Chasing Tone

[redman]

I am bored with my tone I live in a small 1 BR apartment so loud is not an option and I don't want to be playing with headphones attached all the time. My current rig consist of which ever guitar I choose run through a Fender Super Champ XD with a Eminence Ragin Cajun I installed in it, a 2018 Ibanez Tub Screamer and a Zoom MS-50G multi effects pedal a Behringer rack mount EQ and Furman power conditioner I pulled out of my old PA gear I have in storage. The amp sounds good clean but has a digital
So now I'm wanting to sell my pedals and buy something else now it used to be you could jump in the car head down to the local music store and try out any number of effects until you find the right one and that just ain't happening these days. That leads me to asking you guys what's good and what's not. I'm looking for distortion, reverb and delay I'm going to keep the EQ and Pwr Cond total budget absolute max $500.

[bleys21]

While I'm not much help, I figure I'd bump this so someone else can chime in.

I personally had to give up on the real amp idea, as my family hated the noise level it took to get to that sweet spot. I messed around with a Helix Stomp for a bit, then traded that and a bunch of money for a Kemper Profiler, and that hit the spot for me. I'm stuck with using headphones for now, but at least it sounds amazing. I mean, I still suck at playing, but the Kemper can almost make me sound decent! Lol

[littlebadboy]

Same here. I would go the mfx/modeler route because it just saves a lot of space for me. Plus, my wife wouldn't be complaining about my noise.

[RiverDog]

BOSS WAZA Air Guitar Amp headphones. Trust me.

[Chocol8]

Your use case screams modeler. The Waza headphones are a great idea if wireless headphones will work for you. Otherwise, there are a number of modelers now that can be purchased for $500 or less, especially used, that will have better sound and flexibility than an amp you can’t turn up.

[redman]

A little bit more about my situation I don't gig anymore it's just to much hassle being in a wheelchair and the virus social distancing and all. That said I do however still play with other folks a lot I'm working on a project with some folks but it's a recording only thing but we get together once a week so I only need to plug into the interface but his effect plug ins are weak at best but I'm just there to play bass, melody lines and write bridges. I do jam with some guys I've played with since the early 90's and that's usually once a month. Me being retired and living alone I spend a ton of time with just me and a guitar in my apartment so the little Fender is more power than I'll ever need. I found out with the Zoom MS-50g that a pedal sized multi effects system doesn't work for me. Not trying to pull poor old pitiful me crap but I have no use of my left leg and bending over to the floor ain't going to happen. I am really interested in 3 pedals Distortion, Reverb and Delay that's it.
I would like to find a low watt tube amp with no built in effects except a spring reverb tank and features that include FX Loop, USB Port, 1/4" and XLR outputs and a headphone jack. Does anyone know of a good little amp that fits that billk.

[glasshand]

Not trying to pull poor old pitiful me crap but I have no use of my left leg and bending over to the floor ain't going to happen.

I saw Leslie West perform near the end of his life, when he was wheelchair-bound, and he had a pedalboard mounted where he could hit the pedals with his hand. Might a setup like that work for you? Not all footswitches are easy to operate with the hand, but some Barefoot Buttons ought to take care of that.

[Mossman]

I think my compact guitar rig could work for you, and also allow you to use a floor-based effects unit.

I got one of these computer stands from Amazon:



https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

And use it to support my Zoom G5n, and amps. I took the handle off the top of the amp so I could perch the Yamaha THR10 on top (awesome stack! ). I tried keeping the Zoom on the floor, but I prefer to have it within reach, for making adjustments.

[SamIV]

I picked up a Vox AC4 and a Boss GT1, bought for $200. Quite happy with that set up. Also have an AC15 when none of my neighbors are home

[ID10t]

I would try this as a relatively inexpensive solution or experiment.
To remind you, I don't look at things like normal people and I live with a hemiplasia MS person and I am frugal beyond reason (mostly).
If you have a PS4 or X-box or PC.... Get Rocksmith 2014 remastered. It is cheap, has half a million effects that can be modified, ordered and change ordered, save presets and you can use it to just jam with. Push it through TV or sound system or with headphones or any combination of. Controlled with dualshock controller or can use tablet to control it. I've got an A/B switch so I can run a guitar into Rocksmith and amp or pedals to amp.

[sabasgr68]

@redman I play with headphones 99% of the time, I live in a small apartment, and besides, my wife wouln´t stand a loud amp at all

My tones are coming from the only amp I've ever had, a 2010 Fender Mustang 1 v1 amp, but my true tones are inside a RP500 or a ME80. One of them is on my list of "when the right time comes"...

Good luck with your chase...

[uwmcscott]

Seems to me a modeling amp would be just the ticket. I only play at home as well and i've tried a few different low-wattage tube amps and pedals to try and get that "breakup" tone at low volumes, and I've never been able to achieve it. I have owned a few different modeling amps and all of them really worked well for my purposes - I had a fender mustang 1 for a while, and now I have a Boss Katana 50. I really like the Katana as you can use it with specific presets, or you can just use the controls like it's a regular old amp too.

I have also found that "tone chasing" can many times be never ending quest. As soon as you get a rig that you think you like, some new gee-whiz thing comes along or you see someone else playing something you used to own yourself and getting fantastic tones out of it.

[AnotherJim]

Blackstar HT1M I think fits most of your needs. I played one through a matching cab once at a GC and was quite impressed, but I dont know that you should buy one until you can try it. The Boxx KAtana Artis, though big and heavy, has a .5w setting and you can actually use it like an amp with pedals if you get the Footswitch and put it up high to push the buttons. You can also run all sorts of devices in an adn dont as it has an FX loop and inputs for external devices such as MP3, etc...plus you can record out

[nomadh]

I would try this as a relatively inexpensive solution or experiment.
To remind you, I don't look at things like normal people and I live with a hemiplasia MS person and I am frugal beyond reason (mostly).
If you have a PS4 or X-box or PC.... Get Rocksmith 2014 remastered. It is cheap, has half a million effects that can be modified, ordered and change ordered, save presets and you can use it to just jam with. Push it through TV or sound system or with headphones or any combination of. Controlled with dualshock controller or can use tablet to control it. I've got an A/B switch so I can run a guitar into Rocksmith and amp or pedals to amp.

Brilliant idea. This could be perfect for the situation

[jam]

Tub Screamer

I remember a tub screamer... good times!