FX splurge

Looks like I'm going to be set for quite a little while...

A couple crafty PayPal payments and I landed myself with a grey Fulltone GT-500 straight from Fulltone (for $40 less than you can get a red one new) and a mint condition ART SGX Express multi effects/preamp.

http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/Fulltone-GT-500.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300332023216

Now it's time to save up for a car...

...and a power amp for the SGX unit. Since I've got that thing, I can screw pedals. If I were to get a tube amp, it'd be a Mesa Stereo 400 or a MosValve MT-962--the loudest stereo amp I can lay my hands on, in other words. I'll just need to find the foot unit to go with it, then I've got everything a body could ask for--tube OD, distortion, a killer compressor/expander, chorus, flange, delay in stereo. I've tried the crappier version of this thing at a friend's neighbor's house and it was awesome--noisy, but awesome. But that's the Nightbass. The Express is the guitar version and I've heard nothing but good things about it. Chris Squire used it for a long time (he still might) to get the sounds he's famous for. Apparently, the tube circuits on the Nightbass make it incredibly noisy, but the Express doesn't have that problem.

My friend's neighbor was also asking at least $600 for the Nightbass and the foot controller...I just got the Express for $250. The "Ultrafoot" controller can be had for another $100. I can't wait to get it!!

nice processing!

i'll be looking for processing like this in the future to use in the studio ... like you were saying; very low noise.

Have you have experience with the SGX 2000 Express? I'm glad that the one I'm getting (the guy shipped it hours after I sent my payment--sweet!) because it has the most updated software from AR&T. The Nightbass was incredibly noisy--the compressor and tube preamp were like white noise generators. It had a good noise gate, but there was still that time when you were playing when you could hear its noise. Plus the overdrive on the Nightbass was pure mud. I've heard that people haven't had that problem with the SGX 2K, but some people don't like the OD that much. I'll let my ears decide.

Keep your eyes out on eBay--I've seen similar ART SGX units go for $50 at times!

I'm not planning on making this a static part or my rig. I feel a little iffy on relying on it, you know. If I were to want a multi-effects unit to have in my rig all the time, I'd get an ADA MP-1 or something to try out. I've heard nothing but great stuff about them and I'm really curious how one would sound in front of the (gigantic) power section on my Mesa 400+. Some day.

My brother-in-law used to use ART guitar stuff, and he loved it. Great snags there, Martin!

i've never used any rack processing units except for preamps and eq. i'm still in the journeys with the floor processing units. i just like the control of accessing different banks of effects programs and settings with the tap of a toe.

my old boss had a real nice noise gate ... used it all the time, but the preamps stunk and the patch delay was long so i traded it in for the gt-10b. the preamps are great and there is no patch switch delay unless its a swell, rotary or phaze effect patched to. this thing doesnt have the same noise gate as the old one did ... the knobbie on the back ... but there is one in the process bank. there is so much stuff on this processor, i just havent found it yet. my expectations arent too high (like it wont even be close to a noise gate like on a rack processor). all the effects sound is only as good as the COSM technology is ... rack processing, true tube preamps and individual foot pedals sound better.

i've never had someone come up to me and say that what i was doing with this processor didnt sound good tho.

i also have heard rave reviews about the ART preamps.

perhaps using a foot pedal controlled preamp, with a foot pedal controlled rack processor and with the multi - processor on the floor, i'll have the ability and options to get the sounds i'm really trying to achieve with the versatility and availability of control while playing / gigging. (or i'll open a rift in the time space continuim and the earth's collective musical consciousness will get sucked into the vortex. i think that would be pretty cool!)

like you ... i gotta save up and buy a new car first.

Hahahaha right on, dude! It's all just one mad experiment.

Tube preamps...mmmmhh.

thats the innovative spirit!

I concur!

Yeah, you say you've heard some rave reviews about ART gear, madmike--so have I, but I've also heard some reviews from really dissatisfied customers. The SGX 2000E has seemed to have a greater proportion of positive reviews than the Nightbass, which I have had hands-on experience with. The main thing is that the SGX is supposed to operate much quieter than the Nightbass, which is good.

