Caevan O’Shite Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Whether you play in your bedroom or are a constantly gigging pro, what would you like in an amp? What would be an improvement on what you currently play through, or have you found the perfect answer to all of your amplifying needs? If you could custom order a tailor-made amp to your exacting requests, what sound(s) and features would you want? Does such an amp exist, or would it have to be made? For that matter, would one amp do it, covering all of your needs, or would you really need more than one? And, if so, all together in an Uber Rig, or different amps for different jobs? Are there any "amp questions" that I've overlooked? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 I'd like to see a combination of what I have. I haven't bought or shopped for an amp in a very long time, so I'm probably way out of date. I'd like to see an amp that has two independent preamp sections, that don't borrow from each other. So one configuration doesn't compromise the other channel, like the Boogie Quad. Plus I'd like to see each pre-amp have tube-circuit board modules that are removable/swtichable, like the old Seymour Duncan amplifiers, therefore changing the sound drastically. It's got to have stereo outs, variable power for low volume crunch, efx send, recording out, digi send/return (spdif/aes)for effects or digital recording. Speaker modeling would be interesting too. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaded Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 I'm pretty easy to satisfy. Fender Clean. Marshall Distortion. Reverb. Open back. OH!! AND FUZZY PINK DICE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzel logic Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by henryrobinett: I'd like to see a combination of what I have. I haven't bought or shopped for an amp in a very long time, so I'm probably way out of date. I'd like to see an amp that has two independent preamp sections, that don't borrow from each other. So one configuration doesn't compromise the other channel, like the Boogie Quad. Plus I'd like to see each pre-amp have tube-circuit board modules that are removable/swtichable, like the old Seymour Duncan amplifiers, therefore changing the sound drastically. It's got to have stereo outs, variable power for low volume crunch, efx send, recording out, digi send/return (spdif/aes)for effects or digital recording. Speaker modeling would be interesting too."Let's build that sucker", i want one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by jaded: I'm pretty easy to satisfy. Fender Clean. Marshall Distortion. Reverb. Open back. I'm with this guy. Marshall overdrive, Fender clean, and maybe a Mesa Lead. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djinn1973 Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 good distortion, spring reverb tank, effects loop,I would like to be able to use it open back,or as a closed back box. Foot switching, 12'inch speaker,60 watts and I want it in any colour (other then black). So those calluses are supposed to be there; right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipotle Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 I'd like a single channel amp that can go from Vox AC-30 clean/slight crunch to Mesa Dual Rectifier just by adjusting the guitar's volume knob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 just somethin load and with good tone, its kinda hard to find an amp like that without 75 effects you dont need for a cheap price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by EmptinessOFYouth: just somethin load and with good tone, its kinda hard to find an amp like that without 75 effects you dont need for a cheap priceYeah. I definitely don't want effects inmside ala Line6. But I do want an amp I can get a huge variety of sounds out of. Seems like there are a great many amps that are simple and have great tone. Carr comes to mind. I love those amps. But I need to vary my sound at the drop of a hat. From really warm clean to smooth distortion to loud crunch. And particularly in studio situations where switching a circuit board would give me a great difference in tone. I mean I really dislike those modelling amps. I can hear the digital/metallic grunge. I need nice warm tubes. And it be very useful to plug a digital I/O in the back to go directly to DAW for live or studio applications where speed is the thing. Reamp later if need be. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaded Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by EmptinessOFYouth: just somethin load and with good tone, its kinda hard to find an amp like that without 75 effects you dont need for a cheap priceThank God! I'm not the only one sick of all those built in effects! Make it stop!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaded Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by revolead: Originally posted by jaded: I'm pretty easy to satisfy. Fender Clean. Marshall Distortion. Reverb. Open back. I'm with this guy. Marshall overdrive, Fender clean, and maybe a Mesa Lead.Hey, what about the pink fuzzy dice! A third channel for Mesa lead... ooohhh that would be sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beermouse Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 My Traynor YCV80 does just about everything for me (Fenderish clean, Marshally distortion, and Mesa-like lead). The only improvement I can think of would be to have the reverb be footswitchable, but aside from that, there's nothing I don't love about that amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by jaded: Originally posted by revolead: Originally posted by jaded: I'm pretty easy to satisfy. Fender Clean. Marshall Distortion. Reverb. Open back. I'm with this guy. Marshall overdrive, Fender clean, and maybe a Mesa Lead.Hey, what about the pink fuzzy dice! A third channel for Mesa lead... ooohhh that would be sweet!Sorry. I'd prefer a nice coaster on top of it. