Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by 3 String Blues on July 10, 2010 at 4:23pm

Line 6 pods are soo in FREAKIN credible...i have one and love it!... also you can skip the amp and you can record directly to your computer if you want too or use headphones...i never do because my wife is always on it but it works like a champ!...plus the gazillion sounds it has...best advice is don't buy one new, they sell them dirt cheap on ebay used!

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on July 11, 2010 at 12:49am

You might wanna look into the Danelectro "Fish&Chips". It's a 7 band eq and what comes out seems to work with any amp.
Big plus ...... 30 bucks from Music 123 w/ free shipping ( I think).

But remember, your milage may vary, I've not had any trouble w/ any of my stuff not working with amps.


Matt

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Permalink Reply by David Graybeard on July 11, 2010 at 9:46am

Thanks, guys. That's great help. Now I just have to make up my mind which one to get. I was also looking at the Behringer ADI21, but I saw that it had a low level hiss for some folks. I really like the price of the Danelectro, but I'm thinking I want to try the pocket pod because it will help me get some different sounds for gigs.

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Permalink Reply by David L. on July 11, 2010 at 10:11am

Hi Mad dog,

I recently bought a Korg Pandora PX3 off ebay and was really pleased with it (I got it cheap as they are on version 5 now). For helping to decide which is best have you checked out the Harmony Central Review site (covers guitars, effects, amps etc)?

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/

Or specifically for effects
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects

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Permalink Reply by petey twofinger on July 11, 2010 at 10:20am

if you just need a higher signal did you try a preamp ?

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Permalink Reply by Joker on July 12, 2010 at 4:58am

I have found that pluggin a piezo wired cbg sounds best plugged straight into a PA. Either to plug into the PA supplied by the venue or invest in a small PA for small venues that don't provide one. I use a small berhinger Xenyx 4 channel mixer 4 tone control of cbg's, vocals, and foot percussion, then I plug it into a Harbinger 75w powered speaker PA. It makes for a loud clear cbg with good tone. The mixer was around $75 and the powered speaker is around $200. It's right around the cheapest I have found in new equipment. If you shop around ebay or used music shops you may do better with something similar.
Here is a vid I made demonstrating some of the gear

Find more videos like this on Cigar Box Nation

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Permalink Reply by Joker on July 12, 2010 at 5:01am

here is a vid of me playing with a piezo wired guitar with this setup

Find more videos like this on Cigar Box Nation

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Permalink Reply by David Graybeard on July 12, 2010 at 5:47am

Thanks everybody! I read a number of the reviews at the site that David Lloyd sent me to (harmony central) and decided on a Fishman PRO EQ II, for $90 through ebay. That preamp had the highest satisfaction ratings, and it seemed as though people were using it for the same setup as I am. My Fishman Solo Amp is really a PA, but it doesn't sound good enough as is for playing gigs. The Line 6 sounds great, but I may have to add that later. Doesn't sound like its used for gigging by many people.

I'll follow up with a note on how the PRO EQ II is working as soon as I get it. I have a gig that Saturday to try it out on, if it arrives in time.

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on July 12, 2010 at 10:51am

I can't really compare. I use the Fish&Chips, into a BP50 bass effects pedal ( lots of fun noises ), then run in into a bass amp.
I got lots-o-tone.


Matt

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Permalink Reply by Mama Mojo on July 13, 2010 at 3:09am

I'm just coming across this post, so sorry for the late reply..... I own two Pods - the smaller pocket pod that you can clip on a belt, and the larger one that runs around $299. I use both of them regularly and love them! The larger Pod XT something or another is amazing in the sense that it offers more tweaking options for you to come up with your own variations and save them as customs settings, but the little one has some of that capability as well. Like Josh said, you can get these on Ebay used for much less than retail and they are worth it.

One other recommendation that I have is the Boss ME50 effects board. WAY more options than the Pod and since Boss came out with a newer model, you could probably get a used one for cheap. Mine cost somewhere in the $250 range new. I run it through my Blackheart 3/5 watt tube amp in my workshop and love it. The other thing that I should mention is that Blackheart amp - WOW! Friends of mine who are professional musicians recommended that amp to me and said that they are using it for smaller venue gigs and love it. I got one and am very happy that I did. I have a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fishman Solo acoustic in my music room that handles every instrument that I own with ease (and I have a lot of instruments) but this Blackheart is great for many reasons, one being that I can crank the volume and get the full quality of the tubes without the neighbors calling the cops on me.

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Permalink Reply by Mama Mojo on July 13, 2010 at 3:17am

Re the Fishman Solo - I think it depends on what type of sound you are trying to get. You won't get grunge out of it, but the acoustics will blow anyone away. I have that amp and never knew that a cbg could sound so good clean until I plugged into that thing. That amp is made for gigging, so I wouldn't agree that it won't do the job - it just depends on the type of job that you want done. (we are talking about the one that sells for $999.) I think that a tube amp is much better for the bluesy type of music that most of us are trying to get from these instruments.


Mad Dog said:

Thanks everybody! I read a number of the reviews at the site that David Lloyd sent me to (harmony central) and decided on a Fishman PRO EQ II, for $90 through ebay. That preamp had the highest satisfaction ratings, and it seemed as though people were using it for the same setup as I am. My Fishman Solo Amp is really a PA, but it doesn't sound good enough as is for playing gigs. The Line 6 sounds great, but I may have to add that later. Doesn't sound like its used for gigging by many people.

I'll follow up with a note on how the PRO EQ II is working as soon as I get it. I have a gig that Saturday to try it out on, if it arrives in time.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Townsend on July 13, 2010 at 8:03am

Hey ya, I have a standard radio shack piezo in my CBG (I surgically pulled the unit from the plastic housing and sandwiched it between foam etc.) --

I found my regular POD 2.0 to have some great abilities to sculpt a tone -- Some of the presets obviously sound just terrible but if you flick through them and/or customize on the manual channel you can get some tasty tones - So maybe the little POD would be great. I found that running through the compressor effect really evened out the level in a good way so that might be a real nice thing for you to do as a stand alone box anyway -- maybe get a little compressor stomp regardless of what 'box' you end up going into or through --- although i just pulled my old VOX 5 watt digital amp out and for some reason it LOVES my CBG and I get some very usable and recordable tones with great character. Someone here said they love their POD so they can record direct -- that too is a nice option. But I gotta admit, the CBG straight into my Blues Jr with the mids and highs rolled way back gives a very warm and pretty darn hi-fi acoustic tone. Another tidbit to chew -- I also ran through my Dunlop Wah and found a sweet spot or two that even out the signal and find a great mid-rangey character that's great for recording...best of luck tone hunting. ET

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