New Rig Plan: Help and Opinions Appreciated!

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

I'm getting a second Boogie Traditional 4x12 in a trade in the near future, and have a plan of updating my rig. Wanted to run it by you guys, see if anyone had any better ideas / opinions. I definitely need some help on certain parts. You guys can definitely help in the head selection, as boogie is once again a player.

First, I am currently running a Boogie Mark IV into a Mesa Traditional 4x12, which is loaded with a x-pattern of V30s and Boogie C-90s. Love the clean and lead tones I'm getting with this rig....just unreal....rhythm tones are also good, but they lack that all out brutal vibe. The Mark IV has a different gain...I love it for certain applications, but not all. It's more of a crunch than a rig your face off chug.

So, I'm getting this second 4x12. I'm looking for a different head to run with the Mark IV. Something for that all out modern rhythm crunch. We're not necessarily talking extreme death metal....more a strong hard rock tone with a lot of palm muted chugging. At the moment, I'm eying a Bogner Uberschall, but am also considering a 2 Channel Recto with EL-34s in the power section. This is up for debate, and I'm very open to recommendations. It needs to be able to pull a modern chug chug hard rock tone in spades...oh...and believe it or not, I'm not really a fan of diezel

How does the Recto compare to the Uberschall? It's been quite some time since I demoed the Bogner, but I remember liking it. I will try it again soon. But what do you guys have to say about the head?

As each of the 4x12's are stereo cabs, I plan to run each head into each cab.....the Mark IV into half of the left and half of the right cab, and the other head into the other half of the left and other half of the right.

How would I go about controlling all this? Mixing the heads might be an option, but most of the time, it will more than likely be either one or the other. I assume I'd need to go with a Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro, with its audio switcher. What else would be necessary to get all this working?

Thanks for all the input and help! It's greatly appreciated!

 

[jman7272]

You simply cannot be married.

My wife would make a warm coat out of my *** hide if I tried to pll that off...

 

[fishyfishfish]

Just My Opinion. When I went shopping for the last time ever (If my wife is reading.) I really really liked the Uber. I also liked the VH4,( which you are not a fan of), and the Engle and VHT line. I always came back to Boogie.
I just like that for almost half the price of some of these " Ultra High End/High Gain" monsters you get a lot of tone options, along with a pretty darn good warranty, and customer service. As comparing Bogner to Boogie would be like comparing apples to oranges. All I can say is that there is nothing worse than spending a ton of money on an amp you can't stand, so it pays to shop around. Depending on where you live you might be able to rent one to see if you like it.

As far as plugging in, I would recommend a high quality amp switcher. Framptone, and Radial come to mind first. Mesa makes one and so does Lehle. Good Luck!

 

[danvortex]

I had an Uberschall and 2 DRs (R11950 and R406)in my band's rehearsal room for about 2 weeks. I tried and compared the amps with and without my band. I had a hard time choosing wich one i would keep and asked for my bandmates and friends opinion. Here is a resume of what we found, this is a matter of taste, both are great amps but...

(You have to keep in mind that i play metal and use an OD in front to thighten things up and give more attack)

1. The best amp when played all by itself without an OD was the bogner
because it has more bite, compression and crunch
2. When played with my regular set up the best one was definitely the DR # R406, it has less crunch and compression but has more punch and clarity, it is more in your face and is better in my band's mix.
3. The regular 2 channel DR was close but lacked a bit of the bite the other 2 have.
we also liked the recto cab better than the bogner, ever when playing the bogner through it.

conclusion, i bought the pre-500 DR instead of the bogner but they both were great, it comes to a matter of taste. I personnally think the pre-500 DR had more of a personnality and cut better in the mix. The regular DR came third, it lacked a bit of everything compared to the 2 others, but it was close and could also depend on your taste.

The regular 2 channels DR is also way sheaper than a pre-500 and an Uberschall wich are about the same price on the used market. You can get 2 regular 2 channels DRs for te price of one of the 2 others

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

And what would be the simplest way about controlling these two guys?

Technically, I could get an A/B/Y box, and use the footswitches of the two amps, as a simplest and cheapest solution, correct?

 

[jtb226]

Yeah. You could get an A/B/Y for a quick/easy solution. If you wanted easier control, you could get a GCX or 2 + MIDI controller. You could also look into Axess and see what they have for your amps.

 

[clutch71]

You simply cannot be married.

My wife would make a warm coat out of my *** hide if I tried to pll that off...

I laughed so hard at this!!!

ibanez4life SZ! - I do notice that you were into the Recto, then got the Mark IV, now your looking for something else, including possibly a Recto. Are you sure your looking in the right place? I say this, not to be rude, I myself have been through two Boogies this year alone. Your needs however are different than mine.

Here's something I recommend. I know this is shocking to some, but let me explain... Get a line of credit from Guitar Center. Yes I hate them too and credit can be bad if your not responsible but hear me out. GC have the 30 day guarantee on most anything. The card allows you to pick up gear try it, and return it within 30 days if you don't like it. I now pay for the gear I keep and trade the other stuff back in. So far I've tried and returned an MXR EVH Flange, Morley AB/Y and a Marshall 1936 2x12 cab.

Two other peices of my gear may not fit in so they may be traded out. Really it's not a bad way to go. Just a thought. This was kind of how I ended up with a Marshall and in the hunt for a SR or ROV head.

Good luck, Hell looking is half the fun anyway!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Actually, after giving it some thought, I think I might just have to look into better switching for my Mark IV.

I love the Marks tones...they're almost perfect for all my applications.

My only problem is footswitching...I'm trying to find my rhythm tone on R2, and leave the lead channel solely for lead, for simplicity sake on switching...I sing and play in my band, so I can't be tap dancing much at all.

After all, I think my rhythm and lead tones are both on the lead channel.....

Looks like I'll just have to get a GCX / Ground Control Pro...that would allow me to use my Mark IV fully....no compromise. All my tones would be easily accessible. Much cheaper than a bi-amp rig too :lol:

 

[clutch71]

.... Much cheaper than a bi-amp rig too :lol:

That is true and a lot less to lug, break, and replace.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Very true. :wink:

Now if only I could figure out exactly how this whole MIDI integration with the DMC products works :/