Excellent idea, I reckon that anyone that watches this regularly would already know his favourites but I don't, I am not new to the channel but I have only watched his videos sporadically. So yes, a list of his favourites would be great, and highly informative too I would imagine. I got out of a stay in hospital years ago and I went into my local guitar shop (John Palmer Music Centre in Waterford) and I was looking for a good wah pedal but I ended up buying a Zoom G2.1u. I found myself suffering from choice blindness because of too many options, lol, so it was put away and it never got used. I am going to get that pedal out tmoro and give it another go, it cost me enough ffs! Sorry for the waffle, peace to you from Ireland mo chara x
what I don't get is why you keep these pieces of gear on a shelf. okay, shame you missed the return window, but I would still sell it to fund other gear.
You are so right on some of these. As I get older (I'm 52 now), I get easily lost with complex gear. I am gravitating towards simpler pedals that I can tweak on the fly.
This is an important video because RUclipsrs very rarely look back like this and, even if they do, a lot of the things that they might have regretted they either got free or got on a limited time basis. The fact is: having a huge number of complex pedals is great, but when it comes to actually hooking them up and using them, they are just going to be an inconvenience and probably stay on the shelf. Nearly always when I buy something that is really useful it is replacing or displacing something else that partly did the same thing: especially when I buy a new guitar! Being critical about our buying choices is a step towards making better decisions in the future.
My rig tends to “breathe” (GAS vs lack of funds = inhale vs exhale 😂) but I’ve been sticking to the latest iteration pretty consistently. I use an HX Stomp as the glue and brain of it all, so it’s a pretty capable setup even at just the one device!
Dear Bill, as a man probably of your age (I’m 61) I really appreciate not to say I love your contributions. They’re almost kinda sacred island in this loud’n’busy, more and more fragmented world. And the end of this video of regrets virtually turns into a (to say so) beautiful prayer. Thank you very much!🙏 Benno
I love your point at the end. Recently I’be been using this phrase… “Music is amplified emotion.” So, one of the best things we can do is invest in our emotional health. Whatever is inside of you is going to come out through your music… so focus on your inner life and health. Not quite as fun and thrilling as buying new gear, but recently I’ve found that conquering my fears and connecting with my emotions is making me a much better player than any new guitar, amp, or pedal ever will.
5 watt world quotes a synth RUclipsr: "if you're not being productive then don't buy another gear hoping it will change it". I try to stand by that nowadays. The tipping point for me was when I bought a bigger pedalboard hoping to consolidate all my pedals and quickly realizing that I prefer smaller ones and that signal chains are never permanent.
My biggest gear regret, and it was almost 20 years ago now, was buying a Rickenbacker 4003 bass. A lot of my bass heroes played something similar, it looked so cool, it was an iconic piece of gear...and I just didn't like it. It was uncomfortable to play for me (I even injured myself on it during a gig more than once), it didn't feel right, and I honestly didn't really like the sound all that much. I had a Fender MIM Precision bass as a backup and ended up playing it a lot more and loved everything about it more. I had the same issue with a Gibson Les Paul Custom and in the end I think the issue for me was wanting something for the feelings I had about music made by bands I love with that instrument, vs my feelings and needs actually PLAYING it. My playing preferences ended up being very different from my "taste". At least it was educational, and both appreciated in value and I sold them years later for more than I bought them, so it's not a deep regret.
Love this comment and actually my own two main instruments are a 4003 and a Burny Les Paul, for the same reasons as you. But in my case, they’re both so familiar and comfortable to me that I can’t imagine playing anything else. Glad you found the gear that feels right for you!
I have one small regret buying my Empress Zoia, it does EVERYTHING and makes it difficult to find new pedals that do something new. I'm miles deep down a rabbit hole of sonic weirdness, and see no end to it.
Complexity doesn't always work for many people. All 5 of your choices in my opinion are complex. I remember seeing Lenny Breau and preferred him on 6 strings instead of 7. So glad you did this video. I appreciate your honesty.
2:25 I just wanted to mention that the Expanse + EXP pedal is actually meant to be loaded up to the computer so you can add multiple different effects to it. I have multiple WET reverbs loaded on mine.
I sold my expensive valve amps and my entire pedalboard worth over £4000 and purchased a Fractal FM9. I have no regrets, its sounds amazing, the amps the effects are world class, and it gives me all the sounds I've been chasing in my head for years. Stick with it. The ambient sounds on it can do are the best I've heard. I use it in Church often for huge soundscapes between songs. So good. And light.
I'm just starting and don't have the budget for such a pedalboard. But I just bought the NUX MG-30 and I'm super happy with it. For a beginner is great. I had my dream of buying pedals and build my pedalboard. But I changed my mind, with such a multieffects you have all the pedals and you can switch patches quickly to play different songs, styles. So you don't have to bend down and adjust all the pedals so you can start playing something, then do it again for something else. It's a great thing. Oh and I already have a computer interface to record, so I don't have to buy a separate one!
Yeah I love my FM9. It takes a little time to wrap your head around it but once you do it’s fantastic. So flexible. You can set it up the foot switches to do whatever works best for your style. I’m still playing around with mine trying to figure out the best way to set it up but the sounds of the presets alone are excellent.
Excellent video - totally appreciate the honesty! My regret is too often selling a piece of gear and then coming to the realization that “hey! I miss that!” - but I don’t regret selling my tube amps and transferring to Quilter solid state amps! Nor does my back!
It’s possible to fall back in love with a piece of gear you think you hated… About a month ago I bought a Behringer Poly D on a whim, I’d always wanted a minimoog and it was a mere £450! At first I thought I’d made a massive mistake - mostly as I didn’t have space for it! Didn’t know what to do with it. Then, I had a jam with a guitarist friend with it and my Korg SV2 on a Rhodes sound, and I fell in love with it. Mostly because I’d learnt how to use it, through improvising and having some fun with a good mate! Lesson? Spend some time experimenting with gear properly before getting rid of it, you might fall in love with it!
You really nailed it with your closing comments. Guitar players, especially electric guitarists are constantly chasing rainbows in terms of the "holy grail" that will send us to the "next level" of musicianship. Unfortunately, as you suggested in your final comments, that rainbow or holy grail doesn't really exist, as much as gear manufacturers and music retailers want you to believe otherwise. There is, at last, no substitute for spending more time with the instrument in your hands, and maybe a little serious soul-searching about what are our most serious shortcomings as musicians. Especially for those of us who mostly "hole up" at home and play our instruments alone, we probably ought to "get out" more often, see live music. When we're playing with other musicians, we should try to play with musicians who are better than we are. Most of us could benefit from keeping our guitars properly set up and tuned, and playing with a metronome and working on our rhythm chops, and maybe playing fewer notes, but "better" notes when we're playing lead.
The trick for learning 7-string is to remember that you can retune that bottom string! If I’m playing something it D major/B minor or E, B works great on the bottom. Occasionally I tune it down to A if I bop between the 7-6-5 strings or want access to single finger chords. But most of the time I tune it to C, and that offers some great chord options without stretching my fingers more than a 7-string already does. (And I have big hands.) Watch some Yamandu Costa, Lachie Robertson, or George Van Eps, and give it a shot! Otherwise I’ll take that PRS off your hands 😉
Another cool simple trick on 7 strings is to tune the G string to F#. this way it's like playing a 6 string tuned one 4th below with an additional high E string ;) Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones tunes high 7 strings like 6 strings guitars but with double 6th high string.
I was lucky to get an FM3 quite early on, it was my first ‘multi-effect‘/amp modeller since a boss GT3 I borrowed many years ago. After the honeymoon phase of a few weeks, I was overwhelmed by the options… it found a place in my drawer for over a year and I went back to my love for individual stomp boxes. Recently I gave it another chance (like you are doing :)), watched some useful videos by Leon Todd and G66, now I am finding ways to use it that I didn’t think possible before and it’s expanding my creativity. For me at least, it was well coming back to and investing more time in, no regrets here :) Thank you for the video and good luck revisiting your FM9!
Just discovered your channel over the last couple days and I just wanna say thanks! It's awesome to have a channel to go to that specifically focuses on ambient guitar work, which is a big part of what I do.
I’m actually not super surprised about your thoughts on the FM-9. Helix stuff is amazing and can do so much! Interestingly enough Devin townsend uses exclusively fractal stuff for his heavy music but for his ambient guitar project “dreampeace” he uses a helix. Check it out!!
The Fractal stuff is great if you are going to set up a tone and effects chain to use all the time. Or, if I want to have a particular sound to cover a song, I can have a preset just for that song. The Fractal can sound like anything. Tweaking things in real time though is tough unless you do it on the computer. The helix user interface is so much better for tweaking things on the fly on the unit itself. When I just want to play around, try out different things, its just easy on the Helix. I've had a axefx 3 since they came out and still find the interface annoying to deal with.
Great video and a very tactful approach to the topic. There is an upside to regret on the musical gear journey - it's humbling and instructive and often makes you appreciate your foundational instrument even more. I can play around with the amp and pedals, but then I sit with the acoustic and just breathe it in. Yin and Yang.
I actually love 7-strings for everything from metal to ambient, and I can really recommend giving it another try - ESPECIALLY for ambient! A few suggestions I would give: 1. I think ambient is a great way to get used to the extra string and just start slow. Play with a long, slow delay (or even go "Frippertronics"), keep in mind what notes you need, and it will just become natural over time. It's probably the most relaxing way to learn, when the tone itself requires you to play slower and give yourself time to think. 2. I tend to prefer drop A (or lower, if you will) as I think it's both more intuitive and arguably more useful overall - it's actually hard to incorporate the low B into bigger chords, whereas you can always just hold the extra two low strings to get an octave/power chord. Or just hit an open A power chord when in doubt, because why not. 3. Tuning even lower can be surprisingly great for ambient, as long as you keep the low end in check. You get a lot of frequency range to play with, and the low notes can sound really dramatic with ambient effects. I've made an ambient piece as low as drop F and those reverberating near-bass notes combined with playing up high can really be *something*. 4. Very subjective, but imo: try lighter strings than you think you need. The neck is bigger so everything takes a bit more effort, and tight strings can really feel like you have to fight against them, whereas lighter strings are a lot more dynamic, which is imo especially fun to play with in an ambient context, when you can do everything from very subtle to TWANNNNNNG easily. (And imo, most 7-string sets except the most typical ones are often very dumb and absurdly bottom-heavy - if you want something beyond the usual 10-56, imo it's better to refer to what you use on 6-string and buy a separate 7th than buy a 11-74 set or whatever they came up with in their mad scientist lab.)
