Amp Fickleness

[koula901]

Just posting to see if anybody else is plagued by changing taste in amps. First, I had to have the Tone King Metro, but when I demo'd that, I also demo'd Two Rock Gainmaster at that same time, and that became the new favorite. Last night, I heard the Marshall JTM 45 (on You Tube, mind you) and the Two Rock sounded like it had a wet blanket on it compared to the Marshall. How to cope with this?

Sing: "If I were a rich (Wo)Man, yabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dee" it would be no problem, but as it is, it's going to take a couple of years to save for my dream amp, since I seem to have champagne taste on a beer budget! Is this why a lot of guys own 10 amps or more? Just sayin' . .

[DetroitBlues]

Before I go to far, hear me out. Everyone knows how much I love my KBP810 RD amp. When using a Boss ST-2 Power stack, the tones of the pedal get me right up there was AC/DC's Angus Young on the bridge. When I roll the volume back a little on the neck and kick in the Delta Labs DD1 delay, I'm right there with Slash's Sweet Child of Mine tone.

 

My point is, a pedal or two go a long way before you should look into amps. Even those professional guitars out there that have some of the best amps on the planet still put pedals in front of them....

 

Worse case scenerio, buy a KBP810 amp and a couple of pedals, you'll be golden! (sorry, couldn't help myself there with another plug for Brian's amps!)

[kbp810]

Yep, you are certainly not the only one who suffers from A.A.S!

 

You might want to contemplate something of a D*mbly nature as well... tons of very useful tone variations

[mars_hall]

We all love our amps till we hear someone squeezing sweet juice out of a different brand with a different texture and second guess ourselves and whether we are missing something important here. it is the fruit of being open to other tastes and the willingness to sample to see if it is you. It may be and it might not, but we all tend to want to make sure, just in case. Pick a few standard tone/texture paths and try to cover them if you like, but keep the paths separate or you have did yourself a disservice.

[tulk1]

My advice: Quit listening to Utube and thinking that's a good representation of what an amp is going to sound like? Maybe?

[DetroitBlues]

My advice: Quit listening to Utube and thinking that's a good representation of what an amp is going to sound like? Maybe?

 

+1, between mic's, mixers, preamps, editing software, you can make a pocket amp sounds like a million bucks!

 

Yep, you are certainly not the only one who suffers from A.A.S!

 

You might want to contemplate something of a D*mbly nature as well... tons of very useful tone variations

 

Do you know someone that makes those?

[koula901]

well, yes, Kenny, you're right about that. I guess the view to take is one can discover things on You T. then go out and hear it in person.

Often, I do hear good representations of sound on YT - did buy a few pedals that way.

 

@ Detroit --- I do have a Wampler ped. that gives Marshally sounds

 

@ KBP810 - I do have an Alpha Drive ped. that gives a D*mble sound.

[DetroitBlues]

well, yes, Kenny, you're right about that. I guess the view to take is one can discover things on You T. then go out and hear it in person.

Often, I do hear good representations of sound on YT - did buy a few pedals that way.

 

@ Detroit --- I do have a Wampler ped. that gives Marshally sounds

 

@ KBP810 - I do have an Alpha Drive ped. that gives a D*mble sound.

 

So you're good to go then! Guess you answered your own problem. Maybe add a 4x12 if you feel you lacking some punch!

[kbp810]

My advice: Quit listening to Utube and thinking that's a good representation of what an amp is going to sound like? Maybe?

Thats excellent advice - I cringe everytime I hear someone say an amp sounds awesome because they heard it over you tube

[tbonesullivan]

One thing You may want to do is have some 1x12 cabinets with a variety of different types of speakers in them. speakers can do a lot to shape the amp. The other is to just have lots of amps. What I hate is when I struggle to get "that sound" that I want, and then find an amp, plug in, and there it is.

 

That happened at PSP IV when I tried out that SMF 15-Watter of Steiner's. It just sounded SO good. It had the right balance of mids, highs, lows, and good crunch but also definition. I've been looking for one since then, but as of yet, no luck. Also I don't want to think about what shipping would be.

[pegleg32]

Katie, I have gone down a similar road. I started out with a cheap amp and have been continously moving up over the last 5 years. A lot of what you want done can indeed be done with pedals if gain is important. The other thing that I have noticed is that the size of the cabinet can make a difference. I always seem to lean towards smaller cabinets because I try to stay light, but I can hear a difference using the same speaker in different cabs with the larger cab always sounding better. And as mentioned above, the speaker makes a big difference. I have been lucky in that I have a friend that is a speaker nut and he has allowed me to play multiple speakers using my amp and different cabs. If you can try before you buy, it really helps. But I think ultimately, the quality of an amp can to directly tied to the price. Once you find a price range, then try out the amps in that price range and decide from there. As always, your milage may vary.

[koula901]

I have been lucky in that I have a friend that is a speaker nut and he has allowed me to play multiple speakers using my amp and different cabs.

 

How lucky is that! Very cool. I need a friend like that. Actually, where guitars are concerned, I've been lucky enough to try many different brands of guitars at Lefty Alicia's - and that's helped me know what I'm missing in this or that brand.

[koula901]

That happened at PSP IV when I tried out that SMF 15-Watter of Steiner's. It just sounded SO good.

 

yeah, at PSP IV I had the good fortune to play through Brent's Colonial and I really liked that, and Hfan's KBP810.

I think I can like amps with different sounds, equally as much, so, I think ultimately, one must have different amps, unless I go digital and get that amp modeller everyone's so crazy about, but it's not my desire to do the latter, for now, despite how completely rational a solution that would be!

[H]

Or buy Guitar Rig - not a giggable solution really (though I know it has been done) but it will give you amps, cabs and pedals galore for a fraction of the cost of the real thing.

