Ultimate EBMM tones - What's Your Rig ?

[nbmusicman]

Like all of you here on the forum, I really enjoy playing my Axis SuperSport (Pacific Blueburst, lefty). Having been playing it for a while, I've concluded it's easily the best, most versatile guitar I've owned ... 'fraid to say the rest of them pretty much gather dust these days.

For a suitable amp/fx rig, it's of course always a case of what gtrs/amps/fx go well together to give you your tones. So I'd be interested to know what it is in your own case - do you go for classic Marshall/Fender/Vox/Boogie/Orange stuff, or maybe Fractal Axe-FX/Eleven rack - or somewhere in-between ?

Given what the Axis SS is capable of, I've been on a bit of a 'tonehunt', to really make the best of what's there for recording, and also for live use (80's/90's/00's rock/covers) ...and being typically picky, have gone through a range of amps :

Blackstar Soloist 60 combo (+ Pedaltrain 'board ...details below)
Bogner Alchemist 112 combo ( " )
Line6 SVMKII 112 combo

Dunlop Vol
Korg Pitchblack
DriveTrain
MXR ZW Chorus
Boss CE-3 Chorus
TC Nova Repeater
(all powered by Voodoo Labs PP2+)

With more than a little frustration & way too much tap-dancing, along with the 'convenience' of 1 x 12" combos, but with their own tonal limitations for what I've been after, I've finally found a brilliant solution : Hughes & Kettner Switchblade head with angled 412 (w/Greenbacks), that I've found oozes great tone & versatility with fantastic ease-of-use.

Just seems to really work well with my Axis, although I'm intrigued to know what you all use to extract maximum tone from your EBMM !

All the best,

Nick

 

[smd24fan]

I have two separate rigs, one built around my Mesa Mark V and one around my Axe FX Ultra. For my ultimate tone, I choose the Mark V. I run it through two cabs, a Mesa 2x12 Recto with V30's and a Port City 2x12 with Greenbacks. The V30's provide the high frequencies and the upper mids, whereas my Port City cab provides the thunderous bottom. I don't have a ton of effects, I find they don't add a ton to my tone. I'm a big fan of overdrives. I use a Paul Cochrane Timmy as kind of a fourth channel giving me those SRV-type tones. I use a Love pedal Eternity with the gain all the way down as a clean boost over my lead channel when I want that extra push. It's very transparent and doesn't color my tone. I use the Mark V reverb, it's awesome as is. I run a TC Electronics Flashback delay in 2290 mode in my effects loop. It's one of the nicest delays I've used, and I've used a LOT! I put a little chorus over my cleans at times. I find the Mark V doesn't need much help to create my tone, it's an amazing piece of gear. I don't care for the Rectifier sound. The Mark V has a great, organic, tone to it under the heaviest of gain. The cleans are just amazing too. One of my secrets, and it's not much, is use of the volume control on the guitar to influence tone.
As for the AxeFX, it's an amazing piece of gear as well. I use it to generate a lot of the really heavy tones I don't get from the Mark V. For example, one of my favorite amp models is the Engl Powerball. Brutal gain, yet the Axe is very articulate. I also like the boutique stuff it emulates, such as Dumble, Matchless, and Dr.Z. The effects are top shelf, I've used it as an effects processor for my Mark V plenty of times. I really bought it out of curiosity when the fire-sale ensued after the release of the Axe FX II. It's great, as close to a real tube amp as you will ever get. All my EBMM guitars respond beautifully to both rigs.

 

[mikeller]

Guitars below - but most often gig with the JPX, JP6, ASS and Luke.

Amp: Mesa Electra-Dyne head with a vertical Mesa Recto 2x12 cabinet

Signal: Korg Pitchblack Tuner> Exotic BB> M/I Audio Blues Pro> Suhr Riot> Boss Pitch-Shifter> Retrosonic Phaser> Hardwire Chorus> AMP. I have a Boss DD-20 Delay that runs thru the effects loop on the Mesa.

I also use a Line6 Relay 30 Wireless and have a small pedal board with a Rocktron Banshee Talk-box and an Ernie Ball Wah that will sometimes preceed my tuner.

 

[Astrofreq]

I pretty much have the ultimate tone (to my ears).

Guitar: Hardtail Axis

Amp: ENGL Raider 100.

I have about 7-8 pedals, but my pedalboard stays in the closet now. I used to have a giant rig, 14-space rack and two 2x12 speaker cabinets, but I don't play the kind of music that requires all that stuff. Oddly, the older I got, the heavier my writing got, so effects are losing their importance and place in the music. I do miss having the stereo field of speakers in conjunction with chorus and reverb and such, but not all that much. My amp now is easily as loud as that get-up was and the distortion tone KILLS my old tone.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Depending on size of venue, either Fender Blues Junior or Mesa F50, I usually have my AER acoustic amp that I run separately.

