Advice on amps
Kegzy05
Posts: 93
Hey guys just thought i would drop a thread in on something that im curious about. I have been doing some preliminary research for a while on different amps and have come to the juncture where I am wondering what is best for me. Like alot of people, I am after something that will give me a great clean tone but also dirty up alot. I am wondering:-
Two amps- i.e maybe a fender 57 twin and a marshall jvm 50watt. To get both crystal clean sounds and also a good distortion sound.
Or will just one higher end amp do? - Something like the mesa boogie stiletto's that I have been looking at. I havent tried this one myself yet but i am told by many that this kind of amp would be perfect for both clean through to heavy distortions.
I am mainly playing at home and in a garage band now but I am hoping to get into small pub gigs early next year. I understand that theres a lot of circumstances to consider before making a choice but if anyone has any general advice that would be great! Thanks!
Two amps- i.e maybe a fender 57 twin and a marshall jvm 50watt. To get both crystal clean sounds and also a good distortion sound.
Or will just one higher end amp do? - Something like the mesa boogie stiletto's that I have been looking at. I havent tried this one myself yet but i am told by many that this kind of amp would be perfect for both clean through to heavy distortions.
I am mainly playing at home and in a garage band now but I am hoping to get into small pub gigs early next year. I understand that theres a lot of circumstances to consider before making a choice but if anyone has any general advice that would be great! Thanks!
"I dont question, our existence
I just question, our modern needs"
I just question, our modern needs"
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single coils and a slight volume roll-off = crystal clean. humbuckers + boost pedal = big distortion.
i've never found a channel switching amp i liked.
At that price range you've got a load of options available.
If you can I'd like you go go play a Diezel VH4. As far as channel switching amps with a plethora of options that's one of the best I've ever played or heard even though it's hideous looking.
I like the advantages of a multi amp setup but you do need to spend some time shopping.
I like where your head is trying to get tweed 6L6's and loose clean with warm EL34's and very tight focused distortion.
In that vein, I think you should shop Soldano and Bogner too.
As for the fenders, do play some amps with 10's too Vibroking, 59 bassman, Super. Vibrolux and bring an overdrive (or two) with you. The character of those amps can change quite a bit depending on what's infront of it.
Diezel VH4 though. Absolutely tremendous. Especially with a Les Paul.
* They both have good clean tones, but Marshall JVM has much better OD-tones.
* The 4-channel JVM Marshall (410-version) is actually much more versatile than
the 2-channel (the 4-channel is similar in versatility to a Mesa Boogie Road King).
Out of the two makes you listed (Twin or JVM), I'd say go with the Marshall JVM.
* I also like the Mesa Boogie Lonestar a lot, and that Mesa Stiletto you mentioned
is a nice amp. However if we're talking Mesa, I think the Road King V2 sounds best.
- Ian
BTW: the Bogner Shiva has some of the best tones on the market (if not the best).
<b><font color="red">CONTACT ME HERE</font>: www.myspace.com/ianvomsaal</b>
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I know you are in Austalia, so your options are a bit more limited.
The Stiletto's are good, but the range of tones is not huge. They have a big clean, and a good overdrive/distortion, but it is what it is, and it is nothing else.
For small pub gigs, a Mesa Express wound be better, say a 5:25.
I saw a guy playing an F30 on Sunday in a pub, had it miked, and his pedal case sitting in front of it to stop any beaming. He was relying on fold-back to hear himself, which is good cos it not pointed at the room. He had good tone.
A fender Twin will work well with pedals.
I have my Mesa Lonestar Classic for sale at present, on the Gold Coast. TYou are in Bris as I recall. PM me if interested, I want about $2500-&2700 for it, in perfect condition. It wil ltakee pedals extremely well and has huge cleans if you want em. It will be on ebay this week. The LSC is basicaly Mesa's take on a Twin, and very highly regarded. I'm sellig to buy a new guitar.
You'd be better off with a middle of the road Fender or Marshall or even a Peavey. Marshall DSL 50 would be a decent choice as would a Fender Blues Deville.
Unless you have the money then, go with the '57 Twin.
blackface princeton for cleans + tweed princeton for dirties (tiny rooms)
blackface twin for cleans + tweed twin (low power) for dirties. (big rooms)
fun for all occasions.
Didn't I mention it ??
I'm getting an ESP Horizon FR-2, in blue (black aqua), has NTB maple neck, mahogabny body, Jb bridge, JB59 neck, coil tap, 24 frets, long scale, FR trem, and it just plain porn to play.
I need anouther FR guitar so I can have one in E and one in Eb, plus the coil tap gettts me some single coil tones that I like. I don't dig start tones, and I hate the Fender trems, they are just crap for tuning stability. This is more a P90 toen, which I love.
I will extend my research into some of those other options i.e bogner, soldano and diezel not sure if all these are readily available in australia but.
It seems to me that there is a sliding scale between crystal clean tones and a good natural distortion. What you gain in one you lose in the other somewhat. If you know what I mean.
I like the mesa's distortion on the rectifiers and the stiletto but I dont think the cleans are as good as I would like. And vice versa with the Mesa lonestar (good cleans but not so good on the distortion) Fender being very similar etc.
