Since you all enjoy taunting me for my gear turnover...

Drew_TNBD

... and since the amount of LOL's I accrue whenever I buy a new bit of gear is always quite large, I am guessing some of you stalk me when it comes to buying and selling.

So can any of you scary scary people tell me precisely why I decided to sell the Pod HD500? I can't really remember. Was it just boredom? Even though I've got an M9 and have just updated the footswitches, I can't shake this notion that I could simplify all of this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/BoardDesigns/VHT_M9.jpg

into this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/GearDemos/LOLpossible.png

Pros:

- Unified workflow
- Bottom row can send program changes to my control switcher which can control my Sig X
- Top row can be effects
- I prefer the travel on the HD's expression pedal to the Ernie Ball
- Keep my Dunlop wah

Cons:

- 4 cable method.. just ignore it... it's a pain in the ass
- Line 6 effects throughout, little room for expansion
- Weighty
- Leaves me with surplus gear that isn't worth selling on (PP2+ for instance)

---

Am I just better off sticking with the phase 90 and M9 for now? The only unit on the horizon that interests me is the Fractal FX8, but it's just too expensive for my blood. Digitech aren't doing anything interesting, Boss GT-100 has flaws in key areas for me.

Stick with what I've got, or go back down the rabbit hole yet again?

samzadgan

i say scrap all that shit and get back to analog pedals...join us in the 20th century...the weather is much better!

mike_l

Stick with what's down the rabbit hole.

Or what works for you.

 

mike_l

Oh and Phase 90's rule.

joeyowen

Drew_fx;26054" said:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/630473/GearDemos/LOLpossible.png

Wouldn't work, looks photoshopped

ICBM

Wasn't it all tied up with getting the Diezel and the size of the foot controller for it?

Of your Pros, all are real improvements.

Of your Cons, 4CM and weight are trivial… get with it and man up . The PP2 is easily worth selling - they're so expensive new you'll get someone to bite your hand off if you price it reasonably - the only problem would be if you ever want to go back down the separate-pedals route you'll kick yourself. That just leaves the Line6 effects as the stumbling block. Do you use effects that much that it matters?

Drew_TNBD

ICBM said:

Wasn't it all tied up with getting the Diezel and the size of the foot controller for it?

I don't think it was no. I had a HD500 for a brief period when I was using the Satriani JVM. It left long before the Diezel was on the scene.

Of your Pros, all are real improvements.

Of your Cons, 4CM and weight are trivial… get with it and man up . The PP2 is easily worth selling - they're so expensive new you'll get someone to bite your hand off if you price it reasonably - the only problem would be if you ever want to go back down the separate-pedals route you'll kick yourself. That just leaves the Line6 effects as the stumbling block. Do you use effects that much that it matters?

Yeah okay, 4cm.. just ignore, and weight... not gonna be much more weighty than what I've got now. Man up, etc.. etc.. PP2 I could sell, but as you say, will I ever want to go back to singles one day? Most likely knowing me! But right now I don't.

I *think* it may have been the Line 6 effects just bored me at the time, and I wanted to explore more. That was around the same time when I had a Hardwire fetish and I went and bought a Supernatural. I was using Boss stuff.

I use delay and reverb a lot, but I'm not particularly picky about them. I don't care about Eventide or Strymon levels of geekery, I just need reliable tap tempo digital delays, and the capability of running one in reverse and one in regular mode. Slap some hall or plate reverb on the end of it. I use a slow phase 90 sound every now and then, or a fast small stone sound every now and then... that's about it. Everything else is note choice, playing style, and the way I articulate notes.

One con I forgot about - preset changes on the HD500 are *slow* so any fantasies of one button 'entire rig' changes I am just ignoring for now. This unit will not do that.

Truth be told, if the Boss GT100 didn't have shitty tap tempo performance (glitchy/pitchy delays) then I wouldn't even be asking and I'd be buying one of them!!

Drew_TNBD

These are my tones from our 2nd album. It hasn't really expanded all that much for the next one:

Amp Channel	Slow Phaser	Fast Phaser	Reverse Delay	Digital Delay	Reverb
Clean	X				X
Rhythm (Boost)	X				X
Clean		X			X
Clean			X	X	X
Rhythm (No Boost)			X	X	X
Rhythm (Boost)			X	X	X
Lead (Boost)			X	X	X
Clean				X	X
Clean					X
Rhythm (No Boost)
Rhythm (No Boost)				X	X
Rhythm (Boost)
Lead (Boost)
Lead (Boost)				X	X

dindude

samzadgan said:

i say scrap all that shit and get back to analog pedals...join us in the 20th century...the weather is much better!