The Boss SY-300 is my regret, fun for the first hour. But it is very confusing to create custom sounds and the stock sounds are a little too cheesy. I agree 100%
Be sure and use an expression pedal with the Boss, you’ll have more usable options. Same with their Slicer pedal - the ability to slow it down with an expression pedal? Crucial.
I, too, bought a 7-string guitar "to do heavy ambient" with. And rather than play metal, I mostly use it for clean ambient pieces, which fills a lot more sonic space than a 6-string. Try tuning the 7-string to Drop A, and use open string chords... you might be surprised!
Wow two things I absolutely can’t play without a 7 string and the SY300 I switched from 6 string guitar to 7 string with no plan or knowledge of how to use them at age 13 now 15 years later i exclusively play 7,8 & 9 string guitars with multiple synthesizer pedals. The lower pitch of the extra strings makes the synth pedals really pop. I love your channel btw super inspiring videos. Your video on the SY300 was the reason why I got it and now I can’t imagine playing without it. If I didn’t watch your review on it i probably wouldn’t have got it. Keep up the great content 🤘👽🤘
Love the advice of "have a plan" when buying gear. I've definitely experienced regret for not thinking through a plan ahead of the purchase. . Great video!
Like you, Bill, I've used Roland guitar synths back to the GR300, GR700, GR20, GR33, GR55....and now I use a GI20 into Korg synths. When I saw the previews for the new Boss GM800, I got right on board and preordered it. During the wait time, I studied the demos and looked deep at the ZEN core deal....and I cancelled my order. I'm positive this is a great piece of gear, but I couldn't justify the purchase based upon my own needs for what synths can do for me anymore. I've got that avenue covered and I know that I could do some great sounds with a GM800....but I can do that right now with what I already have. I've got a lot of gear I regret buying, and kudos for making a vid about this subject. Thank you!
Hey Bill, late the party on this one, but one strategy for learning 7 string is to tune the extra string to low A instead of B. This way all your chords “rooted” on A can just shift over a few strings to the even lower A. The other side benefit is that the low two strings are now tuned to a 5th like drop d so free 1 finger power chords! Your last point is 100% on point. I really enjoy your content, so please keep it coming. God bless.
Great video, yet again. I agree with almost everything you said Bill, except for the "there's no piece of equipment that can radically change what you're doing as a musician." It's rare, but it does excist! I bought a groovebox/sampler/drum machine 2 years ago in order to incorporate drum patterns with my guitar playing. Well, it changed my whole approach to making music: I went more into the electronic music production (a whole different rabbit hole) and started to create ambient music that way.
@@gregmetzler6828 I started out with the Elektron Model:Samples but about a year later upgraded to its bigger and more powerful sibling; the Elektron Digitakt!
You have my respect, sir. My regret video would be longer than Avatar. Most of my regrets are pedal related or of the "think I'll learn banjo" category. Right now, my biggest regret is all the money I spent on stuff that I didn't need to rarely used. Good video. Thanks.
I had an AX-8 and was on the FM-3 waiting list, but then I switched to a Boss GT-1000 core. With fractal audio, first I was more tweaking than playing, then I ended up using one amp and didn't use all the other options I paid for. So I thought I can significantly reduce in size. Plus, as you said; Boss had a distinctive sound. I always loved their delay algorithm. Now the AIRD amp simulation sounds amazing too - imho way better than the AX-8. I guess Fractal Audio just isn't for everyone. I didn't regret buying the AX-8 though. Back then most amp modellers sound pretty pour.
I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm 57, so we can't be toooo far off in age... I have a Fractal Audio AX8, and it took me 3-4 months before I could get anything usable to come out of it. Everything from the basic setups, to just hooking it up so I could hear it. Now, I run it through either my Marshall JCM 2000 head into the cleanest tone I can get, or my Engl Ironball 20w head. The fractal settings all sound different through both heads, one is more classic Marshall, that would be the Engl head strangely with the Fractal running straight into the front. The Marshall sounds like a high gain Bogner or even the Range when it's being run in its intended way. But the fractal unit is pretty cool, it definitely gives me sounds and tones my gear doesn't with all the traditional gear I've got. Keep it!! You'll get there and you will hopefully anyway, be glad you hung onto it. It is a bit of a learning curve though...
Had the SY300 and loved it. The stock synth sounds in it are Mario Kart sounds. Stick effects after it and it gets better. You're right about the Boss effects in it. Not great. And Boss are being left behind in the effect space. Do have the FM9. By far the deepest and most complex piece of gear I've ever owned. The amp modeling is top notch. And so are the effects. Lots and lots of parameters to tweak. It's almost too complex. On many levels it is not an instant gratification machine. You grow into it.
I've never used a pitchfork, but Ive had a whammy 5 for about 6 or 7 years and I love it. I have my own unique way of using it and I haven't taken it off my board since getting it, except for changing effect orders or boards. I see it being with me forever. I like the whammy 5 more than previous ones because of the "chords" more that gets rid of the glitchy artifacts the whammy is known for, giving it the "whammy" sound. To this day it's the smoothest pitchshifter and the best tracking one I've ever used.
I‘m in the same boat! My whammy (first 4 then 5) has been an essential part of my setup since around 2005. I love that pedal, the offerings from other companies are great, I’ve tried a few, but the trusty original sounds best to me and always stays on my board!
Happy to report your video on the PRS 7 helped me make the decision to buy one and I've been really pleased with it. I'm primarily a bass player now, but the PRS is my go-to for when I need to play or record guitar parts. My only regret with it was I should never have attempted to adjust the pickups and action, because it arrived perfectly setup. Credit to PRS to putting that extra bit of work in.
I had the same experience with the Fractal ecosystem (AXE 3 with FC12). It’s an incredibly remarkable piece of gear. However you have to fully commit to learning it to get the most out of it, and from my standpoint, I already had sounds I loved, and getting the Fractal to do the same thing or better would have taken a monumental amount of time. If you are willing to learn an entire new way of approaching your set up, the Fractal offers the current peak of this technology. If you are trying to supplement what you already have, a smaller, simpler modeler is the way to go. That way you aren’t entirely reliant on one methodology and/or the dealing with the frustration of making multiple methods work together.
I just got an FM3 and sold my Helix LT. I will say that I was on the edge of sending it back right from the start because it was so expensive and I was having a hard time selling my Helix LT. But #1 I think it sounds better hands down. I mean not to the degree you would hear it in a mix, but at home in isolation for sure. And #2 it's soooo deep, I'm a programmer and one of the main reasons I wanted the FM3 was because of assignable LFO's, envelopes etc. Little did I know just how customizable every sound is. That's both a curse and a blessing I think - it's way less user friendly than the Helix. The Helix is a killer user experience and sounds awesome too. I would also argue that it's build quality seems better than the fm3. Both are amazing I think it really comes down to how much of a power user you are - the Fractal is like a semi-modular system basically... I'm saying that in the modular synthesizer sense for the uninitiated.
Dude.... I feel your pain on the 7 string front. Wanted that baritone range, then I found your channel and got a Eastwood sidejack baritone 6 string and have been into it ever since.
Completely agree on the 7 string. I bought one during the years i played professionally 6 nights a week and like you i had no plan to incorporate it into our show/set list. Sounded cool for about a week then sat in the equipment van until i sold it. After playing for sixty five years my regret list is long and somewhat esoteric but right now it is the Meris Hedra and UA Starlight. The Starlight is powerful and sounds great but it’s just not the “right” sound for me. The new Strymon Brig is seriously calling me because it just sounds “right” if you know what i mean. The Hedra is a total mind screw and I’m having a hard time making it sound like the amazing demo vids. I’m holding on to it for now because I’ve discovered that if you ignore what it’s supposed to sound like and make is sound just the opposite . .cacophony, it’s awesome LMAO!! Love your channel Bill and your music too.
Not a regret as I found out that it didn't meet my requirements by playing a friends one for a couple of days. I had been lusting after an immerse for my live board for a while but found that it did no more (for my sound, in a live setting) than my old EHX Oceans eleven. Money put towards a BluGuitar Amp 1 and definitely no regrets about that! Cheers Bill.
for 7 string beginners. tune it down a whole step, and tune it like a baritone and add a hgher string. lets you have all the open chords you know and love and then the highstring falls into place
When I got my first 7 string guitar, I intentional did not just start playing it like a 6 string. Instead, what I did was learn how to play "Paranoid" one octave down, then I learned to play songs that go up from an open E chord to a D chord but going down to the D that the 7 string affords me. Taking that approach helped me learn the instrument as an extension pf a 6 string and not just playing a 4th down. When I went to an 8 string, my approach was to learn 3 octave scales using all 8 strings, and I did the same with a 9 string guitar. On a 9 string, I can cover the entire range of a 6 string spanning 9 frets.
I enjoyed this perspective! The thing we don't think of we gear many times, is exactly what you explained you didn't enjoy with gear, is "workflow". It's cool, but does it work for what you do and how you play music? Options are only amazing, if they're usable for your application. From a personal experience though, I can't say there's really gear I regret buying. Yes, we spend a lot more money then we should, but an education can cost money as well. You can look up gear all you want, and try it, but in many cases, until you have it in your hands, to use the way you do, you won't know how it fits. But you gain knowledge from using it, of what you like, and dislike, to add a general of what you want in a piece of gear, and what may not work for you. Many of us remember a time, when you couldn't get someone elses perspective on a piece of gear, unless they tried it, or just having to read internet forum posts... Or just spending hours trying something in a guitar shop, which even then, isn't always how you'd use it. Keep playing amazing ambient music!