Which is why I started thinking about having 2 amps. Im almost certain if I went this way that a fender would be my clean amp. Love fenders clean tone with the sustain.
But yeah, hauling two amps to a gig could be a bit of a pain as has been mentioned. Looks like I have plenty more decision making to do!
I just question, our modern needs"
You could get 2 one 12's, and that's a little more practical to take to a gig... BUt still, you're talking about micing 2 different amps, etc etc...
I run a Traynor YCV80q... For the price, it can't be beat. You can do better with your budget, but that amp has been a solid workhorse for years.
I just question, our modern needs"
I agree!
I think look for your clean sound first and try for an amp that may take well to pedals.
I personally like the Fender clean sound these days,and I like to push them a bit over the edge for a bit of grit. I've had all kinds of amps over the years and I like the a good Fender Deluxe lately. I keep it just on 6 or 7 volume and use my guitar volume to clean it up. If you lose tone when you turn down your volume, you can play with the capacitors in your guitar to combat that..
If you have two amps, then you're sort of locked into two tones on stage whereas you can dial in the dynamics you need at the moment with your volume on the guitar which will give you your clean amp and some dirt when you turn the volume up, THEN,,,,
If you have good clean then you can work on dirty with pedals to keep from hauling around a Marshall or other beast! There are a lot out there.
Like Exhausted said, a clean boost and overdrive give you a lot of options
One thing I've been just experimenting with this week is my highly loud Twin Reverb and a Zvex Box of Rock. It's a pricey pedal but it has a clean boost and distortion in one. About $300 American new, but cheaper than another amp.
It's REALLY versatile and on loan to me and I may get it, (Or just forget to give it back!
The Twin takes pedals really well, and with the Box of Rock on clean boost, it pushes the Fender to its own distortion but you can also add pedal distortion which sounds really Marshall-like even through the Twin. It responds well to volume and picking dynamics, too.
http://zvex.com/boxofrock.html
There are a lot of boosts and overdrives out there now, and I like to keep things as simple as possible.
Also, adding an equalizer pedal in the chain can help you tweak tones if you're trying to use an amp for clean AND overdrive and you want to tweak the pedal tones.
Good luck and have fun blasting them out at the music stores! Don't forget to play Stairway to Heaven!
Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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They should have them at Ellaways, probably Billy Hyde's in the Valley.
If you can't cut a deal, PM me and I'll give you a contact who will come down a bit. THey ain't cheap though, but they are good value. NO tech neede dfor tube changes too, which is important, since there are precious few guys in Bris, and none are easy to get to.
Are you North or South ? Confederate or Union dog ??
I went to billy hydes in the valley the other day actually to have a look around, werent any "express" models there but. Still really lost as to which way I should go with the amps. Im tending to swing towards the fenders like alot of people suggested, and dirty it up with some pedals if I have to. Just thinking that with pedals I wont get that nice warm natural tube distortion.
One of the reasons I was seriously thinking Mesa, was that you can have the option of choosing 6L6's or El34's (stiletto model i think). I love the El34 overdrive and the 6L6's would give me a nice clean. I also looked at the Road Kings but as its a rectifier I dont think it would suit me as well. Lately I have sort of gone off mesa.
The two new amps I have been researching recently are the Hughes and Kettner Triamp Mk2 (sounds like a nice clean, and has El34's for the distortion and not too harsh) and the Soldano Decatone (Sounds like the clean is not as crystal as some but big reviews on its overdrive). I've read heaps of reviews on harmony central but its hard to know because everyone has different thoughts. Has anyone played either of these two amps? What did you think? Opinions on any other amps would be greatly received aswell
I guess its also hard when you arent playing a certain genre all the time. Sometimes I wish I was just a metal shredder all out and then it would be easier to choose. But since I want a crystal sparkling clean that doesnt break up with higher volumes, a nice warm tube overdrive, AND a reasonably grunty distortion (Foo fighters covers, Rage against the machine etc) its alot harder
Cheers
I just question, our modern needs"
Great amp though !! I run mine through the matched H&K 412 quadwiht Greenies, which optimises the tones. They seem to sell a lot cheaper than I paid for mine, so I'm not sure ewhat's going on with the spec there.
Don't discard the Rectifier cleans (or OD) based on what people say on teh interenets about them. You really need to judege for yourself.
I had a Lonestar and still have the Bad Cat and H&K as a comparison, and the clean on my Rectifer are plenty fine. People talk a load of crp about friers, cos they never turn the gain knobs doen. You'd be amazed at the tones you get from RAW mode, for example.
Maybe we could do a tone test sometime. There is a rehersal room at Coomera we use that is not too expensive. I'm thinking of selling my Rectifier too, just because I have boutique GAS and am thinking of either a CArol-Ann or a Komet, so I'll need to raise some cash for either.
One thing about Rectifiers, they are built like a tank and can be gigged to death without fear of wearing them out or them getting marked up easy.
They are reasonably priced second-hand. I have a bud at Morayfield who was selling one, not sure if he still has it. Road Kings are outrageously priced.
FWIW, changing to EL34 tubes makes bugger all difference to the tone from what I've heard, cos teh circuit is still the same. I can sure pull a righteous Marshall roar from my 6L6 H&K, for sure !!!