I've realized something important today...

[That90'sGuy]

...that there are plenty of great sounding amps out there.

I went into Guitar Center deliberately to try everything and see if I could get good tone out of cheap things.

I couldn't believe how much fun playing cheap amps could be. I was messing around with a 15w solid state Crate and managed to get some decent distortion sounds. I got a killer hotrodded Marshall tone with a Marshall AVT 20. I got a killer blues tone by cranking a Fender Blues Junior. I played some amps I never thought about before and were pleasantly surprised: the Peavey Triumph, an old Gibson 5w 1x12'' amp, a Line 6 Spider II. I got to jam out on an old SF Fender Champ. All of these amps sounded great with the right tweaking. I put my G&L through all of them and got good tone.

I'm usually a boutique snob, but in reality, all of these amps do sound great. I was really amazed. I was messing around with settings on the Line 6 and the tone was actually there. It may not be quite as responsive as a tube amp or quite as warm, but the crunch, the thickness and sustain was all there.

Today was pretty cool because it all grounded me. I'm so used to hearing that "so and so is garbage", but I think a lot of it is in the head. It's so easy to get attached to one particular amp and discount others. I'm primarily a Marshall guy, but I dialed in some sick settings with a Mesa Lonestar and enjoyed it. Modeling, solid state, tube... it doesn't matter, they all have a purpose and provide a tone that someone somewhere has to love.

Also, I saw a Fender BF Bandmaster head on sale there for $650. It sounded awesome and the price looked right. Would you Fender enthusiasts buy it given the chance?

 

[jimmy]

Re: I've realized something important today...

You're totally right, dude.
I used to think that only a certain amp was best for me or a certain amp was the best amp.
Then I found out that different amps are better suited for different styles.
like a Marshall 'plexi' would sound great for AC DC, but sound like crap for Nu Metal.
Or a Mesa Boogie would sound just awesome for Nu Metal and not so good for some SRV.
It just comes down to what sound you want to get.
And most amps don't sound that bad if you know how to set them up the right way.

Rock it.

 

[Davey]

Re: I've realized something important today...

the tone is in your fingers anyway... the sound you push is just a tad diferent. the equipment can be ****e, but you could still pull a half decent sound out of it. and the line6 stuff really is cool. they're getting closer and closer with it all.

set up properly, every brand of amps sounds awesome and with the right effects can be used for pretty much anything, doesnt matter if it's a fender a marshall, vox diesel, line6 etc etc etc

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: I've realized something important today...

From now on, I'm not going to assume anything. Until proven otherwise, everything sounds good . Seriously, I was making some serious noise with a 15w solid state Crate and that scared me

I won't be trading in my Fargen Epic 30 DC anytime soon for a Randall/Peavey etc. , but I think in the future, brands like Line 6 may really get my money (I am intrigued by the Pod XT Live and that amp for it though).

What was funny was how I could take so many different amps and yet still sound like myself. I played through higher cost amps like the Fender CyberTwin SE, Fender Custom Vibrolux, Polytone MiniBrute and I still sounded similar to when I was using lower end stuff.

 

[TheProphet]

Re: I've realized something important today...

Some people don't understand why I'm really loyal to Line 6 ...

I love their stuff and seem to be able to get tones that I like out of the machine. The versatility of what they have to offer is great for someone who records at home without a large budget.



Many will call me insane for what I say next. But one of my favorite tones comes from the amp that I take to gigs and practice.

A 15w solid state Samick.

For some strange reason it gets some crazy saturated overdrive sounds which most people seem to really like until they see where it's coming from ...

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: I've realized something important today...

Some people don't understand why I'm really loyal to Line 6 ...

I love their stuff and seem to be able to get tones that I like out of the machine. The versatility of what they have to offer is great for someone who records at home without a large budget.



Many will call me insane for what I say next. But one of my favorite tones comes from the amp that I take to gigs and practice.

A 15w solid state Samick.

For some strange reason it gets some crazy saturated overdrive sounds which most people seem to really like until they see where it's coming from ...

That's awesome! I think that was the creative side in me coming out today. I was trying a ton of different stuff hoping to find a really crappy looking amp that could create something unique and wonderful. I'm also a fan of low wattage amps like you. I like being able to crank them without killing my hearing or killing others around me. That was the best part of playing low output amps at GC, I could get great tone without being told to turn it down

I'll be on the search to try some more. I saw some pretty strange things there. I'm tempted to play through some keyboard and vintage bass amps just to see what the reaction'll be :fing2:

 

[JeffB]

Re: I've realized something important today...

I've come to the opposite conclusion...sort of.

I've been playing a a ton of amps lately, and found many surprises both good and bad. Many of the big name amps I played were disappointing, and many of the "lesser" brands or lower end models were indeed very good.

The Behringer V-tones for example. Bang for the buck is incredible.

Line 6 Flextone was also better than any of the Marshall's I played. (regardless of price or tube, VS,SS, etc)

Peavey Transtubes and classics were very good, but the XXX and 5150 lacked for the price, IMO. Same with the Rivera clubsters/pubsters..very muddy.

Vox Valvetronix's have very good tone as well for the most part.

One big surprise was the H&K Edition Blue 60 watt. I came REAL close to dropping 3 bills for one. EXCELLENT sounding SS amp. Better to my ears than many amps 3 times as much $.

 

[DirrtyCraig]

Re: I've realized something important today...

I think your 100% right. There are a ton of great sounding amps out there even the cheap ones. The real value comes in what your using it for. If you doing home recording the Line6 might be perfect as long as your not hauling it to a gig or reherasal every night. If you do, it won't last. I toured with a Flextone for 1 year and had problems after 6 months. Why I stuck with the 5150 over the years because its built like a tank. 10 years and still going. 10 years of 3-4-5 nights per week no BS. I just purchased a boutique amp, and I hope to get the same mileage out of it as I did on the 5150, time will tell. You really do get what you pay for though, and the working musician needs a high quality amp that can take a beating.