I got an Axe FX III, and it took a good four or five months before I could get it to bring me a smile. I was LUSTING after something from Fractal for 6 years, and had dreams about owning something. I opted for the Rackmount, because I was sick and tired of having my cables and tone creating gear getting stepped on. I have always wanted a rack anyway, and this is something that I absolutely love now. Not only does it look amazing, it stays as pretty as the day I got it. Anyway, I went the Reverb route and got a spotless mark 1 Axe III with an equally pristine EV-2 for $1650, and I also bought an FC-12 for $500 and an EV-1 for $90. When I turned the Axe on, I was quite delighted to see that it was on FW11, and I immediately got it all updated to FW19 I think it was…my Fractal was clearly a closet queen, and it looked like it. I immediately got my Music Man plugged in, and was super excited. I even bought some Kali Audio LP6 v2 studio monitors to go with it, which I got on a ridiculous sale from GC for under $300, I think they were $275. Anyway, I got it all plugged in with a brand new set of XLR cables, and fired the whole thing up….and meh. First, I couldn’t get any of the presets to sound good. I was very surprised. But nope. It was like there was a broken cable. The clean sounds would be okay, but anything with gain sounded like I had a Dunlop Wah pedal between me and my amp….that weird impedance mismatched load feeling that takes everything away…sustain, gain, dynamics…weak. Then i remember fucking with something on the global page and now I can’t even get sound out. I distinctly remember saying to my girl, I don’t think I’m ever gonna like this thing. She was oddly surprised, but also saw my frustration, and said I should ask someone. Who? What do I ask? I don’t ask for help, especially about guitar gear. So she asked, and got a response from Axe legend, Matt Picone. Well, that did squat besides get me frustrated because I KNEW that the Axe III running FW19+ is a freaking magic box. So I watched some videos, joined some FB groups, and learned how to navigate the thing a little bit, and learn a bunch about properly setting up the I/O…including the input gain, input trim, the noise gate on the Inputs, the ADC & DACs, the input impedance, level setting, gain staging, and how to make a simple chain sound good. I remember the first time I was excited about it was after I got the Circular Delay preset to sound good using a Mark IV amp model. I all but completely removed the input gate which was the thing choking my signal, it was huge….along with properly setting the thing up and setting the levels properly. I am now absolutely loving the Axe III, and it can easily do any sound ever…ya gotta put some time in though. It’s not a magic piece of gear right off the bat, ya gotta pay the piper first. Take the time, it’s SO worth doing, it sounds absolutely PHENOMENAL once you get a handle on things. It’s so deep it hurts, but you don’t need to go deep to have amazing tone. Ya do gotta make sure that every one of the I/O and Global settings is correct though.
This is a great video topic. Good Job!! I feel about the same with the learning getting into the instrument. It was a boom when I got started in 2019. So many bought and sold. The first one I bought black strat remains my favorite. I plan on focusing on 2 guitars and trading off the rest for upgrades etc.
The great thing about pedals and musical gear in general is that you can try it and if it works for you, keep it, and if it doesn't, return it or sell it. Most gear we'll eventually sell or trade. And sometimes gear that doesn't work for us now, might work in the future when we're ready for it.
I feel that way about my Quad Cortex. I got it for my 62nd Birthday about 8 months ago. Long story short is I like it but don't love it. I ended up using it as the center of my new pedalboard which includes a Keeley AT Halo, Strymon Cloudburst, and just last week added the Brig. So I run all my time based effects into the Effects loops. I play at church and like the slightly ambient sounds. Recently added a Tone King Imperial MKII from Amalgam Captures and it sounds amazing as my amp from the QC. So yes, I do slightly regret the QC, but I am learning new ways to use it. I am LOVING the combination of the Halo, Cloudburst, and Brig. Have you ever tried some or all of these in combo? Love your channel and your music. God bless.
I love my expanse set. It nearly got bumped off my board, but I love the wet setting so much that it's basically part of my "clean tone." I did learn the same kind of lesson with the C4 I do not enjoy synth pedals.
I didn’t see any other comment mentioning this - on the Neunaber pedal you can just change the firmware to make it delay, reverb, flanger or chorus and with the exp you might even be able to switch between them. Maybe this will give this pedal a boost out of this too 5.
8:03 - The flip side to this issue is that we *can't* always know exactly how we plan to approach a new thing (instrument/gear/etc) if we haven't had a chance to sit with it yet. Or, we can formulate a plan based on what we *think* the new item is going to be... but that can lead to a huge cognitive dissonance if/when the reality of this unknown thing ends up being at least somewhat different from our preconceived notions (which it almost inevitably will be, to some degree). All this is to (*very* respectfully and humbly) say that, while having a clear and accurate plan of attack for every new thing we obtain would certainly make things easier, it's also unlikely that we're going to know exactly what the new thing entails until we start working with it, hands on. Lovely video as usual, Mr. Vencil. :)
I originally got a 7 string for heavier styles of music, but it was such a huge boon to my ambient playing as well. I also did not have a plan, but I ended up just doing what made sense to me, and that caused me to use it a little different than the average 7 player. Instead of having a normal 6 string with a lower B string, I play the guitar in either B standard or Drop A tuning and my reference swap from a standard 6 string with a lower string to a standard 6 detuned 6 string with an extra high string. I stay in Drop A most often, so the tuning is AEADF#BE. This really opens up melodic playing as you have a whole upper register that was not previously available, especially if you start to experiment with the tuning of that extra high string. It really allows you to come up with some unique shapes and chords.
Great video, Bill! It's nice to see a video like this that doesn't lean into the "gear acquisition syndrome" concept. Sometimes you make a considered purchase and it just doesn't work out. I play lead in a psychedelic rock outfit, and I often end up stacking 5 to 10 pedals at once between boost, overdrive, modulation, delay, and reverb. One of the biggest variables for me is always, "how well does this play with my other pedals?" I love EQD reverbs, but they do not like my boost at all - it brings out a digital artefact distortion in the EQD stuff that kills my tone. I strongly agree with your point about taking advantage of returns, too - this is a relatively small community, and many manufacturers and retailers still care about word of mouth. They don't want to stick a buyer with gear the buyer isn't happy with, and they recognize the value of players saying "that pedal wasn't for me, but that company was great to deal with about it."
Using the seven string to play most of the same things you play on your six string guitars, and then, adding a lower extension on chords with the lowest string tends to be the easiest way to start incorporating the instrument into your comfort zone. It’s really nice being able to play some open natural chords, like you would on a six, but having the ability to add some sort of extra harmonic structure or texture with that additional low note can be very gratifying!
FM9 - I have been a Fractal user for a long time. I suggest giving it a real deep dive and on the different aspects you can modify. John Cordy had a great video out this week that might be an inspiration for you.
Bought a Gibson SG. It had a comfortable body shape. It was also made wrong. Pickup cavities weren't routed correctly. Other problems. I knew nothing about scale length. I now play a PJ bass with flatwounds
Hey I own the expanse pedal from neunaber the beauty of that pedal is you can change it to what ever you want. I bought the shimmer pedal Version and have it set with a wet reverb a shimmer a chorus and a tremolo. All you gotta do is plug it into the computer and change it to what ever you want.
The takeaway: if you have no use for it it’s better to unload it. And that is totally independent from the quality of the gear. The gear can be superior but if you’re not using it….Great thought in the end: it’s not the gear; it’s what the musician does with it.
I have a PRS Custom 24 my wife bought me for our 20th anniversary and it spends most of its life in its case under my bed. It is beautiful and plays flawlessly. I did not realize how much I love single coil Fender type guitars until AFTER I got this beauty. I am thinking of having the coil splits put in so I can get some single coil sounds out of it. We live and learn... sometimes. ;-)
Great video! I think, at least for me, it's fun to experiment with new effects, etc., but I have to admit you are 100% correct that it comes down to the player. Changing your gear won't change your playing style or even your sound. That comes from within, and the desire to grow...
Thanks for sharing this with us Bill. I think most of guitar players don't have the ability to try equipment and take the chance of either purchasing Guitars to Effects Pedals etc.. So in the UK there isn't many local music shops you can pop down to and try the latest Guitar or Pedal etc , however there are a few channels which really give honest reviews on the latest and greatest "Guitar and Pedal Must have". Thanks again for sharing this with us Bill. All my best wishes from the Lake District (UK). 😎😎😎😎🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Biggest gear regret: Buying a Grandmeister 40 amp. Was terrible sounding. I tried changing out everything else: Tubes, Cabinets, Speakers, etc to make it sound good and it just didn't. I was already invested and NEVER had spent money like that on a piece of gear. I kept trying and trying and luckily the story has a happy ending: I got rid of that amp and bought the most beautiful sounding amp. Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Top 25w 6v6. As soon as I plugged in, boom- there was the tone I had been searching for!
It's refreshing to see a respectful, thoughtful "gear that didn't work for me" video. /// I feel similar sentiment about both the Strymon pedals I have (Volante & Sunset). Both are amazing; neither of them inspire me to actually "play". Not bad gear. Maybe "too good" in some way.
A thought provoking video, Bill. I think, in the context of what you are exploring here, my regret is fairly broad-based, and that is the equipment I bought was trying to cover all possible bases rather than being focused on a musical goal. So, like you, I ended up with pedals and other gear that I never use and, in recent years, I came to realise that actually a more designed and refined set up is all I need to achieve my musical goal.
It’s interesting , that what we all lust after is perfection in our music making gear . But we then realise ..perfection is within and can only be realised in glimpses , seconds in endless improvisations . Ai can make things button press easy ..it can take over so music creation becomes boring …just automaton automation . An acoustic guitar without any effects ..can connect to the divine .