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 IMO, nothing is better than a Marshall JCM 800 or DSL-50 for distortion and a Fender Super Reverb for clean sounds. Having both in one amp would be pure tone nirvana. I'd want to keep the effects Fender used in the Super Reverb, that tremolo kicks butt!! Also, a smaller amp like my brownface Princeton is a must. A tweed Fender 5E3 Deluxe would be ultra cool too. I'd want one of those for the smokey blues leads or Neil Young style raunchy power chords that you can only achieve when two 6V6 power tubes are getting their asses kicked! In general, I prefer American power tubes. 5881's, 6L6's, and 6V6's really kick butt. I believe that there is no one ultimate amplifier, as every amp is going to be lacking something that another amp has. So, my rig would be like this: Guitar > switch > 1 or 2 or 3 1) Marshall JCM 800 or Marshall DSL-50 w/ 1960B cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's 2) 1965 Fender Super Reverb vibrato channel w/ 4 Jensen C10Q's 3) 1961 Fender brownface Princeton w/ Jensen C10Q If you want to get right down to it, every amp is great and can deliver useful tones if you take the time to play with it and find them. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alguit Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 I remember a few years ago that Gerlitz came out with an amp with which one changed channels not by stomping on a switch but by sweeping a foot platform from side to side, more of a "blender." On one end of the spectrum was the clean "Fendery" tone and at the other end was the Marshall sound. I'd like to see it go one further, from Fender clean to Marshall crunch to a "Marshall + Fuzz Face" lead tone. Other than that, I'm quite satisfied with the amps I now own; it took many years to acquire them and optimize their tones, but I am happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Bluestrat - Sort of off topic, but I sent you a PM about your amps. Just FYI. Anyway, it seems to me through this thread we've all determined that Marshall drive just kicks ass, Fender clean just sparkles, and Mesa leads just sing. Maybe would should write an amp company? Anyone listening? Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by sCary McMonster: My Traynor YCV80 does just about everything for me (Fenderish clean, Marshally distortion, and Mesa-like lead). The only improvement I can think of would be to have the reverb be footswitchable, but aside from that, there's nothing I don't love about that amp.hey sCary McMonster, tell me more about your yvc80, i have heard about the fender/marshall description and am thinkinking of checking one out. thats the combo of tones i like. what guitars do you use in combo with the traynor. does it suit p90's? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 TONE!!!! Since I'm not playing out anymore, I just want tone from my amp- at a decent (as in LOW!) volume. I'm pretty happy with my Univalve as a pre into the JTM45. Hopefully the Palmer speaker emulator, if it ever gets here, will bring it all together. I don't want effects in my amp. I'd rather put them on later or at the board. I'd really like to try out one of the Dr.Z amps Myles has been talking about. If I ever find one around here I'll probably pick one up. My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 One Marshall DSL 50 combo, one Mesa Solo Rectifier combo, one Peavey XXL solid state combo, and a small acoustic amp of some sort that can also run direct to board. Yeah, I know... FOUR amps, but I'd rather not try to strain different sounds out of one amp, though I know it can be done. I chose 50 watt tube amps mostly for practical reasons. I'd probably try to use a power attenuator (like a THD Hotplate) for smaller venues anyway (or just plug my ears with custom made earplugs for the heavy stuff). Also, a couple of 4x12 cabs for when I use the Marshall, Mesa, and the Peavey in bigger venues. I don't need much for effects. I can use my ZOOM in the fx loop, or do the effects later during mixdown. After that, probably just wah, volume pedal and overdrive up front (not for the acoustic). If I use a guitar synth, then I'd definitely have to make a small rack, and have everything controlled via MIDI (except for the wah, volume pedal and overdrive). Then again, with the amps I'd want, if I wanted to use 'em all live, that may not be a bad idea. Damn, now I have to hire Mark Snyder, John Petrucci's tech. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beermouse Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Originally posted by Guitarzan: Originally posted by sCary McMonster: My Traynor YCV80 does just about everything for me (Fenderish clean, Marshally distortion, and Mesa-like lead). The only improvement I can think of would be to have the reverb be footswitchable, but aside from that, there's nothing I don't love about that amp.hey sCary McMonster, tell me more about your yvc80, i have heard about the fender/marshall description and am thinkinking of checking one out. thats the combo of tones i like. what guitars do you use in combo with the traynor. does it suit p90's?Guitars I've used/use through the YCV80 on a fairly regular basis: - Fender Standard Fat Strat (MIM)* - Fender Standard Telecaster (MIM) - Tokai Firebird V - Tokai Love Rock - Fernandes Flying V The Fat Strat's my own personal axe, so I've used it the most through the YCV80. The other guitars are owned by various friends who I play with on a regular basis. I haven't really used a P-90 equipped guitar with it. That said, the YCV80 is definitely friendlier with single-coil pickups than with humbuckers. Not that it makes humbucker-equipped guitars sound bad per se - it just makes single coils sound that much better, if you catch my drift. The reviews at Harmony-Central can say pretty everything I can but better (I'm not the best at describing amps), but there are several things I'd like to mention regarding the YCV80: 1) It can definitely do metal. Using the Love Rock and the Fernandes V through it proved that to me. Not the best metal sounds, but you get a lot more than you pay for with this amp. 2) It's heavy. 