Am I really going back to ITB with Helix???
- Thread starter dk_ace
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James Freeman
Rock Star
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In The Box, aka amp-less.
Always keep at least one favorite tube amp and cab.
Always keep at least one favorite tube amp and cab.
Yeah 80s for sure. Except when you are slapping it on top oftone and doing the 90s EVH/ZW thing. I get the observation on it 100% if you aren't a fan of that type of sound though.
I love Zakk’s tones. Never got that vibe when I’ve tried this sound before, will revisit with Jairck’s suggestions and see if I can learn something new here.
D
Elric
Roadie
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Pitch detune is an “I like it when other people use it” kind of effect for me. Definitely not a make/break for a unit here.
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I never really even took notice of it back in the day when it really started to show up on guitar tones? But I LOVE that sound now.
I’m down to just one amp for the moment, an old 50s amp with original tubes that would be hard to replace and I got it for almost nothing.
I almost picked up a 50 watt Marshall variant last week for a song on Craigslist. Still think I made a mistake passing it up so cheap, oh well…. I passed because I don’t really need a big amp anymore. I say that I’ll buy one the next time I have a gig where I really do need it. Several years later, I still haven’t had a reason to buy another big amp. I do sometimes miss the feel of 100-150 watt tube head through a 412, just not bad enough to lug one to gigs.
D
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I’ve got this one-
(Using Leon’s SPX90 blocks)
(Yes, I’m aware Zakk played the 2nd half of the reverse riff with a slide…..if one more person tells me that…)
And then the EVH/Balance tone one, which was just using the pitch block with a +/- 9 detune.
I’m with @Elric with detune; love it when Zakk, EVH or Dean DeLeo uses it, outside of that, I’m not a huge fan of it. The more distortion, the less chorus I enjoy hearing on it.
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I get you completely. Chorus and distortion were generally separate entities for me, historically
I have a few riffs I have futzed with since re-discovering this sort of sound (that would mesh perfectly with this type of tone) that I want to try and record at some point.
Jarick
Shredder
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Oh that 7th Seal cover is sweet! I really dig Van Hagar.
I'm a huge Dean DeLeo fan boy, almost to the point of buying an Intelliverb last year. Billy Corgan sold off some Rocktron units on Reverb recently and I was super tempted because then I could play STP songs through his stuff
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Oh that 7th Seal cover is sweet! I really dig Van Hagar.
I'm a huge Dean DeLeo fan boy, almost to the point of buying an Intelliverb last year. Billy Corgan sold off some Rocktron units on Reverb recently and I was super tempted because then I could play STP songs through his stuff
Both the DeLeo’s are monster players. Dean was one of the only dudes playing full, real chords back in the 90’s in popular guitar-based music. The whole world was on drop-D and power chords, then you’ve got Dean coming out with something like “Interstate Love Song” (technically, Robert wrote it based around a bossa nova feel) with all these chords I never even heard of before…..and he actually knows how to name them!
I was trying to show a buddy that song, “Just tell me the chords”…..”Uh, it’s like…Db, some f*cked up C into some f*cked up B into some jacked up A”
And I love all of Dean’s tones. He’s a huge reason why I love guitar tones so much these days, even tones I don’t necessarily dig. Dude used the best tones for the songs and that had a huge effect on me from a production standpoint and as a gear nerd.
Jarick
Shredder
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Both the DeLeo’s are monster players. Dean was one of the only dudes playing full, real chords back in the 90’s in popular guitar-based music. The whole world was on drop-D and power chords, then you’ve got Dean coming out with something like “Interstate Love Song” (technically, Robert wrote it based around a bossa nova feel) with all these chords I never even heard of before…..and he actually knows how to name them!
I was trying to show a buddy that song, “Just tell me the chords”…..”Uh, it’s like…Db, some f*cked up C into some f*cked up B into some jacked up A”
And I love all of Dean’s tones. He’s a huge reason why I love guitar tones so much these days, even tones I don’t necessarily dig. Dude used the best tones for the songs and that had a huge effect on me from a production standpoint and as a gear nerd.
Oh absolutely. Interstate and Plush are two songs that separate the most amateur bar band guitarists from halfway decent. Also, the hacks can never seem to play Plush anywhere close to being in tune, on top of using way too much gain and chorus, so it just sounds like the most sour dissonant mess ever.
I also love how Dean basically hasn't changed his live rig in over 30 years. He's got his Demeter/Rocktron/VHT rack and an AC30 and done. He'll get the rest of it with his hands.
One of my regrets is not being able to see STP in their prime with Scott. Even though I got Core and Purple shortly after they each were released, I was only 12 when they came through town on the Purple tour, they didn't come through town for Tiny Music, and then Scott did his thing and the band went quiet. When they toured in the 2000's, I saw them as being kind of washed up so didn't see them.
