Electric fun

[johnmarkva]

Hello E mando people,

Just got an EMC (JBovier) from Ed G. and I'm loving it.

Any tips on getting crazy with some distortion or other effects. My amp just has chorus and reverb.

Thanks,

[Ed Goist]

I'm so glad you're enjoying the EMC-4!
If you can find a vintage Morley Power Wah Fuzz pedal (from the '70s), buy it.
I played a Gibson L6S and assorted Telecasters through one of these back in the late 70s & early 80s, and I still think about that pedal very often.
I don't regret much of the gear I've abandoned and turned-over the past decades, but I sure regret giving that beast up!
I look forward to seeing the suggestions of others.
Enjoy!

[Alex Orr]

Tube Screamer->Big Muff->Tube amp

It will make the thing sound wicked loud and gnarly!

I've found running my Rono through either a phase shifter or a chorus pedal doesn't do much, but that may just be my taste.

[journeybear]

My current rig is a MandoBird IV through an EQ/gain pedal which is up all the way to get a little distortion - not enough to be funky but to fatten the sound a bit, and give it some meat - then a reverb unit for sustain, then Morley Volume/Wah (recent, not the vintage one Ed mentioned), then into the PA. (PA seems to be customary for bar gigs here, rather than lugging around amps.) I have a Boss Metalworker pedal in line, which I use for mostly one song but is always there if I want to hit it - the gain level is set to be just a bit more volume, so it isn't that jarring, but more of a different texture. The most important part in this is the wah - it really allows me to vary the sound in a lot of ways. It changes a plain signal into something that resembles the human voice, with all its complexities. It also gives me ways to incorporate atonality into the music, creating ambient sounds that can be very evocative. Oddly enough, I hardly ever use it strictly for the wah-wah sound; there are so many other things to do with it that interest me much more. I don't know how much of this your local music store will let you try out, but you are sure to get some raised eyebrows. Should be fun to show them what you can do, though.

I have a Yamaha REX50 multi-effects unit that I dialed in the Distortion + Reverb (Hall) setting to where I had a good, solid, versatile sound, that allowed me to just play and create what I wanted via musicality rather than effects. That way I could just give a sound guy a 1/4" pug, tell him to run it dry, and feel confident it was going to sound good. It is currently kaput, and one of these days I am going to have a friend, retired electronics engineer and bass player, have a look at it. What I am using as describe above is an attempt to reproduce that sound. I prefer to keep the gizmo count small - the fewer you have, the less can go wrong (theoretically) - and playing outdoor gigs in a humid environment with salt air and dust everywhere is asking for trouble. I hate shopping for hardware - there are way too many choices - but I can see a shopping trip in my future. All of my gear dates to 1988 except the wah, and though it works fine most of the time, I think it's safe to say I have gotten my money's worth out of it, and there are surely new and groovy toys out there that have been invented since then.

[johnmarkva]

This all sounds cool and of course means I'll spend more money at some point! It's good for the economy, right?

[Ed Goist]

Mark: Yes...Spending $ on mandolin-related stuff is VERY good for the economy...I keep saying that.

BTW, I used the old Morley "back in the day" just like JB uses his now. I would just move the pedal a little up or down with the power & fuzz on in order to get different distortion/over-driven sounds. As I recall, the range of distortion tones through the Morley and into my Vox amp was pretty amazing - Everything from a purr, to a growl, to a roar. It was like having hundreds of different distortion pedals. I would only actually use the wah-wah pedal as a wah-wah pedal when goofing off or playing along to Cream or Wild Cherry.

JB - Do you recommend the new Morley pedals? I actually found a couple like my old one on ebay for ~$300 (ouch!)...I think I paid ~$40 in 1978!

[mandroid]

get a multi effects pedal board ,
lots of sounds to explore in those ,
and no nightmare tangle of little cables
interconnecting a bunch of individual effects boxes.

[Jerry Turberville]

All I have as far as distortion is a Boss SD-1 with the mod kit installed. I don't know much about the mod kits, but I know it sounds a whole lot better than the stock pedal. Another "effects" pedal I'd recommend, if you're going for individual pedals vs a multi effects board, is the Boss "63 Fender Reverb." It is one of the nicest reverb pedals I've ever heard. If I had the money to spend I'd probably just get a multi effects board. Take a look at the Boss GT and ME series. There's so many of these now, you're bound to find one that fits your style.
One more thing. This is a little off topic, but close enough to mentione. The one pedal I've had more fun with than any other I've ever owned is the Boss RC 50 loop station. I highly recommend the loop station. It's great fun.

[johnmarkva]

On a biz trip to LA and while my wife shopped I wandered into a cool local music store - Kaye's Music Scene in Reseda, CA.

George gave me a demo of a Digitech RP255 and I took the plunge. Really has a lot of features and so far I've had a blast "playing" with it. Need to dial in a couple of custom setups and this should be a lot of fun.

http://www.digitech.com/en/products/rp255

Cheers,

[Ed Goist]

Looks really cool Mark!
That loop feature is a blast I bet!
Be sure to provide us with a thorough review once you've mastered it many buttons and settings.

