Do I need a Klon Klone?

[WhiskeyJack]

Yesterday I was recording some guitar for my pre-1960 project and I decided to click on the Tumnus for a few takes. I remember thinking "hmmm...that's more subtle than I remember". After I finished recording, I remembered that I was plugged straight into my amp and not into my pedal chain

I love this and it should be a meme.

[WhiskeyJack]

I've got a fairly normal sized board, cable lengths and a reasonably priced combination of bypass and buffered pedals.

I'll record something this weekend straight into the front of the amp and through my board, see if there's a difference.

[liv_rong]

Yesterday I was recording some guitar for my pre-1960 project and I decided to click on the Tumnus for a few takes. I remember thinking "hmmm...that's more subtle than I remember". After I finished recording, I remembered that I was plugged straight into my amp and not into my pedal chain

[Greg_L]

Yesterday I was recording some guitar for my pre-1960 project and I decided to click on the Tumnus for a few takes. I remember thinking "hmmm...that's more subtle than I remember". After I finished recording, I remembered that I was plugged straight into my amp and not into my pedal chain

I did something similar just yesterday....I was playing with my new Assman and I'm turning dials on the normal channel and nothing is happening. I'm like, fuck, it's broke already.

But no, I was plugged into the bass channel.

[Tadpui]

@WhiskeyJack @liv_rong @Greg_L I mean, the light was on so that means it was doing something, right?

Oh and Greg, I've done that same thing with my Deluxe Reverb too. Twisting away on the knobs wondering why nothing was happening, then realizing I was plugged into the other channel. It happens

[Armistice]

Most of this stuff is lost on most listeners anyway - it's just guitarists who obsess about it.

While that's true - its still important. Finding the sound you want and working hard on it is what inspires you to write different songs. Also, you'll play better if you've got a sound that you like.

Yeah I get that, and I've written songs based on noodling with a particular pedal, but there are guys who just seem to continually cycle through pedals... they're not looking for their sound I don't think, they just enjoy making lots of different noises - which is fair enough. But a lot of the search for your sound is about sound, rather than music, IMO.

[JD01]

While that's true - its still important. Finding the sound you want and working hard on it is what inspires you to write different songs. Also, you'll play better if you've got a sound that you like.

Yeah I get that, and I've written songs based on noodling with a particular pedal, but there are guys who just seem to continually cycle through pedals... they're not looking for their sound I don't think, they just enjoy making lots of different noises - which is fair enough. But a lot of the search for your sound is about sound, rather than music, IMO.

On guy that endlessly cycle through pedals... Good look to them! I think they've pretty much created a a market where we have endless choice of generally pretty good reasonably priced pedals.

Don't get me started on Tubescreamers with particular transistors or from a particular year or anything... if you like the sound of a tubescreamer you'll like any of them. But you can now pick up a tubescreamer for 50 quid which does exactly what it's supposed to.

Even by the standards of its time the original Klon was pretty expensive, but there's endless choice of Klones now between 100-150 quid. With a bit of tweaking you can't really tell the difference.

I think its problematic when people totally buy into the hype though. "The Klon is amazing" then buy a reasonably priced Klone and don't like it and think its cos its a cheap one, so buy another one, then another one. When in reality, they just don't like what the Klon does.

Same with Tubescreamers. If you don't like your 50 quid tubescreamer, you're unlikely to enjoy a 150 quid tubescreamer.

[Armistice]

Yeah I get that, and I've written songs based on noodling with a particular pedal, but there are guys who just seem to continually cycle through pedals... they're not looking for their sound I don't think, they just enjoy making lots of different noises - which is fair enough. But a lot of the search for your sound is about sound, rather than music, IMO.

On guy that endlessly cycle through pedals... Good look to them! I think they've pretty much created a a market where we have endless choice of generally pretty good reasonably priced pedals.

Don't get me started on Tubescreamers with particular transistors or from a particular year or anything... if you like the sound of a tubescreamer you'll like any of them. But you can now pick up a tubescreamer for 50 quid which does exactly what it's supposed to.

Even by the standards of its time the original Klon was pretty expensive, but there's endless choice of Klones now between 100-150 quid. With a bit of tweaking you can't really tell the difference.

