I do have a some Sure SM57s, that's pretty standard.  I find it lacking in some respects for vocals though, as you've suggested

I'm thinking something like this would be a good move:  Not so enthused about all the effects though, would rather not have those and add them outboard as needed

Mackie ProFX22v3 22-Channel 4-Bus Professional Effects Mixer w/USB ProFX22 v3



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ackie ProFXv3 Series mixers are the ultimate compact and affordable solution for live audio, home recording, and modern content creation needs.

Features:

   Mackie ProFX22v3 22-Channel 4-Bus Professional Effects Mixer w/USB ProFX22 v3
   22 Channel 4-BusProfessional Effects Mixer with USB
   Better Preamps
   New and Improved Digital FX
   Higher Resolution Recording w/ 2x4 USB I/O
   Single Knob Compressors on most mixers
   Waveform
   OEM™ DAW and DAW Essentials Collection™ of 16 FX plugins for use with any DAW
   Onyx mic preamps offer 60db of gain
   Single-knob compression per channel
   24 built-in FX (including 8 new ones)
   24-Bit/192kHz recording with 2x4 USB I/O
   Zero-latency hardware monitoring

23 Included Plugins:

   Avid 304E EQ – Add musical warmth with a legendary treble and bass equalizer with sweepable mid control
   Avid 304C Compressor – Tweak the clarity, balance, and rhythmic feel of music with this photo optical compressor
   BBD Delay — Create delay, chorus, and vibrato effects based on the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man*
   Black Op Distortion — Add rich distortion based on the Pro Co Rat* pedal
   Black Shiny Wah — Achieve the famous classic tones of the VOX V846* pedal
   Black Spring Reverb — Get the twang and space of the blackface-era Fender Spring Reverb units*
   C1 Chorus — Get the unmistakable sounds of the Boss CE-1 Chorus* with this emulator
   DC Distortion — Dial up a range of overdriven tones with this Avid custom distortion effect
   Eleven Lite — Get the sound of popular guitar amps and speaker cabinets
   Flanger — Create unique sounds with this homage to vintage and modern flangers
   Graphic EQ — Sculpt frequencies with ease
   Gray Compressor — Add warmth to tracks based on the gray-colored Ross* compressor
   Green JRC Overdrive — Get the coveted sounds of the Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer*
   In-Tune — Keep your instruments in tune with this digital tuner
   Orange Phaser — Create interesting effects with this phase shifter based on the MXR Phase 90*
   Roto Speaker — Re-create the sounds of a Leslie* rotary speaker cabinet
   Sci-Fi — Add analog synth-type ring and frequency modulation
   Studio Reverb — Create natural-sounding reverb and ambient effects
   Tape Echo — Add vintage analog delay and chorus effects
   Tri Knob Fuzz — Get the Hendrix tone with this fuzz box based on the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi*
   Vari-Fi — Create the effect of audio changing tape speed
   Vibe Phaser — Add phase-shift and rotary speaker effects based on the Univox Uni-Vibe*
   White Boost — Boost gain without coloring tone with this homage to the Xotic RC Booster*

Specifications:

   Mic Pres: 17
   Single Knob Compressors: 12
   User Controls: Analog input/USB return blend knob
   FX Section: 24 brand new, easy-to-use effects
   USB Recording: 2 x 4 24-bit / 192kHz high-resolution recording via USB
   Software: Waveform OEM™ DAW and DAW Essentials Collection™ of 16 FX plug-ins for use with any DAW
   Height: 4.4"
   Width: 17.1"
   Depth: 24.1"
   Weight: 19.8 lbs

Looks like it only outputs in stereo for the USB connection. Doing any mixing on that would have to be on the way in, which means no "fixing it in the mix". You will have to have everything dialed in perfectly and played perfectly. It would work fine as a front of house mixer for live use where you can record the gig though.

If you plan on recording and mixing in the box, I would suggest a proper interface. For a few hundred more you can snag a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 plus their Octopre or similar setup (less $ with Behringer equivalents) for a full 16 mic pres on their own channels. It does take two boxes to do live tracking of a full band, one interface and one preamp. A single 8 channel interface without an additional preamp, like the 18i20, should be more than sufficient if you plan to do each instrument separately. Or you can do drums separate from the rest and record 8 other inputs before or after drums. With 8 pres you can even do 4 mics on the drums with kick, snare, and stereo overhead, and still have 4 inputs for bass, a guitar or two, and vocals. Now if you are recording a large drum kit, the extra pre would be necessary. You can also use the sends on these kinds of interfaces to run outboard gear, then route back through the inputs into your DAW of choice.

