Saggy
New member
Alright guys, this is gonna be a long one. I need some major tonal/rig advice. I don't really know where to start explaining, so I'll pick a random spot and begin:
For the last 6 years that I've been playing guitar, I had primarily been using a Fender Stage 112SE 1x12 S.S. combo. I still own this amp and it has a certain character to its tone that I love. In those 6 years, I've been through a Randall 2x12 combo, Mesa Rocket 440 4x10 combo, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and now I currently own a Laney AOR50II tube head. I think I should provide info on how I felt about each amp, as guidance to help in giving advice:
Fender Stage 112SE: Awesome S.S. amp. Great cleans (not nearly as great as the Hot Rod, though), and a really smooth, full distortion. This thing's distortion can get heavy (which I need), but lacks the natural harmonics of a screaming, cranked tube amp. Even though this amp is not perfect, I will always hang onto it as at least a backup amp.
Randall RG100SC 2x12 combo: This actually sounded pretty decent, but a bit too scooped, and turning up the mids just turned the tone to crap. The bottom end was also muddy, and overall, the amp just sounded synthetic.
Mesa Rocket 440 4x10 (EL84) combo: Thin, brittle, weak. This could do a bluesy distortion at heaviest and was just a big mistake. I ended up buying and selling this amp twice (at a big loss). Big mistake.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (1x12, 6L6): Absolutely amazing clean tones, crap distortion. I found the distortion weak, farty, and grainy. It was thick, but only useful for certain leads, and turned to mud for rhythm. I tried to add crunch by turning up the presence, but that just added an awful, harsh sound. I tried going the distortion pedal route with many different pedals, and found somewhat of a useful tone with the Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion, but I got tired of using pedals, and I thought, "If I'm gonna have a 'good' amp, it damn well better be able to give me solid distortion on its own".
Laney AOR50II (EL34): I got this just a week ago, so I'm still experimenting with it. This is my first EL34-based amp. I like it a lot, but sometimes I just don't know... It is really crunchy and has beautiful, full mids, but sometimes it can sound grainy and farty, just like my HRD did. I thought it might need better tubes, but it has JJs, which everyone seems to recommend. I really don't know what to think of this amp yet.
Another thing is that the Laney really brings the character out of my guitars, which can be bad. For really the first time, I'm starting to learn which of my guitars sound good, and which truly sound awful. My Oscar Schmidt hollowbody (cheap Gibson knockoff), which I thought had an incredible, warm tone though my Stage 112SE, sounds horrible now! And with my Jackson, I'm starting to learn why people hate the Gibson pickups I have in it now! The Squier Strat obviously sounds like crap. My only satisfactory-toned guitar now is my Delonge Strat w/ the SD Invader. I recently ordered a pickguard loaded with 2 EMG 89s, which I'm sure will sound awesome.
I guess what I really need is amp advice. Should I try making my guitars sound better, or get an amp that isn't so transparent? It kind of sounds like a stupid question, but I mean, I have a friend with a crappy, stock Ibanez GAX70 and it (as well as other cheap guitars) sound great through his 5150 2x12 combo. I REALLY want a 5150II, but I keep thinking "Ahh, that's SO much money to spend". I have the money to do it, but I just don't know. Oh yeah, also... maybe something worth noting is that my cab (w/ Celestion G12T-100s) sounds bad (fuzzy and gritty) when I am standing in front of the speakers, but when I angle to the side, it sounds MUCH better and smoother. Why is this?
Well, I am tired of typing (and you're probably tired of reading), so any advice is more than welcome and I'll answer any tonal questions as they come.
For the last 6 years that I've been playing guitar, I had primarily been using a Fender Stage 112SE 1x12 S.S. combo. I still own this amp and it has a certain character to its tone that I love. In those 6 years, I've been through a Randall 2x12 combo, Mesa Rocket 440 4x10 combo, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and now I currently own a Laney AOR50II tube head. I think I should provide info on how I felt about each amp, as guidance to help in giving advice:
Fender Stage 112SE: Awesome S.S. amp. Great cleans (not nearly as great as the Hot Rod, though), and a really smooth, full distortion. This thing's distortion can get heavy (which I need), but lacks the natural harmonics of a screaming, cranked tube amp. Even though this amp is not perfect, I will always hang onto it as at least a backup amp.
Randall RG100SC 2x12 combo: This actually sounded pretty decent, but a bit too scooped, and turning up the mids just turned the tone to crap. The bottom end was also muddy, and overall, the amp just sounded synthetic.
Mesa Rocket 440 4x10 (EL84) combo: Thin, brittle, weak. This could do a bluesy distortion at heaviest and was just a big mistake. I ended up buying and selling this amp twice (at a big loss). Big mistake.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (1x12, 6L6): Absolutely amazing clean tones, crap distortion. I found the distortion weak, farty, and grainy. It was thick, but only useful for certain leads, and turned to mud for rhythm. I tried to add crunch by turning up the presence, but that just added an awful, harsh sound. I tried going the distortion pedal route with many different pedals, and found somewhat of a useful tone with the Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion, but I got tired of using pedals, and I thought, "If I'm gonna have a 'good' amp, it damn well better be able to give me solid distortion on its own".
Laney AOR50II (EL34): I got this just a week ago, so I'm still experimenting with it. This is my first EL34-based amp. I like it a lot, but sometimes I just don't know... It is really crunchy and has beautiful, full mids, but sometimes it can sound grainy and farty, just like my HRD did. I thought it might need better tubes, but it has JJs, which everyone seems to recommend. I really don't know what to think of this amp yet.
Another thing is that the Laney really brings the character out of my guitars, which can be bad. For really the first time, I'm starting to learn which of my guitars sound good, and which truly sound awful. My Oscar Schmidt hollowbody (cheap Gibson knockoff), which I thought had an incredible, warm tone though my Stage 112SE, sounds horrible now! And with my Jackson, I'm starting to learn why people hate the Gibson pickups I have in it now! The Squier Strat obviously sounds like crap. My only satisfactory-toned guitar now is my Delonge Strat w/ the SD Invader. I recently ordered a pickguard loaded with 2 EMG 89s, which I'm sure will sound awesome.
I guess what I really need is amp advice. Should I try making my guitars sound better, or get an amp that isn't so transparent? It kind of sounds like a stupid question, but I mean, I have a friend with a crappy, stock Ibanez GAX70 and it (as well as other cheap guitars) sound great through his 5150 2x12 combo. I REALLY want a 5150II, but I keep thinking "Ahh, that's SO much money to spend". I have the money to do it, but I just don't know. Oh yeah, also... maybe something worth noting is that my cab (w/ Celestion G12T-100s) sounds bad (fuzzy and gritty) when I am standing in front of the speakers, but when I angle to the side, it sounds MUCH better and smoother. Why is this?
Well, I am tired of typing (and you're probably tired of reading), so any advice is more than welcome and I'll answer any tonal questions as they come.
My general answer to that is "whichever bugs you more". The one thing I will tell you is that I don't recommend getting an amp that is "less transparent". I've owned a couple of those and IMO they get really frustrating because you've taken the guitar out of the equation in getting your tone.
