The Law of Tone

Theories are wonderful. My previous theory -- that I'm happier using pedals only -- proved untenable. The idea looked good on paper (i.e., in my head), but in practice it was illusive.

Tone Junkie or Gear Hoarder?

I must admit: I am both. And, honestly, it can be a problem. The desire to find the elusive perfect tone never fades, even after achieving the best possible. I know this for a fact. I eventually (re-re-re?) chose Fractal Audio's amazing invention. I acquired an Axe-Fx II XL+, with zero regrets. It is the perfect tone-maker. I humbly admit. Axe-Fx is king.

New Axe-Fx II XL+ with its rack mates

True Bypass or Buffered?

I did not jettison all pedals, however. I still have several. One string of pedals I call my "Tone-Shapers", and they feed everything else, including the Axe-Fx. Mostly, the Tone-Shapers pedalboard consists of pre-amp and boost pedals for coaxing various flavors. There are three others on that pedalboard which do not fit the preamp/boost vibe. I wanted those oddballs early in the signal chain, which is why they live in the Tone-Shapers neighborhood.

Tone-Shapers pedalboard

Long Live the Amp Farm!

I still maintain a pedal Amp Farm. Though I don't use them for recording nearly as much as I do the Axe-Fx, they have their places of honor. Three strings of pedals comprise my pedal "amp farm", with each string having its own FX loop on the BOSS ES-8. There's the Tech 21 loop, the AD/A loop, and the AMT loop. The Tech 21 loop includes a DigiTech TRIO, plus three boutique mono reverb pedals (because I didn't know where else to put them).

"Amp Farm" loops: 1) Tech 21 across the bottom, 2) AD/A preamp and cab sim middle-right, and 3) AMT preamp and cab sim middle-left. The Mel9->Key9->HeadRush2 are a loop to themselves.

As you can see, the amp farm lives! But not in the original form, which was comprised of mainly Tech 21 pedals, though I did keep two Tech 21 pedals I liked the most: VT Bass and GT2. (I still swear by the Tech 21 "Character Series", even though I sold most of them!) The VT Bass and GT2, along with the TRIO and reverb pedals, are on their own ES-8 loop.

The AD/A APP-1 is a fantastic pedal preamp, well-designed and with great sonic qualities. It is paired with an AD/A GCS-3 cabinet simulator. They go well together. They are on a loop to themselves, with the Sentry (by TC Electronics) standing guard.

The AMT SS-11A is another brilliant pedal preamp (tube!), which I pair with the AMT CN-1 Chameleon CAB cabinet simulator pedal. They are tamed by the lovey Decimator II G-String.

Live and Learn... Nothing

... or at most, very little. At the end of the day, my fingers provide the "tone" in my playing, and everything else -- pedals, rack gear -- are the supporting cast. I know this. I've always known it. But try telling that to my tone-seeking, gear-loving brain!

Enough

I've settled on the odd collection of gear I currently own, which is more than enough to explore sonic landscapes for recording. I can relate to the words attributed to Solomon: Everything is a chasing after the wind. The truth is: one guitar and one amp (or amp sim) are enough. It is up to me to play, learn, play, create, and make the tone with my fingers and hands. Right? (Don't answer that! I'm kidding: please do!)