If you are going to track instruments one at a time, and you don't want to spend a ton, I would suggest getting the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 as it has good stable drivers vs the cheaper options. Then use the savings over that Mackie for putting into quality mics and cables. You can then expand at a later date with a preamp. I recently updated my cheap setup with the 18i20 and a Beyerdynamic TG Drumset Pro M set for drum tracking, and I highly recommend it.


Reaper is a cheap DAW at 60 bucks for the non commercial license (or "Free" if you can deal with a nag screen when opening). The built in effects are bland looking, but work well with minimal use of ram and CPU.

I'm still fairly new to home studio stuff, so take this all with a grain of salt

Good points - I have an 8 track digital recorder so don't need that capacity in the board but would consider something with full onboard mixing/recording - , managing the the inputs /outputs are my main concern so your comment is noted - I've found 2-3 other similar boards that I am looking at.  I plan on doing all instruments, vocals myself and then mic-ing my sons kit so he can do drums over the tracks.  That is a whole other set up in a different location.  I never do edits of takes, I work until I get a 'perfect' one and then move on.  I'll check out the other items you've referenced - thanks for that.  I am sort of looking at a board to handle all the inputs mentioned in my first post and then send the mix to the recorder/amplifiers.  So somewhere between the inputs and the recorder/amps is where I need to sort it out.  I definitely need 1/4" outputs, I think.   I usually create stereo in from guitars or any other mono-feed instruments by breaking the signal into left and right and feeding those into two separate inputs or 2 separate amps, as the case may be.   I guess that's pretty standard for guitars?  I've always used a chorus pedal up front for that purpose.

I just took a quick look at the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and man I really like that, that might be the ticket.   Have to dig into that later today when I have time.  Much obliged for that reference!

An interface lets you do all the recording on the computer, and then you can mix every input individually like on hardware console.

Even if not editing takes, having a raw track for each instrument and mixing in a DAW makes things a lot easier. All the FX are non destructive, so you can mess with stuff like compression or delay after tracks are recorded. That way, if you aren't happy with the kick sound, you can tweak it to your hearts content. If your digital recorder puts all tracks as their own files, you can also just import that into a DAW and edit them that way.

Are you planning on routing to the guitar amps for playing along with, or is it a PA? That is doable with the Scarlett. It takes a good minute to learn all the routing digitally. but once you have it down it makes things easy.

I have my guitar through an Angry Driver and then to a Boss chorus pedal to split the signal (with a bit of chorus engaged) and those 2 outputs into a Behringer 4 track mixer and from there to 2 small individually powered amps in the room.  So multiple   gains in line to work with plus master volume on the mixer - it's interesting messing with those - high gain from the guitar into low gain on the mixer and vice versa for different grades of distortion.      I have an SM57 straight into the low impedence at the Behringer and that gets mixed with the guitar to the 2 amps.   It's very nice for a simple setup but I have everything else to add in line.  I have my Korg taking the other 2 mixer inputs but haven't played that a lot recently.  I have a lot of songs I'm finish up writing and arranging so will need the recording set up for everything that I am pursuing.

Another component, I have cassette masters and mixdowns, a master tape from the last band, etc.  For some of those I will need to repair my Tascam Porta-2 to access all 4 tracks - Also have a video of some live performances - so analog stuff.  I got a dual cassette player that dubs and transfers to digital to my computer for that component - so I am hoping to be able to add that into the board - so get a board that will take the analog inputs and convert to digital, etc.  I haven't thought that through and it might stand alone the way it is now.  I have a VCR for the video I can convert to digital - will need some editing software - I have some software with the cassette player and with an analog-digital converter I bought years ago but not sure how robust that is.  I guess that's where the DAW comes in - correct?


The 8 track is a Tascam DP-03 digital ministudio.  I have barely used that - it has a lot of functionality - record to SD, etc.

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread.  I have a great interest in the guitar topic but time to set up the studio.   I have an Ibanez GIO that needs the 3 way switch replaced.  For what it is, I really like it.

I had another relapse in my syndrome Thursday.

A buddy at work is helping some people go through their dad’s buildings and houses that are just packed with stuff. I said if she has any guitars to let me know.

He brought 4 acoustics in.
A Gremlin, a Texarkana, a Washburn acoustic/ electric and an Epiphone 12 string. With 2 hard cases.

I did some looking into them and told him the Gremlin and Texarkana are both pretty cheap guitars, almost like a cheap guitar from Walmart.
 
The Washburn is missing some stuff on the EQ and needs restrung and a set up.

The Epiphone has some bellying, a cracked bridge  needs strings and a setup.

I wrote all the info down and found low and high prices of each one for him to pass on.
 He came in Thursday and said they don’t want them and I could have all 4 for $100.
   I just couldn’t pass them up.
 
So far I put strings and set up The Gremlin, Texarkana and Washburn. The Gremlin and Texarkana sound like crap. Just cheap and Tinny.

