NUMFXPD: Boss GT-6

[Winston Psmith]

Which translates to  . . . New Used Multi-FX Pedalboard Day: Boss GT-6

 

Spotted this one online in GC's Used Gear listings, at my nearest GC. Not something I really needed, but I wanted something a little different fro rainy m what I already had, and I had a day off with some $$ to spare, so . . .

 

Whoever had it took good care of it. I could see that it needed a light non-invasive cleaning, and I noticed a tiny bit of corrosion on the finish, but no signs of damage nor neglect. Even the foot pedal, usually the nastiest part of any used MFX, looked nearly new with just a bit of attention. It came with the original PS, and a nice, heavy-duty Boss GT-labeled bag, which was also in very good shape.

 

I've long held that Boss was inspired by Roland's rack-mount GP-100 when they made the GT-6. It has the same metallic finish as the GP-100, and two rows of control knobs on the front panel, for the menu-phobic. The GT-3 had no knobs on the front panel, just the Alpha dial, while the GT-5 had only one, for the Output Level, plus the Alpha dial.

 

The front panel design favors the Pre-Amp over the FX Processor, in that regard, while the standard-issue FX (OD-Chorus-Delay-Reverb) have very limited knob control, mostly for Level; if you want access to other parameters, you're menu-diving.

 

Manual Mode is streamlined, so each FX block already has a foot switch assigned to it when you enter Manual Mode. Makes it easy to remember which is what, on a dark stage, in the middle of a tune.

 

In some ways, it's both more and less flexible than the GT-3, but it's less different than outward appearances would suggest; in terms of overall sound, they're really not radically different.

 

Once I've had some time to do some deep diving in the GT-6, I may devote it to the Mandobird, so I can have a bank of dedicated 'Bird effects. For now, I'll use it with my Guitars, and see how it goes.

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

NIce! I like Boss gear, it sounds good and is made to take a beating and last forever. 

I've always had good luck with their pedals and amps. I've pondered a GT-6 but never pulled the trigger. Maybe someday. 

Enjoy!!!!

[Winston Psmith]

16 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

NIce! I like Boss gear, it sounds good and is made to take a beating and last forever. 

I've always had good luck with their pedals and amps. I've pondered a GT-6 but never pulled the trigger. Maybe someday. 

Enjoy!!!!

 

Before I respond, I feel like I should apologize to the Forum. I hadn't looked at the news before I'd posted, and might have held off for a decent interval before announcing my new toy, in the midst of tragedy. I'm truly sorry.

 

@KuruPrionz- Let me just say that if you find yourself contemplating a used GT-series processor, send me a PM. I'll tell you what my experience with them has been, and forward you some useful links.

[KuruPrionz]

Thanks Winston, I appreciate your concern. These are dark times indeed, we cannot control the world or others around us. Sad...

 

Currently I have a Boss Katana 50 Mk II and a Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 (with a 10" Scorpion speaker) AND a Digitech Element XP and Zoom G2 - both mulit-effects pedals. 

I'm trying to get used to the Peavey Sanpera 1 pedal that allows selection of presets for the VIP 1 and has a switchable volume/wah pedal, I don't really like having it on the floor. 

I can tolerate the 2 button (4 options) footswitch that goes with the Katana. 

 

I just don't like having stuff on the floor. I've used the Digitech and the Zoom for recording but they sit up on the desk for that function and I just use one sound at a time. 

 

For the past 20 years of so I've focused efforts on creating a range of tones by using my fingers and picks. I like a moderate level of gain, I can transition from fairly clean to a singing tone easlly. Once in a while I use a rotary speaker sound and try to decorate "Hammondish" and on a couple of tunes I like a single long delay. I have those things at hand. 

 

It took me quite a while to dial in a few tones that I love on the Vypyr VIP, almost everything was set up for absurdly high gain when I got it. That's not my thing, at a certain point of high gain all guitars tend to sound alike. 

 

So if I did buy a Boss GT-6 it would be because an absurd bargain fell into my lap. I have to much stuff already!!!! Cheers, Kuru

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, Winston Psmith said:

I feel like I should apologize to the Forum. I hadn't looked at the news before I'd posted, and might have held off for a decent interval before announcing my new toy, in the midst of tragedy. I'm truly sorry.

I am sure of your sincerity, but you have absolutely NOTHING to apologize for here, Winston my friend.
    
