I would agree, that running direct to PA doesn't produce the best experience if you want it to sound like a guitar amp. I have QSC PA speakers, they sound way too harsh, high highs and super low lows. If you're running into your amps effects loop, you probably want to bypass the speaker sims, your amp speaker already has a sound and is not designed to be able to produce the various frequencies needed to simulate the various cab configs and speaker colors. I run mine as a 0-watt pre-amp and not as a part of my pedalboard; directly atop and into my mission GM-1 FRFR with my boost, gain, chorus, and distortion in front and my reverb, delay, and an additional boost into the effects loop of the Simplifier, and I'm getting a variety of great and tones, much better than the amplitude tones that I started with... Amplitube when dialed correctly can sound great for recording but horrible for amp in the room as compared to my Simplifier rig.
Hi, thank you for the Sonicake and Redwirez suggestion. I have the sample pack of greenback IRS and there are hundreds of them in there. Do you remember which one you are using.? Mic type and mic position of the speaker. Thanks Great Playing and great description of the amp and it's uses.
No worries! Yes, with this amp I use the R121 Cone edge 6 inches back. With my modelling device (DSM Humbolt) I'm using the 421 Cone Edge 6 inches back. It's a pretty comprehensive package they're giving away for free isn't it?!
That jam sounded freakin awesome Ben. I like one or two of the Allmans classic tracks, but that's not why I like that sound, it's just really creamy and sweet.
Very kind! I don't have anything on Spotify and I'm not given to writing much, but if I do I just post on this channel for free. I can't imagine being able to sell music to anyone! Thanks again, Ben.
Thank you! Yes, it's a great sound, one day I'll be brave enough to try it live. I don't think it has enough gain for my style, but it might be interesting to give it a go.
Very kind, thank you! Just a little nod to him. Obviously I tend to do my own thing in most of my videos, but it's fun to try a bit of emulation occasionally. Cheers, Ben.
Terrific demo and sweet playing, Ben. Thank you for putting this together. Glad that I found your channel. What kind of attenuator or load box were you using to route the signal through the Sonicake? The amp sounded very natural through it. I am a big fan of the Redwirez IRs and their IR mixer/loader. I recommend you try plugging into the top inputs of both amp channels using a Y-cable. Eric Johnson and Duane Allman both used that setup with their 4-hole JMP plexis. It gives more gain, a wider frequency response, and a generally "wilder" tone. The optimal tone knob settings with a Y-cable are usually very different from what you'd use when jumpering. You are so right about the bright cap. One of the best mods on this type of plexi is a bright cap bypass switch. Some folks use a pull switch pot on vintage amps. I had my plexi-style amp built with 3-way bright switches on both channels, each with 2 flavors of bright cap plus a bypass. It is amazing how much of an effect one little capacitor can have on the tone and response of an amp,
Thank you, very kind! I haven't tried doing a Y splitter yet, though I did see Eric Johnson running his like that in a video. He seems to change how he uses it, sometimes just in to the bright channel. One rig rundown had him doing that. I have an A/B/Y pedal, so I'll give it a whirl. The SV20's have a DI out. It's not really designed for use with an IR, but I've had good luck using it this way straight in to the Sonicake. The Bugera attenuator is just to lower the volume in the room for me, though I don't use it on gigs. It makes everything a bit boxy and muffled, but it's perfectly acceptable. My amp is still under warranty for another 2 years. Given how much trouble I'd been having with amps, this was something I wanted. Once it's cleared that, I'd love to put a switchable bright cap on it. Just a simple on off for it, would be ace. Like you say, it makes it a huge difference. Cheers, Ben.
That's correct, in my 'Comedy AC30 Tone' I had the presence control either half way up, or half way down. However you want to look at that, depending on if you're a glass half full or half empty kind of person! Ben.
This is my second pedal by this brand. Worked. Until it didn't. Lasted about 2 months perfectly but now it's suffering from sporadic volume drops and is getting hot!
That's a pity. Mine is working perfectly. I use it for gigs (about 140 a year) and recordings on this channel. It's turned in to the thing that I actually use most out of every piece of gear I own, which is hilarious when you consider the price. It's a shame yours has developed issues though.
Unfortunately not. There's only one delay block. The expression isn't a 'block' as such. It's a 'control' that you can assign to manipulate a parameter of one of the blocks, like volume, gain, feedback etc. Hope that's clear? It's a bit tricky to describe. Cheers, Ben.
Never tried the Zendrive. Since I've had the Small Fry for so long, I doubt i'd buy one. Perfectly happy with the Burn Unit; the one pedal I will never part with.
Good Review. Thanks for posting. I've been considering the Greg Hilden version for some time. Your video just pushed me a bit closer to the trigger. Cheers from Down Under.
I noticed a dramatic difference with tailpiece height. It was too low on the used LP I bought, though not bottomed out. B &E strings were cutting into the bridge. As to tone, sustain, ambiance... I'm not sophisticated to tell the difference.
I've had two (Yellow and White) on my board for about 4 years. I use them for Kick and snare. I could not get the sound I wanted from passive types. To me the major downside to this and many other designs is the slope which is modeled on an acoustic kick drum pedal. This Does not work for something you just need to tap. I needed to add heel pads to avoid it giving me quite severe pain in the front of my shins. It should be low profile and flat.
Yes, but only in so much as you could flick between a clean and dirty sound via an external A/B selector, as I mention in the video at some point for a similar concept using the X. For my personal taste, I'd still have to use an IR loader though. I just couldn't get a drive sound I really enjoyed without one. For most everything I do, I can get away with just one channel and backing the volume off on the guitar, but the DLX is a neat concept that would definitely be a good option for some players.
