THE SAVAGE_Gary Taylor

[fenderplucker]

Hi Dave,

I didn't really appreciate your gratuitous comment, particularly after going to some effort to try to explain the reality of echo units and the complexity of sound. You may not be interested but there may be some others who are interested in learning. Did you listen to the comparison?

Paul.

[dave robinson]

Hi Dave,

I didn't really appreciate your gratuitous comment, particularly after going to some effort to try to explain the reality of echo units and the complexity of sound. You may not be interested but there may be some others who are interested in learning. Did you listen to the comparison?

Paul.

It was appreciated, but sense of humour Paul - please . . . . .

[Mike Honey]

(comments withdrawn in case somebody takes it the wrong way!!)

mike

[fenderplucker]

Hi Dave,

Matter closed. Now back to the sound file and fun of the chase!

Regards,

Paul.

[dave robinson]

Hi Dave,

Matter closed. Now back to the sound file and fun of the chase!

Regards,

Paul.

That's cool, but for me the chase is over with my eTap2hw which does exactly what I didn't hear on your demo, with or without compression etc etc etc etc . . . . . . .

[Mike Honey]

I think i will make the comments that I earlier deleted; Sometimes i think that people go too far in trying to exactly copy somebody elses work! Its not that I think its wrong, but its not for me. I also think that those that have spent thousands on trying to get that elusive sound may now be feeling a little 'miffed' that the Etap2 does the job at a fraction of the price!! (and seemingly better!)

mike

[ecca]

The eTap is just as good if not better.
The things that are in the pipeline are unbelievable.

[Phil.c]

I think i will make the comments that I earlier deleted; Sometimes i think that people go too far in trying to exactly copy somebody elses work! Its not that I think its wrong, but its not for me. I also think that those that have spent thousands on trying to get that elusive sound may now be feeling a little 'miffed' that the Etap2 does the job at a fraction of the price!! (and seemingly better!)

mike

Mike I understand what you are saying about copying and as you say it's not for everyone, in fact, even when the instruments and effects are close, that is all lost when moving to another tune because for example, when setting up a guitar to re-create say 36-24-36 those settings will not work 100% for a similar tune using the same amp settings, echo patterns etc, this is why HBM uses a generic set-up. So for those of us who do these so called copies, it's just for the fun of it, a challenge if you will. Of course there are people who just select an echo patch and get a good sound and are happy with that, nothing wrong with that, but there are others who want that little bit more.

As for your other comment, well, i'm not associated with Paul in any respect except for the fact that I bought a TVS3 from his company about three years ago and i'm not pushing sales for it either, i'm also not going to get into this slanging match that's going on here I left school many years ago

Yes it was expensive, am I "miffed" not at all, would I buy one again, yes because it does what I want and I haven't heard any other echo unit that gives that little extra with all the variations of tunes, IMO, having said that, there are some excellent units out there at very reasonable prices that will do a great job.

That's me done, i've said my piece....for goodness sake, let's move on and make music.....remember the Copycat

Phil

[abstamaria]

It's the "chase" for me, I'm afraid. I try to capture the style and sound and every nuance of the pieces that captivated me 50 years ago. And, sometimes, when circumstances permit, I try to do that on stage, with real voices, strings, French horns, etc., for the benefit of the old guys who want to hear it that way. And perhaps lure some younger ones to the "sound."

In the old car world, some enthusiasts enjoy restoring a car to what it was a long time ago. They enjoy the research (was the radiator painted glossy black or satin?), the work (how did they get that carburetor to work!), and the clarity of a well defined goal. Others modernize the car or modify it to suit their preferences. I'm in the former category and often feel a great similarity between that hobby and chasing the "sound.". That is why I enjoy this site so much, learning from the much more experienced and talented.

The problem with a quest is achieving it. What is one to do then?

The only criticism I have against Gary, Paul, Spike and the videos and clips they post is that they come uncannily close to the Sound! When they posted their series of videos on strings, recording, styles, etc., there was a lull in the forums, as
many questions and discussions were answered or resolved. I then worried about my quest!

The good thing about being as untalented as I am is that I have a long, pleasurable ways to go, and there watching Gary, Paul, and the others here play will always be exciting and instructive for me. I have to thank Paul (fenderplucker) and also Charlie Hall for taking time to respond to technical but academic questions.

On echo machines, I have such an assortment of the ones made over the past decade, but don't have an eTap so can't comment. But the sound produced by the TVS is as close to the priginal as I have heard. It is good for scripted stage shows as well, when one can't fiddle with controls and each act must flow seamlessly to the next. It has a pre-load feature, so that the techie can preload the patch for the next piece, even while another piece is being played. Then, he just presses one button to load the patch when the new piece is to be played. Very useful.

Technology marches on. Doubtless, there will continue to be improvements (TVS periodically sends new upgrades; I have to learn to install them) and breakthroughs, perhaps from TVS or Charlie or others. That would be exciting, but I hope not too expensive!

Now back to practicing and playing.

Best to all.

Andy

[fenderplucker]

Hi All,

Lots of huff and puff and opinions, but let’s stick to the objective evidence. I posted a comparison of the Shadows original with the eTap and TVS3 on the 36-24-36 thread, and if Mike, Robbo and Ecca can’t hear the difference, then their decision to go with the eTap is certainly the correct one and any further discussion is probably futile. However, the core tone of Dave’s version lacks the harmonic complexity of the original and the echoes have a sterile, almost machine gun, quality that is certainly not a characteristic of the Meazzi on the original. The same comments apply to the other eTap sound files posted so far.

And how often have we heard such comments before in relation to the ESE, Copycat Gold, other echo computer plugins or whatever is the latest fad is, none of which have been used to produced sound files that could withstand close comparison to the original? But let me say again that my intention is not to knock the eTap2hw: it offers a good sound and excellent value, and for many will be the obvious choice (if they can manage a soldering iron, that is).

Also, in relation to “live” comparisons, unless they are done under very carefully controlled conditions in a good acoustic environment (i.e. not a reverberant hall or some-such) it is easy to make just about any echo unit sound indistinguishable from any other.

Paul.