 

[Scott Fraser]

5 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

 

Before I respond, I feel like I should apologize to the Forum. I hadn't looked at the news before I'd posted, and might have held off for a decent interval before announcing my new toy, in the midst of tragedy. I'm truly sorry.

Nothing to apologize for. This is America, and unfortunately there's never going to be a period where we're really in the clear in that regard.

[Caevan O’Shite]

On 5/24/2022 at 4:02 PM, Winston Psmith said:

  . . . New Used Multi-FX Pedalboard Day: Boss GT-6

I see a (Head)Phones output- but no dedicated Level control for it. How is the level controlled for that?

I also see External Send and Return I/O jacks- an 'effects loop', right? Yay! Stereo? (Probably too much to hope for... )

Expression pedal jack! Cool. MIDI! very cool.

Just what is that black object to the far right, past the power supply jack,  that vaguely resembles a dockside tie-down cleat?

Hmm, Slicer, Uni-V (Uni-Vibe) and De-Fretter... Niiiiiiiiiice...  

How's the Slicer?

And the De-Fretter?

Is the Uni-V at least as good as that included on the Boss RT-20? (That was just good and enjoyable enough, yet not quite completely satisfying, that it made me decide that I had to get a 'real' Uni-Vibe type with the actual lightbulbs and photocells and all... )

Does it do a good Leslie/rotary-cab effect? Particularly in stereo? If so, along with other internal effects like overdrive and pitch shift, just how good of a 'Jon Lord/B3/Overdriven Marshall/Leslie' (classic Deep Purple) can it conjure?


How are the GT-6's reverbs and delays? Are there a lot of adjustable parameters for them? Particularly, for the reverbs?

Ages ago, I had a DigiTech DSP256XL; it had a lot of parameters for its reverbs, including stereo mix (and, if I'm remembering correctly, internal virtual signal-path 'trees' with respect to other effects). I could make some very cool reverb patches, such as one where I wanted the listener to hear it as if they were in a room with an open, adjoining balcony on the right.

I was also able to adjust the reverb parameters deliberately, completely WRONG, to create some truly unusual effects that didn't resemble reverb.

The reverbs and delays sounded pretty good, too, at least to my ear at that time.

By comparison, the reverbs and delays on the DigiTech GNX4 that I got a few years later had very limited adjustable parameters, and frankly, also sounded very lackluster, boring and uninspiring. At the time that I bought it, I expected the GNX4 to be an upgrade, a step forward and up, from the DSP 256XL. In those regards, not so! A real disappointment.

Why is the sky blue? Can I have cookies for breakfast?

[KuruPrionz]

Mr. O'Shite has some fine questions.

But, the sky is not blue, it is cyan. 

And you must eat glazed jelly donuts for breakfast, custard filled may be allowed if there is enough sugar. 

Cookies are weak. 

 

Meanwhile, I am cuirous about the clean up to mid-gain guitar amp tones. If those are exellent then it could be a great pedal. If those are not excellent than nothing will save it. 

Thanks!!! 

[Caevan O’Shite]

1 hour ago, KuruPrionz said:

...custard filled...

Please, Sir- may I have more... ?
 

 

1 hour ago, KuruPrionz said:

I am cuirous about the clean up to mid-gain guitar amp tones.

Agreed- and, particularly, the clean up of overdriven tones via adjustments of the guitar's volume-knobs and ones "touch".

And also- just how good is the GT-6's "Slow Gear" swell effect? Especially when damping and muting the strings to trigger it? My guess is, if it's good at all, it's probably better than the actual Boss SG-1 Slow Gear pedal ever was- which, in my humble, honest opinion, has been overrated largely due to scarcity...

How does it "take pedals" placed in front of its input?

In that effects-loop?
   
What's your favorite sandwich?
       
 

[Winston Psmith]

Thanks, everyone, really. New day here . . .

 

I don't generally have cookies for breakfast, but I will admit to a coffee-&-donut habit. The sky is blue because we'd get tired of orange very quickly.

 

My work season being at its peak, I've only had very little time to investigate the GT-6 in the evenings, and haven't gone deep into the programming as yet. I'm going to do a deep dive when I get back from my planting job early this afternoon. However, not to leave you hanging altogether . . .

 

The first thing anyone will notice about the GT-6 is the sheer number of control knobs on the front panel, 15 control knobs and an Alpha dial; it looks like the front panel of a Guitar Amp, and was clearly designed to emphasize the Pre-Amp's controls over the other effects. It that regard, it almost behaves more like an Amp with onboard effects, until you dive into the menus.

