Re: High gain amp with Vintage cleans?
I have to agree with Hydro and Crusty on this.
But, there's something else to point out. I really don't think there is one amp that can do it all, though FOR ME the Mark III-IV-V is about as close as it gets. I'm not a metal guy, who plays 7 or eight strings in dropped tunings, but I don't foresee a gig that I would do in any sized venue that the Mark V couldn't handle...with my current band.
And this is a key point: the amp that I've selected for my current G/K/B/D soft-rock/pop/classic rock/blues/country/jazz band might not be what I would choose for a two-guitar hard rock band. Or if I were doing a power trio. My philosophy is that the gear should serve the song. I select a 2HB guitar for my BB King stuff, because that's the SOUND I want. Other songs work best with a Strat. There are just some songs that scream "Marshall", and some where a Marshall would be totally inappropriate. So, the instrumentation in the band is very important, the parts you play are important (Are you strictly a rhythm player; do you do fills; are you the main soloist?), and the music itself, the size of the venues your will be playing at--these are all important criteria for selecting the right amp.
I've seen guys go out and get the "Skull Krusher 100" stack for their metal garage band, and then wonder why they got kicked out of their Praise and Worship band. Truth.
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I did a single act for many years, so having a great clean tone was the most important thing. Rarely if ever could I play with anything other than a VERY mild overdrive to accompany my voice for the Top 40 and Top Country songs I was doing. When I started playing with a rock band again (G/G/B/D), it took about two practice sessions to realize I was going to need a different amp. (And by the second gig, I was looking for a different guitar, too!) My needs changed--the gigs changed; the music changed. I went through a bunch of Fenders and Marshalls before finding the big Mesa Mark III half stack, and that was like a light going off. That was when I found the tone I'd been looking for.
Some would say that the Mesa Mark III clean tone isn't as good as say a Fender, but I would disagree. It IS different; but on stage it works very, very well because of how it is voiced. The R2 channel can produce some good crunch tones (though it's NOT a Marshall-tone as Mesa's advertising department would have you believe), and the LEAD channel is just heaven. The lead tone I was looking for was right there--let me tell you it was so liberating to be able to just dump three dirt boxes that weren't cuttin' it and wind up with better tones in the process. And I started becoming a better player, and it happened relatively quickly. I got a lot more confidence in my abilities, and I started getting a lot of compliments on my tone. (Which really pissed off the other guitar player in the band, because he was "The Lead Guitarist"!!! LOL! He could play circles around me, but he had no taste, no touch, and no tone--even with some very expensive guitars and amps.)
And what I've discovered is that with the G/K/B/D band I have now, the Mesa clean tones work perfectly. And I have to play a lot of squeaky clean parts with this music, both rhythm and solos. While they don't have the deep bass of say, a Fender Twin, that makes for a cleaner mix. My parts aren't crowding the keyboard parts or the bass parts and turning everything into mush. (Okay, now we CAN score one for the Mesa ad guys--they were right about this, lol!)
Odds are, if you are going to have only one amp, it will entail some kind of compromise. If you're playing your dropped-tuning metal stuff with a Triple Recto live, you probably don't need to have an A/B rig with a Twin Reverb to play your clean parts...the cleans on the Recto will probably suffice and get you by. On the other hand, when you go into the studio, you can overdub your clean part using the studio's Deluxe or Princeton Reverb. You often won't need a channel switcher when recording and over-dubbing tracks.
And remember, what works in the bedroom often doesn't sound that great on stage. And sometimes vice-versa. For me, the stage is the real crucible of tone. Play as many amps as you can; rent-to-buy if you must. Try to buy with a return policy.
This is one of those great moments in your life where you really get to define who you are...as a player and as a person. Are you willing to spend the dough to get a top-notch amp, or will you settle for something lesser? Do you value clean tones, or do you always have the amp set at least a little dirty? Do you like explosive headroom, or the compressed tone of a pushed amp? Do you want your OD and distortion tones from a tube amp, or from a transistor box? Do you need a three-amp midi system with a custom Bradshaw rig to switch it? Gonna buy a van to carry it in?
What do you value? What can you compromise on? What can you afford? Recognize that these values will probably change over time. In the end, you get to choose--so it really helps to know yourself; you get to live with the consequences. You will make mistakes along the way.
It is a journey of self-discovery, so enjoy the ride.
Bill
