My rack... what else to add?

[FastRedPonyCar]

My new skb rack came in. $125 from www.chrisguitars.com Beat's musiciansfriend's $260 price tag

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/SKB-8Space-Rack-Case?sku=544608


So I got everything put in and hooked up. It sounds really good, the buzz from the preamp is still there though so I don't think it's a grounding issue. What I've done for the time being is hooked the Gmajor into the chain between the preamp and power amp rather than the FX loop. This way, the Gmajor's noise gate catches the hum and quiets the amp when I stop playing. It works for now but the gate's threshold is fairly agressive so the clean sustain suffers (which I never really use so it's not a huge deal) but eventually, I'll probably have it sent off for the C+ mod and fixing whatever is making the noise.

 

[RJ2213]

sounds like what you need to add is the ISP Decimator.

 

[JMP2203]

rack tuner maybe¿?

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

No I've got a tuner in the Gmajor that's fairly accurate and I've got a pedal tuner as well.

ISP is too expensive and they've got a new pedal unit coming out that's supposed to be really good.


know they catch a lot of heat over at harmony central, but do you think my setup would benefit much from a BBE 482i? A guy in one of the groups I play with has a garbage SS crate amp and a BBE sonic stomp and it only makes it sound colder, harsher, fizzier, etc. Sounds like it scoops the mids too. I guess I should expect that from the amp though...

I guess I'm really looking for something that can clean up & tighten the sound, just provide a little overall extra clarity to everything and getting control of the levels with the compressor was a first thought.

And I recall that all the "should I buy a bbe" threads over at HC end up with gangs of guys saying no go buy a rack eq and be done or something along those lines.

I've got a really good stompbox compressor (Eden analog cold compress...essentially a modified keeley compressor) that I could try out in the FX loop but it didn't do much good for my overdrive channel going in the main input so I'm not expecting much more through the FX loop.

My MXR 10 band eq makes an enormous difference for the good but I only use that for clean solo boosts. would a 31 band rack eq be overkill? I could always buy a 2nd eq pedal and just leave it always on but if I'm going to pay you know... $110~$125, woudln't something like this do the job just as well?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/dbx-215-Dual-15Band-Graphic-EQ?sku=183526

I'm wondering if it would be wise to get the dual channel version so I could tweak each speaker (or cab) a bit differently to suite my tastes?

 

[reo73]

I just added the BBE sonic stomp to my Studio Pre rig and I have to say I like it quite a bit. It fattens the lows and brightens the Hi end but in a very subtle way. I am running it between my Rocktron Xpression and my 50/50 power amp.

Which leads me to my other suggestion which is the Rocktron Xpression. IMO the Xpression has the most analog and transparent sounding modulation effects between it and the G-Major or Lexicon stuff. Keep the G-Major for delay and verb and use the Rocktron for everything else and you will have a killer rig.

 

[RJ2213]

i own both the xpression and the gmajor, its not that noticable of a difference to my ears. i also used to use a rackmount bbe unit for a long time and will never use one again, they tend to suck the life out of the signal, eq's it nicely but seems to take away the character of the tone.

my next recommendation would be a sliding rack shelf for mounting pedals and such to.

like this one
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSL/

 

[lhueckel]

I like my BBE 362. The Lo Contour control is very simple and effective for adjusting the low end on different guitars and at different volume levels.