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7K views 47 replies 18 participants last post by  Drew 
#1 ·
I'm getting sick of my setup which consists of : RG-550 >> Boss GT-6 >> Mesa/Boogie F-30

The GT-6 just sounds really fizzy, digital, thin and cheap. It really started to shine it's crappyness when I started to record a song that I'm working on. It's just what I stated above, thin, and just blah.

So here it is, I want to keep my amp, obviously, my guitar, obviously, but ditch the GT-6 and get a whole new setup that will sound great, thick, and not digital, while still maintaining flexibility and the advantage of playing at any level and sounding great. I was thinking I would get a killer stomp box distortion, one of those expensive buggers I always see, and then an effect rack unit like the G-Major or something. I play lots of Jazz, lots of Rock, lots of Fusion, a little Metal etc...I need awesome cleans as well I guess I'm getting at, an awesome middle gain sound for some blues rock kinda stuff, and high gain stuff for obvious reasons.

Thanks for anyone who responds with helpful things, peace.
 
#5 ·
I was a hard core G-Major lover, but since I got the new Digitech GSP1101, there's nothing close in the price range that is as flexible and sounds as good.

It's biggest selling point is the way you can configure it for multiple setups so that you can use it as a modeling preamp (which by the way has better tones than my Pod XT Pro, Behringer V-Amp Pro, Vetta, and basically any other modeling preamp I've ever tried) -- or you can have it use effects only and maintain your tone WITHOUT COLORATION!

I've got a G-Major, Xpression, Intellipitch, XT Pro, V-Amp Pro, TSR-24S, Boss GT-6 and several other things...and none of them are as cool as the 1101.
Get it.
 
#8 ·
Are you more concerned with effects? Or just getting good tones out of your amp?

If it is the latter, something like a G-Major would be overkill. No one buys a G-Major strictly for overdrive/distortion (at least not to my knowledge).

I would say get something like the Radial Tonebone (or Keeley DS-1/TS9DX Flexi) and use it in front of your amp's gain channels to give it that extra push.

I use my Keeley TS9DX somewhat as a clean boost to get that extra push in my gain channel. Works wonders.
 
#9 ·
+1 on ToneBone stuff. They get great tones and have alot of flexibility.

+1 on letting your amp do the work too. My pedals sound so much smoother thru a clean tube amp and using your volume on your guitar.

My rig consists of either my Mesa Mark 100wtt head or my Fender '65 Reverb Deluxe and my pedal board. Simple and effective, the FX are either On or OFF without everything else changing (unity gain is a beatuiful thing ;) ). I'd like to buy a POD Pro rack rig for gigs where I don't have space for a bigger rig.

The Pedal Pad box is cool but not cheap. I have had no issues with mine and they make them in alot of configurations with the ability to modify your setup while also powering everything in it, no complaints from me.

Here's a few guitars and most of my rig.



Pedal are from guitar in:
Boss Tu-2, Boss V-wah, Radial Tonebone Hot British, Radial Tonebone TriMode, EVH Phase 90, Digitech Synth Wah and a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay. The only pedals/effects I'd like to add would be tremolo and a rotary speaker ;)
 
#15 ·
I use a GT-8, which is probably not much different than the GT-6 except that it has more effects.

anyways, try turning off the preamp on the GT-6.

I found that out recently, and the overdrive distortion sounds pretty decent.
(WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE PRE-AMP)
set your output select switch set to "stack amp".

I was about to sell my GT-8 for half of how much I bought it, because the distorion sounded crappy, but after turning of the pre-amp on my GT-8 I actually found the Proco RAT setting pretty nice.

the effects such as delay, chorus and reverb are pretty decent, and the phaser and other effects work nicely, when set correctly.

but the hamonizer sounds very robotic.
the whammy settings are alright, but the digitech whammys are better.

I read the 60 page booklet like 5473461283712 times, and with proper tweakage you could make it sound pretty good.

that's with a GT-8 though, I'm not sure about the GT-6.

if you're looking into a good distortion box, try out Visual sound's Jekall and Hyde. It's a nice pedal, my friend uses one, and it's one hell of a distortion box. Try out the Visual sound's Liquid chorus and echo. nice pedals as well.

but yeah, just some suggesstions.
 
#18 ·
While I do not like the GT8's distortion sounds at all, everything else in the unit is very nice, especially some effects that only Boss has. I use it like a big stomp box, and ignore 90% of the modelling functions. It really depends on your amp.

