This is the first of a series of videos exploring the capabilities of the Boss SY-1000, this time with Alan playing Pat Metheny's classic "James". Please like and subscribe to be notified of more!
The brief but insightful technical intro, the great performance, and the joy you take in playing combined to make this a fantastic video. Subscribed, and looking forward to more. Bravo! -Tom
@@TLMuse It's a standard ACS nylon. I'm trying really hard with my EQ/effects to get as natural a sound as possible, but it's a challenge with the piezo pickups and nylon strings, and I'm still craving more a feel of resonance and dynamic to the sound. Not sure if that is quite possible with a solid-body guitar like this, but I kind of need the solid body to not have much actual sound coming from the guitar itself. There are a lot of trade-offs, but I do love the range of possibilities that the setup enables. Hopefully more soon!
@@AlanThomasGuitar Well, you're doing a pretty good job already with the Godin's tone. If you're not already doing so, you might try using an acoustic IR in your HX Stomp XL; they can add the kind of resonance you are speaking of. It's a bit like the effect that the Fishman Aura system adds (though I think they do it via complex filters rather than an IR), or IR-based systems like the LR Baggs Voiceprint DI. Some acoustic guitar IRs for HX are available online, though I don't recall seeing nylon-specific ones.
Quick follow-up: Some quick digging turned up a free acoustic guitar IR pack from Worship Tutorials. It was created with three steel-string acoustic guitars, but might be worth experimenting with. And here's a YT video from someone who created a nylon-based IR+EQ patch for Helix: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7qNz3k-gTuw.html. He uses a Martin steel-string IR from 3 Sigma Audio. They now have some nylon-specific IRs available (perhaps later than his video).
Best publicity for Godin and for Boss SY-1000 ever. You recognize a true musician by the calm, happy look on his/her face. No drama, just pure joy. Thank you !
@@AlanThomasGuitar You are both talented and modest, and that's why you have reached the level you have reached. Please do not underestimate your skills. You have what it takes to be among the best session musicians. Just contact a few of the big music studios. Trust me, and most of all: trust yourself. I come from a family of musicians (one of which was the only European session musician to work with Louis Armstrong), and I do recognize a talent when I see one. Technically I think you're better than Andy Summers has ever been. But don't tell Andy I told you. He's a super nice guy and I don't want to insult him.
superb performance & introduction to these units. Would love to see a more in-depth review of the synth pedal & the looper. Thank you for all your diligent work & effort. 🎉
Thank you, I have wondered about making a video going more in-depth with the programming aspect, but wasn't sure how useful it is for anyone who doesn't own the pedal.
@@AlanThomasGuitar Amazing performance! I think it would not only be interesting, but also helpful in deciding whether or not to purchase the pedal. I'd love to see a technical breakdown of both pedals in action. I'd also love to see what Kent Nishimura could do with such a setup!
Sounds really good man! It’s amazing how everyone voices the changes a little different. I’m really impressed on how you layed Pat’s solo down over this. I first learned this when Off Ramp was released in the 80s. That tour was the best concert I’ve ever heard. I was at the Flynn Theater in Burlington VT. It was absolutely mind blowing.
Thank you! I've had a lot of guitar heroes over the years, but Metheny is at the very top of the list. "James" is a particular favourite, and I think demonstrates the most remarkable Bach-like integration of melody and harmony, in both the head and his solo.
Very nice rendition. Pat is a genius melodicist. Alan is demonstrating to us how sophisticated electronic tools have become to help players with producing special effects.
Well done Alan. Outstanding performance. I would like to see and hear more songs and some explanations of your Godin SA in combination with the Boss SY 1000!
Wow! Excellent playing, it's very pleasant to listen to. 👌 I especially like how creatively you use the the octave effect and the looper pedal. Subscribed with pleasure.
Amazing! Musically on the guitar and also technologically with the synth and looper pedals. Found you today and just subscribed. Thanks for sharing your talent here.
Thank you, yes I do think the title is misleading! I guess my interest has strangely been more in how to get the guitar synth to function like an "augmented guitar" rather than use the wacky sounds.
@@AlanThomasGuitar I have the GR-55, though I'm sure it's true of the SY-1000 as well, you look at these synths and there's just so much you can do with them that it's a little annoying to find video after video cataloging the presets, and not that many using them artfully. Looping just the lower strings is a cool idea. I wonder if that's possible with the GR-55?
@@artiefischel2579 Hi there, not sure about the GR-55, but what it would need is the capability of sending individual string outputs down two separate signal paths, as well as an effects loop that you can place on just one of the signal paths. I would definitely recommend using the Boss Tone Studio editor connected to the unit to be able to easily visualise the paths--it's kind of a nightmare trying to program patches on the units themselves!
Fantastic sounds in good hands. Thanks for unbelievable pieces delivered your talent. My favourite is "out of Africa" evening dance, and others. On the same music way with you.😊
What a refreshing change from the hordes of half-baked cover attempts by clueless poseurs that litter the internet. You, sir, are the real deal; thank you for sharing the fruits of your talent with us.
Hi there, I don't have anything written down for this unfortunately--I'd be happy to display it on screen if I did! There must be some versions out there, though mine is probably slightly idiosyncratic in some places due to having to keep the thumb notes on the 5th and 6th strings.
@@tony89718 Thank you! I have made a lot of arrangements over the years (you can find some videos I've done on my channel of The Beatles and other things for solo guitar), and have looked into the possibility of publishing them. The problem is that no publisher I've ever contacted will let me publish my arrangements, even under their license or through their actual imprint! Sad that a lot of good arrangements by many musicians get lost to a wider audience because of that aspect of copyright...
Each string has its own individual pickup. With a guitar with steel strings these are usually magnetic, but on a nylon string they have to be piezo. I need to do a video doing a walkthrough of the whole thing!
You could also have just prerecorded the loop with only the 2 strings. It's interesting but not necessary. Cool stuff. How did you learn the song? Is there TAB?
Thanks for watching! I don't have any TAB for it unfortunately. I probably play the tune in a similar way to everyone else, though my chord voicings might sometimes be higher up the neck since I'm try to keep the bass notes on the 5th and 6th strings since those have the added bass sound from the SY-1000.
Unfortunately no! I have made a lot of arrangements over the years (you can find some videos I've done on my channel of The Beatles and other things for solo guitar), and have looked into the possibility of publishing them. The problem is that no publisher I've ever contacted will let me publish my arrangements, even under their license or through their actual imprint! Sad that a lot of good arrangements by many musicians get lost to a wider audience because of that aspect of copyright...
Nice playing but I don’t really hear any guitar sense in the whole thing? I expected to hear him soloing over it with some kind of synthetic non-guitar like sound. He just did what any good looper will do.
Thanks, I appreciate this perspective. I sort of have an ongoing battle with myself over whether to use the guitar synth for the wacky sounds vs. as a kind of "augmented guitar", and in this case went with the guitar approach for the solo sound. For what it's worth, the key point of the looper here is that it only records the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th strings (on which I play the accompaniment). If you loop this with a standard guitar output, the melody really interferes with any attempts to solo over it. Anyway, thanks for watching!
Thanks! Sorry the synth didn't grab you. It may seem weird, but the challenge for me has been to get the synth to sound more like a guitar, not less (and seems more difficult to get a decent nylon-string sound). I'll have a video out in the next few days that uses some different sounds!
@@AlanThomasGuitarDear Alan, sorry for having understood me wrong. What i liked to say: i love your sound and your work with the syth. Sorry for my fault youdid a great job!