 

The first thing I noticed in the Factory Presets is that there are a few more playful or experimental Presets than I found in the GT-3, or so it seems.

 

Many of the onboard effects are essentially unchanged from the GT-3. The biggest changes are within the Wah, Pre-Amp, and OD/Dist effects, which have added some new models, and the "Custom" option, which allows you to sculpt your own Custom models. The SFX and MOD banks have been divided between FX1 (mostly front-end FX, like Slow Gear & Feedbacker), and FX2 (mostly Mod & Pitch FX).

 

The Delay and Reverb effects are serviceable, but otherwise rather stripped-down, for a MFX; two Delay Types (Single & TAP), five Reverb Types (Room 1, Room 2, Hall 1, Hall 2, Plate). More on those later, but there's not a lot more to say.

 

Regarding Amp Models, in all of my GT-series processors, I rely on the low-to-mid Gain Clean Twin (self-evident) and Tweed (Fender Bassman) Pre-Amp Models, and I've been very happy with them. The various High-Gain Amp Models suffer from the CW/Cocked-Wah Syndrome, although each successive generation of GT-series processors has seen some improvement in the Pre-Amp effects.

 

The Slow Gear effect in the GT-series is completely counter-intuitive, no matter which one you use. The SENS Parameter determines the signal strength required to trigger the Slow Gear effect; if you want it to behave like the old Slow Gear pedal (or your Guyatone SV2 Slow Volume), you have to dime out the SENS at 100, and then set the RISE TIME to taste. I use it often, but I really wish Boss would release a Waza Craft Slow Gear.

 

The Slicer is a lot of fun, and the GT-series processors have one MAJOR advantage over the dedicated SL-20 Slicer pedal; you can Assign the onboard EXP Pedal to control the Rate of the Slicer effect. Seems obvious, but on the big SL-20, the EXP In only gives you control over the Level of the Slicer effect, that's all?!?

 

I first encountered the Defretter on the GT-6B (it's also in the GT-10), and have never found it convincing. OTOH, that may very well be because I never spent enough time with it. I'll make some time to experiment with it, and report back.

 

Both the Feedbacker (a personal favorite) and the Guitar Synth effect (usually difficult to stabilize) sounded very good, and responded very nicely. For me, those are very good signs.

 

The Hidden Treasure of the GT-series was the Auto Riff feature, the closest thing I've ever encountered to a Guitar Sequencer. No one else has made anything quite like it, and somehow, it's never gotten the attention it deserves. It is menu-intensive, if not exhaustive, which may be why so few players dove in; a lack of Music Theory might also have presented a handicap, for some.

 

Time for me to go plant flowers. Getting a late start today because my client likes a late start on her day, so . . .

 

I'll check in later, to respond to some of the questions I have addressed, as yet. Until then, I wish everyone a very good morning! (It's morning here, at any rate.)

[surfergirl]

I spend some time giving a look at the manual this morning while having coffee and a raspberry filled donut. Although they are very different I found interesting(to me) similarity to my Vox VT40+. The amp models are almost identical. The VT has only 26 effects, compared to 300+ on the GT-6. 

[Caevan O’Shite]

3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

Regarding Amp Models, in all of my GT-series processors, I rely on the low-to-mid Gain Clean Twin (self-evident) and Tweed (Fender Bassman) Pre-Amp Models, and I've been very happy with them. The various High-Gain Amp Models suffer from the CW/Cocked-Wah Syndrome, although each successive generation of GT-series processors has seen some improvement in the Pre-Amp effects.

With Digital-Modeler/Multi-Effects in general, I have found that I prefer putting some favorite overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals- and others- in front, using the onboard pedal-models sparingly, and often with a tweaked 'clean-amp' model as a canvas, if you will.
 

  

2 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

I really wish Boss would release a Waza Craft Slow Gear.

They- ehr, I mean, VFE already did! Well, it's more like, VFE's BumbleBee completely kicked the SG-1 Slow-Gear to the curb by going above and beyond an upgrade with their own design, not a 'clone', and also added an optical-compressor to save your tail.  The Guyatone SV2 was an upgrade and improvement on the Boss SG-1 (and tiny!), but the BumbleBee tops 'em both. But I digress...