The Washburn sounds great. The EQ works and sound good. Just missing the battery cover.

Now I’m on the hunt for a bridge for the 12 string and get working on that.

He told me they found a room with a bunch of ukuleles, mandolins and banjos.

Honestly that is covered by the '57.

You don't need a board, you need the multichannel interface and then you just mix in the box.  To get set up with true multichannel with outboard gear and a mixer you need something like an M32 at the least which is several thousand dollars on the used market.  Plus you generally will run your effects off a server at that point which is another few grand plus licenses.  You can always spend a few hundred bucks on a control surface so you have real sliders and knobs.

EDIT: looks like I was beaten to the punch.

I still have the old school mindset I guess.  I don't have a computer in the loop yet.  Appreciate the reply and agree with your conclusion

I’m fighting the urge not to buy a mint used music man valentine for $1500 I saw at GC. I bought an Ultra and Japanese Tele within the past month.

I need prayers and a sponsor.

@Liaztraht hit me up we'll make something cool.  I'm sure I've got scrap laying around the biggest challenge in larger electronics cases are the thin backs since I've gotta use vacuum workholding.

I am guitar'd out.  But been upgrading my amps in search of the perfect small rig

Friedman Pink Taco V2
Friedman Wildwood 20
Friedman JJ Jr.  



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For a while, I was buying every vintage Super Reverb that became available in the Phoenix area.  

That’s what I’m in the process of doing. Time to do a little upgrading, I’ve been using the same amps for almost 20 years

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Is that a wah?  Of the inductorless variety?

Which do you like best? The Wildwood 20 sure looks interesting.

Love the Wildwood 20 the best

The perfect small rig is a 5F1 Champ.  Plug straight in, turn up about 75%, rawk ass.

I just bought a new American Stratocaster. I got a great deal, and I really like this one in particular because it's super light.

It came with 10s on it and a little too much relief. I tightened the truss rod, and it was really difficult, but I was able to get enough relief (loosening it is also quite difficult, but I don't think it will go any tighter).

Honestly I really only play with 9s, so I'll probably loosen it a bit when I change strings, but its a bit concerning to me that the truss rod would be at its limit on a completely normal gauge set of strings.

Would this concern you guys?

It's probably not at its limit but rather gummed up with glue and/or finish.

ETA:  If it won't adjust properly regardless of cause, you should take/send it back for an exchange, since you bought it new.  A friend had to do that with a Squire J Mascis jizzcaster, Sweetwater took care of him.

@PanelVanHalen

Yes. Started with an Ibanez WH10 circuit, and added an extra control to fine tune the bass/guitar range. It lets me tune the wah to whatever I'm tuned in, or just get different voicings.

The range knob goes from the standard guitar setting down to a hair above bass, so it's got some range to it. On the bass setting it goes deep.

I like the range knob halfway up in drop d on the guitar side, with the depth rolled to be pretty pronounced like a classic wah; or for some real doomy stuff, I put the range knob to the low side in bass mode with the depth rolled down low for some nice texture tuned anywhere from C down to A standard.

Basically goes from funky to atmospheric pad.

Dig, I've only built the original 2 transistor Thomas/Vox circuit.

Run it through a 412!

Sure, but then it's not a small rig anymore.  I said 75% because above that the little 8" starts to fizzle out.

If I remember right, it was built in the shell of a crybaby classic that was all SMD components.

I wanna build another, but those shells get spendy.

Yeah you can get a working used Crybaby for less than a new empty shell.  Shipping cost can be a killer though.

My favorite wah, I don't consider it a build, started life as a NOS or mint 1983 Dunlop that had a Thomas-era "stack-o-dimes" inductor and pot.  I paid about $100 for it on Ebay.  I replaced every other component to make it a clone of my buddy's '75 Thomas that I love, down to matching the cap and resistor values and transistor hFEs.  True bypass with a DPDT Carling, and Switchcraft jacks of course.

removed all the Chinese active electronics from the Cowpoke Bass and just wired up the Pbass pup

success

strings cost half as much as the bass

There's a 1978 Pbass on my floor (not mine) awaiting a pickup for me to install.  Both coils were open.

cool!

'69 natural
'78 black/tort

I do have an old Morley power wah fuzz I need to open up and fix up. The fuzz is OK, but the wah is pretty good. Has a fixed two prong plug and is built like a brick shit house making it tough to put on a board though

I wouldn't mind cloning the wah side of it, but if I remember right, it's uses an LDR for the wah.

The Faux Ten Stack

So after looking around for a bit I picked up a used Mesa MkV:25 1x10 combo last night.  I had picked up my TA-30 as something I could leave at my shop and have as a backup for rehearsals but as cool of an amplifier as it is I just don't really care for it.  It can kinda/sorta chug with an outboard EQ in the effects loop but nothing like my MkIV obviously.

