Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

This thread has opened my eyes a bit on my amp situation. Thanks everyone.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

This thread has opened my eyes a bit on my amp situation. Thanks everyone.

How so? Just curious. Always interesting to read of others' experiences and journeys.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

How so? Just curious. Always interesting to read of others' experiences and journeys.

Well, I have a Fender Pro Junior. I really dig the sounds I can get out of it and even though it's a cheap amp ($400) it has impressed me more than Marshalls TSLs and DSLs, Peavey Classics, even Fenders stuff like the Blues Deluxe. When I was looking for an amp I had $700 to spend. I played the PJ and thought it was a really cool, good sounding amp but it was just too simple and wasn't 30 watts like some people said any gigging amp should be. I kept looking around and couldn't find anything other than the Pro Junior that I liked a lot. Somebody on here said to stop spending all my time looking for amps and just buy the amp I liked... so I bought a condition 1 Pro Junior from musicians friend for $315. It was my first tube amp and I really like it. Soon I will have my guitar paid off (SG Classic) and I will have a bit of money to spend.

So lately I have been looking at tons of amps like old BF and SF Fenders, Tweeds, etc. but I have never played most of the amps I look at. I build it up in my mind that they will be miles ahead of what I have now sorta like what you did (I'm assuming). To me, the Pro Junior is an amp that is worth a lot more than what it costs. I'm sure the more expensive vintage amps will be better but I really like the amp I have now and maybe I won't even think they are that much better, just different.

This thread made me realize that if I can get most of my dream tones out of my current set up then there is no reason to change anything. The only thing that really needs to improve is my playing which is something I think I've been running away from.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

Well, I have a Fender Pro Junior. I really dig the sounds I can get out of it and even though it's a cheap amp ($400) it has impressed me more than Marshalls TSLs and DSLs, Peavey Classics, even Fenders stuff like the Blues Deluxe. When I was looking for an amp I had $700 to spend. I played the PJ and thought it was a really cool, good sounding amp but it was just too simple and wasn't 30 watts like some people said any gigging amp should be. I kept looking around and couldn't find anything other than the Pro Junior that I liked a lot. Somebody on here said to stop spending all my time looking for amps and just buy the amp I liked... so I bought a condition 1 Pro Junior from musicians friend for $315. It was my first tube amp and I really like it. Soon I will have my guitar paid off (SG Classic) and I will have a bit of money to spend.

So lately I have been looking at tons of amps like old BF and SF Fenders, Tweeds, etc. but I have never played most of the amps I look at. I build it up in my mind that they will be miles ahead of what I have now sorta like what you did (I'm assuming). To me, the Pro Junior is an amp that is worth a lot more than what it costs. I'm sure the more expensive vintage amps will be better but I really like the amp I have now and maybe I won't even think they are that much better, just different.

This thread made me realize that if I can get most of my dream tones out of my current set up then there is no reason to change anything. The only thing that really needs to improve is my playing which is something I think I've been running away from.

I think that you're thinking is dead-on. If the Pro Jr. is doing it for you, then enjoy it and milk it for all it's worth until you find you need something that it's lacking (if you ever do).

WAY too many of us on these gear boards get all emotionally tied to gear and think it's holding us back from reaching the next level, when that may or may not be the case.

I've been playing for 26 years, gigging for 24. I spent years and years playing "crap", earning money and getting by just fine. Having said that, it's nice to finally be able to afford some "boutique" gear to play. About ten years ago, I made the jump from cheap, $500 guitars -- to a pair of PRS Custom 24s. I gigged those for several years and thought they were the "shiz". But I gradually found myself bored with them and felt like they had no vibe -- at least not the LP and/or Strat vibe I was looking for. So I sold them and went back to "cheap" guitars. The past 5 years or so it's been 3-4 ESP Ltd EC-400 LP clones, a G&L Tribute Legacy (strat) and ASAT Special (tele), and the past year a Sam Ash mexi Strat. I wouldn't mind an Anderson, or maybe an Eric Johnson strat. But I've found that for me, the amp is the most important link in the chain. As long as the guitar plays well (and is loaded with SD pickups... LOL), I'm good-to-go with a good tube amp and whatever pedals I'm preferring at the moment (mostly my OCD and BBE wah).

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

I think that you're thinking is dead-on. If the Pro Jr. is doing it for you, then enjoy it and milk it for all it's worth until you find you need something that it's lacking (if you ever do).

WAY too many of us on these gear boards get all emotionally tied to gear and think it's holding us back from reaching the next level, when that may or may not be the case.

I've been playing for 26 years, gigging for 24. I spent years and years playing "crap", earning money and getting by just fine. Having said that, it's nice to finally be able to afford some "boutique" gear to play. About ten years ago, I made the jump from cheap, $500 guitars -- to a pair of PRS Custom 24s. I gigged those for several years and thought they were the "shiz". But I gradually found myself bored with them and felt like they had no vibe -- at least not the LP and/or Strat vibe I was looking for. So I sold them and went back to "cheap" guitars. The past 5 years or so it's been 3-4 ESP Ltd EC-400 LP clones, a G&L Tribute Legacy (strat) and ASAT Special (tele), and the past year a Sam Ash mexi Strat. I wouldn't mind an Anderson, or maybe an Eric Johnson strat. But I've found that for me, the amp is the most important link in the chain. As long as the guitar plays well (and is loaded with SD pickups... LOL), I'm good-to-go with a good tube amp and whatever pedals I'm preferring at the moment (mostly my OCD and BBE wah).

