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Post by yettoblaster on Nov 6, 2015 2:17:13 GMT
OK, I'll kick it off I guess.
Seems to me we are in a golden age of amp building, similar to how good even cheap guitars have gotten.
The new tube amps seem to capture the classic sounds of yesteryear, and companies like Roland, etc., have really nailed down what made all those old unreliable tube amps ( now, especially if they were built some decades ago) sound good.
It used to be that SS amps were good at clean sounds (the jazz guys embraced them a long time ago) but not so good at distortion.
Now it seems SS amps (starting for my money: with Tech 21), really are convenient for getting great sounds of all types.
While I still prefer a small tube amp for a lot of things I want to do, I must admit there's always a SS amp in the trunk of my car, in case the tube amp decides the Chinese tubes nowadays are too fragile and starts making extraneous tube noise, etc.
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Post by Colchar on Nov 6, 2015 2:21:12 GMT
I went through a brief phase during which I thought only tube amps would do. But then I remembered that I had owned a couple of SS amps that I liked (Traynor Dynagain) so I got over that. I was a little leery of modelers, especially because I tend to like simplicity (Fender Princeton, Orange Tiny Terror, etc.), but since buying the Mustang III I have come to appreciate what modelers can do provided they are good quality modelers and not cheap junk. But I suppose that could apply to SS and tube amps as well couldn't it?
One thing I am sick and tired of is cork sniffery. If something works for you and you like how it sounds then use it and fuck everyone else!
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Post by yettoblaster on Nov 6, 2015 2:41:01 GMT
I used my ears and DIDN'T like the early SS amps. Eventually I had a Hughs&Kettner I liked the sound of, but you could also hear the junction noise that was always a low hiss in the background.
Randell made some good stuff too.
I like that they have come a long ways. They're a LOT easier to live with than my old Showman, that seemed to want a $300 tube job every couple of years!
Tech 21 stuff I used was ANALOG modeling (not sure what the advantage was supposed to be, because I don't think anybody is pursuing that road anymore).
My Rolands always surprise me. They really deliver the goods when I use them!
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Post by Grand Toad on Nov 6, 2015 18:28:38 GMT
I have a Bugera V22. It sounds great. A bit delicate, but I've moved around a lot, and it still works.
I have a Tech 21 Blond pedal that sounds just like an old Fender. I've thought about getting a Tech 21 powered speaker cabinet, and running a Sansamp pedal through it.
I've finally decided - who cares what gear you use? Just have fun.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2015 19:08:32 GMT
i don't care what gear i use as long as it sounds good. I even use behringer! though my fender hotrod deluxe is a beautiful amp, i'm thinking about changing it up. it's heavy lol
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Post by Colchar on Nov 7, 2015 3:18:47 GMT
I've finally decided - who cares what gear you use? Just have fun. You're preachin' to the choir on that one brother.
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Post by Grand Toad on Nov 7, 2015 3:22:43 GMT
I've finally decided - who cares what gear you use? Just have fun. You're preachin' to the choir on that one brother. Say something like that elsewhere, and you'll set off a firestorm. Now let us pray for Slash tonez, and Marshalls.
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Post by Colchar on Nov 7, 2015 3:30:37 GMT
You're preachin' to the choir on that one brother. Say something like that elsewhere, and you'll set off a firestorm. Now let us pray for Slash tonez, and Marshalls. Even worse, dare to question Phaez amps! Hell, you don't even have to question the amps. All you have to do is to question the attitude of some of the owners and they lose their fucking minds.
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Post by thumpalumpacus on Nov 8, 2015 2:48:00 GMT
I do prefer tube amps, but like some SS amps. The SCXD modeller was a great little amp.
A few years back I had a Butler Tube Driver 25w 1x10 hybrid that was just fantastic. Wish I hadn't sold it.
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Post by Catfish on Nov 28, 2015 19:48:36 GMT
Say something like that elsewhere, and you'll set off a firestorm. Now let us pray for Slash tonez, and Marshalls. Even worse, dare to question Phaez amps! Hell, you don't even have to question the amps. All you have to do is to question the attitude of some of the owners and they lose their fucking minds. Been there, done that. Should make a tee shirt that says, "Phaez is ok, I guess." I use my lil 5watt SS Mouse far more often than my DR.
