A regular visitor of the forum is now involved with the electronics R&D division of Hoshino USA. They have put out an open call to the Forum looking for ideas for their expanding amp and effect line.
The focus and feedback is welcome regarding expanding these products:
smaller (25-50 watt) combo amps: straight forward combo amp at a good price. (ie. not expensive modeling, but maybe a DSP chip for tonal quality).
stomp boxes - looking for realistic suggestions that would appeal to a wide audience of guitarists.
All feedback, comments & suggestions welcome. Thanks... glen
My suggestion for small amps: There are practically no "good" tube amps at small sizes. A little practice amp with good tone is practically un heard of. So how about a 20 watt, all tube practice amp?
Stomp Boxes: A decent pitch-shifter is hard to find outside of rack effects. If Ibanez could create a good pitchshifter in a stomp box, that would be great.
Most Stomp Boxes have a big problem… IMHO. NOISE! I understand that the introduction of noise is amplified by the properties of high-gain in an amplifier, but it seems the more you tweak a stomper, the more noise it introduces… Big problem.
I personally would like to see an EQ and /or "gain enhancing device" with big overkill on the power supply Perhaps a built in power supply would be nice. I think people care about quality more than physical size and price… and who, besides me, uses batteries in their stomp boxes anyway?
I agree with the small, all-tube, combo amp suggestion. Modeling would be an acceptable alternative, but place Hoshino in risky competition with Line Six and others. Tube gain and diverse EQ options, placed before and after the pre-amp, would make me happy. If you can do that, forget the EQ box. :biggrin:
Stereo Option:
With DSP technologies there should be a stereo option on certain models, 2x10.
FX Loop:
Something that has prevented me from buying a Spyder amp is the neglect of the FX Loop. Simple addition.
Pricing:
I feel a competing amp against the Spyder would be ideal. Make the high-end model sell for $100 under that of the Line-6 if similar modeling is used.
Stomp Boxes:
Metal casings, including the bottom. No plastics! LED that is durable and will last, unlike the TS-808. I agree with Bob - low noise.
Gabe
(Edited by Gabe Nickelson at 4:54 pm on Sep. 19, 2001)
I am in love with old analog pedals. I have been 'collecting' them for a while for sheer tone lust!!
My personal faves I feel should come back for others to enjoy in the same format WITHOUT having to call them RE-ISSUES.
The old Analog Flange, Analog Delay, Analog Compressor. Those I feel would have a very GOOD impact on the current pedal line that Ibanez offers. I know there are the 'analog re-issues' (which are just too large given that the older ones did a much nicer sounding job with the same style and format of the 9 series of pedals.
A great deal of money is spent on the older analog models of the older (early 80's) from the Ibanez line. I am not a tone purist and will say that you need to release the identical product...but spare us the 're-issue' status and release a genuine analog pedal in the spirit of your early 80s models.
BRING QUALITY ANALOG PEDALS BACK!!!!
and affordable too, this is getting 'spensive Lucy!
It is 2001 going into another year....let this newer generation experience the joys of analog pedals as the previous two decades.. The main reason the older analog pedals are considered 'boutique' is because no one else (or most no one) is creating a 'faithful' replicate of a good product (that is not BREAKING the wallet either)
Bring back your delicious analog pedals....
anyone remember the AD-99....there's a reason I have two of 'em..hehehehehehehe
Amps:
I'd love to see a good 2x12 50watt combo ( no amp modeling there are way to many of those out there and they all sound bad) something with a mid scoop knob or a graphic Eq. and come stock with casters and a differnt color tolex then black. Some thing with two channels ( one clean one dirty) hi gain. Solid State or tube or Solid with a tube preamp. aroundthe $400 to $500 range retail not list
FX:
How about a ring module in the tone lock line
or a synth bass pedal
Instead of DSP why not add a drum machine to the amp? or at least some cool fixed rythms to play around with. These amps are going to be used for practice at home, so why not add a drum machine to make pratice a bit more interesting? Modelling amps have been done, and to be honest don't interest me at all. It wouldn't be a plus point to me at all.
Have some kind of easy to use panel on top of the amp. Have a tempo control, then have a bank of buttons that light up, say 64 positions x 8 sounds or something. push the button, it lights up, hey presto that drum sound will appear right there. Have hihat/bassdrum/snare/tom1->3/cymbal1/cymbal2 or something. Just make the UI quick and easy to use and intuitive. You don't want to be stuck playing around with something for 2 hrs just to figure it out.
Also have an FX loop and speaker outputs that you can plug your own speakers/cabs into if you want. This shouldn't be too expensive.
Might sound a bit rough. Maybe if you had a second set of speakers for the drums. I can't imagine having the drums and guitar going through the same speakers simultaniously.
