What is your opinion?

youngthrasher9

youngthrasher9

New member
I made a thread a while ago about selecting a new amp. I know that I can get the tone I want with pedals, but my gut tells me to avoid that and get an amp that makes a similar tone without those pedals. I don't know what to do, because of course a new amp would be cool, but I could get the tone cheaper with some new cables and a pedal or two. What would you do? My current amp is a Blackstar HT-20, and I can basically get the tone I want with a boost in front.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

Well, if you can get the tone you want with your current amp + a pedal, it sounds like you're set already.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

My opinion: don't chase tone. Make it.

If you're getting "your sound" already, don't Change a thing.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

JohnZAH said:
This is the best advise I've ever heard. I wish somebody would've told me this years ago.
Click to expand...

I think it's almost a rite of passage for a guitarist to hear this, think he knows better, then years late realize whoever said it was right all along.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

misterwhizzy said:
I think it's almost a rite of passage for a guitarist to hear this, think he knows better, then years late realize whoever said it was right all along.
Click to expand...

I think it goes in phases and we all evolve and grow. Values change, taste change or sometimes we just refine our ears and we need something new. All valid. This is a 'tone chaser' forum and I personally encourage it to a large degree. Its just good to recognize when the heart of it still has to come from you. I love my tone(s) several amps and multiple guitars, all variations of my tone. But This is a game of inches most often and our quest is in the details and subtle realm. We quest for that 5% 'something'. Yes it may come from us at the end of the day and sometimes it comes from the inspiration we get from our new piece of gear or how we feel about ourselves with the gear etc. Even a new pick or strings can get it sometimes.

To the OP, enjoy both if possible. If a pedal gets you the inspired tone you hear, then have at it. Or if a new rig (amp) gets it, have at it. It is even cool to buy a new amp even if you get the tone you want form the current rig. No two are created equal and all of it is valid and uniquely inspiring. They can all help you grow. The irony for myself is that even if I switch from say a Twin to a Blues Deluxe, I dial in my sound pretty close to the same. But still it is just a blast to switch between amp character / response or different pedals even if one is getting the job done. Again subtle details becomes the driving juice after awhile. Enjoy the quest!

Much Respect,

Rodney Gene
 
Re: What is your opinion?

Once you dial it in, then you don't mess with it. Scott Ian from Anthrax gets his sound from a boost into his Randall amps. The boost is really good for slamming the front end and pushing the tubes further. I think the last time I did a major redo on my gear, it's was a hassle. I wouldn't do it very often if I were you.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, Rodney, but I've gone from one amp to the next, and I sound almost exactly the same. Maybe it's the way I dial it in. Maybe it's the way I play. Maybe it's because it's the same guitar. But oftentimes it comes down to subtle nuances, and we can spend a ton of money on things no one else hears. It's frustrating at times, but I think it's necessary for players to go through it.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

Empty Pockets said:
You should man up and grab my buddy's Thunderverb and keep the Blackstar for stereo .
Click to expand...
I'd have to either a) save for 2 years or b) buy it so cheap I'd feel bad for him. Beside that, I don't really need or even want the Thunderverb yet.

I'm going to stick with the Blackstar and a new boost until more cash comes my way. I want the EVH 5150 III, but I'm going to wait to see if I still want it when I graduate.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

Rodney Gene said:
I think it goes in phases and we all evolve and grow. Values change, taste change or sometimes we just refine our ears and we need something new. All valid. This is a 'tone chaser' forum and I personally encourage it to a large degree. Its just good to recognize when the heart of it still has to come from you. I love my tone(s) several amps and multiple guitars, all variations of my tone. But This is a game of inches most often and our quest is in the details and subtle realm. We quest for that 5% 'something'. Yes it may come from us at the end of the day and sometimes it comes from the inspiration we get from our new piece of gear or how we feel about ourselves with the gear etc. Even a new pick or strings can get it sometimes.

To the OP, enjoy both if possible. If a pedal gets you the inspired tone you hear, then have at it. Or if a new rig (amp) gets it, have at it. It is even cool to buy a new amp even if you get the tone you want form the current rig. No two are created equal and all of it is valid and uniquely inspiring. They can all help you grow. The irony for myself is that even if I switch from say a Twin to a Blues Deluxe, I dial in my sound pretty close to the same. But still it is just a blast to switch between amp character / response or different pedals even if one is getting the job done. Again subtle details becomes the driving juice after awhile. Enjoy the quest!

Much Respect,

Rodney Gene
Click to expand...
Agree 99%. Nothing wrong with the pursuit of tone as long as you're not obsessed to the point that it impeads your development as a musician. Your development is #1 and if funds and desire allow the pursuit of tone....go for it.

I have a number of amps and many pedals, and must agree that after I find the tone I like on each combination, it ends up being very nearly the same. Good or Bad, it's 'my tone'.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

I agree with the ain't-broke-don't-fix-it crowd. You can spend mucho money chasing the last 5% of your ideal tone, and then play to a noisy crowd in a loud band, and that 5% goes right out the window.

Also, there is not one single thing better about getting the same sound from an amp by itself as you do from your current amp and a pedal. Not one.
 
Re: What is your opinion?

guitfiddle said:
I agree with the ain't-broke-don't-fix-it crowd. You can spend mucho money chasing the last 5% of your ideal tone, and then play to a noisy crowd in a loud band, and that 5% goes right out the window.

Also, there is not one single thing better about getting the same sound from an amp by itself as you do from your current amp and a pedal. Not one.
Click to expand...

The 5% is not for the crowd. Its for you, the one that matters. For me as a player the whole purpose, joy and excitement is refining the details. What else have we got? Every time I hear Robben Ford or Eric Johnson live here in Austin, every second of playing is based on and rooted in the details. I appreciate that attention. I have outstanding tone in many ways for my particular needs (meaning it 'aint broke) and still I love the prospect of refinement. There are many amps I enjoy and others I look forward to trying/buying etc. same with pedals. They are not the same. I have 3 'dumble' type pedals and they are all excellent. Different in the details but superb independently. I appreciate that. For me I find many advantages to getting the tones I want with a pedal(s) over a cranked amp. Volume level, flexibility and tonal variation being the main. Flexibility in willingness to maintain excellence in my standards is what I aim for. I am still trying new pickups and even going back to those I used in the past. Very enjoyable when it brings me success based on my current needs. At the end of the day to comes down to me as a player either way.

'Chasing' tone' is a waste of time, but learning what works for you (through experimentation) and refining it is what the whole game is for. Not just in guitar tone.
The subtle details are everything.

Cheers and Much Respect!
 
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