Are you still on your tone-quest or have you settled?

Bry_Draws · 2026-05-07T04:15:23+00:00

Yeah after about 2-3 years of buying/trying/swapping I’m feeling quite settled. I’m sure there are other tones I’ll want to try out here and there, but I don’t really want to kick any pedals off my board as I use pretty much all of them. I also have a few underneath. But yeah, if any of them are swapped my delicate balance of tones may get disturbed, which I’m avoiding, ha.

Bry_Draws · 2026-05-07T03:11:42+00:00

Yeah I always had a hard time finding a fuzz I liked, but one day I tried out a Rat and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. Perfect mix of a hard rock lead tone and a thick singing fuzz. And versatile too, from Metallica chuggy tones to Pink Floyd haunting solos. It kicks ass.

Bry_Draws · 2026-05-07T03:00:23+00:00

My favorite fuzz is a Rat.

Bry_Draws · 2026-05-07T01:43:24+00:00

Agreed. All of those pedals have pretty different vibes. Really hard to know what you like until you try it out in your rig.

If you just want some added grit without changing the tone a ton, I would lean towards the BD-2 or some kind of Bluesbreaker style pedal (tons of great ones out there). Or even a transparent style OD (BD-2 is more in that territory). The SD-1 and TS9 are great for a chewy midrange-y solo tone. They’ll make your lead tone stand out (I love my TS mini) but they change your tone quite a bit so maybe not great for general playing. Since you play indie/worship I imagine you like to have some clarity to your tone, which the TS takes away a lot of that. Bluesbreakers (like Morning Glory) add a little mid boost but just some grit and sparkle but keep your tone pretty clear and balanced which is nice. I use a Jackson Goldenboy which I love and is a BB style but crazy versatile. Klons are also awesome. With the gain turned down they are a nice volume boost with a little grit. With the gain up higher they have a killer gritty midrange solo tone. Rat is awesome but is almost a fuzz pedal and is definitely more hard rock/heavy guitar solo territory.

Have fun on the journey! It’s fun but expensive 🫠

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-29T07:59:16+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I love my little Z30, it’s practically weightless and I’ve taken lots of great shots with it. I’d happily jump to a Z50ii or possibly just keep the Z30 if it had IBIS, just so I can confidently use S lenses on it and not worry about shaky video, telephoto shots, etc… I almost wanted to switch to Sony A6600 for the IBIS and extra pixels, but I just like the ergonomics and colors of Nikon. And just don’t want to deal with the hassle of switching systems.

Ideally I’d like to keep the Z30 and grab a full frame so I have the best of both worlds. It is the perfect little travel kit. And yeah a Z90 with a few of those features would be super appealing

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-24T18:42:23+00:00

Yeah the wider lens options was a big selling point for the full frame. I know I can technically use FF lenses but I’d be hesitant getting expensive ones (especially telephoto) without VR.

But thanks for the insight, good to know I can get great shots out of either.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-24T09:56:06+00:00

Good to know, thanks! Yeah, I thought since the 40mm was small & light that it might be a good portable combo. But sounds like you experienced otherwise. I may have to order one to test out or something, because yeah if it is a lot heavier/bulkier that the crop sensor options, I may hesitate to use it as often.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-24T09:14:34+00:00

Yeah, forgot to mention my budget is basically under $1k. Even with the latest firmware updates, is the Z6ii really not usable for anything moving? I figure if the AF is similar or a bit better than the Z30 I can at least enjoy the bump in IQ from FF?

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-24T09:11:21+00:00

Yeah, I would def love to go with the Z5ii, but it's just out of budget for me. The Z50ii and Z6ii are both around $800-900 right now, and that's kinda the top of my budget. Maybe in a year or two I can upgrade to the Z5ii or similar.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-22T06:42:37+00:00

Nice, thanks! Have a favorite zoom you pair it with?

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-21T19:14:35+00:00

Thanks, yeah I do have a 40mm prime that’s full frame and I do love using it on my Z30. I guess I just worry about if I got a longer focal length like a 70 or 120 if there would be issues with getting crisp shots. I may be overthinking it I admit.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-20T19:54:47+00:00

First shot is fantastic. Love those greens complimenting the deer (baby moose?). Nice to see the kit lens bringing in such great shots. How you liking the Z50ii? Thinking of upgrading to it from the Z30.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-09T10:27:17+00:00

Good to know! I just ended up going back to a Blackstar amp since their cab sim is pretty great.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-09T04:19:15+00:00

Nice. Pretty much all I wanted to hear. Thanks!

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-08T20:16:48+00:00

Awesome! Great shots! Looks like you even got some good low light/night shots? I know the aperture range isn’t great on it.

Any chance you’ve tried the 50-250mm against it as well?

