretless bass and two; it was Guild the same as my other bass an so I would have a matching pair, although the first is in cherry and this is in white (now aged down to cream). It has had a bit of a hard life before I got it and has some chips out of the paint and a cigarette burn on it too. Still it is in a better home now!
I have fitted this bass with Thomastik Jazz Bass JF344 long scale 34" medium flatwound (43-100) strings. Flatwound strings have a very different response than roundwound strings and can be described as having sound characteristics very similar to the double bass. You can here this in the track "Johnny Got Boom Boom" where I used this guitar to mimic the sound of the double bass in the original recording.
I used to really dislike the fact that this had yellowed with age, but gradually I came to realise that it actually was a good thing, like the ageing of a fine wine. I wouldn't change it now, even if I could.
Ibanez RGA-32
This was the first proper six string I brought having been playing for years with an old Kramer guitar a mate gave me which looked more like Frankenstein's Monster than a guitar as it had been modded so much. Again another natural wood guitar, yes, I am a sucker for natural wood finishes.
The A in the RGA moniker means this guitar has an arched top design which effectively positions the strumming/picking hand optimally for anything from fast riffing to power chords. It is a very slim guitar and is very easy to play.
The body is again solid mahogany and is finished really simply with just an natural oil finish. I think it looks great.
It is fitted with a Wizard III Maple neck. Ibanez's thin, flat, and fast, yet strong and sturdy, Wizard neck offers unlimited playability and features a two-octave 24-jumbo fret fret board for wide tonal range. This is a super slim neck really suited well to fast playing and shredding.
This guitar has the Ibanez original CAP-LZ10/20 active pickups which deliver an aggressive tone, while minimizing the noise, even when played with a high gain setting. The CAP-LZ pickups cover very wide range, and offer powerful, rich mid-tones. Active pickups means they need a battery to work as opposed to passive pickups which don't.
It is fitted with a Gibraltar bridge. The Gibraltar Standard is a simple fixed bridge that was designed to unify with the guitar's body and provide optimal transfer of each string's vibration. The smooth surface is designed to maximize playing comfort. I didn't want a tremolo system fitted as I don't really use it that much and they can introduce some tuning instability, so I opted for the fixed bridge instead.
At the moment I have this fitted with D'Addario EXL148 Nickel Wound, Extra-Heavy, 12-60 strings. These strings are super thick and optimised for drop C tuning. I had to use these for recording Psychosocial as this is in drop A.
All in all this is a lovely guitar for the price (they sell for £279 these days), but is not a patch on the Les Paul.
The A in the RGA moniker means this guitar has an arched top design which effectively positions the strumming/picking hand optimally for anything from fast riffing to power chords. It is a very slim guitar and is very easy to play.
The body is again solid mahogany and is finished really simply with just an natural oil finish. I think it looks great.
It is fitted with a Wizard III Maple neck. Ibanez's thin, flat, and fast, yet strong and sturdy, Wizard neck offers unlimited playability and features a two-octave 24-jumbo fret fret board for wide tonal range. This is a super slim neck really suited well to fast playing and shredding.
This guitar has the Ibanez original CAP-LZ10/20 active pickups which deliver an aggressive tone, while minimizing the noise, even when played with a high gain setting. The CAP-LZ pickups cover very wide range, and offer powerful, rich mid-tones. Active pickups means they need a battery to work as opposed to passive pickups which don't.
It is fitted with a Gibraltar bridge. The Gibraltar Standard is a simple fixed bridge that was designed to unify with the guitar's body and provide optimal transfer of each string's vibration. The smooth surface is designed to maximize playing comfort. I didn't want a tremolo system fitted as I don't really use it that much and they can introduce some tuning instability, so I opted for the fixed bridge instead.
At the moment I have this fitted with D'Addario EXL148 Nickel Wound, Extra-Heavy, 12-60 strings. These strings are super thick and optimised for drop C tuning. I had to use these for recording Psychosocial as this is in drop A.
All in all this is a lovely guitar for the price (they sell for £279 these days), but is not a patch on the Les Paul.