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Post by Colchar on Nov 29, 2015 0:03:25 GMT
Been there, done that. Should make a tee shirt that says, "Phaez is ok, I guess." Or "Your Phaez if just a phase" since so many of them seem to be for sale on a regular basis.
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Post by melvindale on Nov 29, 2015 13:00:29 GMT
I'm so up-hip, I've never heard of Phaez - alas. Flavor of the month.
I do agree Yetto - we are in the Golden Age and I'm guessing the way technology is progressing, from now on . . we will always be. In say 5 years from now I can't imagine how outdated all our present equipment will be.
Even pedals - I bought a EH-B9 (Organ) there is virtually 0 latency - that would have been unheard of 5 or 10 years ago not to mention the accuracy of the mimic - bizarre.
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Post by Maxwell on Nov 30, 2015 15:20:40 GMT
Working off and on in music shops since a kid, I find Flavor of the Day hilarious.
Most don't have a clue the validity of that phrase...
If I woulda had money waaaayy back when we carried the early wild paint Hamers, Wayne Charvels, G Jacksons, I could have had a house full of old Lesters and Strats for cheeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.... Damndest thing I'd ever seen... Old amps too... Teles for almost nothing too...
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Post by melvindale on Nov 30, 2015 20:44:32 GMT
Working off and on in music shops since a kid, I find Flavor of the Day hilarious. Most don't have a clue the validity of that phrase... If I woulda had money waaaayy back when we carried the early wild paint Hamers, Wayne Charvels, G Jacksons, I could have had a house full of old Lesters and Strats for cheeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.... Damndest thing I'd ever seen... Old amps too... Teles for almost nothing too... Amen edro - I used to do the Salvation Army and Pawn Shop circuit when I was in my 20's
I once bought a butt ugly Strat-A-Tone by Harmony at the Salvation Army in downtown Detroit that had been sitting in the window (I assume) of some pawn shop, as it had a faded rectangle where a sign had been - presumably where the price tag had been. There was a discernible difference in the green sparkle metal flake finish - it had a lovely chrome strip around the body and one gold foil D'Armond pickup.
I sold it at a guitar show to Elderly Music, who wanted it just for the pick up . . . sigh.
Sold it for 75.00 - that same guitar now sells (seriously) for 1, 200.00 to 1,500.00, but since I paid 8.00 bucks I couldn't feel too bad.
It seems it's now the Flavor of the Day for Slide players . . . . here's Tommo's American cousin 'Tom Gray' from 'Delta Moon' playin a Copper one.
Fortunately - I still have a bunch of Butt Ugly guitars to pick from .
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Post by Grand Toad on Dec 1, 2015 1:04:08 GMT
Flavor of the day. I'll always remember when "hair metal" hit So Cal. My pal bought a 1962 Sunburst Strat for $100.00 from a guy who wanted a pointy Wayne Charvel Super Strat.
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Post by Maxwell on Dec 1, 2015 1:10:38 GMT
We had some crazy ass trades at our shop too.... I just didn't have the geet to snag all the good trade-ins....
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Post by Catfish on Dec 1, 2015 5:36:35 GMT
Buying vintage Strats for $400 a pop, Marshall Plexis for $300...
That was MY Golden Age.
Golden age of stupid.
At one point, I had a stack of blowm heads that was taller than I am. Just left them in the lockout when I moved.
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Post by thumpalumpacus on Dec 15, 2015 19:10:01 GMT
Flavor of the day. I'll always remember when "hair metal" hit So Cal. My pal bought a 1962 Sunburst Strat for $100.00 from a guy who wanted a pointy Wayne Charvel Super Strat. I got my CSB 73 in Nov of 87 ... right before Slush sent prices through the roof. $375.
