Grateful Dead Music Forum

tigerstrat wrote:

Tennessee Jedi wrote:Maybe its because you guys have different amps and guitars - so the pedals have different sounds for the each of you.Pappy being a Jerry;Strum being a Bobby.

TJ is really onto something here. Many input and output variables will affect the results heard from an ECF. Including:

- use of an onboard preamp/ input signal strength
- !!! guitar tone control setting (and subsequent amp tone setting)...also tone control placement before or after fx loop if present
- ! picking attack!
- post-ECF buffering in your chain of FX

I agree with all of that....

BUT, I can produce a great Bob tone OR a great Jerry tone with the Q and the same guitar.
TJ - I'm not just a Jerry...I'm BOTH in my band!!! ONLY ONE GUITAR, BRAH!!! I gotta intertwine both parts in a lot of tunes!!

pappypgh wrote:

tigerstrat wrote:

Tennessee Jedi wrote:Maybe its because you guys have different amps and guitars - so the pedals have different sounds for the each of you.Pappy being a Jerry;Strum being a Bobby.

TJ is really onto something here. Many input and output variables will affect the results heard from an ECF. Including:

- use of an onboard preamp/ input signal strength
- !!! guitar tone control setting (and subsequent amp tone setting)...also tone control placement before or after fx loop if present
- ! picking attack!
- post-ECF buffering in your chain of FX

I agree with all of that....

BUT, I can produce a great Bob tone OR a great Jerry tone with the Q and the same guitar.
TJ - I'm not just a Jerry...I'm BOTH in my band!!! ONLY ONE GUITAR, BRAH!!! I gotta intertwine both parts in a lot of tunes!!

I agree too! My tone is very specific: lots of low mids but not much bass, tons of midrange and high end chime and bit of bright but not horribly trebbly. Therefore, in my rig, any passing kills my tone. Then again I go for more of a 76 Bobby sorta tone plus the effects of the 80s, etc.

Aaaahhh....friends again.

I can see how the Emma would be appealing for simplicity. Again, the Q-Tron, reliability issues aside, and the Mutron III, are pretty much the standard.

The Moog LP filter comes in right behind them. Outstanding in every regard. I recently tried one at the studio and couldn't believe how it's stayed off the radar with the Garcia guys. It does it well.

Here's some info on it: http://www.moogmusic.com/moogerfooger/? ... duct_id=62

pappypgh wrote:Aaaahhh....friends again.

Feeling all warm & fuzzy

jonarobb wrote:The Emma is wired as a bandpass filter. A rather wide one.

You sure about that? I used a borrowed EMMA for a few gigs a couple years back, and I was under the impression it was much more on the LP side with perhaps some widening at the top of that range.

And wouldn't you know it? Out of 26 Harmony Central reviews, nobody mention the filter type.

I have a sweet sweet Mutron III , so I'm not in the hunt. (bought for $35 20yrs ago, but didn't figure out how to actually power it until about 5-6yrs ago)

tigerstrat wrote:

jonarobb wrote:The Emma is wired as a bandpass filter. A rather wide one.

You sure about that? I used a borrowed EMMA for a few gigs a couple years back, and I was under the impression it was much more on the LP side with perhaps some widening at the top of that range.

And wouldn't you know it? Out of 26 Harmony Central reviews, nobody mention the filter type.

The passing is VERY MINIMAL. Most users on TheGearPage agree that the original tone is kept. This is especially true if all the settings are around 2 o'clock.

imho, The Emma is a slam dunk for folks who are willing to buy at that price-point (approx $200 I'm guessing).
Start with all knobs at 2 o'clock and Jerry-out.

I cannot comment on the Q-trons or Ibanez/Maxon because I haven't tried them in years.

Bottom Line [imho]...
Save up and get a MuTron III.
If it doesn't work right, get it fixed.

I recently bought another one advertised as "un-tested" (that's Ebay code for "We know it doesn't work").
In the last one minute or less of the auction I bid $300.01.
The other guy bid $300.00.
Whew!

It arrived looking like new, but no sound at all in the effect_in mode.
I sent it off to Lingenberg sound, and now it works perfectly... new power supply, true bypass, effect in/out LED, etc.

Check out www.Lsound.com for Mutron refurbish/repair info. He does other brand repairs as well.

I used to be afraid to buy Mu_III's without trying them out first. Now I lookout for non-functioning ones because they are less expensive, and can be refurbished.
With that said, I have a perfectly functioning completely original one, too!!!


Disclaimer: I have never tried to sound like Bobby playing an auto-wha [not intentionally, at least], so don't know if they are any good for that.

Great advice on this forum, thanks, all. I have an RP200 with a pedal. Everyone says I should be able to rip the Estimateds and Strangers, but I cant figure out how. The sound Im really looking for is a 74 Playin'. I'll turn my amp loud bang out something in whoevers honor for explaining to me how I can do it...