Barber Tone press for leads?

[boogiewoogie]

Hello fellow mesanites
It's been a while since i posted here... this is my question
Is the Barber Tone Press worthy for distorted solos? I want to make my road king 2 feel less choppy and with more sustain and if possible with the distortion of the amp alone...
(i hope it is not impossible).... If not then i'm going to buy either the xotic preamp or the fulltone ocd. Thanks a lot! 8)

 

[cellardweller]

Hello fellow mesanites

Does that require some sort of initiation or something...some cryptic ceremony or something.... :?

 

[boogiewoogie]

:lol: hahah i was just fooling around with that "mesanite" thing...

 

[cellardweller]

:lol: hahah i was just fooling around with that "mesanite" thing...

It sounds really cool, but could get you confused with some kinda cultlike organization or sumthin... :lol:

 

[boogiewoogie]

anyone?

 

[injected]

try it if you can.

I heard of someone buying it for their dual rect and it just BLEW OPEN THE DAM of lead tone, so they said. Best money they ever spent in a pedal.

I say go for it

 

[boogiewoogie]

:lol: thanks for your input... but still... if this pedal is the solution for that, maybe a lot more people here would be crazy about it for leads... because i see they have different ways to solve this stiffness and sustain problem (od pedals and eq)... and... yes i wish to achieve this without going to eleven and using the amp gain alone (that's why i'm asking about the barber).. anyway my guitar is a ibanez rg 2550 with steve special on bridge and air norton on neck...and the amp is so articulate than anything less than perfect playing shows inmediately...specially on speedy things... it's kinda hard to make the notes blend together

 

[Old BF Shred]

Caution!! Compressors can be addicting!!! :shock:

I built the "5 Knob Compressor" fron BYOC. While kits are not for everyone, the quality of components and sound is certainly on a par with the Barber....point being.....Now that I have it, I won't play without it!

A lot of people describe a compressor as something you almost won't know is there until you turn it off!
Yes, it increases sustain, if you want it to, but also adds "body" to your tone. At least that's the way I describe it.
It helps clean and overdriven sounds, both.

Be sure you're willing to part with the $, 'cuz once you try it, you are likely to keep it (unless you find a better compressor! )

Good luck!

 

[iFreedom]

Caution!! Compressors can be addicting!!! :shock:

I built the "5 Knob Compressor" fron BYOC. While kits are not for everyone, the quality of components and sound is certainly on a par with the Barber....point being.....Now that I have it, I won't play without it!

A lot of people describe a compressor as something you almost won't know is there until you turn it off!
Yes, it increases sustain, if you want it to, but also adds "body" to your tone. At least that's the way I describe it.
It helps clean and overdriven sounds, both.

Be sure you're willing to part with the $, 'cuz once you try it, you are likely to keep it (unless you find a better compressor! )

Good luck!

Dude, I should be getting my 5knob today to build! I was think Tone press too, especially because it hat the blend knob, and then I found the byoc which also has it! For me here, the Tone press is 1.5x the cost of the byoc and since I know how to solder farely well, it makes sense.

Anyway, can I assume you give the 5knob a good review and recommend for the compressor seaker?

 

[Old BF Shred]

YES!!!!

I love my BYOC 5'er.

The best part is the "mix" (blend) knob....blending wet and dry signal is a great feature. It allows a really transparent sound but the sustain still comes through clearly!

Tips: the PWB is tiny....solder very carefully, (don't use too hot an iron; 25w is plenty)...and I need reading glasses to see it well (but I'm old, too)....you may find one of those "magnifying glass on a stand" deals handy (Radio Shack, Harbor Freight....).

Also, they give you two chips......I use the ba6110 as it's cleaner and adds to transparency.

I use it almost all the time and am pleased with the quality of parts from BYOC. I have also built a Distortion pedal from General Guitar gadgets, and it works well, also. I will put pics of the "homebrews" soon on a new topic post.

Good luck!

 

[iFreedom]

YES!!!!

I love my BYOC 5'er.

The best part is the "mix" (blend) knob....blending wet and dry signal is a great feature. It allows a really transparent sound but the sustain still comes through clearly!

Tips: the PWB is tiny....solder very carefully, (don't use too hot an iron; 25w is plenty)...and I need reading glasses to see it well (but I'm old, too)....you may find one of those "magnifying glass on a stand" deals handy (Radio Shack, Harbor Freight....).

