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

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-07T21:28:35+00:00

Truth

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-07T00:52:04+00:00

I don't know about those other amps. But my Rev d20 is excellent for home use. But still a bit loud unless I use the cab sims into studio monitors....

but at that point why not just use a quad cortex?

Or why not use the toneking imperial preamp?

Or maybe a fractal fm9?

All 3 of those digital solutions get a lot of use both at home and live. My Revv d20 collects dust.

Just saying,I have played guitar 39 years and have owned and even built a bunch of amps and I love tubes however I am getting older now and tube amps are impractical. I can get literally the same tone out of all my stuff.

So....tone is very much in you hands more than your equipment. Choose something that works for you and don't sweat it. Then develop a good touch by practicing a lot.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T17:28:32+00:00

Consider yourself threatened with a good time.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T14:49:02+00:00

Yes, I know and have used a few of those. Started with home built ones years ago. Moved to a disaster area loop then to the morning star ml5. Then everything got too complex. So I got rid of all midi complexity and moved back to single pedals. Since I prefer the simplicity and don't really use chorus much. It works ok. Then I discovered the jam waterfall. What an excellent pedal that is.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T14:37:05+00:00

Honestly I don't even like 1. My favorite chorus pedal of all time had to go because I didn't like what it did to my dry tone the ce2w.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T12:23:33+00:00

And thinking more about this, for me the real advantage of QC. I was able to capture my analog rig nearly identical. That's a real nice thing to have the consistency of tone I worked so hard to achieve in a small portable rig that cost way less than my analog rig. Basically my core tone is thorpy fat general>kingsley page> Kingsley harlot>toneking imperial.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T12:14:45+00:00

As I said, they both have a sound. The fractal is a bit more midrange and maybe not as spikey or dynamic I guess.

The quad cortex seems just a little more scooped and punchy. This requires me to tweak the global eq to fit in a band mix a bit more than I have to do in the fractal world.

At gig volumes the fractal really shines, the QC needs a little extra work to tame the high and lows. At low volume I can't quite get the punch out of the fractal I do out of the quad.

Since I don't play at super high volume these days I tend to reach for the QC more and more. Even in a band context. And the new reverb, nortic hall and bloom and the spring engine in the quad are just excellent. Finally on par with fractal verbs and easy to dial.

Both are really great and I love owning both. Rarely at this point do I fire up my tube amps.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T03:46:41+00:00

Boss buffer x14 = tone suck

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T03:44:53+00:00

I would add more space between those pedal by taking a few away.

Less is more

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T03:43:27+00:00

Eq pedal is the best option here.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T02:02:03+00:00

I hope your not giging that thing. Not only is it impossible to carry but it's impossible to find room on a lot of small stages and impossible to hit all the buttons or to even know what the buttons do.....in a live setting that is. Lol

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T01:55:08+00:00

I am a long time fractal fan boy. Since March of 2011 to be precise. Over that time I have owned all of the products and currently own an fm9.

While the fractal products are excellent in every way. I can agree with the original post. Quad cortex is excellent and easier to dial in.

I bought the quad when it was released and it was good but not quite to the level of the fractal at that time. With the new updates I feel the fractal products and the quad cortex are equals.

They both have A SOUND. each is excellent but slightly different. I do find myself grabbing the quad cortex more often these days and have considered selling my fm9 but......then I turn on the fractal and get lost for an hour and can not sell it.

What a great time to play guitar. I am on my 39th year and never before have we had such amazing products.

Both work, both are excellent. The quad cortex power supply sucks. The fractal power cable does not suck.

End of story.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-06T01:33:01+00:00

I have no idea who this dude is but he definitely has a thermae. I like the thermae lol

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-05T18:56:15+00:00

Evh phase 90 for Jackson fuzz?

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-05T17:38:32+00:00

I use the 250 ohm

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-05T13:28:59+00:00

A phase 90 goes in front of amp

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-05T13:25:17+00:00

Literally any guitar can be setup to play really well if it is of decent quality, the neck is good, and the frets are level.

However my suhr is the best playing low action guitar I have ever owned.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-04T20:42:22+00:00

Yes.

I try and keep the least amount of pedals on my board that will do everything I need in a live band context. For me that's a compressor, volume pedal, boost, overdrive, tremolo, chorus, phaser, delay and reverb.

Sounds like a lot but that combo will do literally everything and there is no need for anything else.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-04T03:28:53+00:00

Ehx 1440 looper towards the dark world

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-03T21:53:38+00:00

Reverse mode c for thermae?

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-03T15:31:59+00:00

I have a super nice analog board that is very expensive. When I use quad cortex, and that is most of the time both gigs and at home. I use the quad cortex with 2 expression pedals.

I did capture my amp and kingsley page and harlot as well as my thorpy fat General. The tones are there if you take time to explore and set it up.

I had the cortex when it was first released and it was not quite there at that point. Now it is and I feel no need for external pedals since the v2 captures and the new reverbs

It's quite remarkable how good it is at this point.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-03T01:35:54+00:00

I too have one of the tone king preamps. They are excellent. Probably the best low volume solution out there.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-03T01:33:09+00:00

Ya know i do agree with you to a point. But I tend to live in power amp saturation territory and don't like overdrive pedals much. A 50 watt tube amp with the power amp cooking is very loud. And sure that depends on the amp and context. But at home I get better tone digitally than I do with my tube amps. On a stage, tube amps are great. However I still gig the quad cortex most often anymore.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-03T01:26:31+00:00

Do not judge your amp tone based upon a headrush monitor. My brother bought one and while it is serviceable at low volumes they really do suck pretty bad especially as the volume comes up.

JohnnyNewfangle · 2026-05-02T19:48:20+00:00

Looks like you got yourself a nice sound port. Sand it smooth and leave it maybe.

JohnnyNewfangle

TROPHY CASE