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1841 Views 3 Replies Latest reply: Oct 19, 2010 10:02 AM by scott93933 RSS
scott93933 Just Startin'
scott93933
33 posts since
Jul 5, 2010
Currently Being Moderated

Sep 29, 2010 9:15 PM

How do I get feedback without turning up my amp loud?

I have a Pod X3 Live and I love it. I regularly find new tones at CustomTone.com and use them for the cover tunes I'm playing with my band. The one effect I can't seem to get, however, is feedback. I realize that if I turn up my amp loud enough and get right in front of it with my guitar facing the amp I can get the desired effect, but being that my band and I will probably start playing clubs in the near future and I won't always be able to rely on my amp being in the same spot (I may not even have it with me if the club has everything there for us) or at a given volume, I can't rely on this method. But there are a lot of songs where it would be really cool if I could bridge the gap between the last note of a solo or last power chord before a bridge with some sustained feedback. I found a pedal online (the Behringer FD-300) that seems to do a decent job of it, but if I'm running my guitar through both this pedal and the Pod X3 Live, I'll be doubling up on the distortion, which would probably sound really weird.

 

With all of that background out of the way, here's my question:

Do any of you know of a way to get a feedback sort of effect out of the Pod X3 Live without turning it up loud?

 

If not, another possibility would be if I could just tap a harmonic on the 12th fret (or somewhere else on the neck) and get the Pod X3 Live to loop that high pitched sound for a few seconds before fading it out while I prepare to play the next guitar part. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks very much for your help!

   Cheers,

    Scott

Tags: feedback, pod_x3_live
  • grimm26 Just Startin'
    grimm26
    303 posts since
    Nov 13, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 30, 2010 6:37 AM (in response to scott93933)
    Re: How do I get feedback without turning up my amp loud?

    Well, the POD X3L doesn't do looping and unless you have something like a sustainiac in your guitar, you need volume in order to produce harmonic feedback.  Getting that guitar feedback sound is actually an interaction with the amplified sound and your strings.  That's the reason that you need a loud amp in order to get the effect to happen - it has to be loud enough to actually affect the vibration of your strings.

     

    One assumes you'll have a monitor on stage for yourself even if your amp is tucked away in the back of the stage.  You can get your guitar to feedback from the monitor as well.

    • pchapple Just Startin'
      pchapple
      126 posts since
      Apr 20, 2010
      Currently Being Moderated
      Oct 19, 2010 8:41 AM (in response to grimm26)
      Re: How do I get feedback without turning up my amp loud?

      Agreed.

       

      The only thing you could perhaps do to help the feedback to start would be to kick in your compressor at the end of the phrase to increase the volume / sustain and increase the chance of feedback at a lower volume, but it could sounds very messy.

       

      Alternatively boost the volume at the end of the passage by using the X3L footpedal, again to increase chance of feedback - also turning to face your amp help.  You could set the volume pedal range to 80-100% instead of 0-100%.  Normal playing volume is then footpedal full back and you can push full forward to increase volume / feedback.  Never tried it so may not work - just a thought.

       

      But basically you need the sound from your PA / amp to vibrate the strings of your guitar... ... all down to volume and gain/drive in your signal chain.

  • scott93933 Just Startin'
    scott93933
    33 posts since
    Jul 5, 2010
    Currently Being Moderated
    Oct 19, 2010 10:02 AM (in response to scott93933)
    Re: How do I get feedback without turning up my amp loud?

    Hi all,

    What I ended up doing is solving the problem using two new pieces of gear:

    1) Jackson DK2S guitar, featuring the Sustainiac pickup ($799)

    2) Behringer FD300 Ultimate Feedback/Distortion Effects Pedal ($23.99)

     

    The guitar has practically infinite sustain and seems to work best if I bend the played note at the fretboard or using the Floyd-Rose tremolo system. I can't say enough good things about this guitar. After our first band practice with the new guitar, one of my band mates said, "I feel sorry for your other guitars; they're going to get lonely," Fortunately, the Sustainiac system can be installed in just about any electric guitar, so I could upgrade my other axes if I decide to.

     

    The Behringer stomp box is a fantastic bargain for the price. The trick to using it with my Pod X3 Live and still being able to use the PX3L's effects is to turn the distortion on the Behringer down to zero and crank the sustain up to 10; simple! The way the Behringer seems to work is to calculate a harmonic based on the note(s) you just played (when you hold down the pedal) and then (I'm guessing) synthesize that harmonic note and hold it  for as long as you hold the pedal down. This is cool, because you can keep that harmonic note playing while you play something new over top of it. About the only improvement I'd like to see in the pedal would be some way of controlling how long it takes before the harmonic note begins playing. When you hold down the pedal, there is a second or two of delay before the harmonic begins playing and sometimes it would be great to have it play almost instantly, so if the user could control that delay, it would be great.

     

    Between the new guitar and the Behringer effects pedal, I have all the sustain and feedback I could ever want and I feel like I can express myself so much more than ever before and all without cranking up the amp at all. I'm finding that I'm adding all sorts of fills and flair to our cover songs with dive bombs, squeels, and other effects. This is going a long way toward making our three piece band sound much more like a four piece band.

     

    Thank you all for your comments and suggestions! I'm planning on getting a James Tyler Variax shortly after the new year and I will very likely take it straight to a luthier and have a Sustainiac pickup installed in the neck position.

       Cheers,

        Scott

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