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Post by 79standard on Dec 17, 2015 4:18:26 GMT
Even worse, dare to question Phaez amps! Hell, you don't even have to question the amps. All you have to do is to question the attitude of some of the owners and they lose their fucking minds. Been there, done that. Should make a tee shirt that says, "Phaez is ok, I guess." I use my lil 5watt SS Mouse far more often than my DR. Mouse amps were one of the best circuit designs ever. In Cambridge in the eighties all the buskers used them. They sounded good clean, they sounded good when driven into clipping, they just sounded good period. Loud little fuggers, too.
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Post by 79standard on Dec 17, 2015 4:23:54 GMT
I'm so up-hip, I've never heard of Phaez - alas. Flavor of the month. I do agree Yetto - we are in the Golden Age and I'm guessing the way technology is progressing, from now on . . we will always be. In say 5 years from now I can't imagine how outdated all our present equipment will be. Even pedals - I bought a EH-B9 (Organ) there is virtually 0 latency - that would have been unheard of 5 or 10 years ago not to mention the accuracy of the mimic - bizarre. Those EHX organ emulators are brilliant. It will take me another year to fully explore the one I bought last summer. And yeah, agreed 100% this is a golden age... watching David Torn and his Fryette Deliverance 100 blew my mind. Sure, if he wanted to, David could even blow yer mind through one of those shitty first-gen Crate amps, the ones they made before they knew what they were doing, but it really enhances the experience when great players use equally great tools.
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Post by 79standard on Dec 17, 2015 4:28:17 GMT
Working off and on in music shops since a kid, I find Flavor of the Day hilarious. Most don't have a clue the validity of that phrase... If I woulda had money waaaayy back when we carried the early wild paint Hamers, Wayne Charvels, G Jacksons, I could have had a house full of old Lesters and Strats for cheeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.... Damndest thing I'd ever seen... Old amps too... Teles for almost nothing too... I remember back in the eighties when Fuzz Faces were almost free because it seemed nobody except me gave a damn about old psych. Hell, a friend of mine GAVE me his 1970 FF back in 1983. I used it and loved it and performed with it and recorded with it for over 20 years and then sold it for almost $700. Too bad my other toys won't go up in value like that. My Lester was appraised at $2000 to $2500 about 10 years ago, and I'd be lucky as hell to get that now. Ten years from now the story will prolly be the same. Weird market we're in.
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Post by Maxwell on Dec 17, 2015 4:35:24 GMT
Tweren't as many Lesters of all kinds back then....
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Post by Schidney on Dec 17, 2015 5:47:14 GMT
A pic of what me old H H V-S Bass Musician solid state amp looked like. The V-S stood for Valve Sound & had a knob you could turn it on & off with. Always had it turned on. Wonderful British amp from the 70s. The snotty buggers all scoffed at what they deemed as an inferior amp to their beloved valve amps but quickly shut their traps after they hit the floor at the outrageously wonderful full bodied big bollocked bastard bass sound I got. (nice bit of alliteration there eh?) A Fender P or Ricky 4001 with a brand spanking new set of Rotosounds on them & you could RULE THE WORLD... Well maybe not but you could at least terrify yer guitarists.
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Post by melvindale on Dec 17, 2015 11:50:18 GMT
A pic of what me old H H V-S Bass Musician solid state amp looked like. The V-S stood for Valve Sound & had a knob you could turn it on & off with. Always had it turned on. Wonderful British amp from the 70s. The snotty buggers all scoffed at what they deemed as an inferior amp to their beloved valve amps but quickly shut their traps after they hit the floor at the outrageously wonderful full bodied big bollocked bastard bass sound I got. (nice bit of alliteration there eh?) A Fender P or Ricky 4001 with a brand spanking new set of Rotosounds on them & you could RULE THE WORLD... Well maybe not but you could at least terrify yer guitarists. I think especially for Bass that SS is the way to go - I've got a Ampeg Portaflex from the late 60's beautiful amp for recording, mellow, soft, lush, plush, round . . . but no balls for playing live. Our Bass player has a Mark and I've recently spent a couple of gigs back being the Bass player - loved it. It can do the round stuff just fine - but with a more pronounced attitude.
