gear; soon to buy

[rickydekker]

okay so basically i have come up with this.

the best power conditioner is furman.

the best noise reduction is isp decimator (ill be getting the g-string pedal)

the best effects unit it tc electronic (from what ive heard, and everyones using them) im going to get the NOVA REVERB, or hopefully a g-force

the amp i want to buy soon is a mesa/boogie mark IV rackmounted, with x2 4x12 cabs w/celestion vintage 30's

the best preamp/boost seems to be a bb preamp, almost every mark IV user or high gain addict has one or wants one...

i want to get a OLD ibanez ue-405 analog unit... anyone who knows about these knows they are great units

i laso want a mxr carbon copy delay, digitech whammy, maybe a midi thing to switch patches on the whammy...

so basically thats the rig i want to someday have.
if anyone can give me feedback on bad/good ideas that'd be taken into coniseration...
also the guitar i plan on buying after i get my kramer showmaster metalist II is a jackson sl3

[Robert Burns]

Sounds to me that your going to have an absolute monster on your hands!! Should be incredible sounding! Keep us updated..

[jgcable]

If you get a G-Force why do you need most of those other pedals?
Why do you need a OLD ibanez ue-405??
Why do you need a noise gate when you have the G-Force? Do you need to run 2 gates? I am pretty sure the G-Force has a really good one. Heck... the G-Major has a really good one.
You are not going to need a midi thing to switch the patches on the whammy pedal.
What are you going to do with an MXR Carbon Copy Delay when you have a G-Force which has some of the best delays on the planet in it?
What are you going to do with a Nova Reverb? Do you need 2 seperate reverbs at the same time? Thats a first.
I just don't get it bro.

[Cleveland Metal]

Although some things definitely suck, almost nothing is "best"... It's really just what works "best for you"...

You may not need a noise gate or whatever, it's what YOU have a use for.

Get the amp you think you like after you try MANY, and a cab... and grow into what you "need" to make the sound "you" want. Listening to guys on a board like this will drive you insane.

Ask what the best "whatever" is, and you may as well open a catalog and blindly pick one for the most part unless you get someone with a similar mindset or just really knows what they're doing. And the latter is few and far between.

I've been playing metal guitar for 27 years and played clubs forever, and I STILL can't always give someone good advice on what "they" need... What I like and what I have have found works at this point in my career may be helpful to you (and save you some dough here and there), but may not be what you need, haha....

[rickydekker]

SNAPPS
i just found out that a TC g force is over $1000.... looks like im not getting one of those... but if i could afford that much i'd get a 2290...

basically, im gonna be using ALOT of gain, and at high volumes, you need a noise gate. its just essential, plus i dont like dry solos. i like a really present, heavily chorused lead sound that sounds glassy... i also like delays and reverbs sometimes. i dont NEED g-force, i WANT one, the idea of having everythingat once is a great idea... but realisticly since i found out its over a grand i dont even need it

and what if i DO need a midi switch for the whammy? maybe i want to use the harmonies, then use the whammy effects? without leaning down to turn it

[hippietim]

I never use a gate. What you need is a great amp.

[jgcable]

SNAPPS
i just found out that a TC g force is over $1000.... looks like im not getting one of those... but if i could afford that much i'd get a 2290...

basically, im gonna be using ALOT of gain, and at high volumes, you need a noise gate. its just essential, plus i dont like dry solos. i like a really present, heavily chorused lead sound that sounds glassy... i also like delays and reverbs sometimes. i dont NEED g-force, i WANT one, the idea of having everythingat once is a great idea... but realisticly since i found out its over a grand i dont even need it

and what if i DO need a midi switch for the whammy? maybe i want to use the harmonies, then use the whammy effects? without leaning down to turn it

I am just going by what your original post said. If you are going to buy a G-Force you really don't need most of what you had listed. If you aren't buying a G-Force you will need pedals.
Bottom line bro.. the rig you mentioned in your original post is probably going to run you about $3500.00-$4000.00 and in case you are wondering.. none of the gear you mentioned is "the best". Its all good stuff though. Sounds to me like you are building a pro touring rig. What band are you in? Do you tour? If so.. make sure you get a shock rack. Even though they are really heavy it doesn't matter because the roadies will have to cart it around anyway. Back when I toured I rarely carried anything but myself in and out of the gigs.

