Kiwi

The Amptweaker Tight Rock, or any of their other gain pedals, has a side chain loop for clean effects plus an effects loop for when the gain side is engaged. So basically you can scene change with the press of a button. But you'll have to buy pedals for each side. I believe the most recent versions allow you to send a signal to separate amps too. Amptweaker was started by the guy who designed the 5150 amp. So it could make your 6505 sound like a 5150 too.

Without more clarity regarding the actual problem, it's difficult to avoid speculating and be more helpful. Did the seller describe in any more detail what the issue was beyond 'a wiring problem'. That could be anything from a dry solder joint to a replacement pick up, as Dad3353 suggests.

Phwoar. I love the feel of PRS instruments. So slick and effortless.

Go to the sound applet in the control panel and make sure you are selecting the correct device and sending it to the correct output.

And the other, while I'm at it. I got this after Nile signed the blue strat. It was made by Al Knight and is as close a replica Hitmaker as it's possible to get without measuring the original instrument. Even closer than the Fender signature run. Fifties strat body with narrower depth than normal (a cost saving measure by Fender at the time after they didn't take into account the shipping costs of a load of alder logs they'd scored on the cheap in a remote location). Al managed to find out the exact depth but it escapes me. Neck is Fender licensed C profile and most of the hardware is also Fender licensed. I managed to source a genuine, NOS brass pickguard by Kahler, finished in chrome. Apparently they are no longer made although neither I nor the seller were aware of that at the time. Pickups are Fender noiseless jobbies, I did have some authentic recreations of 50's coils made by some Russian guy but they were so feeble that I had to replace them or get frustrated. Luckily they weren't expensive but yep...authentic to a fault you might say. Tuners are locking type by Sperzel and came from the blue strat originally. The original electronics (with orange drop sprague caps) are still installed though even now the noiseless replacements are not that loud compared to my other guitars. I would love for Nile to sign this one as well but I doubt he would agree given the Fender signature Hitmakers a while back (which had a thin coat of gold paint over the top of the white finish for some reason, not yellowed olympic white like mine). What does it sound like? Pretty close, if I play along to the original Chic tracks. But quite thin compared to a really good strat. No bell like, Gilmouresque chimes coming out of this plank which lead me to believe that the original Hitmaker might well be a bit of a dog for all the mythology that has been whipped up around it. Nile was using Tokai strats in the eighties apparently. But playing it through a 5F2 Princeton clone does fatten it up a little more.

This is mine, a Trigger's Broom of sorts. Nile Rodgers signed it for me in 2013. When I bought it in 2006, it looked like this (below). Made in 1987 apparently and for some reason it just screams Midge Ure. But maybe that's me. Everything has been replaced apart from the wood which is basically by Warmoth. It now sports EMG 89/SA/SA + mid boost electronics, a unicorn rare Wilkinson VS100CV trem and a solid, quilted maple body. I found out a couple of weeks ago that Steve Lukather had 2 Valley Arts Strats also made with solid quilted maple bodies so I'm guessing that's where Chandlers (in Kew) got the idea from. https://reverb.com/item/27780668-valley-arts-steve-lukather-model-with-signature-1991 So, although unintentional, it looks like I've ended up with an instrument that gets pretty close to the original Custom Valley Arts strats that Lukather had, for a couple of hundred quid or so shy of a grand.

I was thinking sell both but what to buy next? It depends...I'd probably shop around for an old Mesa Boogie 1x12 combo like a Calibre .22. The .22 can do Fender cleans, wicked distortion and is relatively well behaved with pedals.

He wasn't my cup of tea and what the heck was going on with their frontmen? But there's no denying the man's impact. He paved the way...

I stuck the DS1 in and it added a nice amount of top end back into the mix but also more of a Marshall flavour. I took delivery of a Mosky Silver Horse today too, and threw it in place of the California Sound. It kicks righteous arse in that location, loads of raw midrange snarl. Standalone it's like a tube screamer, so lots of mids. It actually reminds me of NZ music in the 80's, especially with chorus. I guess a tube screamer must have been a staple on many guitar parts. Even the theme from Magnum PI...anyway, so it seems to work better as a boost pedal or medium low gain pedal for adding grit.

Update time, the Effectrode PC2A valve comp has been replaced by a twenty quid Joyo!! The Joyo was just cleaner sounding and it sits in the clean side chain along with the para eq and a trichorus pedal for a spot of eighties sparkle. The Joyo American Sound now acts like a tone filter and sits in front of the Tight Rock, pushing it, and the TR ggoesstraint to the Ocean Machine delay/reverb. The effects loop on the Tight Rock adds extra gain silliness with the Joyo JF15 and the Digitech Freq Out. The pedals have been shifted about to make room for the second Joyo and the wah is now on the left, which is nice for a left footer like me. Half tempted to open it up and see if I can swap the in and out jacks over. That position occupied by the California Sound is going to be pretty handy too. I can potentially stick any gain pedal in there for experimentation without screwing up my main sound or having to rewire the board. I'll probably try my unloved DS1 with keeley mod in there later today and see what happens.