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Post by Schidney on Dec 17, 2015 16:37:40 GMT
Holy shit! You still got a working amp from the 60's? Need that wholesome round tone when it's... ummmm needed. Can do that stand in the background stuff till the cows come home. Easy. As I'm a loony guitar player with 4 strings I get a bit restless.
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Post by Colchar on Dec 18, 2015 5:03:26 GMT
Working off and on in music shops since a kid, I find Flavor of the Day hilarious. Most don't have a clue the validity of that phrase... If I woulda had money waaaayy back when we carried the early wild paint Hamers, Wayne Charvels, G Jacksons, I could have had a house full of old Lesters and Strats for cheeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.... Damndest thing I'd ever seen... Old amps too... Teles for almost nothing too... I remember back in the eighties when Fuzz Faces were almost free because it seemed nobody except me gave a damn about old psych. Hell, a friend of mine GAVE me his 1970 FF back in 1983. I used it and loved it and performed with it and recorded with it for over 20 years and then sold it for almost $700. Too bad my other toys won't go up in value like that. My Lester was appraised at $2000 to $2500 about 10 years ago, and I'd be lucky as hell to get that now. Ten years from now the story will prolly be the same. Weird market we're in. I have the Muddy Waters Tele which would originally have sold for about $450. They are now listed as being worth about $900 in the Vintage Guitar Guide. In last year's edition they specifically mentioned the Muddy and that it had gone up in value by about 35% that year.
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Post by 79standard on Dec 21, 2015 21:02:30 GMT
Holy shit! You still got a working amp from the 60's? Need that wholesome round tone when it's... ummmm needed. Can do that stand in the background stuff till the cows come home. Easy. As I'm a loony guitar player with 4 strings I get a bit restless. I've got 2 working '60s amps (Danelectro and Vox) and another that could be that old, but it's so rare that there's no info on it on the 'net (Regal RE-105). I love them all! The Dan-o is tube and was a 5-star pain in the ass to get it working, but the sound makes it all worth it. To be fair, the Regal and the Vox are both solid state and yet, because they are ancient, they still had quite few dried-up parts that needed replacing. 50-plus years will eff up anything, whether it's thermionic or silicon-based. The Vox actually has an output transformer (very uncommon for a solid state design) and will bare its teeth in a very exciting Marshally way. The Regal is a Jim Hall sound, very syrupy but not dead-sounding at all.
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Post by Grand Toad on Dec 22, 2015 4:04:54 GMT
Thinking back to the late 70s, when all the guys around here were getting Marshalls. Our band was using all Peavey stuff, and it was very reliable, if not the Marshall sounding. I just remember most of the Marshall guys having their amps in the shop for all kinds of repairs. The damn things seemed to break all the time.
There was one guy who had two Sound City stacks, and those damn things were bullet proof.
A lot of bass players used Acoustic SS amps to great effect. Damn loud amps.
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Post by Marshall 'n' Moonshine on Jan 8, 2016 0:40:01 GMT
I've played a few modelers that were fun for a bedroom setting, but I'm not taking one on a stage. I should specify that I've only played the small versions by fender and peavey, not pro gear like Axe or whatever they're called. But the amps I want, I have, which is tweed fender and jcm800. I'll build a Princeton reverb eventually and probably an 18w with a 1974 preamp on one side and a 1987 on the other. No need for a Marshall trem, right? Simple needs for a simpleton.
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Post by Maxwell on Jan 8, 2016 1:18:01 GMT
Thinking back to the late 70s, when all the guys around here were getting Marshalls. Our band was using all Peavey stuff, and it was very reliable, if not the Marshall sounding. I just remember most of the Marshall guys having their amps in the shop for all kinds of repairs. The damn things seemed to break all the time. There was one guy who had two Sound City stacks, and those damn things were bullet proof. A lot of bass players used Acoustic SS amps to great effect. Damn loud amps. My late bro played an Acoustic 371 rig for several years way back in the day.... A Jazz Bass with Rotosounds thru that folded horn cab was suweeeeeeet.... Didn't sound like a folded cab... Smoothie...
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