How Many Try Amps.......

[Lucid_Lunatic]

Before you buy them? I am talking more about high end amps that aren't readily available in your neck of the woods. Do you go by internet desciptions and try it and hope to be able to send it back or sell it without a loss if you don't like it? Do you drive insane distances to try something like this before you buy?

Internet sound samples aren't that great to judge by, so I have found. You can find three of the same video of someone playing on youtube and all three sound different.

 

[Yngwiestein]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I wondered the same thing before I became a dealer. Over time I boiled it down to finding a great brand, getting the specs you want, reading the reviews and listening to sound clips. All of these things together are fairly indicative of what you will get. That together with my experience demoing amps every week gives me a pretty good baseline.

At this point I am in the process of buying a Bad Cat Tone Cat 1x12. Over 3k map price. Hard to tell what it's going to sound like but I have experience w Bad Cat amps. I'm fairly confident that the results will be basically what I expect.

The name says a lot to me. I can buy a Budda, Bogner, Laney, Koch, Matchless etc. and know what to expect. That's my style anyway. Hope it helps bro!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I think the important thing is to pick one that covers your playing style. Too many people fixate on an amp of quality that is really suited to another kind of player, just because of the name. First, just choose from amps that are proven to excel at the exact type of player you are.

I like a lot of good amps, but if I had to live on 2, I'd choose the Bogner Ecstasy that covers all EL-34 ground, then a Fender Blackface of some variation, to cover all the 6L6 clean tones that EL-34's can't really nail. An Ecstasy or really good Marshall next to a Fender, Victoria, or Tone King would cover all I want to hear. I also love EL-84 amps, but could live without them if I had to. EL-34's and 6L6's are what I always want to hear as an electric guitar player.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I bought my Splawn from ebay having never played one before. I loved the clips and the concept, but had never plugged into one. One thing that swayed me was the small depreciation on Splawns, I figured if I didn't like it I could always sell it on ebay in the same condition for basically the same amount.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I made a small gamble in ordering my Victoria Double Deluxe sight unseen, but I had played the Vic Deluxe replica so I figured I'd get that, only bigger sounding, which is essentially what happened.

Generally, I wouldn't buy an amp sight unseen, though I tend to find that internet clips can be a decent indicator of whether I'll like an amp, provided they are of decent quality. An example is the Bogner XTC. I haven't heard a bad clip of that amp. Whereas I've never been too thrilled with the overdrive clips I've heard of the EL34 Shiva. Sure enough, when I get around to trying them, I love the XTC and don't really dig the EL34 Shiva.

But I'm a compulsive amp-tryer. I'll give anything a play just to see what it can do, cheap or expensive. Much of the reason for that is that I like so many different types of amps.

I'm also lucky in that I work for a high end amp importer, and I'm friends with other importers, so I get to try loads of stuff. I also visit the one other decent boutique amp stockist in the country on tour at least once a year. So if it makes a loud noise, chances are I'll get a chance to plug into it.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I did buy my Matchless Chieftain 212 combo on Ebay, never hearing it first. I'd already had experience with a Matchless DC-30, Chief head, and Clubman though. On paper, the specs of the Chieftain looked more appealing, and it turned out to be my favorite Matchless amp.

But, if I'd bought it thinking it'd do great gainy tones, I would have been disappointed. It's really an amp made for big fat EL-34 cleans, bordering on broken up. At cleans though, it's the top of the ladder. I've never sat any clean amp next to it that could knock it off it's pedestal.....not even good Fenders.

 

[jerryjg]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I did buy my Matchless Chieftain 212 combo on Ebay, never hearing it first. I'd already had experience with a Matchless DC-30, Chief head, and Clubman though. On paper, the specs of the Chieftain looked more appealing, and it turned out to be my favorite Matchless amp.

But, if I'd bought it thinking it'd do great gainy tones, I would have been disappointed. It's really an amp made for big fat EL-34 cleans, bordering on broken up. At cleans though, it's the top of the ladder. I've never sat any clean amp next to it that could knock it off it's pedestal.....not even good Fenders.

Thats something Id love to hear. Got any clips? Not that I could tell from a clip. If it out Fenders a Fender, Id be extremely interested in haveing one..well, if I could afford it which I cannot.I wouldnt expect el-34's to be able to outdo Fender cleans.

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I've bought one amp, a Koch, unseen. It actually turned out a bit of a mistake as I didn't really like the gain character of it. But I unloaded it for a good price so no harm done.

The way I look at soundclips is that the amps have to sound at least that good. I always tend to make the end product better for my own style and playing. So if the amp has numerous stellar sound clips it probably is what it's said to be. But still I prefer to try the amp out before buying because the amp may be good but not better than what I already have.