[granite]

Mark,
That looks like it should be fun. I am anxiously waiting on my Steve Ryder 8-string. The problem is that I know nothing about electrics and have been spending a bit of time researching (Ed, you have started some very helpful threads...Thanks). This looks like a great way to play with a lot of different sounds and tones with spending a ton on gear. Keep us posted.
Todd

[rico mando]

This looks like a great way to play with a lot of different sounds and tones with spending a ton on gear. Keep us posted.
Todd

hey go ahead and spend tons of money on gear eleven rack and axe fx
i know i want to . once i win the lottery i will have racks of gear i will never even use . can't wait

[formaldehyde-jo]

I have a random question, Personally I have the Mandobird VIII and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on amps, and strings that I could look into getting

[granite]

Below is a search of the forum that you might find helpful.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Mando...ient=firefox-a

and a thread on tube amps:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...69977-Tube-Amp

Ed Goist has a started a few threads recently on electric gear that are interesting as well.

[Elliot Luber]

This is why my wife won't let me into a music store unaccompanied.

[johnmarkva]

So far the digitech is a lot of fun. I've figured out the midi and it works well so I can record on my computer. I also have gotten familiar with the options for different effects and it is easy to dial in what you want and customize it. The drum option is fun so you have something to keep your timing without using a metronome.

Built in tuner is a plus. You can also plug in headphones and not bother the family playing and practicing.

The quality of the sound is really good imho.

I haven't played with the looping yet. I'll let you know how that works. This seems to have a lot of bang for the buck.

[Ed Goist]

Mark; I really like the demo videos made by Andy at ProGuitarShop.com.
Here is one he made for the Digitech RP255. Impressive...and a little intimidating too.
Wanted to make sure you saw this.

[drjuliushibbert]

My current rig is a MandoBird IV through an EQ/gain pedal which is up all the way to get a little distortion - not enough to be funky but to fatten the sound a bit, and give it some meat - then a reverb unit for sustain, then Morley Volume/Wah (recent, not the vintage one Ed mentioned), then into the PA. (PA seems to be customary for bar gigs here, rather than lugging around amps.) I have a Boss Metalworker pedal in line, which I use for mostly one song but is always there if I want to hit it - the gain level is set to be just a bit more volume, so it isn't that jarring, but more of a different texture. The most important part in this is the wah - it really allows me to vary the sound in a lot of ways. It changes a plain signal into something that resembles the human voice, with all its complexities. It also gives me ways to incorporate atonality into the music, creating ambient sounds that can be very evocative. Oddly enough, I hardly ever use it strictly for the wah-wah sound; there are so many other things to do with it that interest me much more. I don't know how much of this your local music store will let you try out, but you are sure to get some raised eyebrows. Should be fun to show them what you can do, though.

I have a Yamaha REX50 multi-effects unit that I dialed in the Distortion + Reverb (Hall) setting to where I had a good, solid, versatile sound, that allowed me to just play and create what I wanted via musicality rather than effects. That way I could just give a sound guy a 1/4" pug, tell him to run it dry, and feel confident it was going to sound good. It is currently kaput, and one of these days I am going to have a friend, retired electronics engineer and bass player, have a look at it. What I am using as describe above is an attempt to reproduce that sound. I prefer to keep the gizmo count small - the fewer you have, the less can go wrong (theoretically) - and playing outdoor gigs in a humid environment with salt air and dust everywhere is asking for trouble. I hate shopping for hardware - there are way too many choices - but I can see a shopping trip in my future. All of my gear dates to 1988 except the wah, and though it works fine most of the time, I think it's safe to say I have gotten my money's worth out of it, and there are surely new and groovy toys out there that have been invented since then.

Hey journey bear - do you have any videos of you playing this setup? Would love to see them!

[rico mando]

If you really want to have fun try the guitar solo at 2:09

[mandopete]

Mark; I really like the demo videos made by Andy at ProGuitarShop.com.
Here is one he made for the Digitech RP255.

Oh, I so want one of these!

FUZKNG Indeed!

[mando.player]

I love watching Andy's videos. A nice bonus with the Digitech RPxxx units is that you can plug the USB into any iOS device using Apple's camera connection kit and record.

[Barry Wilson]

I have a zoom G1u for a pedal. it has amp simulators and crap. picked up used. sure handy for heqadphone recording. that said most of my playing is through the new fender mustang 3 modelling amp. I love that thing to bits. playing clean I use a '57 deluxe, rock I use a pair of '57 champs in stereo and a '61 princeton for heavy leads and such.

[Londy]

Hey folks, I am new to the electric secne and I am loving it. I just purchased a Mandobird IV and I plug it in through my Vamp-3. The Vamp-3 has many cabnets, FX, and more, then pump it through my PA system and I plug in my laptop and I rock the house. Its just like on an actual guitar amp, you've got a three-band EQ, GAIN, REVERB, VOLUME and MASTER VOLUME dials. By holding the TAP button, the TREBLE dial becomes a PRESENCE control. This enables the adjustment of a high-frequency filter that can add or remove a "shimmer" from the V-AMP 3's tone.
Its sounds amazing. What a blast this thing is to play. I cant get enough. I thought I would share some pics for you folks.

[Ed Goist]

Awesome pics Londy!
I really like the burst on your Mandobird! It's one of the nicest I've seen.
I can't wait till I get my Ryder and we can jam! I'll be in touch.

[Londy]

Thanks Ed... I look forward to it. We better make it happen before the snow flies!! EEK!