Pedals - EB 6165 Pedal
Dunlop Wah (modded)
MXR GT -OD
Soul Preacher Compressor
TC Elec Flashback Delay
Korg Pitchblack + Tuner
Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe

Some nights I say sod the pedals and use my Pod XT and FBV shortboard with added expression pedal

 

[littlephil]

Mines pretty simple;

Mesa Mark IV combo (EVM12L speaker instead of the stock MC-90)
Sonic Research Turbo Tuner
RMC5 Wizard Wah
Xotic BB Preamp
Toyroom Effects Pure Drive (Dumble style OD pedal)

And I'm running a TC G-Major in the FX loop for reverbs and delays. Fairly simple rig and it works very well for me.

 

[Danserrano]

my current rig....

Axe fx ii, qsc k12 frfr & fractal mfc

Guitars in sig..... 25th and roasted morse.

 

[Stratty316]

I have gone pretty simple these days. I play my Axis(s) and the HHAL through a Fender Princeton Reverb 65' reissue. Small amp with killer tone on a clean channel that is perfect to build upon. I currently use a Fulltone OCD overdrive, Crybaby Wah and an EB Volume pedal to add a little flavor to my tone. The only thing I really am missing is a good delay...

No band, no playing out, no over complicated set ups means more playing and less fiddling with other crap!!

Oh, and its the best Tone I have ever had!!!

 

[jptortor]

I use a very simple rig always, but depending on the gig the amp changes. FOr the rock gigs, I use a 5150 III out of a 212 most of the time. i Pretty much stay on channel 2 all night and use the guitar to clean up or get more dirty. I go guitar into polytune into amp. Then in the loop there is a TC electronics chorus and two carbon copy delays. One is set short and one a little longer. Thats it!!!!

If the gig is smaller I use a Blackstar HT5 with the same effects set up.


If the gig is a pit a orchestra I just use a POD.

If its a jazz gig its just the guitar and a Roland Cube 60.

 

[Lou]

I use a few things. Mesa Mark V, Axe FX, and a Mesa F30.

 

[dannymusic]

new rig:

LUKE TRUE GOLD INTO SUNN BETA LEAD COMBO just reverb. nice!

 

[Dreadge]

I have 3 amps. One JMP 50 MKII Marshall Combo and a JCM 800 Combo and a Bassman 100 head with matching 4x10cabinet
As of guitars, my main is a Steve Morse (2007) with a Floyd rose, the first model.
I also have a Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton (1998) model, and a Gibson Les Paul pro model (1977) with a P-90 stocked p'ups.

As of my pedal, I'm currantly using all the TC Electronic gear
For my JCM 800 i use a Nova System only in the back of the amp, and in the front the TC Nova Drive with a Flashback delay, inserted with a Steve Morse, of course, TonePrint with my Steve Morse model.
And for my other rig I use and use a Fender along with Nova drive and Flashback delay.
Sometimes I use Giboson, but i mainly have it tuned to open D for slide guitar. It sounds awesome.
My Bassman is there for other guitarists and bassists, but I ocasionaly use it for stereo effect on Nova System and Flashback delay.


That's all!
Cheers

 

[Manxmusicman]

I have the Hughes & Kettner Puretone going into a H & K 2 x 12 with one greenback and a V30, not a versatile amp by any means. It's only 25w but at quarter volume it blows your head off!! It's a single channel with a gain dial, the gain is amazing but pushes the volume to outrageous levels that you would never use.

I know all that sounds a bit negative having said that it has the nicest clean sound I've ever heard. The cleans shimmer and ring and sound so alive with a fantastic bass response. So I'm prepared to loose a bit of flexibility for it's tone.

As it's a single channel it means I rely a lot on pedals, as a result I've search through a few to get the right tone. I've ended up with the following:

Morley volume/wah
Blackstar ht dual distortion
Electro harmonix memory boy
Boss Ce5 chorus
Mxr dyna comp
Jam boomster
ISP decimater
Electro harmonix holy grail nano

The best pedal by far out of the bunch is my blackstar distortion. It can do anything you want from nice crunch to heavy overdrive. I definitely couldn't live without it, although it's a bit of a brick, only takes a 15v power supply and the dials are a bit too fiddly, but that will never put me off.

I play in three bands all demanding various tones, I need to be able to from Paolo Nutini to Iron Maiden to Paramore and my setup allows me to do that. At the front of it all is my Luke (soon to be True Gold). I've never felt so comfortable playing a guitar, it allows me to just enjoy my playing and have fun which is what it's all about.

