I finally got-around to testing this configuration out today.
HD500 into the return socket of the Peavey C30, thereby bypassing the Peavey preamp section completely and running straight into the power amp.
I switched OFF the HD500 cab sims for this. Recorded using Zoom Q3HD but spoilt by the guitar string sound as the Zoom was too close to the guitar really, but what the hell, just a quick sound check to see if the HD500 is useable in this configuration and I think it is.
Your thoughts and comments (re the sound not my shorts)
http://youtu.be/SvGygkbTXxM
I like it ! It sound really "true" !!
Sounds excellent to me.
Jon, where are all your patches?
All on the HD500 :-) I haven't saved any of them to computer yet, not much point as I tweak them every time I play. I really only use one patch position and fuck around with it changing the amp/pedals etc. I prefer it this way as I find that as soon as I think I have found my sound, the next time I play it I discover it wasn't my sound after all and then change it again. There are some fundamentals to each tweaking session though.....Compressor (sometimes) > Colorsound Fuzz > amp, cabinet OFF and either into real amp or convolution cabs.
One thing to remember when going into a real amp poweramp is to only use the preamp versions. I tried the full amp versions with the modelled power section and it sounds like shit into a real amp.
Jon — Aug 04, 2011All on the HD500 :-) I haven't saved any of them to computer yet, not much point as I tweak them every time I play. I really only use one patch position and fuck around with it changing the amp/pedals etc. I prefer it this way as I find that as soon as I think I have found my sound, the next time I play it I discover it wasn't my sound after all and then change it again.
lol, so true.
That's what makes an amp so much easier, it has it's sound and that's that, love it or leave it.
With the current modellers we have too many options, the result is too much time tweaking and less time playing.
Jon can you please mic it up and post? I really would love to hear the results with proper miking.
I think he's sold the 500 already.
Sorry, sold it a few days ago. Great sounding unit but I spent too much time tweaking and not enough playing. The same seems to be for everyone on youtube too. I've only seen one video on youtube where someone actually plays the thing, everyone else is just putting up tone tests. I had forgotten that is whay I became line6-free a couple of years ago and so I am line6-free again now and much happier.
I couldn't really get a good sound when going into the power amp of the peavey C30. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but again I just could not be bothered to spend my lifetime trying to get "the sound", so I have gone back to an amp which has clean and dirty and that's it. Much happier, and I'm playing again :-)
I admit there are tradeoffs. When I plug in my HD500, I usually tweak a bit because whatever patch I'm playing was made with another guitar. That's no big deal. What I DO find puzzling, is that every time I tweak a patch to "perfection" when I come back the next night, it seems to have too much verb, or a different verb (that I tried before settling on the perfect one) sounds better. That stuff does drive me crazy some times. I plug one my Superdrive and don't touch a knob. Switch channels... occasionally step on a pedal, but thats it. Even with the Tweaker I might switch tone stacks a few times and will go from cleaner to more gainy tones, but no major tweaking.
The thing is, the HD500 is like your amp and all of your pedals (plus way more) plus your reverb you add later in the DAW, plus everything else, all in one box. So yeah there is more to do if you want too do it. I'm finding that the longer I have it, the more I tweak some patches for a special circumstance, but also the more I have patches that don't get changed much.