Some people use a guitar as a triggering device for effects and that's fine. However, I find the better I play, the less use I have for effects, and the effects I do use tend to be always-on "core" things like compressor, reverb and a small amount of modulation. Regrets? I regret buying any box that has more than 4 knobs or any hidden features. Even 4 adjustible parameters can interact and lead to infinite tweaking as one adjustment cancels out the other. The less fundamental an effect is, the quicker listening fatigue sets in. I have over 30 pedals in a dresser drawer but I can and do get by with 3 or 4. Speaking of Neunaber, he does a pretty good job keeping the complexity under control. A Illumine can cover reverb, delay, chorus and shimmer, in stereo, and it accomplishes this in a small box with a standard power supply and just 2 knobs.
Simpler the better is where I am now. I have a Telecaster and a Carr mercury amp. I have one pedal only, a Visual Sound Open Road. I have a Telecaster bass and a Warwick gnome head and cabinet.
I regret buying the Boss ES-5. I still use it, but slowly switching to Morningstar controllers. It is a menu rabbit hole and it's huge but it works flawlessly and has a lot of connectivity. I actually use another controller to control it at this point. I should have gone modular controllers and switchers instead of an all in one unit. Live and learn.
And and I said to myself "self" Not sure if you're a wrestling fan Mr. Orion but there's a podcast out there that would love you for that bit lol. Great video as always!
I wish I could buy my old self back. I remember using just a single old and beaten Boss Metal Zone and make it sound better through the whole night (being in a cover band on tour overseas). Now I want to have 3 to 5 overdrive and distortion and not having the sound that what I used to be. Oh endless GAS.. . 🤣
When you have to give serious consideration for buying gear as you don’t have a lot of money, so you save up to buy stuff it helps as it cuts down on impulse buying Most regrets I hear from other musicians are impulse buys. The only thing I have regret for was not waiting a week or two to buy a pedal, as a new & improved version came out. However over time that’s changed as the version I have is worth more if I ever decide to sell it.
For me the Plex Delay is the single greatest ambient effect ever, combined with the "Cloud" verbs on the Fractal... nothing is as good as that... no helix anything can come close to plex or the clouds
I am not an ambient type player but I do enjoy seeing what you and others can get out if the gear and the thought process that goes into that type of playing. I have used some in my straight forward gigging type playing. In terms of gear I have accumulated so many pieces that have sat in boxes, cases and in closets before I came to this conclusion. Don’t buy a piece of gear if you aren’t finding the need for it. If my signal chain is lacking something or I am wanting to add to my tone I will research equipment to get that but if I just see something in a demo or in a store and I think “wow that’s cool” it doesn’t mean that it will be cool in my rig or will add something that is missing. If I hear it and think “I could use that to do this” then it’s worth it to me to try it out. Particularly today with modelers and DSP the need for gear isn’t what it used to be. Anyway just my opinion on things and just to say I enjoy your content.
When I A/B my rig against a Boss in the chain vs out, I always prefer out. Something that may turn on another addiction for you: Experiment with various tubes in your gear that uses them. I went through rolling a bunch of new and old style tubes and I'll say-Old RCA blackplates replicate effects to such a degree and depth that it is unreal. Every nuance is made clear and has a 3D sound. Hearing is beliveing.
Oh - tube addiction! I used to own a THD Univalve and ended up with multiple foot lockers of tubes. I still have some Visseaux 6V6-GTs that I can't bear to part with - even though the Univalve is long gone. :-)
I totally agree with you that no amount of gear is going to make you a better player. It's the work that you put into learning to play your instrument is the key. I also have bought a lot of unnecessary gear over the years only to resell about 90 to 95% on Ebay or Reverb. some examples like the Line 6 400HD, Source Audio EQ2, a Messa Boogie Mark iii ( when I already owned a Mark iv) and countless delay pedals, reverb pedals, overdrive pedals etc. I also put my name on the Fractal waiting list, but then I thought about it. Why should I patronize a company that does allow their product to be available to EVERYONE through other retailers ?
Bill - the thing I've heard people do with the FM9 and other fractal gear that the other great modelers can't do nearly as well is cello and string section sounds. I'm not sure those sounds are built in, but there are some guys online that sell their Fractal packs for cello and string patches that sound fantastic. You might want to explore that. Your ebow stuff is great, but as you know the ebow limits you to certain techniques and having a great cello/string sim would be quite liberating to explore more textures.
That fractal fm9 is really cool with that said, you never know when something will come to you in ideas when writing and laying down tracks and that peace of gear is the ticket at that time i hope it will work out for you, i really do.
I had one of those Roland guitar synths and sold it and grabbed a Electro Harmonix String 9 because it's seriously old school, cannot save anything haha and you just have to twiddle knobs like in the old days until you get the sound you like. Pretty useless live unless I'm doing some whacked out crazy kneel down guitar sounds in the middle of a track. For studio recording though, utterly love it :) PS: Noticed the final choice the Fractal FM9 - my studio board is the EH String9, into a Headrush MX5 (pedals only) into a Tonex pedal. Basically a studio rig direct to recording interface for £1,000 or less. And have space on the board to add other pedals in front of the rig. I wish I hadn't sold my Maestro Phaser original from the 1960s (sob) but otherwise than that, holy cow as a 57 year old used to playing live with a few pedals scattered around the mic stand, this is so neat and easy to use. Great video and thanks for exactly your final point. Buying gear is fun BUT there are no miracle pedals that will make you a better player except as you said. The Human Interface :)
I had a weird opposite experience to your Fractal. I got excited and pre-ordered the Boss ME-90 based on RUclips reviews. I had time to reflect while I waited for it to come and had convinced myself I made a mistake. When I finally got it, though, I adore this thing! It’s a great multi-effect pedal. 🤷♂️
How do you survive as an ambient musician with the ME90's maximum delay times of less than a second, tho? With the ME80 I could go to 6 seconds, that was nice.
@@jbjb9691 Lol! It's easy! I'm not an ambient musician. I like to watch this channel cause it's interesting to see what other people are doing with their stuff.
I hear you... I have too many pedals that sound alike. And then there's my Quad Cortex: love the idea. Fantastic piece of gear... incredible diversity. I just haven't found that I use it... I suppose Im just hooked on my old-school tube amps and pedals. Thanks for sharing and reminding us that it's okay to regret buying awesome gear! (Like that Nashville Telecaster on my guitar rack...) 😉
It's NOT just me then... I so want to like the Nashville Telecaster hanging on the wall in my studio, but I have Strats and Teles with better character and a better feel ( I don't like to sell guitars, so I guess this is one of my regrets ) I'm not even going to start on the number of so, so pedals I have lying around because I thought they would be the final solution in my search for "That Sound"
I lust after all these pedals, same as anybody, but I notice many times that I get the exact same sounds using my Mixcraft DAW with its dozens of digital synths, running my old RP1 Roland keyboard with its hundreds of settings through it and layering/stacking, sometimes dozens, of sounds and tweaks. I have 100% control over the sounds I create and the music that flows from those sounds. The last pedal I bought was around 1977/78. I had fun with those pedals by dimming the feed-voltage and making sounds I liked. It's easy to think you're going to be a better musician with better gear but the most moving violin music I've ever heard in my life was in 1969 around midnight on a filthy, stinking street in Tijuana, Mexico on a freezing night played by an old, skinny, dressed in rags Mexican...Gear is not what makes you. I see people on RUclips with what looks like 50 to a hundred pedals on shelves...they're just decoration. Although, being a Collector is a noble pursuit.
My most underutilized pedal, that I was sure going to be a gamechanger, is my H9 Max. It is a great pedal and I know I just need to explore it more. I won't part with it but cost to use ratio is pretty high LOL, and honestly my HX Stomp is getting more attention these days.
As soon as I saw the Boss I knew what you were going to say. I have to add it isn't just Boss, it's Roland too. When I get a synth from them I start off liking them then I begin to hear the sounds everywhere and I tire of them. I had the Axon guitar synth with the Yamaha /Dave Smith module and it did not have the same effect. I have the Fishman Triple Play and it's my fave of all the guitar hex pickup systems. My synth of choice which right now is Logic Pro.
As a modern metal fan I use 7-string guitars almost exclusively. I can totally understand why you regret buying one though. Indeed if you don't know what to use it for, it's just not for you. The Fractal FM9 is also a hard piece of gear to use. It's the best modeller out there. The problem most people have with it is that it's just not as easy to use as the Helix. The Helix sounds negligibly less good than the Fractal but it's much easier to use. Studios and gear nerds should get Fractal, general players should get Helix or Headrush. Have you tried the Digitech Drop Tune instead of the Pitchfork? I personally prefer the sound of the Drop over the Pitchfork.
Great video,as usual. You should do the opposite video,"Pedals that changed my life (in a good way.)"
Excellent idea, I reckon that anyone that watches this regularly would already know his favourites but I don't, I am not new to the channel but I have only watched his videos sporadically. So yes, a list of his favourites would be great, and highly informative too I would imagine. I got out of a stay in hospital years ago and I went into my local guitar shop (John Palmer Music Centre in Waterford) and I was looking for a good wah pedal but I ended up buying a Zoom G2.1u.
I found myself suffering from choice blindness because of too many options, lol, so it was put away and it never got used. I am going to get that pedal out tmoro and give it another go, it cost me enough ffs! Sorry for the waffle, peace to you from Ireland mo chara x
I agree...as i am new to the channel this would be great! @@tomasotreasaigh111
He already did it... Little alligator pedal, ebow, ditto... if you know Bill, you already know this.
what I don't get is why you keep these pieces of gear on a shelf. okay, shame you missed the return window, but I would still sell it to fund other gear.
You are so right on some of these. As I get older (I'm 52 now), I get easily lost with complex gear. I am gravitating towards simpler pedals that I can tweak on the fly.
This is an important video because RUclipsrs very rarely look back like this and, even if they do, a lot of the things that they might have regretted they either got free or got on a limited time basis. The fact is: having a huge number of complex pedals is great, but when it comes to actually hooking them up and using them, they are just going to be an inconvenience and probably stay on the shelf. Nearly always when I buy something that is really useful it is replacing or displacing something else that partly did the same thing: especially when I buy a new guitar! Being critical about our buying choices is a step towards making better decisions in the future.
