Matching a guitar to an amp

[WhoFan]

OK i was using my original 65 Deluxe non reverb tonight at a Jam with a drummer i know... took my strat that has 2 Noiseless Fender pickups and i added a Duncan JB to the bridge position... Man that amp hates the JB... Switch to the single coil's (or the Noiseless in this case) and that amp comes alive.... Any high output humbuckers do not sound good thru this amp...

The more i mess around with my gear the more i find it is all about the connection between the right guitar and the right amp.... anyone have any amps that just seem to do it all?

WhoFan

[Curly]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

i find it is all about the connection between the right guitar and the right amp

I agree ... that's why lots of players gravitate towards some tried and true combinations that just work.
there are still surprising discoveries for me in this regard, but the basic premise is a big part of the key to good tone

[jeremy]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

my marshall loves buckers, the tweed dlx loves single coils. the bassman and blues jr work well with either but the jr doesnt like pups that are overly hot (doesnt like the 17k c5). matching your gear is really important, from the guitar to the speaker, being conscience of what youve got and whats working and what isnt can make the difference between sounding ok and getting THE tone

[WhoFan]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

I'm thinking my Deluxe amp would shine with a stock tele.... I think the Teles tone would really work well with that amp for sure!!!!

[fusion101]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

I know exactly what u mean about the JB not fiting your amp i have a super reverb, and when i use my strat loaded with a JB it is ear piercing; I mean f@cking ouch.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

Matching a guitar to an amp is essential. I play primarily single coil guitars a) because I love the tone and b) because it eats up the Vox and Marshall channels of my amp. Humbuckers sound good, but I find p90s and singles just sound a little bit better.

I know a few regular giggers that use Super Reverbs with humbucker loaded Gibsons and was surprised to hear it work so well. If you ever get the chance, try humbucker loaded Gibsons through a Fender amp and then try a single coil loaded Fender through a Fender amp. To my ears, Fender amps generally really love single coils. Of course, a million guys like Eric Johnson would disagree (ES-335 through a Vibrolux Reverb).

The best thing to do is try to match the general tonal characteristics. If you're playing through an open sounding bright amp, throw some humbuckers in the mix. If you're playing through a darker amp or want more headroom on tap, try some single coils. If you need an overdrive channel to break up a little earlier and you like some mids, try p90s. This has generally worked very well for me. Good luck

[Benjy_26]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

My BF Bassman is a pretty friendly amp, though it does seem to like brighter guitars ('buckers or singles).

[WhoFan]

Re: Matching a guitar to an amp

Ya it's weird but at the same time my Deluxe amp hates my humbuckers... my Classic 50 and my Classic 30 hate my singlecoil guitars.... well at least i hate the tone i get with a stock strat thru the Peavey's... The Peavey's like Gibson style guitars for sure.... The Deluxe only shines with the stock strat.... ain't a bad thing i guess....