75 lbs heavy. 3) It's totally worth it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timrocker Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 A couple of Saturdays ago, I lucked into getting to play on the very amp that fits darned near all of my gigging (cover band, at least) needs. I was asked to sit in with a group in a medium sized club over in Milwaukie, Oregon. They had a Fender Prosonic combo in red tolex. It sounded just great from the get go. They had it dialed already, I never touched the knobs. The clean was smooth and pretty, not clinical or clinky. Step on the OD switch and out came the most gorgeous crunch. It was somehow still pretty and smooth, just with teeth like a Tyrannosaurus on 'shrooms. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I better point out too that the band was tight and the room sounded very good. You know how some rooms are? Something about the combination of acoustics, players, and amp tone just lined up perfectly. I swear I could do no wrong. All that with just a guitar, cord, and a 2 by 10 combo amp. Oh what a night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 oh sCary i know heavy, my DG100 is 73 lbs. have you played any of the Yamaha dg series so you can give me some comparison of my amp to the YCV80. i know the modeling of my dg isn't going to be the same as the tube traynor but i am curious to the main differences in tone and styles they can handle http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beermouse Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Sorry, can't say I have. However, I can tell you that I've played metal, jazz, blues, and too many different types of rock through the YCV80, all with extremely pleasant results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 What do I want in an amp? Someone already makes it, Randall I think, but whoever, it has something like six different pre-amp plug 'n play module bays that you can put different pre-amps into and then switch from one to the other. Just REAL expensive! Add bias switching for 6L6 and EL34 and ..., and .. what else is there? Oh yeah, and it has to make me sound like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Alber King and Jimi Hendrix all rolled together! Dave Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 On second thought... I think I'll just get an XXL combo, a 4x12 cab for meaner gigs, and the guitar synth + a combo amp that can act as a monitor/DI unit for that... forget the original plan. I'd like casters on both the XXL combo and the 4x12. Having them a few inches off the floor makes little difference to the tone for me. Besides, when it's loud enough, they'll shake the house along with the bassist's rig. With the damping options, power switch, and tube amp output transformers that the XXL has, it really can get all the tones I want. Plus... "Look ma, no tubes!" sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Originally posted by Dave th Dude: "What do I want in an amp?" "Someone already makes it, Randall I think, but whoever, it has something like six different pre-amp plug 'n play module bays that you can put different pre-amps into and then switch from one to the other..."Yeah, I was thinking that Randall amp might fulfill at least some of henryrobinett's list of wishes. Are ya reading this, Henry? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Yeah. I actually have the Seymour Duncan Convertible which was the first to implement those modules as a concept. I love it. I'm just concerned because when and if that amp goes belly up there's o replacement. I'd have to get someone like Myles to reverse engineer or rackmount it. I've thought of just rackmounting the preamp section. I'll check out the Randall. Could he be thinking of the Duncan? All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Randall does in fact make an amp like that, it was reviewed in an issue of Guitar Player magazine within the past year or so. As for the built-in digital output... I think that a good (if not better) facsimile of that would be to use a GT (as in "Groove Tubes") Electronics Speaker Emulator II connected in patrallel or series with your speakers, and send its line-out to an A/D converter of some kind with a S/PDIF output. That would probably be pretty good! Certainly better than any speaker modeling; these reactive-load sp. emu's sound great, I've got one of their old original models that I'll never part with. (Myles has some, as well, and I think that's as good an "endorsement" as any!) The GT-E SE II also has a reactive-load based "power soak" attenuator, albeit one with a limited number of attenuation levels. Or you could use it alone, with no live speakers connected. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timrocker Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Good suggestion, Caevan. Okay, I haven't tried it, but it sure sounds workable, doesn't it? I too am a luster after the GT Speaker Emulator II. So far, standing on a freeway offramp with a sign that says "will work for GT Sp. Em. II" hasn't achieved jack. Darn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teahead Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 My perfect amp would be a Class A head and 2x12" cabinet, or possibly even such a combo, two channels would be enough, and the gain should just overlap from one channel to the next, not make a huge shift in tone, bite and drive. Clean isn't really a necessity for me, but it would be nice to have it clean-up well with the guitar volume turned down. Reverb, again is not an absolute must have option. Simple enough I know, at the minute I'm not in possession of such an animal, one day I will be, best wishes, Tea. Pedal Clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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