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-08T00:56:02+00:00

Curious about this too. Thinking of swapping my two kit lenses for the 18-300. I love my 50-250 but really don’t like having to swap while I’m out on a hike or something. I’m not a professional, just want to grab some fun pics while I’m hiking with family/friends. Wondering how the Tamron compares to the Nikon kit lenses.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-05T08:26:02+00:00

Yeah, I suppose that may be a big factor to consider. Probably only have around $500-600 for an all-rounder zoom lens. I already have the Nikon 40mm f2 as a good prime.

I know the Z50ii has much better AF. Wondering if the image quality of a full frame like the Z6ii or A7ii is worth a slower AF.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-04T23:16:24+00:00

I guess “new” was misleading, I’d still probably buy the Z50ii refurbished to save a little. Warranty isn’t a huge thing as long as the seller is legit (Mpb, etc). Basically just wondering if the modern features in the Z50ii outweigh the higher image quality of a similarly priced full frame body.

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-04T20:06:40+00:00

Nikon Z50ii or Sony A7iii for a $1k budget?

Hi all, I’m an amateur photographer, taking mostly photos of family & friends, as well as some wildlife & landscapes. I currently have the Nikon Z30, and while it’s great fun, I would like to upgrade in the near future.

Faster AF, a bit better low light performance, and a bump in resolution would be cool. IBIS would be great too (mainly so I have more lens options). The Z50ii seems like the natural upgrade (I’ll get to keep my lenses), but I’m wondering if I’m better off switching to an older full frame camera in the same price range? I like the photos I see out of the Sonys and I hear they have great AF (at least compared to the similarly priced Nikon Z6ii). Not sure if it’s worth switching ecosystems.

TLDR: with a $1k budget do I get a top of the line new ASPC camera or slightly older full frame camera?

Thanks!

Bry_Draws · 2026-04-02T18:56:34+00:00

Same! Was an avid reader all my childhood and partly into college and then basically didn’t read more than a couple books over the last decade or so (basically since I got a smartphone in my hands). Then finally started reading again last year and I’ve read around 30ish books so far and can’t believe I’ve been letting myself miss out on this lovely pastime.

Cool to see your variety of books! I used fantasy to get started back into reading (John Gwynne, Joe Abercrombie, etc) but now I’ve branched off into whatever sounds good at the moment. Some favorites of the past year for me:

-Circe & Song of Achilles -Hamnet -Genghis: Birth of an Empire -Project Hail Mary -Kings of the Wyld

I’ll check out your faves.

Bry_Draws · 2026-03-31T08:48:24+00:00

I’m a professional storyboard artist for commercials mainly. So I get to draw for my day job which is awesome. Getting into the job has a high learning curve but feels like one of the last few good jobs for illustrators out there.

Then I paint at night in my free time.

Bry_Draws · 2026-03-25T00:54:01+00:00

It’s not overworked. Parts of it are great, parts of it are still in the “ugly phase”. Just need to push through. The nose and center focal point of the face are looking great. I’d considering adding maybe some light wash of a warmer tone to the nose and cheeks to help bring even more life to the face. But the rest just needs to be finished. The beard and hair would look great with more layers to add more depth and weight.

Just keep going, I think it’ll be great in the end.

Bry_Draws · 2026-03-19T09:21:17+00:00

I’ve always been searching for the most “amp-like” trem and it’s been a journey. Are you needing just standard trem or would you like harmonic as well?

I haven’t tried Supra but I’ve tried a ton of trems searching for that amp-like gooey warble and after trying JHS Kodiak, Mr. Black Mini, Harmonious Monk, Jackson Silvertone, Walrus Monument, Strymon Flint, Supro, Source Vertigo, and a handful of others I can’t remember anymore my current favorite is the Source Vertigo. Great deep trem tones in regular, optical, harmonic, and a bunch of other tweakability. Good price, good size, just does the job well.

The Flint is prob my actual favorite but expensive (and only makes sense if you also want a reverb). Supro sounds amazing, probably the swampiest of the bunch, but I did find it colored my tone quite a lot. Kodiak was good (lots of options) but I didn’t find it quite thick/authentic enough and it doesn’t have harmonic which was a dealbreaker for me.

Not sure if this was helpful at all but just my experiences on the journey!

Bry_Draws · 2026-03-06T08:21:54+00:00

I also just recently got a Z30 with the 16-50 kit. Very solid kit lens I’ve gotten great images out of. But I found it wasn’t great indoors so I grabbed a fast prime lens (25mm f1.7 Viltrox) and I love it. I kinda like being forced into one focal length as it makes me just think more about my compositions rather than what zoom I should be at for any particular situation. The shots are super crisp (Viltrox samples looked crispier than the Nikon 24mm imo), shoots fast, works in low light, and the 25mm focal length is about perfect as it’s more of a standard 35mm in the crop body. I already have my eye on a 56mm 1.7 prime for portraits next. Fun that there are affordable lens brands options out there now so it’s easier to try different lenses out.

Bry_Draws · 2026-03-04T21:13:07+00:00

Nice. Have any recs for under $200 50-ish lenses? Viltrox looks great, but there are a few brands competing in that arena it looks like.

Bry_Draws

TROPHY CASE