Just get the Joyo JF14 American Sound, it's fantastic. I have the JF15 California Sound too and into a desk it's really thick sounding, very nice. But into a signal chain stacked with other gain pedals it can tend to be a bit dark. I couldn't rely on it for my main sound. I also have a Line 6 M5 modelling pedal and Joyo Fender vs Line 6 Fender setting, the Joyo is way richer and more credible. Fwiw I actually replaced my Effectrode PC2A valve comp with the Joyo Dyna comp last week, too. The PC2A is better suited to bright guitars like my hitmaker strat or a tele than my two main axes.

The jazz guitar arrived and despite there being minor issues the wood work is fundamentally sound. Have to say I prefer the sound of mahogany though. My Yammie sounds jazzier, the arch top is more Django. A different company made a pair of guitar necks for me though, one of which is laminated mahogany so may make something on my own in the future. Also took possession of a Joyo JF15 pedal, the Mesa Boogie Mk2 simulation. Into a DAW it sounds really nice, very thick mids. It made me GAS for a Studio pre or combo. But stacked with the Joyo JF14, there's just too much gain for decent note articulation without screwing up levels across the rest of the pedalboard. If I use a DS1 or the Tight Rock to push it there's more djent but the pedal still sounds quite dark for some reason. It's not going to replace the JF14 any time soon.

Any pics of your planks?

Welcome! Watchya playin' on and through?

I bought a cheap, Chinese made archtop jazzer, but it's in dire need of fret crowning, the pickup isn't close enough to the strings and the finish has a number of hardened drips that need flatting out. Typical really, and I told them so. I have a 5 string bass on order from them too. It has a maple/mahogany through body neck and alder wings, with supposedly stacked humbucker pickups and a 3 band eq. It was ordered in April and was due in June...it keeps being delayed and delayed and delayed. I suspect it's because the fabricators keep screwing things up. They don't even measure string spacing from the bridge, they do it from the end of the fingerboard...where's the facepalm emoji?

Just watched a vid with Paul Reed Smith and Tim Pierce where Tim reveals his master built PRS. During the conversation, Paul mentions that the semi hollow guitars have become quite popular with female guitarists. I know Paul gets a bit of a bashing sometimes for being brash and untactful but in terms of recognising the needs of both genders, he's did a pretty good job of hinting but not patronising...too much. lol Skip to 6:04.

https://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2020/Prince_Blue_Angel_Guitar/Prince_Blue_Angel_Flipping_Book/ A fascinating background story to all of Prince's cloud guitars is recorded above. Most interesting points are that his guitar techs never lasted long and while his guitars got a beating on the road, his luthiers had 48-72 hours to fix whatever needed fixing and get them back. Sometimes entire necks needed replacing, as the CT scans reveal. C2 eventually sold for just over half a million dollars and it's completely unplayable due to a snapped neck (again) and missing hardware.

I have completely different approach as I''m going for different things. The bass signal chain is set up around dry, effects/bass synth and arpeggiated bass synth. The guitar signal chain is set up around sparkling cleans, crunchy overdrive and midrange meltdown, with or without chorus, delay, reverb and wah.

This is America, I don't know what to believe any more. But Gibson haven't been known for a lot of things they've done, robot tuners for example.

it's a fiddly system to set up but reliable once done properly. I have an Steinberger R trem with the lever too, it's far less convenient than the VS100C

Wilkinson were THE OEM hardware company for a while in the US, it's not like they lacked profile. But there was a patent clash with Gibson in the US. Gotoh became the US distributor in a deal but I don't recall seeing the bridges being promoted much. Gibson didn't have their own alternative to offer. But the bridges were only restricted in the US, nowhere else and supposedly the restrictions were due to end sometime after 2007...

I'm still lamenting the lack of an equivalent to the NLA Wilkinson VS100C trem. Luckily I have four of these bridges stashed away for future projects after stumbling on Trevor's daughter selling off NOS on Reverb. Nothing else like them. The one change I'd make is to include a fulcrum/bearing based pivot point. https://www.axebition.com/bridge/wilkinson-vs100c-convertible

Just stop playing when your fingers get sore. Start playing again when they're not swollen. That way you'll build the calluses quickly.

Not by plugging it into a mic socket. What you need is a 1/4" to USB cable from Ebay. They're pretty cheap maybe five quid or perhaps less. The computer needs to see something digital in order to do something with it using software. If you have amp software already, then you'll need to set it up so that it takes input from the correct device in the software settings panel and sends output to your soundcard.