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drum/bass rhythm machine

Hi folks, got some cash to spend and wanting some kind of drum and bass rhythm machine that I can jam/practice guitar with and looking for your suggestions. Basically I only play guitar/CBG at home and want something that is fairly easy to use. I don't want PC software I want something I can plug into an amp and not have to study an encyclopaedic manual before using it. At the same time I'd like it to sound reasonably realistic and maybe have an output that could go into a PC for recroding purpsoses.

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on August 16, 2009 at 7:19am

Iv no experience of drum machines Smojo, but I do have an old Zoom 707 II guitar effects pedal which has a useable range of drum tracks built in. It cost about £30 2nd hand, and is simple 'push button' operation - plus ya get 100s of effects too.... and a wah wah pedal to play with!!

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Permalink Reply by smojo on August 16, 2009 at 7:21am

Ta Ben. I have a zoom effects pedal already. Looking for something that includes bass patterns too.

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on August 16, 2009 at 7:36am

That would be great - let us know if you find something!!

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Permalink Reply by jim on August 16, 2009 at 8:24am

http://www.jamstudio.com/Studio/index.htm here is a cool one thats FREE! on line

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Permalink Reply by smojo on August 16, 2009 at 8:35am

Thanks Jim, interesting but doesn't meet the criteria of being a non-PC unit.

jim said:

http://www.jamstudio.com/Studio/index.htm here is a cool one thats FREE! on line

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Permalink Reply by Raymond Overman on August 16, 2009 at 4:37pm

Jim,

I've had a love of pushing buttons for a long time and I like the Korg products. A second hand ES1 or ER1 from the bay would probably set you back around $100-200. The ER1 is a simple 4-bar beat machine. It has a lot of synth and drum sounds built in and some knobs and buttons to effect them. The ES1 is a sampler so you can add your own drum kit samples or synth samples or even vocals. Whatever you can imagine.

If you have a little more green, a Korg KP3 ($400) has the effects, sampler, and a cool interface. I just picked one of these up and running (along with a kaossilator a few months back) and it's a lot of fun to play with. I don't know how well it would gig since it's finger driven rather than pedal but it does have MIDI in and out so that may be as simple as adding a midi controller pedal.

In the past I also had a Korg ESX1 ($450-500) sampler and I wish I'd never sold it over 8 years ago. It's a powerful piece of equipment in the right hands (which mine weren't).

That said, I ran my latest blues bowl through the KP3 the other night and played around with a few samples and effects. Pretty neat but it would be cumbersome trying to work with both real time. Setting up a bass line or drums behind a guitar wouldn't be too bad though.

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Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on August 16, 2009 at 11:24pm

Find you a old set of headphones, the bigger the better.....take the headphones off the head peice, put them on a peice of wood, add some duck tape, and there ya' go....junk percusion. You will need a biger male jack for your amp. I run mine through a old karioki machine cranked to the max. I have a license plate taped to one of mine and I get better sond ouf of the biger headphones, even a old small speaker will work I think. Just you tube it and you will find a ton of people out there that are making stomp boxes.