I agree 100%.

With my amp situation I think I'll just save and play some amps and when I find one that is better I will jump on it. I don't care if it's in 6 months or 6 years. I have no problem with the tones I'm getting now.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

A number of years ago I sold my Mesas. I'd been reading forums for awhile and started to wonder about the negativity some people had towards them. I sold a Dual Rectifier and a Mark III figuring that there must be something I'm missing and I started a 'tone chase' that lasted about 5 years.

The tone chase finally ended when I traded for another Dual Rectifier. After all the different amps, boutique this, special cable that.... I learned that all I really needed was a Les Paul, Dual Rectifier and an attitude. I also picked up a Mark V along the way... which put me right back where I'd started 5 years prior.

Sometimes you just gotta go with what works, regardless of what other peoples opinions are about it.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

I really wish I could spend a month or so with a Classic, because I've been a daily user of an original 101B for almost 10 years now, as a primary amp.

I agree that the mid and presence, including the assignable presence, is the key to tailoring the sound.

What's so amazing about the XTC is that you could hand the amp to any type of player, and they'd all come back with different settings.

I've known Bogner products since the beginning, but really need more time with a Classic, just so I can assess it. What Reinhold did was strip as much circuitry as he could from the 101B, to create a beautifully pure tube path. But I also know that a lot of 101B owners had their amps modded into Classics, then wish they hadn't. When I saw that happen, it made me think the tone-shaping features were a good thing.

No matter what, for a decade I've had a 101B/Vin 30 next to a Matchless Chieftain as a main rig. I may start using a Blackface Fender as a clean amp....who knows, but the 101B is staying. The only thing I'm going to do in the future is feed that amp different speakers and see where that leads. The XTC was designed around Vin 30's, and I have a bunch of cabs. That means I need to start loading all my cabs with different classic speakers, and utilize one feature my particular amp has...cabinet assigning. Cabinet assigning means I can send my clean channel to an open-back cab, while the gain channels go to closed 412's.

What I need to do, in order to finally dial my rig in is utilize the cabinet assigning. I should assign the clean channel to an open back Fender style cab with Jensens, then assign the plexi and hot channel to a closed back cab with a mix of the best Celestions....maybe even 4 different ones, so I could choose to mic anything.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Just not diggin' my Bogner XTC Classic at this point...

I really wish I could spend a month or so with a Classic, because I've been a daily user of an original 101B for almost 10 years now, as a primary amp.

I agree that the mid and presence, including the assignable presence, is the key to tailoring the sound.

What's so amazing about the XTC is that you could hand the amp to any type of player, and they'd all come back with different settings.

I've known Bogner products since the beginning, but really need more time with a Classic, just so I can assess it. What Reinhold did was strip as much circuitry as he could from the 101B, to create a beautifully pure tube path. But I also know that a lot of 101B owners had their amps modded into Classics, then wish they hadn't. When I saw that happen, it made me think the tone-shaping features were a good thing.

No matter what, for a decade I've had a 101B/Vin 30 next to a Matchless Chieftain as a main rig. I may start using a Blackface Fender as a clean amp....who knows, but the 101B is staying. The only thing I'm going to do in the future is feed that amp different speakers and see where that leads. The XTC was designed around Vin 30's, and I have a bunch of cabs. That means I need to start loading all my cabs with different classic speakers, and utilize one feature my particular amp has...cabinet assigning. Cabinet assigning means I can send my clean channel to an open-back cab, while the gain channels go to closed 412's.

What I need to do, in order to finally dial my rig in is utilize the cabinet assigning. I should assign the clean channel to an open back Fender style cab with Jensens, then assign the plexi and hot channel to a closed back cab with a mix of the best Celestions....maybe even 4 different ones, so I could choose to mic anything.

Wow... that would be a cool feature. Because for those spanky, bright Fenderish cleans, my Classic prefers the V30-loaded Bogner 2X12. But for crunchy, chunky OD tones, it's definitely preferring the H30-loaded 1960B. Wish I could do that.

Definitely have to figure-out a way to A/B my Classic with my buddy's 101B. I think that I'm getting him curious to do that as well. He's just like you in that he's been happy with his 101B for a decade. But like many players, he's still curious about what else is out there.

I think that tomorrow I'm gonna do some more speaker-swapping, and put two H30s in the Bogner 2X12, and an X-pattern of H30s and V30s in the Marshall 1960B. Hoping that swap does it for me and I stay there for a while.

I am curious about all the other speakers out there I must admit. I've ALWAYS used Celestions. So I'm getting curious to try some other brands, namely Eminence speakers. Like maybe the Red Coat or other.