flexible amplification to loop el. guitars

[Matthias Grob <matthias@grob.org>]

Andy puts it right:
>hope this isn't annoyingly off-topic.
>I find that getting unusual sounds from an instrument
>helps when building  layered loops.
>

I typed "amblification" first, maybe thats what I am heading for? :-)

I wanted to remind the users of straight guitar amps:
I can easily understand the wish to connect to the traditional sound 
that so many masters have filled with grace and I agree that the 
sound only comes out original with the original equipment.

But:
A guitar amp is different from a studio or PA amplifications system 
in that it colours the sound a lot. Part of it in the electronics and 
more even with speakers and cabinet form.
So most of that characteristic is constant, its what you like about 
the amp, so you like it allways, but its always the same.
While you play in a band, thats ok, its your color.
Once you start looping and acumulating guitars with different 
functions, the whole sound has that same characteristic, every Overub 
has the sound of the amp, be it the rhythm base or the solo...

And:
If you place the loop gear before the guitar amp, you get another 
worse problem: The guitar amp was made to sound nice with one guitar 
coming, and it shows all of its imperfection when you send overlayed 
guitars to it. Even if it does not clip, there are a lot of little 
distortions in amp and speaker (the ones you like!) that become a 
totally different meaning and mix up the loop into a constant colored 
(rather brown :-) soup. No?

So:
I recommend to basically work flat and use colored guitar amps only 
for certain sounds, maybe one or two layers in the loop. For the 
others you will find nice new colors going directly from some effect 
pedal to the PA and stuff.
And you end up liking sounds that dont remind master XY whom you 
like, but whose CDs the others have at home, too!
-- 


          ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org