Could all famous amp models become Tonemasters?

[chadd]

Guitar players are a superstitious bunch at best, and outrightly deluded and illogical at their worst.

How many recordings have you heard where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever in between already, and you didn't know it?
How many show have you been to where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever er in between already, and you didn't know it?

I guarantee it is more than you know.

I've picked up a little work at the amphitheater here in town and see a lot of the rigs up close. I'd say well over 50% of the acts are using Kemper/HX/Axe/etc... live.

 

[Gold star]

Guitar players are a superstitious bunch at best, and outrightly deluded and illogical at their worst.

How many recordings have you heard where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever in between already, and you didn't know it?
How many show have you been to where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever er in between already, and you didn't know it?

I guarantee it is more than you know.

At the end of the day - music companies drive much of the hype and superstition. They want you to buy "that" gear. That "expensive" high margin gear.

You don't see them doing the scientific studies because the result would be "Oh - they sound the same, I'll get the cheaper one" or "In this blind listening test, I actually preferred digital" because it hurts revenue. What is possible to tell the difference in, is very different from what you do tell the difference.

I did a very simple test here to show that people couldn't tell a PG from an A2P from a T-Top. results turned in were basically chance.

If you believe differently, you are a fool. And that's ok. Because music is fun!

All I will add is In the case of low wattage combos, off stage , I don't see the need for them to be tube based. Not with today's SS technology. The point of a 10 watt amp is that it should not hurt your ears or rattle the walls. The way tube circuits produce their sound means even at 8 or 10 watts, you might not turn the vol much above a quarter and they are just not meant to be played that way, but some people convince themselves they 'need' for their amp to be tube for good tone ..

 

[El Dunco]

Guitar players are a superstitious bunch at best, and outrightly deluded and illogical at their worst.

How many recordings have you heard where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever in between already, and you didn't know it?
How many show have you been to where the band was using a POD, or a Kemper, or whatever er in between already, and you didn't know it?

I guarantee it is more than you know.

At the end of the day - music companies drive much of the hype and superstition. They want you to buy "that" gear. That "expensive" high margin gear.

You don't see them doing the scientific studies because the result would be "Oh - they sound the same, I'll get the cheaper one" or "In this blind listening test, I actually preferred digital" because it hurts revenue. What is possible to tell the difference in, is very different from what you do tell the difference.

I did a very simple test here to show that people couldn't tell a PG from an A2P from a T-Top. results turned in were basically chance.

If you believe differently, you are a fool. And that's ok. Because music is fun!

I’ve been straight up complimented on my tone using nothing but my RP-1000 as a fly rig direct to the board with no extra outboard. It did sound pretty sweet. My only complaint was that it felt a bit “stiff” from behind the guitar but I’ve come to find the Mark IV model is spot on, has the fluidity missing from some of the other models. That model into a real cab or IR unit like the radar, you’d never know it wasn’t a real tube amp. I’ve been using it in the studio lately with nothing more than a 2x12Ax7 circuit between the unit and a class D power amp and it holds up against my 100 watt tube heads.

This is a unit that came out in the 2010s (besides, the amp loop means I can integrate it into a real tube amp or run it with whatever hot new pedal format preamp comes out if it blows me away) and the audience really doesn’t care so long as they cam hear you and it doesn’t sound unpleasant. It’s worth it for that model alone and the fx which are absolutely fantastic. Running studio tracks through the 16 voice multi-chorus tastefully has to be heard to be believed.

We brought our own sound guy who knows how we’re meant to sound which helps but I think it goes to show that the “digital doesn’t cut through” argument is more user error. I’ve seen bands with full tube halfstacks get buried because they don’t know how to dial it in for the stage. The most common issue is overestimating how much low end they need.

 

[Aceman]

As always, good sound is good sound.

The technology behind it doesn't matter, the brand doesn't matter, the age doesn't matter, who else used it doesn't matter, the color doesn't matter.

When people get over all of that, they will start sounding better.

 

[El Dunco]

As always, good sound is good sound.

The technology behind it doesn't matter, the brand doesn't matter, the age doesn't matter, who else used it doesn't matter, the color doesn't matter.

