Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

[Lewguitar]

It was fun! Bruce's new Aurora amps (http://www.missionamps.com) were a big hit and for my money they were the best blues/rock amps at the show.

Our booth was right next to Gerald Weber's Kendrick booth and hanging out with Gerald for three days was a blast. Great guy: super knowledgable and totally willing to share his knowledge. Nothing but good things to say about Gerald...I liked him alot.

I plugged in Bruce's amp, played a few licks and gerald came running right over to check it out. Then he said: "That's the best new amp I've heard in a long time." He was extremeley complimantary.

Buddy Whittington stopped by....and stayed for about 45 minutes jamming and playing. WOW! What a great player...and what a nice guy.

Hartly Peavey also stopped by and checked us out and seemed to like what he heard.

I got to hear a few really excellant guitarists. There was an "All Star Jam" on Saturday night. It was absurdly loud though...unenjoyable because of the Peavey Sounds System they were intent on showing all 75,000 watts of. Gave me a headache and damaged my hearing for the rest of the show on Sunday! :smack:

If I die and God told me I was going to Hell for my sins (won't happen, BTW...) and that I had to stay in that room and listen to all of those loud ear pounding guitarplayers playing through that 75,000 watt Peavey PA System for eternity: THAT WOULD BE HELL as far as I'm concerned.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Sounds awesome Lew:bigthumb:

That Aurora sounds like a killer.......I know Christian is gonna explode soon if he doesn't get one:laugh2:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

But here's what I noticed about TONE at that ALL Star Jam.

Almost everyone who played a guitar with humbuckers had the same almost identical tone...except for Paul Reed Smith who played with more saturation than the others and sounded alot like Santana but even more saturated....so saturated that he could not play chords!

The band played blues mostly but played it through high gain heavily distorted amps: Marshalls, Peaveys, Sewells, etc.

The guys who played Strats through smaller amps (blackface Super Reverb or a tweed Bassman) had a tone with much more individuality.

Bugs Henderson sounded great, but he left after a song or two.

Rick Vito, Will Ray, Jerry Donahue, and Johnny A were my favorites...but the subtleties of thier great playing were lost in the high gain/high volume super saturated nonsense coming from the cranked up humbucker guys. Johnny A uses humbuckers too, but not super staurated...he played with alot of restraint and taste.

Anyways, more than ever before, I see why I play a Strat or Tele and why that humbucker through a high gain amp and "Bagful of Angry Bumbees" tone gets old so fast for me. To me, it just robs a player of any individuality...unless that player is really, really special.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Sounds awesome Lew:bigthumb:

That Aurora sounds like a killer.......I know Christian is gonna explode soon if he doesn't get one:laugh2:

I got to compare it to quite a few amps...it was always better. I even got to compare it to some late 50's tweed Super clones that I was really looking forward to trying. The Aurora always won.

It's amazing.

But it is not a high gain balls to the walls distortion generator...it'll get a beautiul Vox-like cranked tone but not a super saturated tone.

Unless Erik_H plugs into it with his modded DS-1! :smack: :laugh2: :laugh2:

Erik and his wife Amy stopped by and we jammed for a while and almost got kicked out of the show for playing to loud! :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

Sounded great though. I hope Erik sees this and does a little post...his DS-1 sounds amazing and did throw the Aurora into Hyper-Drive!

Lew

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

I hear ya' Lew.......I'll take singles over humbuckers any day!

Johnny A is one helluva player, isn't he??? :bigthumb:

Hey....which Aurora did you take/play....the 18watter or 30w ?

Do you think it NEEDS reverb?

I just sent Bruce a message inquiring about a head version :32:

 

[B Bent]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Sounds awesome Lew:bigthumb:

That Aurora sounds like a killer.......I know Christian is gonna explode soon if he doesn't get one:laugh2:

That's exactly what I was gonna say. I would be interested in hearing one soon.

Were there any certain highlights of the show for you? People and/or equipment besides Weber and the Aurora?

And YES Johnny A is killer. He makes a typical white boy like me want to dance. That sucker can groove!!! And Jerry D is my Tele hero!!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

That's exactly what I was gonna say. I would be interested in hearing one soon.

Was there any certain highlights of the show for you? People and/or equipment besides Weber and the Aurora?

And YES Johnny A is killer. He makes a typical white boy like me want to dance. That sucker can groove!!! And Jerry D is my Tele hero!!

Your man Junior Brown played a great set too, BTW. I really enjoyed it. He played through a pair of Fender Twin Reverbs with a packing quilt draped over the front so they would not be to loud. Really good player and entertainer.

Johhny A. didn't even play through an amp for his own set...he played through his rack plugged into the PA. But when he came out for the jam he did seem to plug into one of the big amps on stage.

As for the players and gear that stood out for me, I really liked the PRS single cut guitars alot...again! And I was shopping for a Weisenborn or National Tricone and got to play quite a few Nationals but none that I was willing to spend $2000 or $3000 for. I would have if I had been blown away but I wasn't.

I liked the Sewell amps...but not the way Paul Reed Smith had his set up. I thought they were excellant high gain amps with alot more personality than the others I heard. I did like the new Jacksons too for that high gain tone.