That newer Digitech does look neat, but then I want a GNX3K just for recording. :lol:
 
#29 ·
Nyerk, I would, but I seem to have spent this month's guitar buying spree budget on a solid rosewood neck for my Strat project......

I actually only use a volume pedal - everything else including the TriAxis is controlled by a Roland FC200 foot controller.

..... could probably land a man on Mars with that thing ........
 
#32 ·
I think that this should be a staple in anyone's rig. http://www.bbesound.com/products/stomp_boxes/SonicStomp/index.asp

I'm going through a similar process currently trying to find some nice pedals for my rig, and I must say that this is a necessity. This was the first pedal that I got, and it WILL improve your sound. I run it through the effects loop in my amp, and it takes away much of the muddiness that is associated with heavy distortion. It is so good you'll wonder why you never thought about it before.

I don't mean to sound like a salesman or something but it really sounds good! At least go try it in a store first.
 
#34 ·
I've owned the G-System, G-Force and still own the G-Major.
The G-Major is NOT the same as the others, the others are better.

If you like the tone of your head and you want excellent quality effects that don't rob your tone (yes, all of the TC Electronics stuff does!) -- I'm seriously telling ya, check out the Digitech GSP1101, I can't say enough great things about it.
Not only will it let you run it so that you're using your head for the tones without coloration, but you can also reconfigure it so that when you're having one of those 'my amp just doesn't sound great today' days; you can use the modeling settings in the 1101 thru your power section of your head and get some killer tones.

I've got a half dozen Line6 pieces, V-Amp Pro, Boss GT-6, and many pedals...and the GSP1101 has the best modeling tones I've heard out of any of the above. PLUS better quality effects than the TC stuff.

Built in tuner, Midi CC'able Whammy, Wah and some other cool stuff, plus Lexicon reverbs, killer pitch shifting and harmonies (excellent tracking!!)...this thing does it all...better than just about anything else I've used.
 
#35 ·
The Digitech GSP1101 is still a MODELING unit, he has Mesa tone right there, why use a modeling preamp?!
You may as well toss the Mesa if that's the route you're going to take. The G-Major is a very powerful processor for effects, very flexible once you add MIDI CCs, plus it will handle channel switching. For drive boost, I'd suggest looking around and demoing the other suggestions that were mentioned here. Grab a Keely or Analog man modded pedal for drive/ boost, the rest can be handled by the amp and G-major. If you start playing with modeling amps, I think youll ultimately just revert back to the boogie, no one has yet nailed the tube tones 100%, why stray from what you've already got?

With my home rig (MEsa Studio .22) I just use a TS-808 modded TS9 Tubescreamer, I modded it myself using the many available diagrams on the web, and a simple Dunlop Crybaby. The TS9 is a good 2nd channel as well as a boost, it makes a good alternate tone.

Let us know what you decide.
 
#39 ·
I'm getting sick of my setup which consists of : RG-550 >> Boss GT-6 >> Mesa/Boogie F-30

The GT-6 just sounds really fizzy, digital, thin and cheap. It really started to shine it's crappyness when I started to record a song that I'm working on. It's just what I stated above, thin, and just blah.

So here it is, I want to keep my amp, obviously, my guitar, obviously, but ditch the GT-6 and get a whole new setup that will sound great, thick, and not digital, while still maintaining flexibility and the advantage of playing at any level and sounding great. I was thinking I would get a killer stomp box distortion, one of those expensive buggers I always see, and then an effect rack unit like the G-Major or something. I play lots of Jazz, lots of Rock, lots of Fusion, a little Metal etc...I need awesome cleans as well I guess I'm getting at, an awesome middle gain sound for some blues rock kinda stuff, and high gain stuff for obvious reasons.

Thanks for anyone who responds with helpful things, peace.
Um, maybe I'm missing something, but if you've got a F-30, why are you looking for an external distortion? The F-30 has both a GREAT clean, and a phenominal heavy distortion. Why not just rely on that, instead oflooking for an "expensive bugger" of a stomp box?

What do you NEED in terms of FX, as well? That might help...

Try this - simply remove the GT-6 from your rig, then fire up the amp and dial in tones there. The F-30 should give you all the high gain sounds you could ever want, but if it's still not cutting it a Tube Screamer out front should just push it over the edge. That'll also cover bluesier sounds for you, too.

Seriously, that's a great amp you've got there. It shouldn't need much to cover the tones you want.
 
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