Agreed 👍
My rig tends to “breathe” (GAS vs lack of funds = inhale vs exhale 😂) but I’ve been sticking to the latest iteration pretty consistently. I use an HX Stomp as the glue and brain of it all, so it’s a pretty capable setup even at just the one device!
Dear Bill, as a man probably of your age (I’m 61) I really appreciate not to say I love your contributions. They’re almost kinda sacred island in this loud’n’busy, more and more fragmented world. And the end of this video of regrets virtually turns into a (to say so) beautiful prayer. Thank you very much!🙏 Benno
I love your point at the end. Recently I’be been using this phrase… “Music is amplified emotion.” So, one of the best things we can do is invest in our emotional health. Whatever is inside of you is going to come out through your music… so focus on your inner life and health. Not quite as fun and thrilling as buying new gear, but recently I’ve found that conquering my fears and connecting with my emotions is making me a much better player than any new guitar, amp, or pedal ever will.
5 watt world quotes a synth RUclipsr: "if you're not being productive then don't buy another gear hoping it will change it". I try to stand by that nowadays. The tipping point for me was when I bought a bigger pedalboard hoping to consolidate all my pedals and quickly realizing that I prefer smaller ones and that signal chains are never permanent.
My biggest gear regret, and it was almost 20 years ago now, was buying a Rickenbacker 4003 bass. A lot of my bass heroes played something similar, it looked so cool, it was an iconic piece of gear...and I just didn't like it. It was uncomfortable to play for me (I even injured myself on it during a gig more than once), it didn't feel right, and I honestly didn't really like the sound all that much. I had a Fender MIM Precision bass as a backup and ended up playing it a lot more and loved everything about it more. I had the same issue with a Gibson Les Paul Custom and in the end I think the issue for me was wanting something for the feelings I had about music made by bands I love with that instrument, vs my feelings and needs actually PLAYING it. My playing preferences ended up being very different from my "taste". At least it was educational, and both appreciated in value and I sold them years later for more than I bought them, so it's not a deep regret.
Love this comment and actually my own two main instruments are a 4003 and a Burny Les Paul, for the same reasons as you. But in my case, they’re both so familiar and comfortable to me that I can’t imagine playing anything else. Glad you found the gear that feels right for you!
I have one small regret buying my Empress Zoia, it does EVERYTHING and makes it difficult to find new pedals that do something new. I'm miles deep down a rabbit hole of sonic weirdness, and see no end to it.
Complexity doesn't always work for many people. All 5 of your choices in my opinion are complex. I remember seeing Lenny Breau and preferred him on 6 strings instead of 7. So glad you did this video. I appreciate your honesty.
I bought a heavy pick a while back. I didn’t like it, I prefer medium. That’s 60 cents I’ll never get back…
2:25 I just wanted to mention that the Expanse + EXP pedal is actually meant to be loaded up to the computer so you can add multiple different effects to it. I have multiple WET reverbs loaded on mine.
I sold my expensive valve amps and my entire pedalboard worth over £4000 and purchased a Fractal FM9. I have no regrets, its sounds amazing, the amps the effects are world class, and it gives me all the sounds I've been chasing in my head for years. Stick with it. The ambient sounds on it can do are the best I've heard. I use it in Church often for huge soundscapes between songs. So good. And light.
Just got mine a couple months ago and it’s the best investment I’ve ever made
I'm just starting and don't have the budget for such a pedalboard. But I just bought the NUX MG-30 and I'm super happy with it. For a beginner is great. I had my dream of buying pedals and build my pedalboard. But I changed my mind, with such a multieffects you have all the pedals and you can switch patches quickly to play different songs, styles. So you don't have to bend down and adjust all the pedals so you can start playing something, then do it again for something else. It's a great thing. Oh and I already have a computer interface to record, so I don't have to buy a separate one!
Yeah I love my FM9. It takes a little time to wrap your head around it but once you do it’s fantastic. So flexible. You can set it up the foot switches to do whatever works best for your style. I’m still playing around with mine trying to figure out the best way to set it up but the sounds of the presets alone are excellent.
Excellent video - totally appreciate the honesty! My regret is too often selling a piece of gear and then coming to the realization that “hey! I miss that!” - but I don’t regret selling my tube amps and transferring to Quilter solid state amps! Nor does my back!
It’s possible to fall back in love with a piece of gear you think you hated…
About a month ago I bought a Behringer Poly D on a whim, I’d always wanted a minimoog and it was a mere £450!
At first I thought I’d made a massive mistake - mostly as I didn’t have space for it! Didn’t know what to do with it.
Then, I had a jam with a guitarist friend with it and my Korg SV2 on a Rhodes sound, and I fell in love with it. Mostly because I’d learnt how to use it, through improvising and having some fun with a good mate!
Lesson? Spend some time experimenting with gear properly before getting rid of it, you might fall in love with it!
Excellent advice for all of us!!!!!
You really nailed it with your closing comments. Guitar players, especially electric guitarists are constantly chasing rainbows in terms of the "holy grail" that will send us to the "next level" of musicianship. Unfortunately, as you suggested in your final comments, that rainbow or holy grail doesn't really exist, as much as gear manufacturers and music retailers want you to believe otherwise. There is, at last, no substitute for spending more time with the instrument in your hands, and maybe a little serious soul-searching about what are our most serious shortcomings as musicians. Especially for those of us who mostly "hole up" at home and play our instruments alone, we probably ought to "get out" more often, see live music. When we're playing with other musicians, we should try to play with musicians who are better than we are. Most of us could benefit from keeping our guitars properly set up and tuned, and playing with a metronome and working on our rhythm chops, and maybe playing fewer notes, but "better" notes when we're playing lead.
The trick for learning 7-string is to remember that you can retune that bottom string! If I’m playing something it D major/B minor or E, B works great on the bottom. Occasionally I tune it down to A if I bop between the 7-6-5 strings or want access to single finger chords. But most of the time I tune it to C, and that offers some great chord options without stretching my fingers more than a 7-string already does. (And I have big hands.) Watch some Yamandu Costa, Lachie Robertson, or George Van Eps, and give it a shot! Otherwise I’ll take that PRS off your hands 😉
Tuning the lowest string to A also makes it significantly easier to play 7 note chords. Especially when playing "A shape" chords that span 3 octaves.
Another cool simple trick on 7 strings is to tune the G string to F#. this way it's like playing a 6 string tuned one 4th below with an additional high E string ;)
Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones tunes high 7 strings like 6 strings guitars but with double 6th high string.
I was lucky to get an FM3 quite early on, it was my first ‘multi-effect‘/amp modeller since a boss GT3 I borrowed many years ago.
After the honeymoon phase of a few weeks, I was overwhelmed by the options… it found a place in my drawer for over a year and I went back to my love for individual stomp boxes.
Recently I gave it another chance (like you are doing :)), watched some useful videos by Leon Todd and G66, now I am finding ways to use it that I didn’t think possible before and it’s expanding my creativity.
For me at least, it was well coming back to and investing more time in, no regrets here :)
Thank you for the video and good luck revisiting your FM9!
Just discovered your channel over the last couple days and I just wanna say thanks! It's awesome to have a channel to go to that specifically focuses on ambient guitar work, which is a big part of what I do.
I’m actually not super surprised about your thoughts on the FM-9. Helix stuff is amazing and can do so much! Interestingly enough Devin townsend uses exclusively fractal stuff for his heavy music but for his ambient guitar project “dreampeace” he uses a helix. Check it out!!
The Fractal stuff is great if you are going to set up a tone and effects chain to use all the time. Or, if I want to have a particular sound to cover a song, I can have a preset just for that song. The Fractal can sound like anything. Tweaking things in real time though is tough unless you do it on the computer. The helix user interface is so much better for tweaking things on the fly on the unit itself. When I just want to play around, try out different things, its just easy on the Helix. I've had a axefx 3 since they came out and still find the interface annoying to deal with.
Great video and a very tactful approach to the topic. There is an upside to regret on the musical gear journey - it's humbling and instructive and often makes you appreciate your foundational instrument even more. I can play around with the amp and pedals, but then I sit with the acoustic and just breathe it in. Yin and Yang.
I actually love 7-strings for everything from metal to ambient, and I can really recommend giving it another try - ESPECIALLY for ambient! A few suggestions I would give:
1. I think ambient is a great way to get used to the extra string and just start slow. Play with a long, slow delay (or even go "Frippertronics"), keep in mind what notes you need, and it will just become natural over time. It's probably the most relaxing way to learn, when the tone itself requires you to play slower and give yourself time to think.
2. I tend to prefer drop A (or lower, if you will) as I think it's both more intuitive and arguably more useful overall - it's actually hard to incorporate the low B into bigger chords, whereas you can always just hold the extra two low strings to get an octave/power chord. Or just hit an open A power chord when in doubt, because why not.
3. Tuning even lower can be surprisingly great for ambient, as long as you keep the low end in check. You get a lot of frequency range to play with, and the low notes can sound really dramatic with ambient effects. I've made an ambient piece as low as drop F and those reverberating near-bass notes combined with playing up high can really be *something*.
4. Very subjective, but imo: try lighter strings than you think you need. The neck is bigger so everything takes a bit more effort, and tight strings can really feel like you have to fight against them, whereas lighter strings are a lot more dynamic, which is imo especially fun to play with in an ambient context, when you can do everything from very subtle to TWANNNNNNG easily. (And imo, most 7-string sets except the most typical ones are often very dumb and absurdly bottom-heavy - if you want something beyond the usual 10-56, imo it's better to refer to what you use on 6-string and buy a separate 7th than buy a 11-74 set or whatever they came up with in their mad scientist lab.)
Good video and another would be 'the gear I got rid of and wished I hadn't!' Have a good weekend Bill.
The Boss SY-300 is my regret, fun for the first hour. But it is very confusing to create custom sounds and the stock sounds are a little too cheesy. I agree 100%
You have to look at how Pat Metheny did it to really understand the tone it can get. Also need to mix it with your guitar tone.
