My VG-88 is the favorite Thing I have ever owned. It is way cool, and it is an expanding concept--meaning that answering one question raises two more. I intentionally got lost in it for a while, then settled in for a couple of working voices that would allow me to express what I'm trying to say. That's a moving target, so it's still changing a bit over time.

In terms of basic guitar sound, I consider myself a Strat player. My controller is an 80s-vintage Ibanez Roadstar II which is a very decent copy. Interestingly, I didn't get the sound I was looking for out of it until I tweaked it for the GK-3 pickup and monitored my progress through a small Fender amp. By that time it was academic. (It was amazingly good, though.) Since I went virtual, I hardly ever listen to the analog sound.

My two basic (emulated) electric lead voices are a Strat using the neck and middle pickups running through a Boogie amp, and a Les Paul (don't recall which pup/s) through a Marshall. All my amps are set to get as much sustain with as little grind as possible. I set the knob on the GK to serve as a tone control for those patches. I may run it full open for a cutting sound, or close it down for a darker voice when I'm feeling more like Carlitos. It's equally effective with single coils and humbuckers. I use the Strat sound most of the time, though. Eventually I'll get around to recording it and let you all hear it. (Actually, there are hours and hours of it--locked up on a friend's DAW. I am hoping to get some mixes out of our sessions over the holidays, which I'll post on my indabamusic page.)

R.

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."