https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:40:05 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61763 Sat, 05 Jun 2004 00:34:40 +0000
Effects are great. But you still need a good foundation to build from. For me it just seems like solid state amps and I just don't get along, they don't last very long the way I play. maybe it's my electro-magnetic personality..lol

joe]]> Live Sound forrok_star https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61763 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61762 Sat, 05 Jun 2004 00:18:14 +0000
If that makes any sense.

The JCM DSL 401 could be the one at about $699.

KY]]> Live Sound kyoun1e https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61762 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61734 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 20:15:51 +0000
This simply means that a multi fx has to balance speed with quality, the former being the higher priority.
An effects pedal only has to concentrate on the quality of the processing. So an effects pedal does one thing and (mostly) does it very well.

Get the best tube amp you can afford - you'll be surprised how much fun you can have, finding all the different variations you get get out of a volume, a gain and a couple or three tone knobs.

Once you have the amp, you can consider what effects you want/need.]]> Live Sound greybeard https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61734 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61727 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 18:48:05 +0000
This seems like a pure group -- get an amp that produces a great sound and then provides a foundation for other sounds via pedals. I think I like that approach vs getting an amp with a thousand effects combinations that confuse the hell out of me...and then pedals on top of that.

My concern is finding "my tone" without getting a feel for the distortion I crave...that maybe I can only attain with a pedal?

Going to hit the store today. Should be interesting.

Thanks. KY]]> Live Sound kyoun1e https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61727 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61688 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 08:55:15 +0000
I just bought a 1958 Premier Twin-8. It has the original tubes in it and works perfectly. It is only about 5 watts. It is very loud for the bedroom, but not loud enough for a gig by itself. I used it at an open mic last night. I cranked it up all the way and mic'd it into the PA. I got a great overdrive distortion. I also used my Danelectro Fab Tone thru it. You would have thought I had a 100W Marshall stack cranked! I could hold any note into feedback. Awesome.

Even solid state amps do not usually have the high-gain modern distortion. They are very good, but for the heavy stuff almost everybody uses a pedal.

A distortion pedal thru a tube amp at saturation will blow a solid-state away.

Get yourself a Fender Pro Junior or Blues Junior (15 Watts Tube) and a multi-effects pedalboard. You will get incredible sounds.]]> Live Sound Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61688 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61685 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 06:00:40 +0000
The downside of that longevity? When I do re-tube it, it will cost me 3x more than I paid for the whole amp in the first place!]]> Live Sound NoteBoat https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61685 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61679 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:59:32 +0000
One other criteria: Ease of use. A thousand knobs that confuse me is probably not for me. I want effects, but something I can get my brain around. Probably will find a sweet spot (somewhere in the distorted area) and stay there for the most part. Maybe find some other sweet spots, but not 100 of them. I like my music hard and heavy so I think simple is best.

Tubes are making a comeback in my brain. I've now read a couple of posts indicating how Zep, Sabbath and the like used tube amps. Although the thought of a breakdown is scary.

Thanks everyone.

KY]]> Live Sound kyoun1e https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61679 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61678 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:08:46 +0000 not going to sound as good as a tube amp, but for the options and onboard effects, it rocks.
depends on what you want from your amp i guess - killer tone (tube) or options galore (spider)
also it has 3 insane settings, so pretty good for high gain distortion :)

personally i like the spider, because im told tubes are prone to breaking quite a bit, and knowing my luck it wouldnt last long before going back to the shop :p]]> Live Sound mordeth https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61678 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61666 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:39:07 +0000 Live Sound stock28 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61666 https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61652 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 23:05:47 +0000 dragging out a Peavey Classic 50 4x10, because the all-tube sound and tight bass killed many of the other amps unless I wanted to spend a lot more money.

The Spider dropped out of the running as soon as I tried the first all-tube amp, and not even a particularly outstanding one. I decided very quickly that two, really good sounds -- clean and saturated tube -- were much better than a budget $450 modeler that was only hitting 80% on each of the "many" sounds provided. Not that modeling amps totally suck -- at home, I cannot crank my PV to the point of good saturation (no attenuator), so I practice with a Roland Cube 30 -- even cheaper than the Spider.

As far as tubes versus solid state and distortion: you have it backwards. Most of those great distorted, punchy metal and rock sounds are from tubes. Why do you think all these amps with solid state or hybrid designs have "tube" somewhere in their product names? Answer: The tube sound is the grail for metal and rock. The warm sound your friend speaks of is the "cleaner" side of the tube sound. It's another plus -- when you do need clean, it's a nice warm clean. Very few players other than trad jazzers and acoustic players really go for solid state amps. If they do, it's for transparency. That is, high fidelity reproduction of the sound as it comes from the guitar -- basically a portable PA system.

OTOH, if you really like solid state distortion, it's always is available in a $30 pedal. The same is not true for tubes.

Go play 'em and decide.]]> Live Sound gnease https://guitarnoise.forum/live-sound/amps-101-need-help/#post-61652