Is it a NPD if there's no footswitch? Anyway, I bought a Neunaber Iconoclast.

[marqueemoon]

My usual time to record stuff is post-kid bedtime, and lately all of it has been at home. I bought a Tech 21 Blonde from a fellow OSGer a few months ago, and while it's generally great the onboard speaker sim is just ok. It's kind of a lot to ask of an analog piece of gear. Connecting to my interface via my Great River MP-2NV's DI in really brings it to life, but there's still not quite the sense of dynamics and space you get from a real speaker.

I still haven't ruled out getting some kind of load box for my real amps, so I've kind of been on the hunt for a hardware solution that will work with both when this popped up at a good price on craigslist. The i/o flexibility is pretty cool and the ability to tweak further via software is interesting. Stereo was a selling point too, not so much because I do a lot of big, wide panning stuff. I'd just like to be able to put down a single guitar track that has some natural sounding spread to it that stays out of the middle of the stereo field. I'm trying to get away from stacking a bunch of guitar parts.

I checked out a few demos and it seemed worth a shot so I grabbed it. I only had a chance to test with headphones (using the onboard headphone amp) due to it being late and having just torn my recording rig apart (hence the cable mess), but I'm pretty encouraged so far. With zero reverb the sound is natural, like being in a small, dead-ish room with an amp vs. having your ear right against a speaker cone, and while a "pedal platform" isn't really what I'm looking for plugged straight in gave me a very workable clean sound that would be great for certain sounds. I put my silicon Fuzz Face-style pedal in front of it, and there are some interesting sounds there with the Blonde bypassed. In general with the Iconoclast I'm able to dial up a little dirtier sound before it without losing clarity or it getting fizzy or fake sounding (though there are limits).

It's definitely a satisfying sound with headphones, though my one complaint there is the onboard headphone amp doesn't get all that loud. Maybe that's intentional to keep people from blowing their ears out.

I downloaded the app, but my computer isn't seeing the Iconoclast. I'm guessing because the micro USB I happened to grab at home was charge-only. Neunaber sells one for $4, so assuming shipping isn't outrageous maybe I'll just do that to avoid any further frustration.

The only worthwhile test of course is how it actually sits in a track. Hopefully I can do some more recording this weekend. Also interested in how it sounds on bass.

Here it is with some friends.

[krossfader]

Thanks for the detailed post. I briefly tried one out with headphones and thought it sounded good, but might be overkill since I don't record. I was interested in the ability to play with headphones and get a good sound for once. Are you still getting amp tones or drive from the Blonde or just using the Iconoclast?

[marqueemoon]

Thanks for the detailed post. I briefly tried one out with headphones and thought it sounded good, but might be overkill since I don't record. I was interested in the ability to play with headphones and get a good sound for once. Are you still getting amp tones or drive from the Blonde or just using the Iconoclast?

As a headphone amp it’s pretty expensive, but other than not getting that loud I think it sounds really great for that.

Yeah, using the Blonde for the preamp role. As configured the Iconoclast is very clean on its own. After using the fuzz with it with the Blonde bypassed I’m curious to try other dirt pedals as preamps.

[marqueemoon]

After trying several USB cables (most are charge-only) I found one that worked and was able to tweak around with it and load some files.

Interestingly (and smartly I think) the preset files are really just strings of code in .txt format that tell the software how to set the virtual controls, so you can easily export your setup as a .txt file and share it.

What I ended up doing is taking someone's "Fender" file and tweaking to my liking. I shifted the midrange peak a little higher, changed how the bass control functions, and added a little more (and faster) simulated power amp sag and switched it to stereo mode with a much more subtle imaging than the stock value. To me it sounds more like a well-braced American sounding 1x12 open back cab now. As I suspected when recorded in stereo a stereo reverb plugin will really take what's there and widen it, so a little goes a long way.

I also tried plugging a dirt pedal (my Crucible Fuzz) straight in, and that was a surprisingly cool sound with a JM. This time I recorded it. I have a small collection of dirt pedals, so it will be fun to experiment. Neunaber posted an "SVT" file, so I'll probably pull out my Darkglass Vintage Microtubes and give that a go when it's time to put some bass down.

Oh, and there was plenty of room to increase the headphone level in software. That's fixed.

All in all I'm super-pleased with this so far, and while I'm sure the day will come when it will be a paperweight I've found it to be very user-friendly and nice sounding. Features like a few switchable preset slots and ability to bypass would be nice, but that would add to the size and cost.

My one beef is the "fizz" control in the software. This is for high frequencies not reproduced by a typical guitar speaker. It can't be turned down to a low enough level to be subtle, and therefore it's better left off.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I've always been interested in stereo rigs, and the fact that this can be used as mono in and stereo out has my attention. I'd also love to have something like this for when everyone else is asleep or I have to play quiet otherwise.