Alesis DM10 Studio Electronic Drum Kit
We use the Alesis DM10 Studio Electronic Drum Kit which is a professional six-piece electronic drum set with the High Definition DM10 Drum Module with Dynamic Articulation. We use this instead of a real drum kit for a number of reasons, but the main two are; 1- it is a hell of a lot easier to record and 2- we do have some sympathy for the neighbours.
The Alesis DM10 kit features a RealHead 10" snare, four 8" toms – dual-zone – dual layer pads with real heads. The dual-zone pads feature real mylar drumheads and real triple-flanged counterhoops. The snare and tom pads are dual zone, enabling us to perform rimshots, rim clicks or assign other sounds such as wind chimes, cymbals, gongs and cowbells on the tom rims.The DM10 Module has 12 trigger inputs, built-in mixer for balancing drums, cymbals, and accompaniment and also a premium instrument library with over 1,000 multi-sampled, uncompressed sounds.
The DM10 Studio Kit includes a set of four low-noise DMPad Cymbals. The kit includes a DMPad Hi-Hat, a DMPad Crash with choke, and a triple-zone DMPad Ride with choke, and a DMPad Cymbal.
The drum samples include some of the most in-demand acoustic drum sounds from legendary drum brands, a huge arsenal of top producers' go-to snare drums, real American, Canadian, Chinese, and Turkish cymbals, and a choice selection of classic drum machine and electronic percussion sounds. Multiple dynamic-level samples and articulations are all built in so as you play harder and softer, the drum or cymbal changes its timbre, not just its volume.
For practicing this kit is great but we don't tend to record the sounds that come with this kit, but rather use it to record a live midi track which we then use to trigger sounds from Toontrack's EZdrummer. EZdrummer is an acoustic drum sampler and the drums were recorded, produced and played with the best in the business and so sound very realistic and add to that the flexibility of multiple kits we find it is the best solution for us. Check out the clip below to see it in action.
The Alesis DM10 kit features a RealHead 10" snare, four 8" toms – dual-zone – dual layer pads with real heads. The dual-zone pads feature real mylar drumheads and real triple-flanged counterhoops. The snare and tom pads are dual zone, enabling us to perform rimshots, rim clicks or assign other sounds such as wind chimes, cymbals, gongs and cowbells on the tom rims.The DM10 Module has 12 trigger inputs, built-in mixer for balancing drums, cymbals, and accompaniment and also a premium instrument library with over 1,000 multi-sampled, uncompressed sounds.
The DM10 Studio Kit includes a set of four low-noise DMPad Cymbals. The kit includes a DMPad Hi-Hat, a DMPad Crash with choke, and a triple-zone DMPad Ride with choke, and a DMPad Cymbal.
The drum samples include some of the most in-demand acoustic drum sounds from legendary drum brands, a huge arsenal of top producers' go-to snare drums, real American, Canadian, Chinese, and Turkish cymbals, and a choice selection of classic drum machine and electronic percussion sounds. Multiple dynamic-level samples and articulations are all built in so as you play harder and softer, the drum or cymbal changes its timbre, not just its volume.
For practicing this kit is great but we don't tend to record the sounds that come with this kit, but rather use it to record a live midi track which we then use to trigger sounds from Toontrack's EZdrummer. EZdrummer is an acoustic drum sampler and the drums were recorded, produced and played with the best in the business and so sound very realistic and add to that the flexibility of multiple kits we find it is the best solution for us. Check out the clip below to see it in action.
line 6 spider iv 75 watt amp, amp modeller and effects unit
My go to amp is the Line 6 Spider IV 75 Watt. I love for it's ease of dialling into the type of sound you are looking for very easily. It has over 300 signature guitar tones masterfully dialled in by 50 world-famous bands and rock stars including Slipknot, 311, Meshuggah, Lacuna Coil, As I Lay Dying, Johnny Marr, the Donnas, Steve Stevens, Minus the Bear, producer/guitarist Pete Anderson and many others!
Plus, it then has almost 200 dialled in song-based presets that give you access to legendary guitar tones from the vibey rockabilly slapback of the 50s to the mid-range mayhem of today. Tones include Master of Puppets, Back in Black, Whole Lotta Love, Daytripper, Toxicity, Purple Haze, Head Like a Hole, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Crazy Train and more!