@@shitmandood ok, I'll check it out, thank you.
Be sure and use an expression pedal with the Boss, you’ll have more usable options. Same with their Slicer pedal - the ability to slow it down with an expression pedal? Crucial.
I, too, bought a 7-string guitar "to do heavy ambient" with. And rather than play metal, I mostly use it for clean ambient pieces, which fills a lot more sonic space than a 6-string.
Try tuning the 7-string to Drop A, and use open string chords... you might be surprised!
Drop A on the 7 is a great way to go about it.
Wow two things I absolutely can’t play without a 7 string and the SY300
I switched from 6 string guitar to 7 string with no plan or knowledge of how to use them at age 13 now 15 years later i exclusively play 7,8 & 9 string guitars with multiple synthesizer pedals. The lower pitch of the extra strings makes the synth pedals really pop.
I love your channel btw super inspiring videos. Your video on the SY300 was the reason why I got it and now I can’t imagine playing without it. If I didn’t watch your review on it i probably wouldn’t have got it. Keep up the great content 🤘👽🤘
Love the advice of "have a plan" when buying gear. I've definitely experienced regret for not thinking through a plan ahead of the purchase. . Great video!
4:30 “Boss has a very characteristic sound”
… it’s tearing paper sound. Once you notice it can’t be unnoticed
I love the way you speak. You manage to convey a lot of passion.
Like you, Bill, I've used Roland guitar synths back to the GR300, GR700, GR20, GR33, GR55....and now I use a GI20 into Korg synths. When I saw the previews for the new Boss GM800, I got right on board and preordered it. During the wait time, I studied the demos and looked deep at the ZEN core deal....and I cancelled my order. I'm positive this is a great piece of gear, but I couldn't justify the purchase based upon my own needs for what synths can do for me anymore. I've got that avenue covered and I know that I could do some great sounds with a GM800....but I can do that right now with what I already have. I've got a lot of gear I regret buying, and kudos for making a vid about this subject. Thank you!
Hey Bill, late the party on this one, but one strategy for learning 7 string is to tune the extra string to low A instead of B. This way all your chords “rooted” on A can just shift over a few strings to the even lower A. The other side benefit is that the low two strings are now tuned to a 5th like drop d so free 1 finger power chords! Your last point is 100% on point. I really enjoy your content, so please keep it coming. God bless.
Great video, yet again. I agree with almost everything you said Bill, except for the "there's no piece of equipment that can radically change what you're doing as a musician." It's rare, but it does excist! I bought a groovebox/sampler/drum machine 2 years ago in order to incorporate drum patterns with my guitar playing. Well, it changed my whole approach to making music: I went more into the electronic music production (a whole different rabbit hole) and started to create ambient music that way.
Which one? (At the risk of falling down the same rabbit hole) 😀
@@gregmetzler6828 I started out with the Elektron Model:Samples but about a year later upgraded to its bigger and more powerful sibling; the Elektron Digitakt!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and humility. You're a good egg, Bill Vencil!
SEND IT BACK!!!
Good life lesson there 😄
Holy crap. Going back to the 70's. That is awesome.
You have my respect, sir. My regret video would be longer than Avatar. Most of my regrets are pedal related or of the "think I'll learn banjo" category. Right now, my biggest regret is all the money I spent on stuff that I didn't need to rarely used. Good video. Thanks.
Can't you just resell them???
Oh yes! However, it's usually at a loss. Looking at it as a rental helps.@@joeking433
I had an AX-8 and was on the FM-3 waiting list, but then I switched to a Boss GT-1000 core. With fractal audio, first I was more tweaking than playing, then I ended up using one amp and didn't use all the other options I paid for. So I thought I can significantly reduce in size. Plus, as you said; Boss had a distinctive sound. I always loved their delay algorithm. Now the AIRD amp simulation sounds amazing too - imho way better than the AX-8. I guess Fractal Audio just isn't for everyone.
I didn't regret buying the AX-8 though. Back then most amp modellers sound pretty pour.
I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm 57, so we can't be toooo far off in age... I have a Fractal Audio AX8, and it took me 3-4 months before I could get anything usable to come out of it. Everything from the basic setups, to just hooking it up so I could hear it. Now, I run it through either my Marshall JCM 2000 head into the cleanest tone I can get, or my Engl Ironball 20w head. The fractal settings all sound different through both heads, one is more classic Marshall, that would be the Engl head strangely with the Fractal running straight into the front. The Marshall sounds like a high gain Bogner or even the Range when it's being run in its intended way. But the fractal unit is pretty cool, it definitely gives me sounds and tones my gear doesn't with all the traditional gear I've got. Keep it!! You'll get there and you will hopefully anyway, be glad you hung onto it. It is a bit of a learning curve though...
Like your conclusion. Very emotional as always
I could listen to your voice and your playing for the rest of my life
I agree on the pitchfork+ sometimes I set the knobs and wet and dry where I want and it’s still doing something else.
Had the SY300 and loved it. The stock synth sounds in it are Mario Kart sounds. Stick effects after it and it gets better. You're right about the Boss effects in it. Not great. And Boss are being left behind in the effect space. Do have the FM9. By far the deepest and most complex piece of gear I've ever owned. The amp modeling is top notch. And so are the effects. Lots and lots of parameters to tweak. It's almost too complex. On many levels it is not an instant gratification machine. You grow into it.
Boss have released a new synth pedal, the GM-800, have you seen it?
Yes. Different to the SY300 but apparently the tones are better than its older sibling the GR55.
I've never used a pitchfork, but Ive had a whammy 5 for about 6 or 7 years and I love it. I have my own unique way of using it and I haven't taken it off my board since getting it, except for changing effect orders or boards. I see it being with me forever. I like the whammy 5 more than previous ones because of the "chords" more that gets rid of the glitchy artifacts the whammy is known for, giving it the "whammy" sound. To this day it's the smoothest pitchshifter and the best tracking one I've ever used.
I‘m in the same boat! My whammy (first 4 then 5) has been an essential part of my setup since around 2005. I love that pedal, the offerings from other companies are great, I’ve tried a few, but the trusty original sounds best to me and always stays on my board!
Happy to report your video on the PRS 7 helped me make the decision to buy one and I've been really pleased with it. I'm primarily a bass player now, but the PRS is my go-to for when I need to play or record guitar parts. My only regret with it was I should never have attempted to adjust the pickups and action, because it arrived perfectly setup. Credit to PRS to putting that extra bit of work in.
I had the same experience with the Fractal ecosystem (AXE 3 with FC12). It’s an incredibly remarkable piece of gear.
However you have to fully commit to learning it to get the most out of it, and from my standpoint, I already had sounds I loved, and getting the Fractal to do the same thing or better would have taken a monumental amount of time. If you are willing to learn an entire new way of approaching your set up, the Fractal offers the current peak of this technology. If you are trying to supplement what you already have, a smaller, simpler modeler is the way to go. That way you aren’t entirely reliant on one methodology and/or the dealing with the frustration of making multiple methods work together.
I just got an FM3 and sold my Helix LT. I will say that I was on the edge of sending it back right from the start because it was so expensive and I was having a hard time selling my Helix LT. But #1 I think it sounds better hands down. I mean not to the degree you would hear it in a mix, but at home in isolation for sure. And #2 it's soooo deep, I'm a programmer and one of the main reasons I wanted the FM3 was because of assignable LFO's, envelopes etc. Little did I know just how customizable every sound is. That's both a curse and a blessing I think - it's way less user friendly than the Helix. The Helix is a killer user experience and sounds awesome too. I would also argue that it's build quality seems better than the fm3. Both are amazing I think it really comes down to how much of a power user you are - the Fractal is like a semi-modular system basically... I'm saying that in the modular synthesizer sense for the uninitiated.
Dude.... I feel your pain on the 7 string front. Wanted that baritone range, then I found your channel and got a Eastwood sidejack baritone 6 string and have been into it ever since.
Completely agree on the 7 string. I bought one during the years i played professionally 6 nights a week and like you i had no plan to incorporate it into our show/set list. Sounded cool for about a week then sat in the equipment van until i sold it. After playing for sixty five years my regret list is long and somewhat esoteric but right now it is the Meris Hedra and UA Starlight. The Starlight is powerful and sounds great but it’s just not the “right” sound for me. The new Strymon Brig is seriously calling me because it just sounds “right” if you know what i mean. The Hedra is a total mind screw and I’m having a hard time making it sound like the amazing demo vids. I’m holding on to it for now because I’ve discovered that if you ignore what it’s supposed to sound like and make is sound just the opposite . .cacophony, it’s awesome LMAO!! Love your channel Bill and your music too.
Not a regret as I found out that it didn't meet my requirements by playing a friends one for a couple of days. I had been lusting after an immerse for my live board for a while but found that it did no more (for my sound, in a live setting) than my old EHX Oceans eleven. Money put towards a BluGuitar Amp 1 and definitely no regrets about that! Cheers Bill.
for 7 string beginners. tune it down a whole step, and tune it like a baritone and add a hgher string. lets you have all the open chords you know and love and then the highstring falls into place
When I got my first 7 string guitar, I intentional did not just start playing it like a 6 string. Instead, what I did was learn how to play "Paranoid" one octave down, then I learned to play songs that go up from an open E chord to a D chord but going down to the D that the 7 string affords me.
Taking that approach helped me learn the instrument as an extension pf a 6 string and not just playing a 4th down.
When I went to an 8 string, my approach was to learn 3 octave scales using all 8 strings, and I did the same with a 9 string guitar. On a 9 string, I can cover the entire range of a 6 string spanning 9 frets.
I enjoyed this perspective! The thing we don't think of we gear many times, is exactly what you explained you didn't enjoy with gear, is "workflow". It's cool, but does it work for what you do and how you play music? Options are only amazing, if they're usable for your application.