Gary Hoey was wailing through a Peavey XXX and sounded great...that seemed like a nice high gain amp if that's your bag.

Like Buddy Whittington said to me: "It's not the gun...it's the gunner!" :laugh2:

I liked Gerald Weber's amps alot too. But they're killer blues and rock amps...not super saturated high gain amps.

Lew

 

[tone4days]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

great report lew - glad to read that you had a great time

you've mentioned blues/rock and high gain amps ... any words to share about the 'dumble-esque' amps at the show? (i'm thinking about the carlton/ford/fusion-y toned machines)

t4d

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Hey Lew, I've seen Bugs Henderson twice in small club settings....one of the most underrated blues/country/rocknroll pickers around.....must have been a blast in Dallas.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Oh: Johnny Hyland! Another terrific player who is every bit as good as Steve Vai says he is. And also a real nice guy.

I gotta say though that I wish those big, big guys like Buddy and Johnny would take better care of themselves and lose a little weight.

They're such great players and such nice people that I couldn't help but worry about what life's gonna be like for them when they get a little older...

Both of them must be in the well over 300 pounds range...and they're both just super freindly nice people.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Hey Lew, I've seen Bugs Henderson twice in small club settings....one of the most underrated blues/country/rocknroll pickers around.....must have been a blast in Dallas.

Great blues player...I wish he had played more because I really liked his playing. But it got loud so fast onstage that I think if I'd been up there I would've left quickly too.

He used to always play barefoot, BTW! But he wore shoes this time. :laugh2:

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

I was going to post yesterday, Lew, but wanted to wait for you to post first. I did get a PM from Christian last night though wanting to know about the Aurora. I told him a few things. He was pretty pumped and wanted to know so bad...lol.

Now, y'all know I play a pretty high gain Marshall 100 watt MkIII MV and love that amp. But this past weekend I came across the best sounding tube combo I've heard in a long time. It not only looks good (with the purdy maroon covering) but it sounds fantastic.

The way Lew dialed the amp (18 watter that I played BTW) made notes jump out of the thing. MV was at 10 and he used the preamp volume to bring the overall level up. I think it was at 2 during our little blues jam. The tone stack is simple, Bass and Treble, that's it.

Lew, is there going to be a Mid control at some point and is there one on your 30 watter?

BTW, Terry, he did take his 30 watter there and it has reverb...rich and lush too.

It was quite impressive how well it took pedals, both my DS-1 and Lew's (thanks for the comments on that) sounded great through it. I lugged my Brobucker loaded LP there and it just sang through the Aurora.

To be quite honest, I want one. I really like what I heard. For what my band is doing, this amp would be perfect. The cleans are full and punchy or mellow and sweet. Hit a chord just right and it overdrives so naturally and smooth. It doesn't get any better than that. I didn't get a chance to try it with the preamp up and the MV for overall level. We got shut down before I had the chance. :laugh2: It was fun nontheless.

Now the wait comes for me, 6 months and counting....lol.

It was a pleasure meeting you and Bruce and Randy (I think that's what his shirt said). We had a good time. I'm glad you guys got to stay through the end of the show. Were you able to fire up the amps on Sunday?

The blues jam we did was cool. It felt good to just walk up and meet someone like that for the first time, sit down with a couple guitars and play without ever playing with them before. You're a heck of a player.

Forum bros, if you're looking for a good tube combo, we have some of the best choices out there between Bruce and Mission Amps and Scott with Celtic. Support the small guys. These things rock!

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

great report lew - glad to read that you had a great time

you've mentioned blues/rock and high gain amps ... any words to share about the 'dumble-esque' amps at the show? (i'm thinking about the carlton/ford/fusion-y toned machines)

t4d

Suck it up Bill.....Fuchs ODS-30 SLX is what you want...................

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

I love Johnny A . . . if you want to hear some amazing humbucker tone, listen to his song "Oh yeah" . . . I think that that's my ideal guitar sound.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Suck it up Bill.....Fuchs ODS-30 SLX is what you want...................

you TAUNT me!!!

i'd really love to play one before dropping a paycheck on it... and it would probably require that scott buy back the deep blue sea from me ...

{muttering} damn taunter

 

[B Bent]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Your man Junior Brown played a great set too, BTW. I really enjoyed it. He played through a pair of Fender Twin Reverbs with a packing quilt draped over the front so they would not be to loud.

Hehe! Those amps you are speaking of have caused me to lose 5 years off of my eardrums' lifespan! This shot came from the last time he played here in Atl.

^^^^^He used to not do this^^^^^

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

you TAUNT me!!!

i'd really love to play one before dropping a paycheck on it... and it would probably require that scott buy back the deep blue sea from me ...

{muttering} damn taunter

Better idea, keep the deep blue sea and when I get my C-30 clone finished with it's half power switch, it'll be like having a Franklin and his EF86 brother along with their two extra power tube cousins all in the same box.

<---- another damn taunter....

 

[tone4days]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Better idea, keep the deep blue sea and when I get my C-30 clone finished with it's half power switch, it'll be like having a Franklin and his EF86 brother along with their two extra power tube cousins all in the same box.