The "Pluck" variation of the Noise Gate on the DigiTech GNX4 (and probably also on the other GNX series mfx) was actually very good; I don't recall its use or its adjustable parameters ever being difficult or lacking in the way described above with the Boss GT-6. I also used to have a Johnson J-Station desktop modeler/mfx, and I misused its noise-gate to swell effect; it was very, very good for that!
 

 

3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

The Slicer is a lot of fun, and the GT-series processors have one MAJOR advantage over the dedicated SL-20 Slicer pedal; you can Assign the onboard EXP Pedal to control the Rate of the Slicer effect.

Very cool!  

 

3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

I first encountered the Defretter on the GT-6B (it's also in the GT-10), and have never found it convincing. OTOH, that may very well be because I never spent enough time with it.

Perhaps using the De-Fretter in different ways than intended, along with other onboard effects (or even those placed in the GT-6's effects-loop!), would result in some slippery sounds...
 
 

3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

Both the Feedbacker (a personal favorite) and the Guitar Synth effect (usually difficult to stabilize) sounded very good, and responded very nicely. For me, those are very good signs.

 EXcellent!! [Insert Monty Burns rubbing hands in fiendish glee] Glad to hear it. I look forward to hearing them!

 

3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

The Hidden Treasure of the GT-series was the Auto Riff feature, the closest thing I've ever encountered to a Guitar Sequencer. No one else has made anything quite like it, and somehow, it's never gotten the attention it deserves.

Enjoy! I hope to hear what you cook up with that and other features...
      
 

[KuruPrionz]

Sounds like a nifty little box overall!

[Winston Psmith]

@surfergirl- There are really only 200 different FX Patches within the GT-6. User Banks 1-35 contain duplicate selections from the Factory Preset Banks 36-85. It's still 140 User Patches you can overwrite for your own sounds. Believe me, that can take a while . . .

 

@KuruPrionz- The slightly later GT-8 and GT-10 have more features, particularly when it comes to the Delay and Reverb FX.

 

One general bit of advice; the onboard Volume/EXP Pedal is very sturdy, but also rather stiff for use as a Wah-Wah. If you're a dedicated Wah user, you'll probably want an outboard Expression Pedal with an easier, somewhat looser 'throw' to control the Wah-Wah effects.

 

Couple of responses to earlier questions - The S/R Loop is part of the OD/Distortion Bank, the same as on the GT-3. Putting anything in the (Mono) Loop means giving up the internal OD/Distortion effects.

 

On the back panel, between the Input and L/R Output Jacks, there's a small Output Level knob, which serves as a global Output Level control for both the Headphone Out and the main L/R Outs. That black thing is for wrapping part of the power cable, so it can't pull loose by accident; all the Boss MFX have them.

 

No Rotary effect onboard, but the GT-10 has a very useable one.

 

After turning a dead space into a small shade garden for a nearby client, I came home and started the process of overwriting all the User Presets with a blank "Winston Psmith" preset. It's a lot of button-pushing, but it gets me a completely clean slate.

 

At the same time, I've also started copying some of my favorite GT-3 Patches into the GT-6. Alas, I can't just send them as SysEx data, so there's a lot of dial-turning and button-pushing involved. The majority of the available effects appear to be the same as they are in the GT-3, so for the most part, I'm copying the exact same Effects Parameter values into the GT-6. The tricky part is with the Distortion and Amp models, which are much more like the ones in the GT-10, so I have to trust my ears and my intuition. I've been very happy with the results, so far.

 

The GT-6 doesn't really give me anything I didn't already get from the either GT-3 or the GT-10, in terms of capabilities and effects: the GT-3 has Slicer, Guitar Synth, and Auto Riff, for example, while the GT-10 has Defretter and Uni-V. I got the GT-6 partly as an indulgence, partly to fill a gap in my collection and my personal knowledge bank; I'd never owned, nor even used one, so I wanted to dig in and see how it compared to the others I was familiar with. Overall, it's much more like the GT-3 than the GT-10, but it shares enough elements with both that it all feels familiar.

 

Almost time to start dog dinner - my boys eat well - and start on prep for tomorrow's projects.

 

A word of warning for anyone currently looking for "Boss GT" on Reverb or in GC's Used Gear listings. Do not mistake the compact GT-1 for any of its larger cousins. It's a well-disguised entry-level device - it's deeper than it looks, but it also has some inexcusable shortcomings for a Boss MFX, like no way to program a 100% Wet Reverse Delay, and a sadly broken-down version of the Feedbacker that's simply a waste of processing potential.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

SCOOOOOOOORE!

