Re: Marshall stack vs. a Fender Tube Combo
deftgala said:
that is some logical advice and makes sense. Why walk into a bar the size of my bedroom with a halfstack. If it sounds too loud in my apartment, chances are it'll be the same in there too!
I've been thinking about trying the Tube Screamer from Ibanez. Anyone tried one?
I know alot of guys that used to tote half-stacks around that now have a combo and an extra SM57 mic in case it needs to go through the PA.
The thing about the smaller tube amps is that pedals like the Tube Screamer are good for really goosing it at lower volumes to get it to the "optimal push" point on the tubes where it really sings. When the amp is cranked they're also great for really pushing the level a little further and giving some EQ.
Whatever you do don't confuse the Overdrive pedals (Tube Screamer, Super Overrive, Wasabi) with a Distortion unit; they're wholly different beasts. It's evey few weks I hear someone complaining about how a Tube Screamer sounded terrible for Slayer riffs. It's the wrong tool for the job!
Tube Screamers are almost religious icons. The original ones go for big money (for a pedal). The problem is that the Reissues have really left alot to be desired tonally. They just don't have "it".
I bought a Deluxe version about a year ago and it sat for most of that time; it never sounded good to me. John Spina suggested a mod to it and it instantly had "that" sound. The original manufactured versions are so far from what most folks are looking for that I would almost suggest at the outset that you go with a modified version to get a good idea of what they can sound like. From there you kind of get an idea of whose mods you think you're more inclined to.
I'd also like to mention that the Digitech Bad Monkey has been getting alot of press from the Tube Screamer crowd. I thought it was alot of hype until I picked one up. It wasn't the best deal I got on an Overdrive but for a new unit it's certainly got something on the Tube Screamers that the Tube Screamers don't have. For forty bucks it has found a home in my gear.
MArshall combos just don't cut it and I've tried a bunch of stomp boxes such as Boss Blues Driver, OD1 and 2, Super Distortion, A bunch of Ratt pedals. The boxes just don't compare to the overdrive that comes from that Marshall cab, I guess.
Going with a 2x12 will help to bring down your volume some as well as make it more portable. But I really feel the size and weight difference is negligible; it's another walk out to the car as far as I'm concerned.
Tonally the Fender combos are different from Marshall. But keep in mind that Marshall started out making amps that were. as Pete Townshend put it "The Fender Bassman only louder".
You may find that you like what you hear in the Fenders even more than the Marshall. Marshalls rarely agreed tonally with my ears. Save the BluesBreaker combo I've never played through one that I really liked. But the first time I cranked up my Deluxe Reverb Reissue and found that Allman Brothers tone I was hooked on that amp; and that's from a Reissue!
But never be afraid to try out new gear with the fear that you might like it more than what you have now. That's how you develop tonally and as a player.
. If you have a clean slate to work off of, you can get pretty darn close 