Quite honestly, these units sound like they're outdated and not really suitable for much more than occasional studio use, if I catch peoples' drift correctly. I still want one just as bad...for the novelty, almost. It's got pretty lights and dials. Looks fun as hell to patch and program. I guess I'm a little bit of a sucker for cheese.

Well, what matters is whether or not it works for you, no matter how outdated any particular piece of gear might be. It could be an old Orange tube head from 1968, but if you like it, than that's all that matters.

Yeah, but most of the time people buy things that are old and have stood the test of time--an Orange tube head might be one of those things. But I'm buying a bunch of crap that time has already chewed up, decided it didn't like, and spit out. I think that's what my problem is. However, this thing might be fun...or even sound good. Might go well with the Peavey cabinets that I got for $150 apiece.

ya know what? my boss processor got bad reviews too ... but it works fine for me.

i think its like this. jumpering together a bunch of individual effects pedals and having a huge rack of processor units probably does sound better. i'de like for people at a show to pick what one sounds better at a show ... not many can tell the difference.

that and i dont hafta carry all those jumpers and equipment.

i'de opt for buying a piece of equipment and trying it out, rather than picking and choosing based on peoples reviews anyday.

Oh yeah, me, too. But I want to try everything and see what happens. At some point, I do want a pedalboard full of toys. There are some really sick pedals out there and I would love to have some of them. Maybe some day, I'll also get a no-bullshit pro grade effects processor like the Axe FX by Fractal. But first I will definitely own my share of jinky crap.

But the only sounds I need are clean, distorted, and more distorted with delay. And that ART unit has some cool delays in it.

There was a time when I had every conceivable type of effect either at my feet, or in a rack. I had acquired all of it because I felt that I had to have everything at my disposal. And you know what? I quickly discovered that I didn't need over 90% of it. I found myself trying to find uses for everything, but it was never at any time when it felt completely natural to do so. The only effects that I felt that way towards was my distortion, and my octave-multiplier. But as for chorus/flanger/phase-shifter/echo/delay/wah, I don't think I'll ever use any of it ever again.

What did you find yourself using your octaver for? I could definitely see myself using an octave up now and again...

for years, all i used was an overdrive, compressor and wah. lotsa sound for a hard rock / blues band setting.

when i did the rockabilly thing, i replaced the overdrive with a de-fretter.

and like eric was saying. i like being different and creative, but a lot of the time i find myself finding more desirable tones by turning effects in banks off. perhaps this is the limits of having a multi - effects processor ... its just too much stuff ... but the convenience works for me.

that, and theres stuff on this processor i havent even found yet.

like eric, i like the multi - octave effects (the rig picks up the drop octaves better now), and i also like using the octavizer ... i think what boots was stating as an octaver and confusing with the multiplier. the multiplier layers a keys octaves, up, down or i believe by chorded steps. i use this effect in the song "egypt". the octavizer works on a rocker pedal like a wah; back would be the clean note (normal octave) and rocking forward gradually increases its sharpness (the note goes up) to all the way forward being the next octave. mine can be set up for a range of 2 octaves sharp or flat and anywhere inbetween as well as being set up to go in reverse, forward to backward thru the range. very cool effect!

i'm saving up my nickles to get a better synth effect. the boss ones are too overdriven and distorted. i wanna try the sound harmonix synth next.

I also concur with what you said, MadMike.

Martin, I used to own a Pearl OC-7 Octaver that had an upper octave control, and I used this unit for several years to add a guitar-like layer of sound to further fill-in my bass tone. Somewheres around here I have some recordings of me using it live, and I'll try to dig them up. It filled in the gap created when the guitarist would go into the solo of a song, and my tone would fill-in the space so that it almost sounded like a rhythm guitar running alongside my bass signal. I loved the tone of the OC-7, but it sucked a lot of gain out of my signal, and you guys know how much gain is an issue for me. Also, it wasn't polyphonic, so anytime I tried to play chords through it, the notes would get all messed up.

My next splurge will be for an Electro-Harmonix POG, since it can add not only one octave above the source, but even two octaves above. It's polyphonic, meaning that it will track entire chords, and it doesn't rob gain from the signal.