 

[kneeoh]

"A" Rig:
Amp(s) - Egnater Mod 50 with COD and SL2 modules run through an Egnater 4x12; Trace Elliot Acoustic Amp - for piezo
Effects - TC Electronic G-major (primarily for delay) in the effect loop of the amp; Boss Keely modded DS-1, Joe Bonnamassa Fuzz Face, EB Wah, EB Vp Jr. in line front of the Egnater
Controller - Voodoo Lab Ground control w/GCX audio switcher
Guitars - see below

"B" rig
Amp(s) - Randall Nuno Bettancourt NB-112; Trace Elliot Acoustic amp - for piezo
Effects - TC Electronic Nova System (primarily for delay) in the loop

Although I prefer to be hardwired, I have been using 2 Line 6 G30's (one to the main amp and the other to the acoustic) because I double as my band's keyboardist... going wireless has helped negate my natural propensity for getting tangled up and tripping over everything.

 

[dgainer]

I use 2 rigs
1. Mesa F50 combo for big loud stuff, which I really don't do much any more.
2. Mesa TA15 into a 1x12 Mesa cab. loaded with a Weber vintage 25 watt speaker. Awsome setup.

Pedalboard: Planet Waves tuner, EB wah BBE Green Screamer, Expandora (original) OD, Ce5 Chorus, Carbon copy delay, and EB volume. I use this set up with either amp.

Guitars: EBMM Silo Spec. & EBMM Silo Spec. Dargie II ( thank you Jason).
Dave

 

[DaPatrooch]

For my amp I'm using a Mesa Rectoverb combo, which I've had for a few years and I love. However, I might sell it and try something different, perhaps upgrade to a dual recto half stack, or maybe a Mark V or something. I'd love to have a Bogner or Hughes and Kettner triamp or Diezel VH4, but they're just too damn expensive.

Right now my signal path is this:

Guitar- EB Passive VP Jr. w/tuner out to Korg Pitchblack- EB Wah- MXR EVH Phase 90- MXR EVH Flanger- front of Rectoverb-fx out to MXR Chorus (maybe replacing with TC Corona Chorus)- TC Electronic Nova Delay- fx return to amp. I also have a Fishman Loudbox amp which is amazing, and I use that for the piezo. I'll eventually get an EB splitter box and a good DI, but for now I just deal with the ground hum.

 

[ily]

i use a Fractal Axe standard and a Fryette power amp 2/50/2 with 2 Custom audio 1X12 cabs with V30celestion + a FCB1010Behringer midi pedealboard

that deserve very well my 2 EBMM :axis and super sport

one of the best rig i've owned
sometimes i regret my Egnater MOD 50..iwould be return on an Egnater M4 V2preamp

 

[misterB]

My JP6 into (finally!!) a Blackstar HT40, with a little help from a Nick Greer Sonic Boom +, an MXR Carbon Copy, and Dunlop Wylde Wah. This makes me a very happy man!!

 

[LegGodt]

Guitars: Steve Morse Standard, Steve Morse Standard with Floyd
Amp: ENGL InVader
Effects: TC Electronics G-Force
Pedals: Way Huge Aqua Puss, MXR Carbon Copy, MXR EVH Phaser, MXR EVH Flanger, MXR GT-OD, MXR Dyna Comp, Dunlop CAE WAH, Digitech Whammy IV
Other: Rocktron All Access MIDI Controller, Two Ernie Ball Jr (Volume and MIDI-CC), G-Lab looper (Pre-amp pedals), Rocktron PatchMate Loop 8 (Amp FX-Loop pedals), Rocktron HUSH Ultra

 

[RobW]

I'm poor these days (years) and apart from the Axis I have kind of a budget rig, but for what it is it sounds pretty good and when people come up and ask they are usually kind of surprised when they see what it all is:

Axis -->
EB Volume Pedal-->
EB Wah-->
Boss TU-2 Tuner-->
Xotic BB-Pre-amp-->
Boss CE-2 Chorus-->
Boss BF-2 Flanger-->
Voodoo Labs Micro-Vibe-->
Boss DD-3 Delay-->
Crate VC-3112 amp (30w tube combo, 1 x 12")

I actually get asked most about the guitar because it's not one of the Big 2 brands, but people are usually more surprised by the amp since it's a Crate and not a Marshall or something. As much as I want a good amp head by Marshall, H&K, Engl, etc., the Crate VC (Vintage Club) is great and at under 50lbs it's very portable compared to dragging around a head and cabinet to go play. Most of the places I play are small to medium bars and rooms anyhow and it's easy to get some decent drive out of the amp without cranking it up too high -- plus the sound guys love a lower volume signal to work with.