And then there are all the vintage and modern amp tones you want too. Spinning the amp model knob on the front panel of Spider IV 75 is like browsing through a museum of the most revered guitar tones of all time. Vintage British beauties, modern American monsters and more, Spider IV 75 features the 16 celebrated amp tones that all guitarists want in their collections. Play with sparkling clean tones based on a 1973 Hiwatt Custom 100, syrupy smooth drive tones based on a mix of a '65 Marshall JTM-45, a '58 Fender Bassman and a '63 Fender Vibroverb, British pop/rock tones based on a fawn Vox AC-30, high-gain onslaughts based on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and a Diezel Herbert, the Class A crunch based on a Divided by 13 9/15, the classic Class A breakup based on an Orange AD-30, and more!
Once you get past that lot then you have an instant collection of essential effects. At your fingertips are 20 brilliant models of sought-after stompbox and studio effects. You can quickly add gorgeous colours and textures to your tones with the easy-to-use Smart FX swish knobs. FX include the inspiring analog and digital delays, spacey tape and sweep echoes, tangy mods, lush spring and plate reverbs and more. You can use up to four effects simultaneously and each one can be fully edited and customized with control over signal flow routing (pre amp or post amp).
If you can't find the tone you are looking for with that lot then it is a lost cause. But what I like most is that there is always a preset in there which is pretty much what you are looking for and finding it is easy. You can search by band name, decade or song title and by doing that you get pretty close pretty fast. Which is how I like to work. I don't have the time to spend hours messing about fine tuning sounds.
Plus, it then has almost 200 dialled in song-based presets that give you access to legendary guitar tones from the vibey rockabilly slapback of the 50s to the mid-range mayhem of today. Tones include Master of Puppets, Back in Black, Whole Lotta Love, Daytripper, Toxicity, Purple Haze, Head Like a Hole, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Crazy Train and more!
And then there are all the vintage and modern amp tones you want too. Spinning the amp model knob on the front panel of Spider IV 75 is like browsing through a museum of the most revered guitar tones of all time. Vintage British beauties, modern American monsters and more, Spider IV 75 features the 16 celebrated amp tones that all guitarists want in their collections. Play with sparkling clean tones based on a 1973 Hiwatt Custom 100, syrupy smooth drive tones based on a mix of a '65 Marshall JTM-45, a '58 Fender Bassman and a '63 Fender Vibroverb, British pop/rock tones based on a fawn Vox AC-30, high-gain onslaughts based on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and a Diezel Herbert, the Class A crunch based on a Divided by 13 9/15, the classic Class A breakup based on an Orange AD-30, and more!
Once you get past that lot then you have an instant collection of essential effects. At your fingertips are 20 brilliant models of sought-after stompbox and studio effects. You can quickly add gorgeous colours and textures to your tones with the easy-to-use Smart FX swish knobs. FX include the inspiring analog and digital delays, spacey tape and sweep echoes, tangy mods, lush spring and plate reverbs and more. You can use up to four effects simultaneously and each one can be fully edited and customized with control over signal flow routing (pre amp or post amp).
If you can't find the tone you are looking for with that lot then it is a lost cause. But what I like most is that there is always a preset in there which is pretty much what you are looking for and finding it is easy. You can search by band name, decade or song title and by doing that you get pretty close pretty fast. Which is how I like to work. I don't have the time to spend hours messing about fine tuning sounds.
Line 6 Pod hd AMP modelling/effects unit
The Line 6 POD HD features a collection of 16 high-definition amps and 100 M-Class effects including the highly acclaimed Line 6 DL4, MM4, FM4 and DM4, as well as a host of amazing new effects including looping, pitch shifting and harmonizing for additional creative expression.
This is a truly impressive bit of kit, very detailed and allows you to tweak every single setting possible providing you with a ton of options you probably never would have considered otherwise. Which I think is where I have a bit of a problem with it. I think it is very good if you want to build a sound from the ground up, but not quite so good if you want to go straight to a pre set sound. So when time is of a premium, which it always is these days then I find I turn more often than not to the Spider amp, where I find I can get to a tone I need more quickly. I need to spend some more time getting to know this unit I think. Once I know it better I think I will end up using it more. Plus it is a hell of a lot lighter that the amp when I have to cart it up two flights of stairs when we go to record something!