From a personal experience though, I can't say there's really gear I regret buying. Yes, we spend a lot more money then we should, but an education can cost money as well. You can look up gear all you want, and try it, but in many cases, until you have it in your hands, to use the way you do, you won't know how it fits. But you gain knowledge from using it, of what you like, and dislike, to add a general of what you want in a piece of gear, and what may not work for you. Many of us remember a time, when you couldn't get someone elses perspective on a piece of gear, unless they tried it, or just having to read internet forum posts... Or just spending hours trying something in a guitar shop, which even then, isn't always how you'd use it.
Keep playing amazing ambient music!
I got an Axe FX III, and it took a good four or five months before I could get it to bring me a smile. I was LUSTING after something from Fractal for 6 years, and had dreams about owning something. I opted for the Rackmount, because I was sick and tired of having my cables and tone creating gear getting stepped on. I have always wanted a rack anyway, and this is something that I absolutely love now. Not only does it look amazing, it stays as pretty as the day I got it.
Anyway, I went the Reverb route and got a spotless mark 1 Axe III with an equally pristine EV-2 for $1650, and I also bought an FC-12 for $500 and an EV-1 for $90. When I turned the Axe on, I was quite delighted to see that it was on FW11, and I immediately got it all updated to FW19 I think it was…my Fractal was clearly a closet queen, and it looked like it. I immediately got my Music Man plugged in, and was super excited. I even bought some Kali Audio LP6 v2 studio monitors to go with it, which I got on a ridiculous sale from GC for under $300, I think they were $275. Anyway, I got it all plugged in with a brand new set of XLR cables, and fired the whole thing up….and meh.
First, I couldn’t get any of the presets to sound good. I was very surprised. But nope. It was like there was a broken cable. The clean sounds would be okay, but anything with gain sounded like I had a Dunlop Wah pedal between me and my amp….that weird impedance mismatched load feeling that takes everything away…sustain, gain, dynamics…weak. Then i remember fucking with something on the global page and now I can’t even get sound out.
I distinctly remember saying to my girl, I don’t think I’m ever gonna like this thing. She was oddly surprised, but also saw my frustration, and said I should ask someone. Who? What do I ask? I don’t ask for help, especially about guitar gear. So she asked, and got a response from Axe legend, Matt Picone. Well, that did squat besides get me frustrated because I KNEW that the Axe III running FW19+ is a freaking magic box. So I watched some videos, joined some FB groups, and learned how to navigate the thing a little bit, and learn a bunch about properly setting up the I/O…including the input gain, input trim, the noise gate on the Inputs, the ADC & DACs, the input impedance, level setting, gain staging, and how to make a simple chain sound good.
I remember the first time I was excited about it was after I got the Circular Delay preset to sound good using a Mark IV amp model. I all but completely removed the input gate which was the thing choking my signal, it was huge….along with properly setting the thing up and setting the levels properly. I am now absolutely loving the Axe III, and it can easily do any sound ever…ya gotta put some time in though. It’s not a magic piece of gear right off the bat, ya gotta pay the piper first. Take the time, it’s SO worth doing, it sounds absolutely PHENOMENAL once you get a handle on things. It’s so deep it hurts, but you don’t need to go deep to have amazing tone. Ya do gotta make sure that every one of the I/O and Global settings is correct though.
This is a great video topic. Good Job!! I feel about the same with the learning getting into the instrument. It was a boom when I got started in 2019. So many bought and sold. The first one I bought black strat remains my favorite. I plan on focusing on 2 guitars and trading off the rest for upgrades etc.
The Multitap delay block on the Fractal Is f🎉ing awesome
The great thing about pedals and musical gear in general is that you can try it and if it works for you, keep it, and if it doesn't, return it or sell it. Most gear we'll eventually sell or trade. And sometimes gear that doesn't work for us now, might work in the future when we're ready for it.
I feel that way about my Quad Cortex. I got it for my 62nd Birthday about 8 months ago. Long story short is I like it but don't love it. I ended up using it as the center of my new pedalboard which includes a Keeley AT Halo, Strymon Cloudburst, and just last week added the Brig. So I run all my time based effects into the Effects loops. I play at church and like the slightly ambient sounds. Recently added a Tone King Imperial MKII from Amalgam Captures and it sounds amazing as my amp from the QC. So yes, I do slightly regret the QC, but I am learning new ways to use it.
I am LOVING the combination of the Halo, Cloudburst, and Brig. Have you ever tried some or all of these in combo? Love your channel and your music. God bless.
I love my expanse set. It nearly got bumped off my board, but I love the wet setting so much that it's basically part of my "clean tone."
I did learn the same kind of lesson with the C4 I do not enjoy synth pedals.
Yeah - the C4 was a big disappointment to me. Normally I love Source Audio, but that one - did not connect with it.
I didn’t see any other comment mentioning this - on the Neunaber pedal you can just change the firmware to make it delay, reverb, flanger or chorus and with the exp you might even be able to switch between them. Maybe this will give this pedal a boost out of this too 5.
8:03 - The flip side to this issue is that we *can't* always know exactly how we plan to approach a new thing (instrument/gear/etc) if we haven't had a chance to sit with it yet. Or, we can formulate a plan based on what we *think* the new item is going to be... but that can lead to a huge cognitive dissonance if/when the reality of this unknown thing ends up being at least somewhat different from our preconceived notions (which it almost inevitably will be, to some degree).
All this is to (*very* respectfully and humbly) say that, while having a clear and accurate plan of attack for every new thing we obtain would certainly make things easier, it's also unlikely that we're going to know exactly what the new thing entails until we start working with it, hands on.
Lovely video as usual, Mr. Vencil. :)
I originally got a 7 string for heavier styles of music, but it was such a huge boon to my ambient playing as well. I also did not have a plan, but I ended up just doing what made sense to me, and that caused me to use it a little different than the average 7 player.
Instead of having a normal 6 string with a lower B string, I play the guitar in either B standard or Drop A tuning and my reference swap from a standard 6 string with a lower string to a standard 6 detuned 6 string with an extra high string. I stay in Drop A most often, so the tuning is AEADF#BE. This really opens up melodic playing as you have a whole upper register that was not previously available, especially if you start to experiment with the tuning of that extra high string. It really allows you to come up with some unique shapes and chords.
I did the exact same thing! Really like clean 7-string ambient.
Actually so unusual to see a gear video where someone didn't trying to sell the featured product. Pure enjoyment just because of this
Great video, Bill! It's nice to see a video like this that doesn't lean into the "gear acquisition syndrome" concept. Sometimes you make a considered purchase and it just doesn't work out. I play lead in a psychedelic rock outfit, and I often end up stacking 5 to 10 pedals at once between boost, overdrive, modulation, delay, and reverb. One of the biggest variables for me is always, "how well does this play with my other pedals?" I love EQD reverbs, but they do not like my boost at all - it brings out a digital artefact distortion in the EQD stuff that kills my tone. I strongly agree with your point about taking advantage of returns, too - this is a relatively small community, and many manufacturers and retailers still care about word of mouth. They don't want to stick a buyer with gear the buyer isn't happy with, and they recognize the value of players saying "that pedal wasn't for me, but that company was great to deal with about it."
Using the seven string to play most of the same things you play on your six string guitars, and then, adding a lower extension on chords with the lowest string tends to be the easiest way to start incorporating the instrument into your comfort zone. It’s really nice being able to play some open natural chords, like you would on a six, but having the ability to add some sort of extra harmonic structure or texture with that additional low note can be very gratifying!
Woah - 8 minutes in I thought that you had King Crimson music on in the background. Very Robert Fripp sounding. But it was you!
FM9 - I have been a Fractal user for a long time. I suggest giving it a real deep dive and on the different aspects you can modify. John Cordy had a great video out this week that might be an inspiration for you.
Bought a Gibson SG. It had a comfortable body shape. It was also made wrong. Pickup cavities weren't routed correctly. Other problems. I knew nothing about scale length. I now play a PJ bass with flatwounds
It's us, not the gear, that make are music better! Now I'm going to go out and buy more gear! 😂 great video!
Hey I own the expanse pedal from neunaber the beauty of that pedal is you can change it to what ever you want. I bought the shimmer pedal Version and have it set with a wet reverb a shimmer a chorus and a tremolo. All you gotta do is plug it into the computer and change it to what ever you want.
The takeaway: if you have no use for it it’s better to unload it. And that is totally independent from the quality of the gear. The gear can be superior but if you’re not using it….Great thought in the end: it’s not the gear; it’s what the musician does with it.
I have a PRS Custom 24 my wife bought me for our 20th anniversary and it spends most of its life in its case under my bed. It is beautiful and plays flawlessly. I did not realize how much I love single coil Fender type guitars until AFTER I got this beauty. I am thinking of having the coil splits put in so I can get some single coil sounds out of it. We live and learn... sometimes. ;-)
Great video! I think, at least for me, it's fun to experiment with new effects, etc., but I have to admit you are 100% correct that it comes down to the player. Changing your gear won't change your playing style or even your sound. That comes from within, and the desire to grow...
Thanks for sharing this with us Bill. I think most of guitar players don't have the ability to try equipment and take the chance of either purchasing Guitars to Effects Pedals etc.. So in the UK there isn't many local music shops you can pop down to and try the latest Guitar or Pedal etc , however there are a few channels which really give honest reviews on the latest and greatest "Guitar and Pedal Must have". Thanks again for sharing this with us Bill. All my best wishes from the Lake District (UK). 😎😎😎😎🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Biggest gear regret: Buying a Grandmeister 40 amp. Was terrible sounding. I tried changing out everything else: Tubes, Cabinets, Speakers, etc to make it sound good and it just didn't. I was already invested and NEVER had spent money like that on a piece of gear. I kept trying and trying and luckily the story has a happy ending: I got rid of that amp and bought the most beautiful sounding amp. Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Top 25w 6v6. As soon as I plugged in, boom- there was the tone I had been searching for!
It's refreshing to see a respectful, thoughtful "gear that didn't work for me" video. /// I feel similar sentiment about both the Strymon pedals I have (Volante & Sunset). Both are amazing; neither of them inspire me to actually "play". Not bad gear. Maybe "too good" in some way.
