Guitarists: what gear do you use?

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've been playing for years, both acoustic (Kammerer, Ovation, Washburn, Yamaha) and electrics (Kammerer, Dean), in both Standard tuning and New Standard Tuning (C-G-D-A-E-G). I listen to and play a wide variety of styles of music...for passers-by and personal consumption only, though- I'm not in a band or anything.

However, the only audio "accessories" I have are 2 Korg Pandora's Boxes (the older one has some damage and won't work properly on high-gain guitars) and headphones to plug into them. No amp. No pedals.

Until now, that is.

I decided that its time for me to buy an amp, so I went to my FLMS and I tried a few out. While doing so, I noticed they were having a sale on Line 6 ToneCore modular pedals, and picked up 2 pedals and 2 additional modules- Uber Metal, Constriction, Space Chorus and Roto-Machine- for just over $150. Hear them (and the others) at Line 6 - Tonecore .

Right- this obviously means I'm committing myself to buying an amp. I'm currently trying to decide between offerings (under $1000) from Vox, Line 6, Roland, Marshall, and a couple of Fenders. Both had awesome clean tones that will give me the neutral background upon which I can paint my unique sound...if I can, that is!

So I'm looking for a little advice.

1) I'm leaning heavily towards the Fender Hot Rod (the Vox is a close second). I like its tone and I've encountered several pros who either love theirs or wish they had one, as well as one guy who laments selling his to buy a Vox some 5 years ago. Online reviews are heavily positive from amateurs and pros alike- I've only seen one reviewer who gave it less than 8 out of 10 on average.

Are there any issues of which I should be aware? Any good alternative amps I may not have considered?

2) If you have an amp, you need pedals. I now have 2 (4, sort of), chosen from a sale bin at my FLMS. I'm considering purchasing a couple more ToneCores I saw in a used gear store near my house.

Does anyone know of any issues with the ToneCore line?

I've been lusting after a HiWatt Theramin pedal- any 411?

What other really good pedals are out there? I mean that in the sense of the tones they generate, and their quality and long-term durability- I don't want to shell out $$$ for a pedal that sounds great for 4 months and breaks.

Who rules the roost- Boss, Digitech, Danelectro, HiWatt, Line 6? Someone else?

3) Other general advice- pedalboards, cables, whatever is greatly appreciated.

 

[Slider Wade]

The guitar I'm using is the Epiphone G1275 Custom Double Neck Guitar.

I don't have much gear, just the Gibson GA40RVT Guitar Combo amp and a set of the Bose Quiet Comfort II headphones for when I get loud.

 

[Elementgreen]

I'm the kind of guitarist that leans more towards heavy tones, lots of distortion. I use a ESP LTD MH-500 (discontinued, with a floyd rose) with DiMarzio pickups. I just ordered an X2N too.

The only tips I could possibly give you, is that if you want a killer tone, try out some DiMarzios. They make pickups for every type of guitarist.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've heard good things about the DiMarzios, especially from the metal shredders.

Still, my Deans and my Kammerers ( www.jonkammererguitars.com ) all use Seymour Duncans- not exactly shoddy stuff. I'm a bit shy about modding anything at this point- I'm not exactly what one would call "handy." If I avoid injuring myself while using tools, I think I'm ahead of the game. So you can understand my reluctance to modding a $1K+ instrument the first time out of the gate!

However, I have been toying with the idea of getting a Carvin or Saga guitar kit and trying some things out, like DiMarzios or some of the new Lace Alumitones.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The guitar I'm using is the Epiphone G1275 Custom Double Neck Guitar.

I don't have much gear, just the Gibson GA40RVT Guitar Combo amp and a set of the Bose Quiet Comfort II headphones for when I get loud.

One guitar and its a double-neck? There's some major cool in your veins!

Just how heavy are those things?

 

[Slider Wade]

One guitar and its a double-neck? There's some major cool in your veins!

Just how heavy are those things?

I've got a strong frame, but that doesn't make it any less heavy. I can stand up with it for no more than an hour and a half. I've been using it since it came on the market and have been learning to deal with the weight. It helps to be physically fit. I work out every other day and that helps to give me the muscle strength to endure long sessions and do concerts with it.

 

[Protagonist]

I own an [FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Ibanez S-370 DVF (improved with sweet Seymour Duncan pickups) and a Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 + a noname 4x12 (/w Celestions), but I rarely play anymore and never got any good at.
Still, I have quite a few stompboxes around (from tame stuff like a crybaby wah to weird things such as the [/SIZE][/FONT]alesis bitrman) that I use to create feedback loops with for my ambient/noise/industrial experiments, so my investmens in becoming a rock guitarist didn't go all to waste
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[Dannyalcatraz]

I own an [FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Ibanez S-370 DVF (improved with sweet Seymour Duncan pickups) and a Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 + a noname 4x12 (/w Celestions), but I rarely play anymore and never got any good at.
Still, I have quite a few stompboxes around (from tame stuff like a crybaby wah to weird things such as the [/SIZE][/FONT]alesis bitrman) that I use to create feedback loops with for my ambient/noise/industrial experiments, so my investmens in becoming a rock guitarist didn't go all to waste
​

Heh- despite playing for about 2 decades, I'm more of a noodler than anything else. I have a real gift for stringed instruments, so I pick up the general feel of stuff pretty quickly, but since I haven't been good about structured practice time, I generally don't "perfect" anything I'm learning. End result? A bad rendition of the whole song, or a tight rendition of the main hook or theme...and nothing else. IOW, generally just enough to annoy.

Instead, most of what I play are my own "original compositions," mainly done in New Standard Tuning. Some of it actually almost sounds good according to my fans (2 Border Collies and random passers by).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Anyone know of a good "bubble" or "ringer" pedal? I love both of those effects, but I'm clueless as to where to find a good one.

 

[Protagonist]

Anyone know of a good "bubble" or "ringer" pedal? I love both of those effects, but I'm clueless as to where to find a good one.

I don't know what you mean by "bubble", but if you can get your hands on an Alesis Bitrman (I think they are not manufactured anymore but you can find em on ebay with a bit of luck) you should definetly check it out.
The ringmod on the bitrman is quite decent, but the signal decimator, bit reducer and comb filter are really really scary (in a good way).