This is a truly impressive bit of kit, very detailed and allows you to tweak every single setting possible providing you with a ton of options you probably never would have considered otherwise. Which I think is where I have a bit of a problem with it. I think it is very good if you want to build a sound from the ground up, but not quite so good if you want to go straight to a pre set sound. So when time is of a premium, which it always is these days then I find I turn more often than not to the Spider amp, where I find I can get to a tone I need more quickly. I need to spend some more time getting to know this unit I think. Once I know it better I think I will end up using it more. Plus it is a hell of a lot lighter that the amp when I have to cart it up two flights of stairs when we go to record something!
Behringer V-Amp 3 AMP MODELLING/EFFECTS UNIT
This was my first amp modelling/effects unit. It's not bad but doesn't match up to the Line 6 Amp or Pod. I still use it for one sound though which I haven't been able to find a good equivalent for on the other units. I use it for a lead sound which you can hear used on 'Still Got The Blues' and 'Parisienne Walkways'.
Boss GT-10B BAss Effects Processor
The Boss GT-10B is my latest addition to my gear. It is an effects processor specifically tailored for bass guitar.
The blurb says, "The GT-10B provides dozens of stunning effects algorithms and COSM amp models to explore, combine, and customize, but with careful attention given to the needs of bass players. Indispensable effects for bass, including pro-grade Comp/Limiter, EQ, and OD/DS, compliment the full range of effects offerings onboard, from essential to esoteric."
I felt I needed an effects processor for my bass as we cover so many varied styles I would need a fleet of effects pedals to cover all the angles, well with this I don't need to it is all there for me. Like the Spider Amp this is very user friendly and allows you to get to the sound you are looking for very quickly. You can search by genre (Rock, Metal, Punk, Jazz, Funk, etc, etc) or by catagory (Clean, Effects, Distorted etc, etc). Once you get there it is very easy to fine tune the effect. Although I have only had this for a short while I am really warming to it and the quality of tones it has to offer.
The blurb says, "The GT-10B provides dozens of stunning effects algorithms and COSM amp models to explore, combine, and customize, but with careful attention given to the needs of bass players. Indispensable effects for bass, including pro-grade Comp/Limiter, EQ, and OD/DS, compliment the full range of effects offerings onboard, from essential to esoteric."
I felt I needed an effects processor for my bass as we cover so many varied styles I would need a fleet of effects pedals to cover all the angles, well with this I don't need to it is all there for me. Like the Spider Amp this is very user friendly and allows you to get to the sound you are looking for very quickly. You can search by genre (Rock, Metal, Punk, Jazz, Funk, etc, etc) or by catagory (Clean, Effects, Distorted etc, etc). Once you get there it is very easy to fine tune the effect. Although I have only had this for a short while I am really warming to it and the quality of tones it has to offer.
Microphones
We have three condenser mics which we use either individually or in pairs depending on what we are trying to record. We have;
1. Behringer B-2 Pro
2. Audio Technica AT2020 - recent eBay purchase (highly recommended by Sound On Sound magazine)
3. AKG C1000S - a bit old now but my first serious microphone (Simon)
1. Behringer B-2 Pro
2. Audio Technica AT2020 - recent eBay purchase (highly recommended by Sound On Sound magazine)
3. AKG C1000S - a bit old now but my first serious microphone (Simon)
SE Project reflexion filter
This is a very useful piece of equipment, which allows us to create a sort of mini-vocal booth without having to take-up a lot of valuable space in the already crowded loft. Essentially it shields the mic from wall reflections and other ambient noise i.e. the computer so that we can capture the vocals as cleanly as possible.
EMU 0404 USB
This is the interface used to capture the performances, from Richards guitars & the above microphones, into the computer/DAW.
It connects via USB and, whilst setting-up can be a little fiddly due to it having pots rather than faders, it does the job pretty well. It has 2 mic/line inputs & a digital (SPDIF) IO too and it has a direct-monitor feature which means that there is no latency between what we play/sing and what we hear in the headphones when recording.
It connects via USB and, whilst setting-up can be a little fiddly due to it having pots rather than faders, it does the job pretty well. It has 2 mic/line inputs & a digital (SPDIF) IO too and it has a direct-monitor feature which means that there is no latency between what we play/sing and what we hear in the headphones when recording.