Also, they give you two chips......I use the ba6110 as it's cleaner and adds to transparency.

I use it almost all the time and am pleased with the quality of parts from BYOC. I have also built a Distortion pedal from General Guitar gadgets, and it works well, also. I will put pics of the "homebrews" soon on a new topic post.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips! I've got a variable wattage iron, so I'll keep it low. I assume PWB is the board, and I've actually done mods on the MP-1 which is a pretty thin board (I've worked on thicker ones anyway) and like 20+ years old, so hopefully the PWB will be within my ability-but i'll still heed your warning.

I was looking for a good distortion pedal, but really I'm looking for a transperant level boost for leads with the ability to add a dash of dirt if I want. Right now I've ordered a Timmy, but that wont even ship till July so I've still got time to seek. I'll be posting on your future thread for sure.

 

[boogiewoogie]

Hello Thanks for your opinion guys
Old BF Shred so you're positive about the Tone Press being a good choice, that's great! Do you play with the pedal engaged all the time for both riff and solos? The thing that interested me about this pedal when i read about it, is that when engaged it improves sustain and smoothness without adding anything extra... but so few people comment on it's use for high gain lead stuff.
BTW i tried Spongy now on my RKII head and for low volume practice it just feels better, more creamy and less stiff for single note stuff... i think i'm gonna end up buying both the barber tone press and the xotix bb preamp...but wich one first? chime in people please! hahah :roll:

 

[Old BF Shred]

Hello Thanks for your opinion guys
Old BF Shred so you're positive about the Tone Press being a good choice, that's great! Do you play with the pedal engaged all the time for both riff and solos? The thing that interested me about this pedal when i read about it, is that when engaged it improves sustain and smoothness without adding anything extra... but so few people comment on it's use for high gain lead stuff.
BTW i tried Spongy now on my RKII head and for low volume practice it just feels better, more creamy and less stiff for single note stuff... i think i'm gonna end up buying both the barber tone press and the xotix bb preamp...but wich one first? chime in people please! hahah :roll:

I have heard all good news about the Barber, but don't own one....I have a "5 knob comp" from BYOC.
The point being you likely want to get a better quality comp as opposed to some cheaper models out there.
The BYOC uses top shelf components and saves $ 'cuz you gotta build it...and then it's still about $100.
But the Barber is likely a great choice.

I leave mine on all the time...batteries last for weeks (really)...at least on the "5 knob". Lead or rhythm, distortion or clean, it's on ...always.

As the RK has plenty of gain, I'd go for the comp first, but that's just me.
Good luck, whatever you decide.....

 

[boogiewoogie]

oops! i forgot you made your own pedal... that's out of the question for me because i don't know anything about electronics and i'm far too lazy to build my own pedal :lol:
thanks!

 

[Laskyman]

I have a tone-press and it is great. I usually keep it on all the time (or at least I did with my Roadster), but now I find it to be an AMAZING clean boost for the Deuce- I think the Deuce has a better suited lead tone right out of the box than the rectifiers, but the barber as a clean boost sends it clean over the top....would work in this capacity with the recto as well.

 

[boogiewoogie]

well, yeah maybe another mesa amp is better suited for leads (mark amps or stiletto) , but i really love my RKII head so i don't mind if i have to buy a compressor or overdrive pedal to achieve what i want... today i set the amp on spongy using channel 3 with 2x6l6 and 2xel34 (same as before but on bold)and while this decreases drastically the volume and punch the notes kinda "purr" more for solos if you know what i mean... now i want to know how much i can turn up the volume on this spongy mode... To give an example of what i'm playing right now... i'm practicing The Maze song by Vinnie Moore... it has really catchy melodies and some scary arpeggios that i had a really hard time trying to play on bold mode...(i don't like to play with gain past 2)

 

[Old BF Shred]

oops! i forgot you made your own pedal... that's out of the question for me because i don't know anything about electronics and i'm far too lazy to build my own pedal :lol:
thanks!

Well it's not that hard, but you do have to be careful with the soldering as the circuit board (PWB) is small and the parts are very closely spaced.
It just takes patience and care. The first one you build is the hardest, then they seem easier after that...

Anyway I posted some pics and info under the "Foot Pedals and Misc....." listing.
Take care