Guitar processor + effects: SONY HR-GP5, BOSS DD3 digital delay, IBANEZ Flanger, marshall jubilee

This clip, recorded June 2009, shows a simple set-up (and sound expamples) of three guitar effects: digital sound/effects processor SONY HR-GP5, a Boss DD-3 digital delay stomp bvox and a Vintage (1985) Ibanez FLL20 flanger, as used by (amateur) band "Work in Progress - WiP" in Mexico City.

In 1995, if I remember well, I bought this SONY HR-GP5 guitar effects module. All sounds are stereo, and over headphones you are tempted to think you are the greatest. Mono and live, over an amp is a different story. As often with effects boards, I only use a few of the preset sounds, those I like. As the SONY is actually a desktop module, I built a little floarboard to hold it, and control the GP5 with a midi-pedal that unfortunately has no expression pedal.
I can no longer build or save self made sound-combinations as the built-in battery is empty, and difficult to replace, as soldered on somewhere deep inside.
But mostly I play wioth no special effects, using just the clean (or footswitch controlled) distorted sound of the tube Marshall amp.
On very few songs I used a Boss Digital Delay, or the Ibanez Flanger, both shown in this clip.

For rehearsals, either on my own, or of the drummer cannot come, we use an old Yamaha drum machine and run it over the small Peavey rehearsal PA, also here and there in this clip.
Apart from that, this setup is also what we used live and you can hear on the various "Work in Progress- WiP" clips on YouTube and Google (see http://web.me.com/wip_band ).

I used the same setup, by the way, in earlier bands in Switzerland: "Blues Priority" and "Life is Hard" (some clips are also on Youtube and/or Googe video)

The song you can hear in the backgroud at the beginning of the clip is "Let it Go" a WiP original; at the end of the clip it is a demo for a Grand Prix contribution in the 90s "Juni in Paris" or "Hold me". The first song has no effects, only the Marshall amp distortion; the guitar (a Squire strat) is recorded through the Sony GP5 directly into a Tascam 4-track cassette, with backing tracks from "Band in a Box". These came on to the clip (made in iMovie, via iTunes), otherwise, all sound on the clip is recorded via the built-in camera mike.

I doubt that you can get the Sony GP5 anywhere these days, but compared with the many modern fx processors from Boss, Line 6, Digitech, Vox etc, it still holds up quite well, I think (but can at times produce an annoying hum).

That is why I have in the meantime purchased a VOX Tonelab pedalboard. At first I was a bit disappointed, but once I had it tweaked, I like it. The SONY + delay is better with Police songs, but overall I get warmer and more varied tones with the VOX. Will upload a clip sometime..

By the way: I filmed this clip with a SONY DCR-HC 40 camcorder (digital cassette), and then assembled this youtube clip in iMovie on an iMac, compressed to reduce yourube filesize. So no HD, and bad light. The sound is recorded with the built-in mike of the camcorder.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• BOSS DD3 SONY HR-GP5
• SONY DCR-HC 40 camcorder

[jdansti]

Have you replaced your battery? I replaced mine with a battery holder so I can just swap it out next time.

[jdansti]

I really like my HR-GP5. I bought it for $50 on eBay with a dead battery and no backlight. I replaced the battery with a battery holder so when it goes dead again, I can just swap it out. I found a backlight on a scrap LCD display at an electronics store that sells a lot of used equipment Have you replaced your batter yet?

[yxyxyxy2007]

anybody have any modern metal setting for the GP5.

[misterreality]

I used to endorse a Sony Endorsee, playing the GP-5 for gigs, I've gotta post my NAMM show appearances where I used the GP-5... Blast from the past.