I think that amp shopping is best done used with great deals. If you have the income you should just buy the best deals around for all kinds of amps you're interested in. Then try them in the privacy of your own home and move them if you don't like them, preferably making a bit in the way. I feel sorry for all the guys who won't buy used!

 

[kjrocks]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I try to avoid playing the now them because it just causes mes GAS I went looking for a Tele years back and ended up playing a Rivera as it was the first one I'd seen near me. I ended up getting one soon after when I wasnt even in the market although I should have been looking back at my rig at the time.

 

[J Moose]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I've never bought an amp or much of anything else without playing it first... well, not never, but it's a general rule. I'm fairly lucky in that NYC is less then 30 miles away and it's possible to find just about everything there... I've also driven two hours or more each way to hear/buy a piece of gear. I can't put a lot of stock into the "clips" out there... I mean, I know how much moving the microphone even just a half-inch can alter the sound, to say nothing of all the other variables...

I'm one of those guys, that when I go out to try amps or pedals I even bring my own guitars! I thought everyone did that but my music retail friends say I'm in the minority there... which I find completely baffling.

 

[FenderFan79]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I bought my Rivera Fandango without ever playing one, I just researched it as best I could, read all the reviews I could find and the demos online, and it seemed it'd be a great amp for what I wanted. Turns out it is, I couldn't be happier with it!

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I bought a Marshall JCM800, my first tube amp, sight unseen many years ago. I was immediately pretty disappointed, as I was expecting a channel-switching amp. I think I was about 16 or so at the time though...I didn't know much about amps .

I used that one with a distortion pedal for a bunch of alt-rock bands, and a boost for a hard rock band.

After that, I upgraded to the KRANK, which I bought sight unseen as well, based on reviews and soundclips. I loved that amp from the first moment I got it.

My Hughes & Kettner Edition tube 20 I bought from a forumbro on here sight unseen as well, just based off of a few recommendations. Still love that little amp.

Both of my mesas I tried out in the store though. At least, I tried out a roadster combo before I got my roadster head off of craigslist. I'm much happier with these two amps though than I was with the KRANK or the marshall.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

Amps are too expensive not to try them first.

 

[rashayritto]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

Amps are too expensive not to try them first.

yup. thats why the only amp i bought unseen was a valve jr head when they were 99 bucks. i otherwise obsess over product research and testing before i buy

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

"Back in the day" all I could afford was used amps. They weren't "vintage" they were just "used." I tried every amp I could- and the store that I usually bought stuff from was really cool about letting me take stuff home to try.

Is it a good idea to try amps before you buy?

I still have that same beat up 50w Marshall that I've had for 15 years and have no plans to get anything else.

 

[pinto79]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I bought my Marshall Rhoads sight unseen. But I bought it more for what it is rather than how it sounds. Ended up happy in both respects.

Every other amp I have ever bought I have tried first.

Preamps are a different story, I bought an H&K Attax and a POD Pro, both which ended up disappointing. I hadn't tried either.

My POD XT Live I bought unseen and am generally happy with it.

 

[jeremy]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

Amps are too expensive not to try them first.

+1 a pedal i will buy with out trying. not an amp or guitar and i want to try the one im going to keep, not one like it

 

[Stiles12]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I went through this for a while and got so fed up, I was close to buying a quinn amp, I was also close to buying a Bruno, a Groove Tube Trio, a CAE 3 SE+ pre, but I couldnt play them anywear so I couldnt end up buying them. I know never Buy a Bone Picker. They are Point to Point but they suck balls, my friend got duped on the internet for a pedalboard amp from them.

I build my own amps at this point. I have built 2 exact copy of a 65 Blackface deluxe Reverb but instead of the Vibrato Circut I added in a Mid-range boost. I got the Specs From Brian Brown who is Trey Anastasio's Guitar Tech after Bob Bradshaw. Brian Brown didnt mod treys it was Moded by Bill Caruth, but Brian brown had pictures and amp setting when I was building mine. Brian now Works for Hard Truckers, The home of the Greatest Guitar cabs on the planet (at least for my style of music) and I can ask him questions when ever I am stuck

 

[B2D]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I've never bought an amp I didn't try first. To me an amp is not just about the sound of it, but the feel as well. I've lusted after a lot of amps based on sound clips and glowing reviews in catalog and magazine pages that told me what I wanted to hear, but upon trying said amp out it turned out to sound and/or feel very different from what I expected.

I don't think I'd ever buy an amp I hadn't tried first, in the same way I wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first.

 

[alex1fly]

Re: How Many Try Amps.......

I bought a Mesa Roadster w/o playing one based on artists and descriptions. I sold it a year later when I found out that a modeling amp could sound AS GOOD for a fraction of the price and much less headache. It was a mistake I will not make again.