Adam A5X Active MonItors
Finally bit-the-bullet and upgraded the monitors we use, from the old Tannoy Reveal Passives, to these lovely, shiny and fantastic sounding Adam A5X monitors.
The difference between these and the old monitors is substantial and, whilst I'm still getting used to them, I've already found that mixes, made using these, transfer really well to other listening environments i.e. iPod, Hi-Fi & in-car.
The difference between these and the old monitors is substantial and, whilst I'm still getting used to them, I've already found that mixes, made using these, transfer really well to other listening environments i.e. iPod, Hi-Fi & in-car.
Korg Nanocontrol
I use this to allow me to start/stop recordings & playback, in the Reaper DAW (see below), whilst I'm singing/playing and can't reach the normal computer keyboard. I can also control individual channel volumes, pan, mutes etc. to tailor a headphone mix if I wish. The unit connects via USB and located on a small mic-stand shelf for easy access.
BEYERDYNAMIC DT880 Headphones
Bought these to help hear the finer details of our mixes, which I struggle to do when using just the Tannoys. Still getting used to them but they have definitely helped and also mean I can mix later at night without annoying wife, children & neighbours.
Cockos Reaper Digital Audio Workstation
What is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)? A DAW is a dedicated piece of software built solely for recreating a professional recording studio in your computer. There are many types of DAW available, Digidesign‘s Pro-Tools, Ableton‘s LIVE 6, Steinberg‘s Cubase 4, Propellerheads Reason 3, Apple‘s Logic Pro, Cakewalk‘s Sonar 6 — I would like to go on and on and on as the options are boundless, and the only limitations are your software platform and your wallet. We have gone for Cockos Reaper. Why? Because it is very easy to pick up and learn, but once you get started you can delve deeper and deeper, but you don't have to have all that knowledge straight away to start churning out half decent tracks
Reaper works as the mastermind behind controlling and recording audio. It works just like an old-fashioned tape-based 4-track, only with the capability to record as many tracks as your computer can handle. Reaper will also handle its own brand, as well as third party plug-ins (effect units, soft synths, drum machines, samplers, and engineering tools that operate from within your computer). It also (yes, also) houses the ability to control all our MIDI-based musical instruments, MIDI outboard effect units and, create and manage sequences. Not bad, eh?
Essentially, Reaper is a whole recording studio which can now live in our computer and means we no longer require a sound proof room, a lounge suite, an air conditioner, an engineer and a spaghetti junction of cables! Nope, it just two old gits working from a converted loft, spare bedroom and a garage, but hopefully you would never know if you listen to the results. Shhhh don't tell anyone.....
Reaper works as the mastermind behind controlling and recording audio. It works just like an old-fashioned tape-based 4-track, only with the capability to record as many tracks as your computer can handle. Reaper will also handle its own brand, as well as third party plug-ins (effect units, soft synths, drum machines, samplers, and engineering tools that operate from within your computer). It also (yes, also) houses the ability to control all our MIDI-based musical instruments, MIDI outboard effect units and, create and manage sequences. Not bad, eh?
Essentially, Reaper is a whole recording studio which can now live in our computer and means we no longer require a sound proof room, a lounge suite, an air conditioner, an engineer and a spaghetti junction of cables! Nope, it just two old gits working from a converted loft, spare bedroom and a garage, but hopefully you would never know if you listen to the results. Shhhh don't tell anyone.....
sound on sound magazine
Not exactly gear I know but this has been invaluable to me over the last 20+ years. The magazine not only provides reviews of gear, both aimed at professionals and home-studio owners like me, but also technical tips & tricks too.
Well worth a read and the website has a great forum plus back-issue information that can be searched too.
Well worth a read and the website has a great forum plus back-issue information that can be searched too.
Domino's Veg-A-Roma Pizza
Not a musical instrument I know but still an essential part of my gear and has been invaluable for me too over the last 20+ years!
With sundried tomato & garlic sauce, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, herbs, and extra olives, I don't know what I would do with out it. Like the American Express Card, "I never leave home without one!"
With sundried tomato & garlic sauce, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, herbs, and extra olives, I don't know what I would do with out it. Like the American Express Card, "I never leave home without one!"