When people get over all of that, they will start sounding better.

Straight facts. What, how and why you play matters the most.

 

[jeremy]

what and how, for sure. why? dunno. intention is important but if you have great chops, good ears (and use em), know and play your role on stage, and are just in it for the money/adoration/whatever i dont know if the audience will notice as long as you do all the things you should.

as far as gear... regardless of what it is, for me at least, its about me getting what i want so i can make music with as little distraction as possible. if your instrument plays, sounds, and feels great, i believe you will give a better performance than if something isnt quite right. however you get to that point doesnt really matter. guitarists do tend to be hesitant to new things for a variety of reasons, but its all about finding what works for you. listen to what people say and the advice they give, but at the end of the day ya gotta find what suits you best

 

[donaldr]

I think a Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb is a very good idea for small clubs gigging musicians, for at home low-volume and for recording out of a single unit.
I would definitely like a similar concept (different amp style) but with a closed back cab. Or an higher quality Katana with only reverb, and closed back cab.

 

[El Dunco]

what and how, for sure. why? dunno. intention is important but if you have great chops, good ears (and use em), know and play your role on stage, and are just in it for the money/adoration/whatever i dont know if the audience will notice as long as you do all the things you should.

as far as gear... regardless of what it is, for me at least, its about me getting what i want so i can make music with as little distraction as possible. if your instrument plays, sounds, and feels great, i believe you will give a better performance than if something isnt quite right. however you get to that point doesnt really matter. guitarists do tend to be hesitant to new things for a variety of reasons, but its all about finding what works for you. listen to what people say and the advice they give, but at the end of the day ya gotta find what suits you best

Monetary gain IS a ”why.” Making the kind of music the most amount of people will pay for is absolutely an important “why.” All those things are whys. Attention is a why, it’s a third oc the reason I do it. So yes. Why indeed.

 

[ehdwuld]

My H&K Tubemeister is 20 watt tube amp
it will attenuate down to 5 and 1 watt

5 watt is way way too loud for the house
1 watt is almost too loud , certainly too loud for after 9 pm

I love a good modeling amp

Some of the presets are so processed it's hard to get the individual sound I want

The sounds are good but kinda generic

If I was 12 years old
And wanted to learn guitar
I would love that

But that gets you nowhere near able to set up and amp

It's no wonder people cant set up their amps

 

[Securb]

It's no wonder people cant set up their amps

It really is a shame. I was reading a thread on another site where a guy was complaining about an amp that I know sounds amazing but sounds flat and thin to him. He said the amp was a piece of crap. It dawned on me today that 99% of the negative posts on the web about gear are from people who do not know how to dial it in. These days, it is possible to get a great tone with even the most budget gear. But yes, a JCM 900 is a piece of crap.

 

[Mincer]

It really is a shame. I was reading a thread on another site where a guy was complaining about an amp that I know sounds amazing but sounds flat and thin to him. He said the amp was a piece of crap. It dawned on me today that 99% of the negative posts on the web about gear are from people who do not know how to dial it in. These days, it is possible to get a great tone with even the most budget gear. But yes, a JCM 900 is a piece of crap.

Well, we live in a preset society. Press a button, get a sound. No one wants to turn the knobs or explore the gear they already have.

 

[treedroppings]

I like my Mesa boogie and my orange crush. I also got a nice 4x12 speaker cabinet from Hiwatt. I run either amp quieter than I would with the 1-12 combo speakers. The crush is supposed to model the orange tube amp with op amps in place of the tubes. My boogie is the mark 1 reissue and it has the tweed switch and the 60/100 switch, so it’s at 22 watts. I have a couple pedals for my metal fix. I like the crush for home volumes, but boogie when I’m home alone!

 

[ehdwuld]

most times they scoop something
all bass and treble and no mids

or all mids and no bass or treble

almost all the amps I have
I can get a useable tone with the knobs at noon (midway)

or very close to that

I saw on the internet some time back about strumming and moving the knobs to find the "step" where the controls kick in

I never could make that work on my gear

maybe I'm deaf