Here it is, it took me 5 LONG years, and this board REALLY helped me get to a rig I am finally happy with.
http://www.myspace.com/howitzeraz
- Here is what I have:
An ESP eclipse II - with a Tom Anderson H2+ in the bridge, and a 59 in the neck.
My band Just got sponsored by Jackson, so I now have this guitar- A Jackson Dominion:
I only have ONE rig, and that is my Mesa-Boogie Tri-axis and 2:90 rig. It has a Shure wireless, a power conditioner, tuner, gcx switcher and ground control, a G-major for most effects, an Avatar cabinet with v30's and a Wah and a volume pedal:
Like I said, its been a long journey. I have had Marshalls, Mesas, a mk IV, a 6505, 2 tri-axis, a million different pickups in my bridge position (probably about 10), 4 different guitar cabinets, and MANY MANY revisions of settings on my pre-amp, and effects.
Here is what I found out that I like:
1: The less gain the better. I found I was hiding behind distortion when I should have been working on my technique more - which takes me to my next point :
2: Tone is mostly in MY hands. I have a brutal attack on the guitar. My hand bleeds after almost every show because I palm mute that hard. Literally. So, the lesson is - GO PRACTICE, its not your gear that makes you sound like you want to, your gear is only a small tool in the toolbox.
3: Turn your Midrange UP. It brings you out in the mix. I see a million (Metal) bands all over the country, and almost all of them either have TOO much distortion/gain, or a bad EQ that sounds great alone, but gets lost in the mix.
4: The more the guitar sounds natural (aka, less hot pickups, chambered bodies, etc) the more I like it, and the more musical I feel. It helps me groove a lot easier.
5: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - research before you buy. I did the opposite, and it took me 5 years, and a LOT of cash to find out what works for me. Play the amps before you buy them, figure out what kind of tone you want, and figure out what fits you best. Also, do not buy an amp because it "looks cool". Huge mistake on my part - HA!
*EDIT*
6: Oh yeah. Those huge rigs some of you have. I had them. They look REALLY cool (please see point 5!). I found out the more serious I got, It made NO sense to have those things, unless you are pulling a trailer and dont have to go up stairs, etc. If you are going to get serious and tour, I recommend you size that **** down!
Thanks to everyone that contributes to this board - you helped me out a lot!
Cheers
Moody