Yeah this. You need to stop feeding your beautiful amps cheap digital shit.

Seriously though, there's a ton of stuff in that HD500 that I bet you'll never use, aren't you better to hone in on getting the best of what you actually need.

guitarfishbay

You changed it because you Drew'd.

Are you going for the X then?  Given you've changed the switches on the M9 I think you should consider it.  It'll save you a lot of hassle and the circular lights are easier to see.  Plus it looks at least 5 % cooler because of the X.

joeyowen

I did this a few years back (albeit with an M13)

I sold all my regular pedals and went to an M13 with two expression pedals.  Then I got a new drive pedal because I didn't like the M13 drives.  I also wanted pitch shifted delays so I kept my TimeBender.  Then an overdrive... etc etc...

before I knew it I had the biggest board in the world with all the pedals and sold the M13 and went back to stompboxes.  It was a very expensive procedure.

If you think you can void gas, it seems like it is a good idea for you, because your cons aren't really that bad.  But when pedals come out that you want to try, will you be able to justify having both?

Col_Decker

I clicked lol even though I don't really understand whats going on

randomhandclaps

I had a HD500 but sold it to fund an amp but have always been tempted by an M9 - then I look and apart from size they are about the same price second hand but the HD500 does modelling too (not that you may want to use it) so I couldn't quite see the point in the M9.  Can the M9 do anything the HD500 or HD500X cannot do?

Bron_Yr_Aur

If I remember correctly you changed it because you couldn't get rid of the tone suck dude. It was doing your head in.

I've found the same thing, I just can't get an amp to sound the same with an HD500 no matter how much tweaking I do...

Shark_Eyes

What exactly is wrong with the current set up?

I know that you've got high standards for your switching and the HD500 doesn't seem to fix that, so I can't see the benefit of the change personally.

However it is fun to play with new stuff!

Drew_TNBD

I want to get to a place where I am happy with my gear. Least of all because it's an expensive game and from next year money is going to be uber tight, but also because of all the distraction and pressure it results in.

Not sure I buy the cheap digital shit argument and anyway, not many decent analog delays with tap tempo!

guitarfishbay;390611" said:

You changed it because you Drew'd.

Are you going for the X then?  Given you've changed the switches on the M9 I think you should consider it.  It'll save you a lot of hassle and the circular lights are easier to see.  Plus it looks at least 5 % cooler because of the X.

Yes thinking about the X

monquixote

I'm pondering a very similar thing, but with a GT-100 rather than an HD-500. Hearing Johnny Marr say he replaced his whole pedal board with one has only enhanced my gas yet further.

Do you know if they fixed the tap tempo on the delay in the version 2 GT-100?

Does the HD-500 have a switchable loop?

Drew_TNBD

monquixote;390625" said:

I'm pondering a very similar thing, but with a GT-100 rather than an HD-500. Hearing Johnny Marr say he replaced his whole pedal board with one has only enhanced my gas yet further.

Do you know if they fixed the tap tempo on the delay in the version 2 GT-100?

Does the HD-500 have a switchable loop?

No they did not fix it. Yes the hd500 has a switchable loop

Drew_TNBD

Bron_Yr_Aur;390617" said:

If I remember correctly you changed it because you couldn't get rid of the tone suck dude. It was doing your head in.



I've found the same thing, I just can't get an amp to sound the same with an HD500 no matter how much tweaking I do...

I think you're right actually. Bit of Google ninja work reveals posts by myself on the line 6 forums complaining like a bitch!

dindude

Drew_fx said:

Not sure I buy the cheap digital shit argument and anyway, not many decent analog delays with tap tempo!

I'm an analog snob but I still insist on digital delays, my thinking was more Eventide H9, Strymon etc as you mostly seem to be into delays, it just seems a little more fit for purpose, is more compact and will give room to run a few choice analog favourites alongside.

guitarfishbay

Not knowing how one works - could a midi board + Kemper replace your pedalboard?  Or does the Kemper not do what you need effects wise?  I know there was some kind of switching speed issue when using it as a replacement preamp in some patches, but just used as effects could it be viable?