[Cleveland Metal]

I don't run a gate and I run a ton of gain... I play euro metal... Arch Enemy like stuff...

Like Tim said, get a decent amp and you won't need a gate (I sorta said that as well)... And start from there...

Modern effects units are all MIDI controlled, and MIDI pedals are many. I like the Rocktron MIDImate for the durability, money and size. Look at a GMajor or Rocktron Intellifex for cheap and decent time based effects.

[Soap]

I never use a gate. What you need is a great amp.

This is very good advice, practical and something you should consider.
So imo, I wouldn't get all "gung-ho" spending money on lots gear that may not serve well.

With that said, to not necessarily add to whats already been said.
If I were you, I would get a really good amp head and a good 2x12 or 4x12 cabinet. Which is in essence the backbone of any system/setup.
Meaning you can add various effects, preamp's and etc but the backbone (amp and speaker cabinet) will not have to change.

[VitaminG]

I was under the impression from your sig that you already had the Mesa. Although I've only seen you talking about your Jackson head & your Valveking. Or are you just using your sig line to list brands that you like but don't necessarily own?

[Foulacy]

crate practice amp, fender squier, boss ds-1. nooooowww we're talkin.

[jgcable]

I was under the impression from your sig that you already had the Mesa. Although I've only seen you talking about your Jackson head & your Valveking. Or are you just using your sig line to list brands that you like but don't necessarily own?

Me too. I want to know the details of what this guy has and how much money he has to spend. He is asking us to give advice on building a totaly pro high end gigging/touring rig. I don't mind helping with advice at all providing this isn't a fantasy rig.

So... Rickkydekker..... give us all the low down and we can start talking turkey.

[metalchurch79]

I was under the impression from your sig that you already had the Mesa. Although I've only seen you talking about your Jackson head & your Valveking. Or are you just using your sig line to list brands that you like but don't necessarily own?

Thats what I thought as well. Also, I dont use a gate either. I just never liked them and found it more fun to learn to control my guitar and playing style. Plus every gate I've ever used was a tone sucker and either opened to fast or too slow, but never when I wanted it to. It also decayed too fast for my liking.

[markD]

i DO use a gate, but i also play stock fender strats on stage sometimes. it helps with the hum a little bit. when i play my double-coil guitrs the gate is never really triggered. the threshold is too high...

[rickydekker]

sheesh you guys are just jumping from one thing to another. your telling me to "talk turkey" when all i was doing was posting a thread for advice.... and forget the g force the more i think about it the more i think i wouldnt need it. and also, i dont like digital nosense, i like analog sound alot more.

im in a band, INCASED IN AMNIOTIC, and we dont "tour" we play small shows and local things cause its what works for us. we play progressive death metal, [whitechapel, job for a cowboy, lamb of god, megadeth, we tune down a whole step or C#] i do alot of sweeping and fusion solos, and harmonic squals and speed picking. theres alot of double bass and the vox are high and low.

i have a jackson reference 50 head and cab, which is practical for what i play seeing i put a cut gain pushed EQ in the loop... a digitech [P.O.S] dsp 128, mxr evh phaser, a VK212 which im getting rid of, and various jackson, kramer, gibson, and other guitars with duncans in them.

i was posting this because for MY situation, playing progressive metal, this stuff seems it would suit me best and this is the gear im working towards slowly buying. im getting the mark IV head and a mesa cab soon enough and spending another $1000 or so on the rest of the gear.

...my friend was in a record deal playing bass and he got all the gear he wanted, including a 1979 bc rich mockingbird bass. all original, neck thru, the real deal. the record compony payed almost 2K for it, and i asked him "will you sell it?" and he said "name your price" and is letting it go to me for $200 [no joke] and i plan on letting my bassist jeff play it onstage at honeyfest [sharing stage w/unhailoed] then selling the bass for 2K which the BAND, and me, will use to get a mesa MK IV, and my rythm player a mesa or krank or something.

theres your turkey.

..............and the reason i was thinking about the isp decimator/gate being so important was because my VK212 and reference 50 have alot of hiss, just at a bedroom level? so wouldnt it amke sense for the mk IV to have hiss at a louder level? and i know that a amp is the soul to a players rig.