 

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/guitar/guitar-rig-4-pro/

[yoslate]

Katy, I'd suggest you come to terms with what you want to sound like (your voice, as a player in your "mind's ear," some personal amalgamation of every player, tune, solo, et.al. you've been drawn to), then find an amp which takes you there, rather than thinking you'll find an amp which is, magically in and of itself, your voice.

[Steiner]

If the music is a meal, the amp is the spice. There are some amps that sound good with individual guitars (& vice versa), some that sound wonderful at practice but don't make the cut in a band. Each one has it's own flavor it brings to the table and everybody's tastes are different.

 

TB - you're right. That bad-boy would cost a fortune to ship; it's a good thing that Big Bob manhandled it all weekend. What a pal!

[smurph1]

well, yes, Kenny, you're right about that. I guess the view to take is one can discover things on You T. then go out and hear it in person.

Often, I do hear good representations of sound on YT - did buy a few pedals that way.

 

@ Detroit --- I do have a Wampler ped. that gives Marshally sounds

 

@ KBP810 - I do have an Alpha Drive ped. that gives a D*mble sound.

I'll probably sound like a heretic for saying this..(but I've said it before) I LOVED my Line 6 Flextone II !! The Models on that thing were Kick@ss!! Were they Exactly like the amps they were modeling? Nah..But I loved em all the same..My Favorite was a Soldano Super Lead..Dry, no effects!! Man!! If I hadn't spilt beer into the controls of that thing, i'd still be playing it!! My 2 cents..

[Steiner]

The line 6 is what got me going on Soldanos and Bogner and Sampson...

[DetroitBlues]

I have a Line 6 Pocket pod that I've used through monitors before. It really does sound rather good. I've plugged mine into a stereo before and the tone is spot on to some of the real deals out there.

[jjkrause84]

Search your inner musical soul....it should become quite clear. I know that I love Marshall cleans, so I built a JTM45...the quintessential Marshall clean amp. Been STOKED about it ever since.

[t0aj15]

Just posting to see if anybody else is plagued by changing taste in amps. How to cope with this?

This is how I finally came to deal the G.A.S. ;

 

 

[212Mavguy]

Dis a very good thread!

 

What I have noticed is that my mind's amp voicing desires have changed and continue to evolve. I got amps at a time to suit that desire at that time, so now I own quite a few very nice amps. And any time i want to, I can yank an amp out of the stable, plug in, and enjoy that particulat tone palette.

 

From my experiences, I'd say that a D-style amp can cop a huge variety of tones, you can get a D-style amp from a decent amount of choices of high quality builders of those styles, add Ceriatone C-lator fx loop buffer and totally pimp that whole thang out with vintage, not new, old stock tubes for less than the cost of that Two Rock by itself, I've gone that route with two different D-clones and am very, very happy. And the previous post about speaker choices is right on. Speaks/cabs are a huge part of the tone chain.

[DetroitBlues]

Dis a very good thread!

 

What I have noticed is that my mind's amp voicing desires have changed and continue to evolve. I got amps at a time to suit that desire at that time, so now I own quite a few very nice amps. And any time i want to, I can yank an amp out of the stable, plug in, and enjoy that particulat tone palette.

 

From my experiences, I'd say that a D-style amp can cop a huge variety of tones, you can get a D-style amp from a decent amount of choices of high quality builders of those styles, add Ceriatone C-lator fx loop buffer and totally pimp that whole thang out with vintage, not new, old stock tubes for less than the cost of that Two Rock by itself, I've gone that route with two different D-clones and am very, very happy. And the previous post about speaker choices is right on. Speaks/cabs are a huge part of the tone chain.

 

Actual D's are almost impossible to find and beyond the means of the average mortal! But even the clones are very expensive because the unique parts that must be found to go in them. Just ask KBP810!

[Guest HRB853370]

Just posting to see if anybody else is plagued by changing taste in amps. First, I had to have the Tone King Metro, but when I demo'd that, I also demo'd Two Rock Gainmaster at that same time, and that became the new favorite. Last night, I heard the Marshall JTM 45 (on You Tube, mind you) and the Two Rock sounded like it had a wet blanket on it compared to the Marshall. How to cope with this?

Sing: "If I were a rich (Wo)Man, yabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dee" it would be no problem, but as it is, it's going to take a couple of years to save for my dream amp, since I seem to have champagne taste on a beer budget! Is this why a lot of guys own 10 amps or more? Just sayin' . .

 

Just sayin or just askin? Do yourself a favor. Fugget about YouTube and take your fave Heritage to demo as many amps as you can live. That is the ONLY way you will know if you are going to be happy or remorseful. I used to sell Hi-Fidelity, back in the heyday of Hi-Fidelity, and I used to let my prospects take speaker systems home to try out in their listening room with their favorite sound system (amp/pre-amp/receiver). Why? Because every speaker system will sound different according to the various acoustics of a room. Sorry to opinionate here.

[DetroitBlues]

 

Just sayin or just askin? Do yourself a favor. Fugget about YouTube and take your fave Heritage to demo as many amps as you can live. That is the ONLY way you will know if you are going to be happy or remorseful. I used to sell Hi-Fidelity, back in the heyday of Hi-Fidelity, and I used to let my prospects take speaker systems home to try out in their listening room with their favorite sound system (amp/pre-amp/receiver). Why? Because every speaker system will sound different according to the various acoustics of a room. Sorry to opinionate here.

 

I think that is the best way to do it. Bring your own guitar into a store and play it though a future amp you are interested in. When I try out a guitar, I like to plug it into an amp that is as closest to mine as possible. When I'm trying out an amp, I like to use comparable guitars with it so I know what my style and tone will sound like...