Ha, yeh, it hasn't been the most simple addition, but I do like it. Simulated Amplifier > Simplifier...see what they did there?! The way I'm using it is very similar to how I used your Laney Ironheart, only this has a vastly superior clean for the type of clean sound I need and it's not as choosy about voltage and milliamps. It also has a lot more eq control.
£350 for that thing, plus your other pedals, and you ain't delighted with it. There must be a better option. Maybe one of those Line 6 multi/floorboard type things 🤔 I know nothing of that stuff thank fudge 🤪 That toddler was well impressed for an eternity (well an eternity for a toddler 😂)
That's interesting, they've gone up by 50 quid since I bought it a few months ago. I paid £299 on Andertons. Multi-effects mean menus and menus mean wearing glasses and learning said menus (but mainly the not being able to see what it is you're adjusting thing). For example, HX Stomps are hideous for that and also cost nearly 600 quid now. (less than half the price of a Fractal or Quad Cortex) I like to be able to control something with a dial that only has one job. When singing and playing on gigs any adjustments have to be done rapidly and I'm more comfortable doing that when it's a simple analogue dial that I can see, or a 3 position switch that I can feel, all on separate units. So a drive and delay that aren't controlled by the same screen as everything else. I actually hate screens at all on floor based units, being that they're so far away. I also loathe digital mixing desks for small mixing applications. This is like using an amp, exactly like using an amp. Only using an amp is wildly impractical on this type of gig and some others. Most guys who play professionally need some kind of direct solution now as well as an amp, but it's always a compromise. (Would you believe there are some bands/gigs that simply won't let you use an amp. This is a thing.) The Simplifier is designed for someone who eschews multi-effects and digital technology and wants to 'plug straight in' but needs the positive attributes of a direct to PA solution. I'm very happy with the sound, I think it's excellent when paired with my current setup. I'd like them to consider making a version where it's not analogue for the sake of being analogue and uses the best of both worlds (IR's). Also to give me an on/off switch to avoid constant re-wiring of my board. By the way, the guitar tones on last week's 'Abstract' recording were done almost entirely with this unit. Certainly all the clean parts and the lead, which was an analogman fuzz in to this.
Great to see you got it working for you in the end. I’d much rather see a constructive review like this than the paid reviews where a reviewer is struggling to get a usable sound and pretending everything is amazing.
Thanks, man. Yes I agree, 100% positive reviews aren't always that helpful. I think the reviewer should always highlight what was and wasn't working for them. It's all useful user experience for both prospective buyers and the manufacturer.
Hi Ben, Joel here from Panama, Central America. I also have a SV 20 and I’m trying to dial it in so of course I was keen on hearing what you were doing on one of your other videos. I really like the way you sound, tone and note selection. I find myself turning off videos after a minute or so listening to other guitar players and then just I’m getting bored or tired of the sound, but I enjoyed listening to every second of what you were playing. Thank you for taking the time to make such a nice video, I love the production values and the quality. Say hi to the guys in the band for me they sound great. I’m not a youngster going to turn to 78 in February. I heard a lot of musicians and you were one of the great ones :-) cheers, Joel.
Those are very kind words, thank you! The SV20 is a great amp. I've found it works really well for me using my Small Fry Burn Unit by Barber Electronics. I've been using that pedal for maybe a decade now and it's a big part of my live sound in all the videos you'll find on the channel. The amp is consistent with my 2x12 cab, venue to venue and provides a really good platform for that pedal. I like it a lot. I set the 'loudness' to around 12.00-2.00 on all of my gigs, but only on the normal channel and using the top input. There's a sweet spot there to my ears. I dithered a lot over buying it, as it was a lot of money to me, but I'm really glad I went for it. Thanks again, Ben.
Thank you! No real drums were harmed in the making of this track! I've thought about asking drummers to replace parts on these recordings, but it's a pretty big favour to ask. The drums are layered from various sources and samples and sometimes have rhythmical delays added to parts to make them more complex. Cheers, Ben.
At one time guitars with a tailpiece use to come with an owners manual. The manual explained the tailpiece and why one would adjust it. If one wanted a slinkier feel or less tension on the strings then one would raise the tailpiece. If one wanted more string tension (less slinkiness) one would lower the tailpiece. The manual also explained this engineering concept and the physics behind this. I believe the guitar was an Ibanez with a tailpiece that came with this manual. In recent years (last twenty years or so) I never see this manual with guitars with tailpieces. I find that most people dont know what the purpose of the tailpiece is for.
This makes perfect sense and was what I felt when I tested it. I may have even said it in the video to some extent, I can't remember, it was a long time ago now. Thanks for your comment.
Great video man! I've come to the same conclusion, when top wrapped or raised tailpiece you definitely loose a bit of treble but it feels soooo much better imo. The strings feel so slinky and way easier on bends. Cheers my guy
The RK5 did come up well in this video, I liked that one too. The EP just has a knack of making everything sound good. I've not tried the SL or the Super Sweet, but I have owned an AC Booster in the past and thought that was great. Xotic make some killer stuff.
That's fair enough, everyone has a personal preference. I would say quite a lot of players are going to prefer the results with an IR now, especially with one that is of a speaker they'd use in real life. An emulated speaker isn't really close to sounding like a specific speaker on a recording. (If that's even what you want) Emulation is more like an impression of what using a cab is like, versus not using one at all. Although they can still sound good, especially if you enjoy that extra sizzle on the top end. I also find that emulated speakers can sound great with clean tones. Ben