<---- another damn taunter....

and that'll get dumble-ish?

sweet - i'll start savin' my lunch money

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

I was going to post yesterday, Lew, but wanted to wait for you to post first. I did get a PM from Christian last night though wanting to know about the Aurora. I told him a few things. He was pretty pumped and wanted to know so bad...lol.

Now, y'all know I play a pretty high gain Marshall 100 watt MkIII MV and love that amp. But this past weekend I came across the best sounding tube combo I've heard in a long time. It not only looks good (with the purdy maroon covering) but it sounds fantastic.

The way Lew dialed the amp (18 watter that I played BTW) made notes jump out of the thing. MV was at 10 and he used the preamp volume to bring the overall level up. I think it was at 2 during our little blues jam. The tone stack is simple, Bass and Treble, that's it.

Lew, is there going to be a Mid control at some point and is there one on your 30 watter?

BTW, Terry, he did take his 30 watter there and it has reverb...rich and lush too.

It was quite impressive how well it took pedals, both my DS-1 and Lew's (thanks for the comments on that) sounded great through it. I lugged my Brobucker loaded LP there and it just sang through the Aurora.

To be quite honest, I want one. I really like what I heard. For what my band is doing, this amp would be perfect. The cleans are full and punchy or mellow and sweet. Hit a chord just right and it overdrives so naturally and smooth. It doesn't get any better than that. I didn't get a chance to try it with the preamp up and the MV for overall level. We got shut down before I had the chance. :laugh2: It was fun nontheless.

Now the wait comes for me, 6 months and counting....lol.

It was a pleasure meeting you and Bruce and Randy (I think that's what his shirt said). We had a good time. I'm glad you guys got to stay through the end of the show. Were you able to fire up the amps on Sunday?

The blues jam we did was cool. It felt good to just walk up and meet someone like that for the first time, sit down with a couple guitars and play without ever playing with them before. You're a heck of a player.

Forum bros, if you're looking for a good tube combo, we have some of the best choices out there between Bruce and Mission Amps and Scott with Celtic. Support the small guys. These things rock!

Thanks for the compliments Erik...it was nice meeting and spending time with you and Amy too! Sunday went well...we cranked it up and NO ONE complained...especially when Buddy Whittington stopped by and spent about an hour at the booth jamming and drew a large crowd that benefited every other other vender in the area. We were kind of the talk of the show though Saturday night after the show...turns out the sound police had singled us out for some reason and all of the other venders (Mojo, Allparts, Kendrick, etc.) were aware of it. Sheesh...all that fuss over a 30 watt amp turned up to less than five. It was our little jam (you and me) that set them off...that and your DS-1! Oh well...on the way out we got the high five from the sponsers of the show so all's well that ends well. Oh...Vintage Guitar and Guitar Player both stopped by and invited us to submit amps for review...that's what we went there for: exposure. So that is very cool!
We'll be sending them samples next week. Can't wait for the reviews!

Another great musician who's set I really enjoyed, BTW, was Phil Keagy. He closed the show and was wonderful. Great player and great songs too. I really appreciated the way he was able to weave his message iand beliefs nto his thing without making it sound like he was forcing it on me or preaching. Very, very nice....refreshing.

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: Back from the Dallas Guitar Show...and some observations about tone:

Thanks for the compliments Erik...it was nice meeting and spending time with you and Amy too! Sunday went well...we cranked it up and NO ONE complained...especially when Buddy Whittington stopped by and spent about an hour at the booth jamming and drew a large crowd that benefited every other other vender in the area. We were kind of the talk of the show though Saturday night after the show...turns out the sound police had singled us out for some reason and all of the other venders (Mojo, Allparts, Kendrick, etc.) were aware of it. Sheesh...all that fuss over a 30 watt amp turned up to less than five. It was our little jam (you and me) that set them off...that and your DS-1! Oh well...on the way out we got the high five from the sponsers of the show so all's well that ends well. Oh...Vintage Guitar and Guitar Player both stopped by and invited us to submit amps for review...that's what we went there for: exposure. So that is very cool!
We'll be sending them samples next week. Can't wait for the reviews!

Another great musician who's set I really enjoyed, BTW, was Phil Keagy. He closed the show and was wonderful. Great player and great songs too. I really appreciated the way he was able to weave his message iand beliefs nto his thing without making it sound like he was forcing it on me or preaching. Very, very nice....refreshing.

Lew

YES!!!! Mission accomplished. :laugh2:

(EDIT: there's Bruce's new slogan. )

I'm so happy that you guys got that exposure. After Amy and I had talked about their fuss over it, I thought for a minute and was like, ya know, if it gets their name and booth location spread around the place, then it's good exposure. I'm actually thrilled that it turned out like it did.

That jam was fun. I knew we were grabbing attention because you could see people walking by and stopping for a minute or two to listen, plus it was heard clear across the the place. For 30 watts and 18 watts, they sure push their weight.

I guess not many people like a good sounding DS-1 through a kick @ss amp. It's alright. The word is out and people are interested.

Congrats on the magazine reviews. :fing2: I can't wait to read what they have to say.