Got to play two holy grails this evening. And a free dinner too!

ThorpyFX

So @gassage very kindly leant me some Pedals  to have a look at this week, but when we met up this evening he one upped himself and brought his 1960 strat and a Cornish TES. Now I only played the strat for a short while and tbh I'm not a strat guy at heart..... however that guitar has some serious resonance, it's a properly beautiful and inspirational with a neck tone to die for. Genuinely chuffed to play it and it was a real privilege. 

http://i.imgur.com/GWeEu0W.jpg

I have never ever played one of these and I think I've always been a bit sceptical..... however I'm coming around to the idea somewhat, first impressions are that it sounds bloody amazing.  A full review will follow because I am going to A/B it to a Moog mf104m superdelay....

Anyway thanks to james for being an upstanding fellow, allowing me to play a couple of holy grails and for buying dinner too including some great chat about guitar gear! 

great evening 

Gassage

Adrian, lovely eve and great company.

I wil say this man has a wood library of guitars- some amazing pieces.

That little parlour acoustic steals the show though. Wow.

Deijavoo

Thorpy Delay ahoy?

RocknRollDave

 Deijavoo said:

Thorpy Delay ahoy?

You can say that again....

Sassafras

Who's making the breakfast?

  

RocknRollDave

Sassafras said:

Who's making the breakfast?

  

Ali. Sofa' s too uncomfortable for a lie-in anyway.

ThorpyFX

Deijavoo said:

Thorpy Delay ahoy?

Not for quite a while, I know what I want to achiev with a delay pedal, it's the how I get there that's tricky! 

Deijavoo

ThorpyFX said:

Deijavoo said:

Thorpy Delay ahoy?

Not for quite a while, I know what I want to achiev with a delay pedal, it's the how I get there that's tricky! 

I'll be very interested to hear the results after said while.

Basher

I don't really "get" delay pedals as I've only ever owned one (a Boss DD2 bought new in the mid 1980s) and it seems to do what I want from a delay without ever sounding wrong.

However, on looks alone, I'd love one of those Cornish monstrosities! It's like a monolithic slab of early 1970s British Rail switch-gear incorporating a decent chunk of the BBC radiophonic workshop! I've read that they use the innards of the DD2 so maybe that explains why I've been happy with that for so long.

Gassage

Basher said:

I don't really "get" delay pedals as I've only ever owned one (a Boss DD2 bought new in the mid 1980s) and it seems to do what I want from a delay without ever sounding wrong.

However, on looks alone, I'd love one of those Cornish monstrosities! It's like a monolithic slab of early 1970s British Rail switch-gear incorporating a decent chunk of the BBC radiophonic workshop! I've read that they use the innards of the DD2 so maybe that explains why I've been happy with that for so long.

The only bit it uses is the chip from the same era model as yours which is testomony to how good it is.

Inside the TES, there's parallel mixing, 2 buffers and a 240v supply- sounds massive and very clear. Plus Pete's filter wizardry then gives you v good faux tape delay and faux analog delay (I have it set around the analog settings most of the time). And then there's a wobble circuit.

It is based on a DD2 in the same way a 911 is a beetle underneath (which ironically is why I love 911's so much.)

Lebarque

I've been through all this on another thread. The Holy Grail is very popular, but there are better reverbs out there.

Teetonetal

I must admit - I would love to try quite a few of the rigs on here that contain various amounts of unobtainium, I doubt I will ever even be in the same room as a TES, let alone try one, same for a klon. I'm just so skeptical about the fuss over these things, but hearing would be believing.

Gotta say though @Thorpyfx it's the Moog SD that I lust after more than any other! 

ThorpyFX

Teetonetal said:

I must admit - I would love to try quite a few of the rigs on here that contain various amounts of unobtainium, I doubt I will ever even be in the same room as a TES, let alone try one, same for a klon. I'm just so skeptical about the fuss over these things, but hearing would be believing.

Gotta say though @Thorpyfx it's the Moog SD that I lust after more than any other! 

I absolutely love my Moog SD, its almost an instrument in itself. I think the TES falls into the same category and is the other side of a similar coin. It certainly doesn't sound digital at heart and it has a lot more brightness and clarity than the moog. Both are stellar though.

Where i think these delays differ over a real Klon is that you can genuinely hear the extra attention to detail that goes into making them. I opened the Moog up for a good bit of professional curiosity (i wont be opening James's TES) and it is absolutely rammed with components, you can see the filtering stages, the modulation and noise reduction all there, its a work of art.

A Klon is lovely, but it is a one trick pony, a nice trick but still. I stand by the fact that if you want what the Klon offers, buy a good low gainer with a powerful EQ..... or a good EQ pedal with plenty of volume on tap. Do a blind test and I guarantee you will have saved yourself £1500...

RiftAmps

@ThorpyFX did you go to THE pub?

Bridgehouse

Where do we sign up for these "evening with @Gassage" events? 

tone1

There's no such thing as a 'Free' dinner.......

Gassage

RiftAmps said:

@ThorpyFX did you go to THE pub?

Chris- the one just past Farthinghoe?

As luck would have it, left my wallet at thorpy's.

Just noticed on my bank statemet I've bought 8 Gunshots, 4 Warthogs, and 14 Chain Homes this morning.

Can't recall doing that...

Modellista

Never mind the guitar gear, did @Gassage break out his squidgy Pakistani hash?!

ThorpyFX

RiftAmps said:

@ThorpyFX did you go to THE pub?

RGR! always. its our defacto not local local now.

RiftAmps

@ThorpyFX @Gassage We must have just missed you, popped in for a drink ont'way home

ThorpyFX

RiftAmps said:

@ThorpyFX @Gassage We must have just missed you, popped in for a drink ont'way home

ah bugger!