I think its problematic when people totally buy into the hype though. "The Klon is amazing" then buy a reasonably priced Klone and don't like it and think its cos its a cheap one, so buy another one, then another one. When in reality, they just don't like what the Klon does.

Same with Tubescreamers. If you don't like your 50 quid tubescreamer, you're unlikely to enjoy a 150 quid tubescreamer.

Exactly.

It's one of my continual rants, but if guitarists would spend a bit less time on searching for their sound and a bit more time on learning actual music - the musical world would be a better place.

Possibly I'm just in a foul mood because #euorvisionsongcontest is on this weekend. Apparently the Australian contender's (and that's a whole other discussion) outfit weights 40kg. It's possibly the biggest wank I've ever seen. Because singing through a face full of metal will definitely improve your vocal performance... all artifice, no art. But we know that.

[Greg_L]

On guy that endlessly cycle through pedals... Good look to them! I think they've pretty much created a a market where we have endless choice of generally pretty good reasonably priced pedals.

Don't get me started on Tubescreamers with particular transistors or from a particular year or anything... if you like the sound of a tubescreamer you'll like any of them. But you can now pick up a tubescreamer for 50 quid which does exactly what it's supposed to.

Even by the standards of its time the original Klon was pretty expensive, but there's endless choice of Klones now between 100-150 quid. With a bit of tweaking you can't really tell the difference.

I think its problematic when people totally buy into the hype though. "The Klon is amazing" then buy a reasonably priced Klone and don't like it and think its cos its a cheap one, so buy another one, then another one. When in reality, they just don't like what the Klon does.

Same with Tubescreamers. If you don't like your 50 quid tubescreamer, you're unlikely to enjoy a 150 quid tubescreamer.

That's the internet. There are a lot of really stupid gear trends that only exist because of bedroom players on internet forums.

I can't even pretend to know anything about chasing tones with pedals, but I do know one thing about the cheapos - they are usually noisy as hell. I'm pretty surprised in general by how much noise and buzz people will just accept as part of the deal when it really shouldn't be.

[JD01]

I find most of the time with noise it's from cables. I spent ages chasing down noise in a recording a while back but it just didn't seem to be anywhere in my signal but was always there on my recordings.

Turns out I had a dodgy XLR on my cab mic! First time I've ever had a dodgy XLR.

I say cheap pedals relatively speaking. Not 30 quid Chinese shit of Amazon. My cheap TS is still an Ibanez. I think the most expensive pedal I have is either my HanTaun (a pedal I reckon Greg would like) or my OCD.

[Greg_L]

(a pedal I reckon Greg would like)

I'd probably think it's okay. It's just an overdrive. With the way I use them I tend to be just fine with most overdrives. I've never in my life met a pedal that I've liked enough to actually want to get one. I've messed with tons of pedals that are okay, pretty good, I don't hate them, but I've never just had to get one. Never. Not one time in 30+ years of dicking around with this crap.

Wait, that's not entirely true. I truly like the old Red Ross Flanger. I think that's the only pedal I've ever heard where I wish I had one. But even still, if I really wanted one, I'd already have one.

All of my own pedals are just out of necessity. I need to have an overdrive. I need to have phaser. I need to have a delay, and a wah, and whatever else. I hardly ever use them but I want to have them just so I have them. So with that I just got the standard stuff and haven't thought about them ever since.

[liv_rong]

I’m gonna use a lot of pedals for the current recording challenge. It’s fun for me!

[JD01]

Yeah, to a certain extent I don't really care what my overdrives actually are, I just what them to be quite good and different from eachother.

I find the TS handy for recording just cos it makes a lead line poke through a mix in a really nice way without it having to be just louder than everything else.

[WhiskeyJack]

I’m gonna use a lot of pedals for the current recording challenge. It’s fun for me!

I can't picture your sound without stacks of effects on it. It wouldn't be the same shit at all.

[liv_rong]

The internet strikes again:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... e.2361553/

@Greg_L @WhiskeyJack

[Lt. Bob]

The internet strikes again:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... e.2361553/

@Greg_L @WhiskeyJack

prolly 3/4s of them can barely play.

