pod xt? amplitube? guitar rig? i need advice quickly :)

[bduffy]

I can't remember how to make a poll...who wants to get this poll going? I'd love to see what comes out on top.

[Marduchk]

(I'd love to sound like SRV but even if I dial his tone in perfect in AT2 my guitar still won't sound like that worn out strat

Stevie pretty just plugged his Strat directly into his Twin, turned the gain all the way up, and played.
.

and pigs fly out of my butt.

no, they really do.

[GreyLion]

+1 on the J-Station.

I've been monkeying around this week with a lot of sims -- the RevalverII demo, FreeAmp2, a bunch of other freebies. I've played through my rhythm guitarist's POD (not sure which version) and my drummer's V-Amp.

Nothing else comes close to giving me the deep, thick tone I like, as much as the J-Station. The Black Face amp model is amazing, and the Johnson Clean, Crunch, and Solo models take care of me when I'm wanting to get a non-Fender sound. Plug a Bad Monkey Pedal in front of it to drive it when needed, and it's sonic nirvana.

For me, that is. Good luck to all in the quest for the tone that pleases you. I definitely agree that, although I keep telling myself I want to have a zillion tones on hand, when it comes to actually playing, all I really want is a gorgeous deep clean tone, a crunch tone that doesn't get harsh, and a screaming clear infinite-sustain lead tone.

[bduffy]

Johnson J Station, eh? I've never heard of it. Investigating... would you say this is a good choice for a Strat/clean-to-dirty/sometimes crunch guitarist? (if that makes any sense)

[james0tucson]

Sorry, James. Stevie's sound is much more complicated than that!

Not much more. Sometimes he used a Fuzz Face and a Crybaby. I'm just thinking of his live gear, no doubt he did more in the studio.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was my next door neighbor when he lived with Ray Wylie Hubbard for a while. I knew him as a teenager, but not after he got famous.

[bduffy]

Sorry, James. Stevie's sound is much more complicated than that!

Not much more. Sometimes he used a Fuzz Face and a Crybaby. I'm just thinking of his live gear, no doubt he did more in the studio.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was my next door neighbor when he lived with Ray Wylie Hubbard for a while. I knew him as a teenager, but not after he got famous.

That's cool! As for the sound, I'm pretty sure he toured with the Fender (not a Twin, some other small combo) and that went into a chain of heads and bigger cabs. It's not important, but I would bet serious cash that he didn't use just a Fender Twin live.

And I can see where this thread is going...

[GreyLion]

Johnson J Station, eh? I've never heard of it. Investigating... would you say this is a good choice for a Strat/clean-to-dirty/sometimes crunch guitarist? (if that makes any sense)

Strat? Hell, yes! That's what I mostly end up playing through mine. Like I said, it's a classic for its Blackface model. Not just my opinion, the opinion of everyone I've ever seen post about it. It's wonderfully sensitive to dynamics, cleaning up when you play softer, getting crunchy when you spank the plank. There are also lots of other good tones in there, but that's what I keep coming back to, along with the J-Solo when I want to do my pitiful attempts at shredding.

They've been out of production for a couple of years, because they got acquired by DigiTech, who killed the product line to keep it from cannibalizing sales of their GNX models. It sounded too much better than the GNX series, and cost way less.

You still see them on EBay, and it looks like there are a couple of them there right now. Can't recommend them too highly. I definitely encourage you to research and see if it's worth putting in the effort to acquire one. Great for recording, great for live playing.

[bduffy]

Really. Wow...and it's from, like, 2000!?!

Check this: http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/msg/277059398.html

[Teksonik]

Really. Wow...and it's from, like, 2000!?!

Check this: http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/msg/277059398.html

On my last trip to the local Sam Ash store I saw a J Station sort of hidden away in the corner of a display case. It looked new and had a price of around $80 if I remember. I am sorely tempted to buy it just as a backup for my Station, that's how much I love my J. I suppose you could call the Sam Ash here in Vegas and see if it's still for sale and if they'll ship. If I can help in the transaction let me know.

(Got to leave for a couple of hours. I do have a Sam Ash card........ I 'd rather see someone else buy it than have it sitting around here waiting for my other one to die of old age).

[GreyLion]

Really. Wow...and it's from, like, 2000!?!

Check this: http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/msg/277059398.html

To each his own, but if mine broke, I'd immediately acquire another one. Because they ain't making them anymore, and they're only gonna get harder to find. And that CraigsList deal looks pretty good to me.

EDIT: Tek -- For $80??? Jump on it right now. If either of you don't want it, let me in on the deal, and I'll get it for a backup for myself.

They've got 24-bit ins and outs, and have 24-bit stereo SPDIF also, which, I suspect you already know, means that you can record into a soundcard with SPDIF and not have any digital distortion, no matter how hard you drive the signal.

Honest, I don't see a downside to getting one. If you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it for as much or more than you bought it for.

[Teksonik]

Really. Wow...and it's from, like, 2000!?!

Check this: http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/msg/277059398.html

To each his own, but if mine broke, I'd immediately acquire another one. Because they ain't making them anymore, and they're only gonna get harder to find. And that CraigsList deal looks pretty good to me.

They've got 24-bit ins and outs, and have 24-bit stereo SPDIF also, which, I suspect you already know, means that you can record into a soundcard with SPDIF and not have any digital distortion, no matter how hard you drive the signal.

Honest, I don't see a downside to getting one. If you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it for as much or more than you bought it for.

Argghh see my post above...must resist temptation to buy a backup. Yes I use the S/PDIF out to my Audiophile 24/96 S/PDIF in and it's a very clean signal.

Back in a couple of hours.

[Cap'n Spanky]

I did not like AT1 much but I love AT2. They are completely different plugins IMO.

Same here. During the small amount of time I played with AT1, I thought it stunk.

In fact, I had pretty much written off software (native) modelers and modelers in general. Then one day I wandered over to the POD forums. Some guy posted a song he did in AT2 and I was stunned.

That said, I'm in the process of procuring one of these little 1/2 watt Gilmore Jr. amp kits. http://www.guytronix.com/
May not be your cup of tea, but just I love the way the demo clips sound.

[GreyLion]

Argghh see my post above...must resist temptation to buy a backup. Yes I use the S/PDIF out to my Audiophile 24/96 S/PDIF in and it's a very clean signal.

Back in a couple of hours.

My exact setup, too, Tek. I was fooling around with it last night, with a couple of the Antress plugs in the signal chain to compress and bring up the gain a bit. The tone I was getting was soooo much more gorgeous, so much fuller, than the software sims I've been fooling around with.

[dusted william]

the J-station did sound good, I used to have one, but was foolish and sold it for cheap. I bought it on blowout from zzounds... 49 dolllars

dw

[GreyLion]

the J-station did sound good, I used to have one, but was foolish and sold it for cheap. I bought it on blowout from zzounds... 49 dolllars

dw

Ow! That hurts, I bet. $49 is amazing.

Kinda like when I sold my old Fender Champ for $150. I still smack myself upside the head for that, ten years later....