Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

[Willy25]

I will like to know the ins and outs about amps, what makes them sound like that and also Eq pedals ( the numbers are confusing) An example of something I will like to know is, why is it possible to get a master of puppets tone on a 5150 iii without an eq and other amps you do need one. ( seen on YouTube) I have line 6 helix and don’t own any amps and pedals. It’s really interesting how all the models Sound different. Don’t know if they really nailed it on all the amp models but the one they didn’t because I played one is the 6505. I wish they could fix that one.
Edit: the Pv panama is based on Peavey 5150. Don’t know if it’s the same as a 6505 or a fender 5150iii?

 

[PS412]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

Funny you should ask, I was looking for a website where I could learn more about guitars.

 

[Larioso]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

About EQ pedals - they are usually solid state and they react the same whether you caress your strings or smash them to bits.

In a tube circuit though you will have a dynamics response to how you play.
This is what many appreciate with tube amps - but it also takes some time to know your amp.

I saw a demo once of processor AXE FX II, I think it was.
They sampled a guitar from a song, and made that to a playable tone in the unit.

But this is only a single expression of a guitar sound, in one spot between caress and smashed strings.

Depending on genre you smash your tone with distortion/fuzz pedal anyway, but still.
But if you want everything from clean, light crunch to higain - tube is your friend.
It takes more to master - but it's there if you want it.

About tube amps - I think you can say there are two basic circuits - Fender and Marshall.
Choice of tubes, output transformers(yes, all tube power amps have them to adjust to speakers impedance).
The circuit for power amp and power supply is also important - which voltages tubes work at and how it's built to respond to load(hittin notes/chord etc).
Then is preamp, before power amp - many tubes with small gain each, or few tubes with higain.
Many amps today have gain+master - where gain set gain in preamp stages - and master overall level to power amp.

Over the years tube amps has become much cheaper.
From start they were point-to-to point soldered - meaning every connection had a cable that had to be hand soldered - so became very expensive to make each unit. They still exist though - and they start off in price at $1500-$2000 or so.

Some purists rage over how Fender started using circuit boards - sounding much worse they claimed.
But manufacturing is very efficient and so cheaper to end consumer.
These thin layers of copper will not deliver every little electron in the same way as a proper cable - is the theory.
So revival of Fender Blackface amps - just happened to be boutique stuff of other brands - since Fender go for volume production units.
Just named after panels happended to have black background, not silver as later.

Marshall at some series started to use diodes as clipping device to create crunch and there were a riot over that.
So not sure if any models today have that - but they might. Hard to keep track of models released.
Marshall - hundreds of models does not cover it I think.

Biggest difference today and back in the 60's or so - is that a small amp is good enough these days.
PA systems cover it all - and a small amp is miked and sent to PA.
Back in the day amps 100-200W were common, but people can make do 20-40W even today.
John Petrucci explained in an interview that all speakers are directed back stage - not to create problems for PA guys.
In the 60's and 70's and maybe later too - amps were facing audience and needed to reach out with 100W amps or so.

I just picked this up at different forums over the years - and some amp builders shed some light over how it works.
There are zillion ways to build the circuits - just like there are to build cars.

Very, very brief introduction....

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

I spent many of my teenage years, reading up on Harmony Central reviews.



That gave me a "sense" of what different gear, guitars, amps- were like.

Also, listening to youtube clips, might help.

And speaking with experienced people.

best wishes.
-Erl

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

Everything is EQ.

The speakers you play though change the EQ of your guitar sound quite radically. The amp circuit, tubes, and tone stack (and different tone stacks can behave radically different) change the EQ of your guitar sound a lot, as does the volume you play at (you hear differently at different volumes). The pickups in your guitar change the EQ a moderate amount. The construction of the guitar (how it resonates, type of bridge, type of frets, etc.) changes the EQ you hear a tiny bit.

Then it gets more complicated when you start into gain staging and how adding gain on top of different types of gain changes the final distorted signal.


This stuff is easy to hear, but hard to describe.

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

Everything is EQ.

The speakers you play though change the EQ of your guitar sound quite radically. The amp circuit, tubes, and tone stack (and different tone stacks can behave radically different) change the EQ of your guitar sound a lot, as does the volume you play at (you hear differently at different volumes). The pickups in your guitar change the EQ a moderate amount. The construction of the guitar (how it resonates, type of bridge, type of frets, etc.) changes the EQ you hear a tiny bit.

Then it gets more complicated when you start into gain staging and how adding gain on top of different types of gain changes the final distorted signal.


This stuff is easy to hear, but hard to describe.

I disagree. So much is about tonal character, compression; overtones- and whatnot...

EQ?!

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

I disagree. So much is about tonal character, compression; overtones- and whatnot...

EQ?!

That's what I was alluding to at the end of my post. Compression and overtones are typically related to gain stages that you're running. There's also the way it feels to play different cabs and amps.

But if you're talking about sounds, the multiple layers of EQ that we deal with as guitarists is a tricky concept to get your head around initially. At least it was for me.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

Mesa has some great articles on their website. And the read on how an Irish pub is like a vacuum tube is priceless!

Bill

 

[GreatOz]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

I've gradually been thinking less towards the sound of a piece of gear (whether it be amp, pedal, pickups, and etc) per se and more on the versatility and capability of that piece of gear in getting the sound I want. Most of the time, I can't really test something before I buy it so that means whatever I buy, I want to know whatever the item is capable of doing what I need it to do first at least theoretically. The "EQ" point GuitarStv mentioned above is incredibly relevant here. When you EQ an amp or a pedal, you're manipulating the overtones produced. Yes, you read that correctly, EQ adjusts the overtones, not really the fundamental note. In general, the more control you have over EQ, the more control you have over your sound.

The biggest factors for your sound are the pickups used, which pick up the fundamentals and basic overtones, the speakers your guitar amplifier uses, and the amplifier type. So when you go searching, it's a good idea to keep in mind the limits of what an amp, pedal, or whatever, are in achieving the sound you want.

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

Mesa has some great articles on their website. And the read on how an Irish pub is like a vacuum tube is priceless!

Bill

Do you have a link to that article? Would like to read it .

 

[The Dali]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

I've been scouring YouTube videos for information about amps and pedals. I suggest checking out JHS channel on YouTube for information about pedals - very informative. The owner of JHS is a good dude and quirky - but beware that he likes every pedal ever built.

 

[GreatOz]

Re: Any website where I can learn more about amps and pedals?

I've been scouring YouTube videos for information about amps and pedals. I suggest checking out JHS channel on YouTube for information about pedals - very informative. The owner of JHS is a good dude and quirky - but beware that he likes every pedal ever built.

I like Wampler Pedals a lot too, I have two of his on my board. He is usually pretty good for information on pedals as well.