80% of my life has been working with, spending time with and interacting with pro musicians.
Thousands and thousands of them over a starting-to-get-pretty-long career.

NONE of them obsess over this stuff ...... about the only thing I've ever heard was some that tried pricey cables commenting that they could hear a difference.

And I'm sure they did because I do.

But after that it's a matter of 'meh' because it's not that big a deal.
I never heard of any of them going out of their way to make sure they only use that type of cable or whatever.

Try playing some good note choices and absolutely no one gives a shit if your treble is rolled off and some would prefer it anyway if they noticed or gave a crap, which they don't.

Minerman used to drive me crazy because he really wanted to do a lot of recording but couldn't get past the 'testing out different gear for minute differences' thing.
And then he was gone.
A loss ...... I'd have loved to hear a buncha stuff from him because I feel sure he'd have done some cool classic type stuff.
But now we'll never hear it because he spent his time obsessing over which gear he would use once he found the one and truly goodest amp/speaker.

Fucking play your fucking instruments and have fun dammit!

And that's from someone who loves pedals .... but I love to have fun with them.
Absolutely no way I'm gonna obsess over differences between them or my various turntables/cartridges/pre-amps in my stereo.
I like 'em all ....... they're all fun

[Greg_L]

The internet strikes again:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... e.2361553/

@Greg_L @WhiskeyJack

I'm not watching that video or reading that thread because I already know with my own ears that cable capacitance is a thing. I don't need any verification.

And having said that, and knowing that cable capacitance is a thing, I use the cheapest no-name cables I can get and don't care about any of it. I buy whatever in-house shit guitar center is selling and they have lifetime warranties and any time I go in there for something else, I bring a cable with me and swap it out just for the hell of it. I'm always flush with fresh new cables. I don't use Monster cables or Mogamis or gold plated shit woven with an angel's pubic hair. Don't care about any of it. I just need a cable to get my guitar signal into an amp and I'm good.

[liv_rong]

I'm not watching that video or reading that thread because I already know with my own ears that cable capacitance is a thing. I don't need any verification.

And having said that, and knowing that cable capacitance is a thing, I use the cheapest no-name cables I can get and don't care about any of it. I buy whatever in-house shit guitar center is selling and they have lifetime warranties and any time I go in there for something else, I bring a cable with me and swap it out just for the hell of it. I'm always flush with fresh new cables. I don't use Monster cables or Mogamis or gold plated shit woven with an angel's pubic hair. Don't care about any of it. I just need a cable to get my guitar signal into an amp and I'm good.

Yeah I know all of that, lol. Just was pointing out we jsut talked about this and its happening there too. I mean, it happens all the time with the cork sniffers anyways

[Greg_L]

Yeah I know all of that, lol. Just was pointing out we jsut talked about this and its happening there too. I mean, it happens all the time with the cork sniffers anyways

There is a very lucrative gear market out there thanks to internet cork sniffers.

[rayc]

Given my indifference to most drive pedals, in my own playing/sound, I pulled out those I have that use "drive" and played them through my amp listening to the what and deciding the why.
I played with flat amp settings and then my preferred amp settings, little pedal gain & lots of gain etc. etc.

I don't like the "break up" sound they create...and despite the guitar I played, (I tried a couple), the sound from the G string was particularly ugly.
That may be down to my hearing or my amp but it was almost uniform.

The Boss SD - nope - GREAT for boost but I didn't like the drive beyond about 2mm from off.
Behringer Blues Overdrive This one is supposed to be a Boss Blues Driver clone with gain stages of a real amp cloned by stages of transistors. - nope - just nope.
GFS Brownie - level cranked and tone cranked it sounded cool but NOT with the drive section engaged beyond the same as the SD...it sounds unpleasant. Oh the "Comp" setting is a bit scooped 80s.
Behringer GDI21 - amp neutral as it's supposed to be an amp in a box thing -The Tweed setting sounded okay with a TINY bit of drive but not with the additional gain settings - almost the same with the Brit settings but NO to drive at all. The California setting was ugly all over.
Joyo ACTONE - the drive on that one, amp neutral again, was pretty nice to my ears - particularly with the earlier voicings.