[Caevan O’Shite]

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

One general bit of advice; the onboard Volume/EXP Pedal is very sturdy, but also rather stiff for use as a Wah-Wah. If you're a dedicated Wah user, you'll probably want an outboard Expression Pedal with an easier, somewhat looser 'throw' to control the Wah-Wah effects.

On the one hand, I'd bet that the GT-6's onboard EXP Pedal could be loosened or even tightened to ones preference, jus' a li'l wrench work'll do.

On the other hand, I for one like to be able to 'park' a wah pedal in a stationary position for classic Mick Ronson/Michael Schenker 'cocked wah' honk and cry. Too loosey-goosey and that flops all over the place and all my dreams are dashed... I occasionally have to readjust the tension on my wah- just loose enough, just tight enough- so that I can both rock it and park it.

Truth be told, I may use my wah the most often parked all the way toe-down, treble-boosting, or very close to all the way- which gets me very good classic Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin tones, whether he ever did that or not. When I do that, people have actually said, "Hey, that sounds just like Led Zeppelin!"  
 

 

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

The S/R Loop is part of the OD/Distortion Bank, the same as on the GT-3. Putting anything in the (Mono) Loop means giving up the internal OD/Distortion effects.

Well, that kinda sucks. Although if that still leaves the amp models, it probably doesn't suck too badly. I often use OD/Dist/Fuzz pedals in front of the input of modeler/mfx set to a clean or clean-ish amp model, anyway...
 

 

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

there's a small Output Level knob, which serves as a global Output Level control for both the Headphone Out and the main L/R Outs.

Also kinda sucks- having separate, dedicated level trim controls can be very useful. Although a lot of players probably wouldn't be hogging up all the I/O AND using headphones the way I tended to...    

Using a separate headphone-amp mitigates that, anyway, so I should just shut up and play my guitar...   
 

 

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

That black thing is for wrapping part of the power cable, so it can't pull loose by accident; all the Boss MFX have them.

So I was on the right track- it IS a sort of a tie-down cleat. A very good idea!
 

 

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

No Rotary effect onboard, but the GT-10 has a very useable one.

I would just be putting my Boss RT-20 after the Left and Right outputs of the GT-6, anyway, since it doesn't have an onboard Leslie/rotary sim. (Boss may have left that out due to the inclusion of the "Uni-V" Uni-Vibe model, which the GT-6 shares with the RT-20.) I used to do just that with the DigiTech GNX4- it included a Leslie-sim, but the RT-20 was better.
 

 

12 hours ago, Winston Psmith said:

After turning a dead space into a small shade garden for a nearby client, I came home and started the process of overwriting all the User Presets with a blank "Winston Psmith" preset. It's a lot of button-pushing, but it gets me a completely clean slate.

Almost time to start dog dinner - my boys eat well...

That's very cool, and will sound great and very interesting, no doubt. Bon appétit! On both counts.  

And on that note of literal signature presets,  I'll leave you all with this glimpse at a friend's programmable Cyber Twin amp, who said, "When I use this, I sound just like Caevan O'Shite!"   


      
  

[desertbluesman]

You izzzz now world famous Caev.👍

[KuruPrionz]

17 hours ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

On the one hand, I'd bet that the GT-6's onboard EXP Pedal could be loosened or even tightened to ones preference, jus' a li'l wrench work'll do.

On the other hand, I for one like to be able to 'park' a wah pedal in a stationary position for classic Mick Ronson/Michael Schenker 'cocked wah' honk and cry. Too loosey-goosey and that flops all over the place and all my dreams are dashed... I occasionally have to readjust the tension on my wah- just loose enough, just tight enough- so that I can both rock it and park it.

Truth be told, I may use my wah the most often parked all the way toe-down, treble-boosting, or very close to all the way- which gets me very good classic Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin tones, whether he ever did that or not. When I do that, people have actually said, "Hey, that sounds just like Led Zeppelin!"  
 

 

Well, that kinda sucks. Although if that still leaves the amp models, it probably doesn't suck too badly. I often use OD/Dist/Fuzz pedals in front of the input of modeler/mfx set to a clean or clean-ish amp model, anyway...
 

 

Also kinda sucks- having separate, dedicated level trim controls can be very useful. Although a lot of players probably wouldn't be hogging up all the I/O AND using headphones the way I tended to...    

Using a separate headphone-amp mitigates that, anyway, so I should just shut up and play my guitar...   
 

