New rig questions

Gear & Tools Talk 🔊 Amplification & Effects
1

Hi,
I’m about to completely change my rig and i’d likĂ© a second opinion before spending the money.

I currently go : guitar - pedalboard - vox AC15.

Thing is, the vox is way to loud for my flat and i need to greatly reduce my rig’s physical size si the vox needs to go.

So i’ve dĂ©cided to go ampless so as to save thĂ© Space taken by an amp/cab.

I’ve also got really into jazz the last couple of years and bought an archtop guitar (Dearmond x135)

So basically i’ve been researching how to get a great jazz tone without an amp.

I’ve heard great things for thĂ© jazz tone about quilter so i’ve researched their stuff and came up with this rig :

My archtop guitar into -
My old pedal board into -
Quilter direct amp Quilter DirectAmp – Thomann France

Into my focusrite 2i2 into my monitoring speakers (Samson bt4)

So, hears the whole rig i plan to setup.
Do you think i get a décent sound with that?

I still can’t get m’y head around the fact that i can play through m’y computer speakers

I like the versatility and stéréo capabilities of thÚ quilter amp.
I dont need to plug it into a cab

But maybe just getting a helix stomp and going full digital is better?

I know this is not exactly an organised post but if you have opinions about this they are most welcome.

Thank you.

2

The physical size I can’t help with. It’s size is it’s size.
However, volume wise. Don’t a ac15 have volume control?
Perhaps turn them down?

I’ve got three amps. 12w, 15w tube, and 80w ss. They all turn down to below bedroom level (don’t forget ya can turn the guitar volume down too). If I have to.
And yep, they don’t sound as good as when their turned up a bit, but the tones are more than tolerable. Tolerable meaning the tones I search for out of my amp.

Just food for thought.
Seems like a ac15 is a pretty cool amp to be having. I’d like to have one
 :wink:

Perhaps save your bread and experiment with how quite ya can get it? Ya got a pretty desirable amp there!

2 Likes
3

What pedals do you use?

4

Your proposed set up should work fine.

When I amplify these days, I don’t have an amp, my signal chain is:

guitar → (Trio+ looper) → multi-fx → interface / mixer → powered monitors

I don’t know anything about the Samson BT4. If you have spare funds from selling the Vox, maybe upgrade them if you really think it necessary - but try them first.

5

if you want-very- intuitive control over a small quality set of options, the Quilter will do fine.
a few switches, a few knobs and little distraction to keep focues on your playing.
headphone, speaker, audio interface, 
 you have the options in the Quilter.

You’ll have a bit more flexibility with a full digital unit.
You can decide on your amp, model your own amps, download and import your own cab sims etc. More options but more fiddlin’ as well!

Want to play through an unpowered guitar cab? you need a separate power amp though.
They sell those in small pedal form though.

6

It is nice to meet you, Seigneur and welcome to the community. It looks like you got some sound advice there, pardon the pun, and it might be wise to check out Introduce yourself in the community hub, and just chatting, it’s all good. Fun cheers HEC

7

It looks as though the Quilter is an amp simulator with cab sims. I’m a big fan of that kind of solution. I have one for bass (an Origin effects SuperVintage which simulates an Ampeg SVT with 8x10 cab) and one for electric guitar (a SimplifierX which has Vox, Fender and Marshall voicing with appropriate cabs). I really like both of them.

I run mine into the effects loop of my keyboard amp, so a different solution to yours at that point.

I also have a preamp on my bass pedal board (unfortunately without a cab sim). That tends to get used more at gigs rather than in the house.

I haven’t used the Quilter. I like all 3 of the ones I have though - particularly the 2 with cab sims.

8

I went ampless a few years ago. Best move I’ve made. But I went the full software route, rather than the hardware route you are investigating.

My Setup: Guitar - Focusrite AI - PC - DAW - Amp Sim Suite - Studio Monitors/Headphones.

I initially tried out many of the free amp sims to find my feet, then started trialling all the full paid ampsim suites.
I settled on S-GEAR by Scuffham Amps after 1 day of using it. It blew everything else away. It is simply in a league of it own in my view, and has been around for many years. Sublime tones, very stable, no endless ‘fluff’ like many others, and it’ll teach you how an amp actually works. The cost is ridiculosly low, and its owned by a single person, Mike Scuffham, former lead developer at Marshall, and an absolute genius. Highly recommend it. A 7 day full program trial is available. As I said, I lasted a day, then bought it; and Im the least impulsive person I know.

This software route is worth considering, if you haven’t yet.

From a playing perspective, just turn on the PC, and the DAW ( I run S-Gear inside Reaper), and off you go. If I want blast away, I’ll go through my KRK studio monitors. If its ‘quiet time’ at home, I’ll go through my headphones.
From a practice perspective, thats where the real benefits are. Everything is in one place, ready to go; all the physical elements mentioned, and all the learning/ support materials in front of you. That means more time of quality practice, and less time wasting.
Of course, in the earlier days, I fiddled around alot with ampsim controls, trying different settings, trying to get diiferent tones etc, buts its all part of the process. If you’re learning something by doing it, then all good. These days, I have about 6 diferent tones that I usually use, that covers pretty much everything.
Good luck with endeavours.

Cheers, Shane.

2 Likes
9

Checked out some demo’s, sounds promosing indeed;
I’m going to run a trial soon to give it a spin.

@sclay shows how he achieves that while maintaining a lot of flexibility while keeping it affordable. I think finding those spots is gold!

Over the years; the portion of attention I give to my “workflow” has only grown.

Less gear, more portable solutons, live and home setup blend, less distraction, quicker results and most of all: MORE ACTUAL PLAYING.

with so much products to choose from, these days you just as well choose your workflow as your setup. my setup never has been simpler thanksto modern technology. because what’s behind it, is rather complex but it doesn’t concern me as a musician :smiley:

1 Like
10

Thank you for your feedback!
I mostly use overdrive, fuzz, vibrato, tremolo, delay, looper.

You guys conforted me in my choice, i indeed dont want to spend hours fiddling through menus.
I also really liké the idea of being able to expérimente with fender vox and marshall type sounds.
And the stéréo rig is a perfect alibi to buy new stéréo effets haha

I’ve expĂ©rimentĂ©d with the software route and didn’t likĂ© it (amplitube, too much fiddling, to many options hidden behind paywalls)
But ill bé sure to check out the software you mentionned.

I guess if i go that route, one of thÚ most important link in my signal chain, is gonna bé my monitoring speakers ?

Seems like everyone agrees on the fact that the Yamaha ones are really great?

Also, is speaker size really important or can you get something nice with small speakers
(Thinking Yamaha HS 3 or 4)

Again, thank you for all the usefull feedback.

11

Do you ever play, or see yourself playing outside your house? With friends or open mic, for example.

Software only solutions are great, but they are not portable easily. If you want your exact sound anywhere (practice set, perormance, etc.) I would definitely go for a modeller.

Helix is a good shout, but there are number of other both more expensive or cheaper solutions.

1 Like