When Scott died (oddly enough about 15 minutes from where I live), that kicked off my wave of nostalgia for music from my youth, and that also got me back into playing guitar. I started jamming on my cheap guitar, then started shopping for an upgrade, then looking at amps, then into modelers, and now I've got all the gear.
I did get to see STP back in 2018 with Jeff, who is great. But they haven't come through town since, probably due to the pandemic. Their reunion with the new singer didn't seem nearly as well received as say Alice in Chains, who can still headline big shows. STP seems to be doing the casino circuit at this point, and barely making waves. Not sure how much longer they'll keep at it, maybe one more big nostalgia tour?
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Oh man, I was fortunate to catch STP with Scott twice, once in ‘97 and then in ‘07 for the reunion tour. That first STP show was the first show I went to without adults, I was 14. Mid-set a 2nd stage lowered from the rafters and they did a whole acoustic set, recreating the Unplugged set with all the candles and sh*t, really cool.
The 2nd time was really something else, the night before Scott was so wasted he was TERRIBLE and went on like an hour late, it was a Jersey show, a hometown show for the DeLeo’s who were pissed. There was all kinds of speculation on the radio and internet the following day if they’d play our show or not and what condition Scott would be in if they did play. They opened with “Big Empty” and the audience went apeshit. I don’t think my eyes were dry that entire night, I was really overwhelmed by the audience response and Scott was f*cking incredible. He was definitely having an on-night.
I caught them with Jeff in 2018 and really dug him. My only gripe is him doing the Weiland/Jagger dancing onstage, because it just seems like a Scott imitation rather than Jeff just being a great singer who can do the Scott thing well. Minor gripe, the dude is doing a great job and pulled off a great set, filling shoes that aren’t easy to fill.
And yeah, there’s something endearing about Dean rocking the same rig for so long. His interview on Tone-Talk was awesome, the dude is just filled with positivity and he’s so grateful for his career and the fans they have, I’ve watched it a few times now just because it’s nice to hear someone with their head still in the clouds that far into their career and fully recognizing his place in the music scene without being cocky about it. The total opposite of cocky.
I lit up when Robert responded to a tweet of mine the day I saw them with Jeff-
Jarick
Shredder
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Oh yeah, totally agree on Jeff trying to copy Scott. I remember when they announced him and they were really vocal about not being a tribute band and that he'd have his own personality. But then he started wearing the same sunglasses, getting the same haircuts, and doing all the same moves on stage and everything. I think the only upside is that he doesn't use a megaphone (I think, anyway).
I think for STP, having Scott be so unreliable during their late 2000's reunion set them back. They've tried a few different times to keep going on. Once with Scott which was unstable, once with Chester which was cool but not the same, and now with Jeff. Like they've had too many iterations of being watered down. I'd just like to see them once do a headlining tour where they play for two hours rather than the 30 minute set I saw. Would love to see them hit all eras and some of the deep cuts.
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Fully agree. It’s too bad, too, because it’s not like these guys are just money-hungry guys trying to milk a band’s name for all it’s worth, it’s their life’s work and they’re outstanding at what they do, they deserve to be on big ass stages. Army Of Anyone was pretty damn cool, too (and introduced me to Ray Luzier).
The best chance they had at staying on top was with Chester, though I wasn’t overly fond of all I heard with him singing as far as originals went, the possibility was still there they could release a single and have a hit on the radio again. But yeah, from Scott to Chester then to Jeff, I feel like some of the wind is out of the sails. Nothing against Jeff, those are just two giants who are hard to follow. I certainly wouldn’t want to.
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I've been in the box since 2016 with a Helix. I kept going through wah pedals until they didn't work, burnt the chips in my Carbon Copy, had a shitty amp, just a handfull of petals. Helix did what my petals did and more, plenty of amp tones to choose from that were miles higher than my MTS3200.
I really haven't left the box ever since if you don't count the Boss Katana (I sure don't) so not comparing to whatever might be betterer/the Real Deal™ might have been healthier for me and my wallet in the long run.
Not like I don't wonder tho!
I really haven't left the box ever since if you don't count the Boss Katana (I sure don't) so not comparing to whatever might be betterer/the Real Deal™ might have been healthier for me and my wallet in the long run.
Not like I don't wonder tho!
It’s easier to stay in the box if you don’t compare to other things. That’s true of practically any musical gear, not just Helix. I only went down this road because I spent some time with the FM3 and realized my reverb sounds weren’t as good as they could be.
This is one of the things I respect the most about someone like Tom morello. Pretty basic set of pedals, one amp and cab, two guitars for different tunings, and force yourself to do something awesome with that instead of constantly chasing a few more % out of some new toy.
Also nothing wrong with enjoying the gear side of things too though.
D
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Except the gear I had before I came back to modelling, trust me, you wouldn't want to be locked in that box!
I hear awesome sounds coming from other people and other boxes, and I get inspired, jump into my box and am not left wanting. That's good enough peace of mind for me although I'm sure it would be different if I were comparing boxes side by side.