How true is your last sentence. Thank you for that!
A thought provoking video, Bill. I think, in the context of what you are exploring here, my regret is fairly broad-based, and that is the equipment I bought was trying to cover all possible bases rather than being focused on a musical goal. So, like you, I ended up with pedals and other gear that I never use and, in recent years, I came to realise that actually a more designed and refined set up is all I need to achieve my musical goal.
It’s interesting , that what we all lust after is perfection in our music making gear .
But we then realise ..perfection is within and can only be realised in glimpses , seconds in endless improvisations .
Ai can make things button press easy ..it can take over so music creation becomes boring …just automaton automation .
An acoustic guitar without any effects ..can connect to the divine .
Some people use a guitar as a triggering device for effects and that's fine. However, I find the better I play, the less use I have for effects, and the effects I do use tend to be always-on "core" things like compressor, reverb and a small amount of modulation. Regrets? I regret buying any box that has more than 4 knobs or any hidden features. Even 4 adjustible parameters can interact and lead to infinite tweaking as one adjustment cancels out the other. The less fundamental an effect is, the quicker listening fatigue sets in. I have over 30 pedals in a dresser drawer but I can and do get by with 3 or 4. Speaking of Neunaber, he does a pretty good job keeping the complexity under control. A Illumine can cover reverb, delay, chorus and shimmer, in stereo, and it accomplishes this in a small box with a standard power supply and just 2 knobs.
Simpler the better is where I am now. I have a Telecaster and a Carr mercury amp. I have one pedal only, a Visual Sound Open Road. I have a Telecaster bass and a Warwick gnome head and cabinet.
I regret buying the Boss ES-5. I still use it, but slowly switching to Morningstar controllers. It is a menu rabbit hole and it's huge but it works flawlessly and has a lot of connectivity. I actually use another controller to control it at this point. I should have gone modular controllers and switchers instead of an all in one unit. Live and learn.
Being an insane gear hoarder, this could be the single most important vid I've seen. Thank you!
And and I said to myself "self"
Not sure if you're a wrestling fan Mr. Orion but there's a podcast out there that would love you for that bit lol. Great video as always!
I wish I could buy my old self back. I remember using just a single old and beaten Boss Metal Zone and make it sound better through the whole night (being in a cover band on tour overseas). Now I want to have 3 to 5 overdrive and distortion and not having the sound that what I used to be. Oh endless GAS.. . 🤣
When you have to give serious consideration for buying gear as you don’t have a lot of money, so you save up to buy stuff it helps as it cuts down on impulse buying
Most regrets I hear from other musicians are impulse buys.
The only thing I have regret for was not waiting a week or two to buy a pedal, as a new & improved version came out.
However over time that’s changed as the version I have is worth more if I ever decide to sell it.
Hey Bill, try tuning the low B string down to an A, and use it to supplement your playing with low end chords underneath your melodies.
For me the Plex Delay is the single greatest ambient effect ever, combined with the "Cloud" verbs on the Fractal... nothing is as good as that... no helix anything can come close to plex or the clouds
I am not an ambient type player but I do enjoy seeing what you and others can get out if the gear and the thought process that goes into that type of playing. I have used some in my straight forward gigging type playing.
In terms of gear I have accumulated so many pieces that have sat in boxes, cases and in closets before I came to this conclusion.
Don’t buy a piece of gear if you aren’t finding the need for it. If my signal chain is lacking something or I am wanting to add to my tone I will research equipment to get that but if I just see something in a demo or in a store and I think “wow that’s cool” it doesn’t mean that it will be cool in my rig or will add something that is missing. If I hear it and think “I could use that to do this” then it’s worth it to me to try it out.
Particularly today with modelers and DSP the need for gear isn’t what it used to be.
Anyway just my opinion on things and just to say I enjoy your content.
You do know you can turn the EXP into reverbs or any of their other algorithms. The graphics are just graphics.
Lots of sage wisdom here!!! So so so many good points!!!
Good concept. Looking back on gear and sharing the experience when en why you hardly use it anymore.
When I A/B my rig against a Boss in the chain vs out, I always prefer out. Something that may turn on another addiction for you: Experiment with various tubes in your gear that uses them. I went through rolling a bunch of new and old style tubes and I'll say-Old RCA blackplates replicate effects to such a degree and depth that it is unreal. Every nuance is made clear and has a 3D sound. Hearing is beliveing.
Oh - tube addiction! I used to own a THD Univalve and ended up with multiple foot lockers of tubes. I still have some Visseaux 6V6-GTs that I can't bear to part with - even though the Univalve is long gone. :-)
I totally agree with you that no amount of gear is going to make you a better player. It's the work that you put into learning to play your instrument is the key.
I also have bought a lot of unnecessary gear over the years only to resell about 90 to 95% on Ebay or Reverb.
some examples like the Line 6 400HD, Source Audio EQ2, a Messa Boogie Mark iii ( when I already owned a Mark iv) and countless delay pedals, reverb pedals, overdrive pedals etc.
I also put my name on the Fractal waiting list, but then I thought about it. Why should I patronize a company that does allow their product to be available to EVERYONE through other retailers ?
Bill - the thing I've heard people do with the FM9 and other fractal gear that the other great modelers can't do nearly as well is cello and string section sounds. I'm not sure those sounds are built in, but there are some guys online that sell their Fractal packs for cello and string patches that sound fantastic. You might want to explore that. Your ebow stuff is great, but as you know the ebow limits you to certain techniques and having a great cello/string sim would be quite liberating to explore more textures.
That fractal fm9 is really cool with that said, you never know when something will come to you in ideas when writing and laying down tracks and that peace of gear is the ticket at that time i hope it will work out for you, i really do.
I had one of those Roland guitar synths and sold it and grabbed a Electro Harmonix String 9 because it's seriously old school, cannot save anything haha and you just have to twiddle knobs like in the old days until you get the sound you like. Pretty useless live unless I'm doing some whacked out crazy kneel down guitar sounds in the middle of a track. For studio recording though, utterly love it :) PS: Noticed the final choice the Fractal FM9 - my studio board is the EH String9, into a Headrush MX5 (pedals only) into a Tonex pedal. Basically a studio rig direct to recording interface for £1,000 or less. And have space on the board to add other pedals in front of the rig. I wish I hadn't sold my Maestro Phaser original from the 1960s (sob) but otherwise than that, holy cow as a 57 year old used to playing live with a few pedals scattered around the mic stand, this is so neat and easy to use. Great video and thanks for exactly your final point. Buying gear is fun BUT there are no miracle pedals that will make you a better player except as you said. The Human Interface :)
I had a weird opposite experience to your Fractal. I got excited and pre-ordered the Boss ME-90 based on RUclips reviews. I had time to reflect while I waited for it to come and had convinced myself I made a mistake. When I finally got it, though, I adore this thing! It’s a great multi-effect pedal. 🤷♂️
How do you survive as an ambient musician with the ME90's maximum delay times of less than a second, tho? With the ME80 I could go to 6 seconds, that was nice.
@@jbjb9691 Lol! It's easy! I'm not an ambient musician. I like to watch this channel cause it's interesting to see what other people are doing with their stuff.
@@Williampreza :-) . great, have fun amigo, happy playin'.
@@Williampreza Cool :-) have fun!!
I hear you... I have too many pedals that sound alike. And then there's my Quad Cortex: love the idea. Fantastic piece of gear... incredible diversity. I just haven't found that I use it... I suppose Im just hooked on my old-school tube amps and pedals.
Thanks for sharing and reminding us that it's okay to regret buying awesome gear! (Like that Nashville Telecaster on my guitar rack...) 😉
It's NOT just me then... I so want to like the Nashville Telecaster hanging on the wall in my studio, but I have Strats and Teles with better character and a better feel ( I don't like to sell guitars, so I guess this is one of my regrets )
I'm not even going to start on the number of so, so pedals I have lying around because I thought they would be the final solution in my search for "That Sound"
I lust after all these pedals, same as anybody, but I notice many times that I get the exact same sounds using my Mixcraft DAW with its dozens of digital synths, running my old RP1 Roland keyboard with its hundreds of settings through it and layering/stacking, sometimes dozens, of sounds and tweaks. I have 100% control over the sounds I create and the music that flows from those sounds. The last pedal I bought was around 1977/78. I had fun with those pedals by dimming the feed-voltage and making sounds I liked. It's easy to think you're going to be a better musician with better gear but the most moving violin music I've ever heard in my life was in 1969 around midnight on a filthy, stinking street in Tijuana, Mexico on a freezing night played by an old, skinny, dressed in rags Mexican...Gear is not what makes you. I see people on RUclips with what looks like 50 to a hundred pedals on shelves...they're just decoration. Although, being a Collector is a noble pursuit.
My most underutilized pedal, that I was sure going to be a gamechanger, is my H9 Max. It is a great pedal and I know I just need to explore it more. I won't part with it but cost to use ratio is pretty high LOL, and honestly my HX Stomp is getting more attention these days.
When you finally find a game changer, you’re gonna have to swindle it from a Leprechaun.
Get the H90 bruh
As soon as I saw the Boss I knew what you were going to say. I have to add it isn't just Boss, it's Roland too. When I get a synth from them I start off liking them then I begin to hear the sounds everywhere and I tire of them. I had the Axon guitar synth with the Yamaha /Dave Smith module and it did not have the same effect. I have the Fishman Triple Play and it's my fave of all the guitar hex pickup systems. My synth of choice which right now is Logic Pro.
As a modern metal fan I use 7-string guitars almost exclusively. I can totally understand why you regret buying one though. Indeed if you don't know what to use it for, it's just not for you.
The Fractal FM9 is also a hard piece of gear to use. It's the best modeller out there. The problem most people have with it is that it's just not as easy to use as the Helix. The Helix sounds negligibly less good than the Fractal but it's much easier to use. Studios and gear nerds should get Fractal, general players should get Helix or Headrush.
Have you tried the Digitech Drop Tune instead of the Pitchfork? I personally prefer the sound of the Drop over the Pitchfork.