Quick Upgrade

[Maldeve]

I have a cheap walmart micro phone= phillips ph62 ($20)

I have Duncan Designed pickups in a 7string Schecter guitar ($300)

I have no pedals just a cheap guitar preamp digitech twintube ($150)


I know I'm going to upgrade all of these eventually, but what should i start with first to get a better recorded tone from the MarkIV?

I"m using Ntrack studio on the computer ATM

So what should i Upgrade first :

Shure57 microphone.

New pickups installed.

Overdrive pedal for boosting.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I'd get a 57 first, that's going to affect the recording quality the most. Then new pickups. Lastly an overdrive pedal.

 

[phyrexia]

I agree. Maybe the pickups and the mic at the same time. Throw that mic you have away.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I have a C-7 guitar left over from our Music Store. The pickups are not that bad.

Get an SM-57. That is the single best thing that you can do to increase the quality of your recordings.

Just out of curiosity, does the Mark IV not have enough distortion for you? If this is the case, you should check the database of settings here or post a thread asking for Metal settings. With the EQ and knobs set right, you should have so much distortion that you find yourself turning the Gain down at higher volumes.

 

[disassembled]

While you're deciding what to get you should also be looking at what you can get rid of. If you don't use the digitech processor then maybe you can dump that for something like an intellifex which, from what i've read, seems pretty nice.

I recommend going used on the 57 because they are rugged as can be and as long as it works I don't think you would have anything to worry about.


The mark IV boosted is pretty cool. If you can save up $400 you might be interested in the digitech GSP1101 because it gives you any type of effect you probably could want and interfaces with the mark IV in a great way (with the 4CM). I was pretty impressed using the GSP1101 with my mark IV head because you get all of the fuzz, od, DS, great verb, any type of mod effect, plus you get a great sounding plexi model if you want a different flavor of preamp. The only thing missing from the equation is a midi switching system that you can get for about $200 from axess electronics with cable. Buying a boost pedal will probably cost $100 or more for a good one but for $300 more you get many for very little money.

Greg

 

[fatoni]

i personally dont see any need for an overdrive pedal. except for maybe coloring r2 but id still try to find other ways even to do that (hotter pickups?). if you wanna record get a mic.

 

[devilrob1979]

I say mic first, then pickups then overdrive. I have absolutely no need for an overdrive with my Mark IV, all I have is 6db of clean boost which I use from time to time. Your microphone is what's going to effect your tone the most on recordings. Crappy pickups can be eq'ed to sound fairly rad but if you don't have a decent mic in the first place you have that much less to work with. I'd look at an EQ before I looked at an overdrive pedal. R2 with 6db of clean boost in the loop and a touch of delay is god-like and all you have to do is step on one button to activate it.