 

So I was on the right track- it IS a sort of a tie-down cleat. A very good idea!
 

 

I would just be putting my Boss RT-20 after the Left and Right outputs of the GT-6, anyway, since it doesn't have an onboard Leslie/rotary sim. (Boss may have left that out due to the inclusion of the "Uni-V" Uni-Vibe model, which the GT-6 shares with the RT-20.) I used to do just that with the DigiTech GNX4- it included a Leslie-sim, but the RT-20 was better.
 

 

That's very cool, and will sound great and very interesting, no doubt. Bon appétit! On both counts.  

And on that note of literal signature presets,  I'll leave you all with this glimpse at a friend's programmable Cyber Twin amp, who said, "When I use this, I sound just like Caevan O'Shite!"   


      
  

That amp gonna just square up burst inta flames and stuff... 😇

[Caevan O’Shite]

2 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

That amp gonna just square up burst inta flames and stuff... 😇

Haahhaahhaahhaahhaahh! Naaaaa, it R-U-N-N-O-F-T...   

The amp's owner (well, previous owner, he sold it years ago- somebody else must've been wondering about that patch ) is probably a better player than I am; almost certainly so at lead stuff, I'd guess. It's been many years since I saw him in person, we knew each other back when we were still pretty young but didn't think so at the time; he's lived in Sweden for a long time now. But I'd bet that he's pretty good at lead solo stuff by now...

But
I
digress...

Now back to our scheduled programming.

Literally, programming.
In time, Brother Winston is going to unveil his Winston Psmith Preset that he's been programming...  
 
 

[Winston Psmith]

1 hour ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

Now back to our scheduled programming. Literally, programming. In time, Brother Winston is going to unveil his Winston Psmith Preset that he's been programming...  

 

Sorry to disappoint anyone, but the aforementioned Winston Psmith Preset is, in fact, a BLANK Preset, with which I've overwritten all 140 of the User Presets. It's what I do with almost every Synth or MFX I get, just clear out the clutter and start fresh. However . . .

 

We've got rain, severe thunderstorms, and even a tornado watch here today, so it's not a good day for working outdoors . . . someone might drop a house on me. Since I'm home, I've spent most of my day digging into the GT-6, and not just erasing the Factory Presets. Busy week ahead, with work and entertainment, but somewhere in there, I'll do some recordings of some new GT-6 sounds.

 

[KuruPrionz]

2 minutes ago, Winston Psmith said:

 

Sorry to disappoint anyone, but the aforementioned Winston Psmith Preset is, in fact, a BLANK Preset, with which I've overwritten all 140 of the User Presets. It's what I do with almost every Synth or MFX I get, just clear out the clutter and start fresh. However . . .

 

We've got rain, severe thunderstorms, and even a tornado watch here today, so it's not a good day for working outdoors . . . someone might drop a house on me. Since I'm home, I've spent most of my day digging into the GT-6, and not just erasing the Factory Presets. Busy week ahead, with work and entertainment, but somewhere in there, I'll do some recordings of some new GT-6 sounds.

 

Start from scratch is a good way. 

I've been creating new presets for my Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 guitar amp, it is also a multi-effects thingie with lots of options and every setting except Master Volume can become part of a preset. 

It took a while to understand the gain staging, in large part because I mis-understood what "Post Gain" actually means. It doesn't mean "After Gain" like I thought, it means that it is a knob that adjusts the level of the analog simulated tube output amplifier discrepencies that we all know and love. 

In other words, if you want the amp to sound like it's cranked up to the point the output tubes and transformer are saturating, this is the knob to play with. 

The Master Volume comes afterwards so you can get those "turned way up tones" at very low volumes, I LOVE that. 

 

Once I sussed that out and added a good speaker (Peavey Scorpion 10" instead of a feeble little 8"), I found I really had something I could bond with and started in creating my own sounds. I've got one that I could easily gig with just by turning the SPC control all the way in both directions. For me, that's better than having stuff on the floor, a quick flip of the knob to one extreme or the other and back to playing. 

 

That said, I'm getting a juicy sounding Fender Twin "cleanish" sound going too that's pretty awesome. 

I tend to set up a preset, play it for a few weeks and slowly make small adjustments to get it just so and no other way. 

One of the features I love about the Peavey is the rings of LEDs around each knob that show the exact current setting for each preset. 

You can't do that with a Boss Katana amp, where the knob is does not represent where you set your preset. That makes it much more unwieldy to tweak afterwards.