Might sound a bit rough. Maybe if you had a second set of speakers for the drums. I can't imagine having the drums and guitar going through the same speakers simultaniously.
A nice low volume bedroom tube amp would be very cool! Does need standard little things like FX loops though, and yes, post+pre gain sections! greed!
Addition to the drum idea: add some midi functionality to it or something, or at least allow people to save a couple of settings (maybe 8 or so). You could also add a function allowing you to put something like 16 different parts in order, with a number of repetitions per part. That way you'd have a portable all in one compositional tool as well. But the control panel for this might be getting too large...in any case, a system like this would require a very easy to use UI, otherwise you'd get lost and frustrated with it...
I like that idea. The pre, pre-amp EQ is so nice for coloring the way gain responds and the post EQ for… well, EQ.
Many years ago (I always say that) an electrician friend of mine did one of my Marshalls that way. There were some other tweaks as well, but it was awesome and I am stupid for ever selling it.
On the stomp box issue… It would be nice to ask Steve Vai what he wants. A Vai endorsement on a pedal and a guitar from Ibanez would be groovy. Too bad Morley already has the Wah deal tied up.
I am watt-ignorant, but to me 50 milliwatts doesn't sound like it would generate enough volume to get good tone. Correct me if I'm wrong [because it's likely that I am, on this subject].
Amps - I once had a Crate 20 watt head that fed 2 4x8 cabinets. A 20watt tube version would be very cool with a built in attenuator. Pre-amp level, presence, depth controll. Power-amp gain, 3 band EQ and master volume. Have it drive 2 4x8 cabs or 2 2x10 cabs. Like a Mini-Stack. I would love to see these covered in tolex the same color blue as the Ibanez logo. Maybe gray. Something other than black. It would be great for those bedroom Eddies.
Stomp Boxes - Analog all the way!!!! The entire line. From distortion/overdrive boxes to EQ and compressors. And use some retro colors. My first ever stomp box was an MXR Distortion+. Analog baby!!!!!!
Combo amp with a real tubepreamp not only one tube for the gain/distorsion.
Built in EQ with a push/push button so that users can choose if the EQ should be pre or post depending on tonal preference.
A built in tuner and a metronome.
F/Xloop
About stompboxes
A stompbox with a GREAT distorsion and not the sound of a drunken bee.
A stompbox that emulates a good tapeecho and or a rotary /leslie speaker
A stompbox with a octaver/pitchshifter
No plastic parts that breaks easily.
Combinationstompboxes with two features such as
distorsion/eq,
chorus/flanger,
delay/reverb
AND THE POSSIBILITY of having MIDI so that it can be connected to a computer so that people can get new sounds from others through the internet. Ofcourse some storagespace in the boxes to save 4-8 presets.
Get rid of the unnecessary noise in both stompboxes and/or bedroomamps...
(Edited by freewheeler at 12:43 am on Sep. 22, 2001)
I'm with the whole bedroom tube amp idea :thumbsup: great idea and different colors would be cool. Blue, grey etc etc.... as mentioned earlier. Just make sure you got your two channels, reverb knob, and a two switch footswitch included and please don't make a cheap plastic footswitch. Metal plz I'm sure alot of us would like to take these on the road!!
As for stompboxes:
All metal no plastic
Analog & Digital
Incorporat some Tone Lok features (push button knobs, Push button compartment).
Bottom line… IMHO, if the distortion sounds good, I think people will buy it. Personally, the properties and tone of the distortion is pretty much the only thing I take into consideration when buying an amp. If the distortion stinks there is no amount of loops, bells and whistles that can make me buy it.
That is why I still have my 1978 Marshall. It has no FX loop and only one channel, but it has a sweet tone that complements my rig nicely.
I know many people value the extras more than I do, but to me those are just a bonus if the distortion rocks.
I've got a suggestion which I've not seen on the market anywhere. This might raise the cost of the pedals, but I think it'll be worth it.
Each stomp pedal has a parametric controller built in already. What if these controls were in the form of a variable pedal?
For example, a Distortion box which varies it's amount of drive with the pedal angle. highest point of elevation giving a completely clean sound, while lowered all the way gives full.
A reverb pedal which varies it's amount of "roomy" tone with the pedal. High angle - dry tone. low angle - REVERB!!!! I can think of the many types of applications for this.
A Delay pedal which can have it's timings controled by the pedal too. Or an amount of feedback to be repeated.
A Tremolo pedal which has the depth of the effect controlled by the foot as well. So that this effect can be minimised, or maximised without having to switch effects.
Each pedal with this variable control should have a pressure activated switch, but should not require your foot to stay there. Kinda like the Morley Bad Horsie, except that pedal requires your weight to stay Wah.
Excellent suggestion Spiral. I guess that may be costly to make… I don't know, but I have always wanted that function on my pedals. It would certainly make Ibanez pedals unique.
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