So now I will have a little 24lb amp for rehearsal/gigging and the little Boss IR-2 will be my backup.  I do wish the effects loop was switchable for my clean boost pedal but I can talk my local Boogie tech about changing the EQ switch to a Loop switch.  Who the fuck turns off the graphic EQ on a Boogie?

So anyone want a great deal on a TA-30?  Killer amp for a wide range of boomer rock and crusty blues licks.  The Vox AC-30 voicing is really, really good.  But I fucking hate the AC-30 LOL.  The Marshall voicing is great, and the Mesa high gain voicing is just not high enough gain for me.  There is a Fender Bassman voicing in there but I never got into it since it was in the way of the Marshall and Mesa sounds.  I think anyone that likes to play on different amps but doesn't want to get into a modeler would be well suited by an amp like the TA-30.

But in the end I'm Mesa Boogie Mark Series Master Race 'til I die.

Nice! Friedmans are great amps!

The Monoprice 5W tube amp with Celestion speaker will get you in Champ territory for cheap.  They go on sale for about $135 shipped every once in awhile.  It's a Laney Cub; not exactly the Champ circuit, but does the same thing (gets rowdy at relatively low volume).

JB toured through several years ago and someone had loaned him a Trainwreck for the rest of the tour.

It sucks we lost a member here that toured with Joe (as his systems engineer) for almost a decade and had very detailed info on his rig.  He got kicked off here because of trolls.  

After the Houston show a few of us were hanging around the loading dock.

He came out and politely chatted and signed a few things.

When he got to where we were standing I asked about the Trainwreck and perked right up.  

I'm pretty proud that I've held out on anything new since 2020, which is when I bought my LP classic. Was at a buddy's house a few weeks ago who just got an SLO 30, and it got the wheels turning, and then I got home and looked at all the stuff I don't play and need to.

yeah.  I got guitars that haven't been tuned in 10 years (sigh).

Getting old and lazy.

If you haven't played a guitar in even an eighth that long you need to sell it to someone who will play it.  They aren't Pokeman cards they are instruments.  If you ever doubt that remember there are Stradavari violins being played every hour of every day.

Next build. I always wanted a blue SG, so I decided to make one. Simple though, not push/pull multiple volume and multiple tone controls. Neck is actually a Telecaster heel with a Jackson headstock on 25.5" scale (why not make it a full Frankenstein?) so the neck is next after I finish the wiring. I have that in progress, outlined and with the truss rod ready. Still a lot of work to do. I'm actually not even 100% sure what kind of wood it is, though I think it's granadillo. It's heavy and dark.

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I accidentally damaged the top when I drilled for the bridge ground. I did mask it, the neck pickup on down, and I drilled from the bridge pickup cavity. But the drill bit wore through slightly. So I glued in a small piece of dowel, re-dyed, sanded, and finished again. Frustrating, but I couldn't just leave it with a dyed divot. It was just large enough that the pickup ring wouldn't cover it. I looked for jumbo pickup rings but I couldn't find any. They might exist though.

great color and graphics

a window blind shadow feel across my black Cowpoke bass

Now I wish I could duplicate it!  

Not graphics, just the wood. I had originally made a blank for a Strat or Jackson or something, so it was just under 13". When I decided to do an SG both templates I had were 13.25", so I had to glue in another piece. The bottom was solid ash (single board) and the top was two pieces of curly maple. The middle piece I added was also curly maple, though turned 90 degrees. Grain orientation is the same, but the way it's sawn makes the figure more pronounced. So you have a center piece (that's slightly off center, and in retrospect I should have made that the center line) along with two other pieces of the same species. The problem with dye is that my normal finishing process makes it pretty easy to sand through the dye. I use roughly 50/50 water and alcohol for the base, and it does penetrate well, but it's hard because I tend to sand with high grit (400+) to get a smooth finish on the top coat and you can easily sand through the dye on corners.

I'm a rusty formerly intermediate guitarist that only recently started playing again, but a pretty experienced woodworker. At this point I enjoy making playable instruments more than playing them.

It for sure sounds a little thinner with the 1x10 configuration but this thing fucking squanks.

dirty deed is done

Cowpoke bass rewired to just the Pbass pup, 1 vol, 1 tone

This dude  has had my attention for about a year now.
I am just absolutely in love with the idea of a hand wired, custom Bassman/JTM45 clone in a wooden head

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been considering this with one of his tweed 2x10 cabs.
I may get the cab first as I've got an Orange terrorist amps that I love but don't have a cab that does it justice.

Marshall amps have dropped in price significantly in the last few days due to their US distributor being eliminated and them selling direct to retailers or something of that sort. I need another one like I need a hole in my head but it’s temping with how much some models are currently being discounted.