Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

[d1dsj]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

Because the guitar's own sound shines through... if that makes sense? Some amps just sound the same whether you got an Ibanez going through or an L.P... I know it's a subtle difference, but it's there all the same. Also the sound is very clear and articulate.... even the overdrive is so clear... not muddy.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I built my amp because I wanted a Marshall-type sound with low power, and it was just before the recent renaissance in affordable tube amp manufacturing. I couldn't afford boutique or vintage, so I built my own.

I first heard of the Marshall 18- and 20-watters via Robbie McIntosh, who used one on one of my favorite albums, Pretenders' Learning to Crawl. However, I would say I built it to sound like him. My tone is an amalgam of 30 years of influences, but i've always been pretty contrary about buying gear - I use a lot of Boss stuff even though I know my heros use something else. To me, reliability, compactness, and moderate cost count for a lot, and tone-wise "close enough" is close enough in many cases.

The funny thing is, by sheer dumb luck, the baby Marshall I built nails "my sound" better than the big rig I had back in the day. Back then, I had a tone in my head and thought I was getting it out of the amp. But some recordings I recently re-discoverd indicate that my tone was thin and cheesy, a result of strangling a too-big Marshall 2203 with the MV. Cranking a small amp works much better at creating the tone I thought I had back then.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I liked how they sounded in person or in clips on the internet. (Put a lot of faith in reviews on the internet and in sound clips for the Splawn) Everyone uses 800's and Princetons, and I was enamored with the Road King when it was released. Foo Fighters and Petrucci use them, but I wasn't going for either of their sounds, although on the gain side I WAS going for the Mesa sound that ton's of people have used.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I got interested in the Mesa Blue Angel after reading a glowing review by Joe Gore in guitar Player. I tried one and was knocked out by it's cleans, reverb and transition into overdrive. I bought one as soon as I could afford one, and it's been a workhorse ever since. Goes on every tour and finds it's way on every record.

The Victoria Double Deluxe came from trying out a Vic deluxe clone and being utterly knocked out. I thought that was the best amp I'd ever heard. The dealer allowed me to take it to sound check, but it was thoroughly outgunned in a medium sized club. So he suggested I look at the double wattage, 2x12 version. I ordered it and fell in love when I got hold of it a month later. Shortly after that my Vibrolux and soldano were on sale. It's been a constant companion ever since, and I'm touring it now I have outboard reverb. A true top tier amp and an inspiration.

 

[Bender]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

Why did I buy my amp ?

so I can hear the guitar without holding it to my ears
so I can rock the neighbors even if they don't want to hear it
so I bug the wife
and last but not least cause I like loud music

 

[Stratman]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

Because I am a gear whore

 

[B Bent]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I had a sound in my head and my Vibrolux Reverb produced said sound!

 

[phil_104]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

Three reasons I got my blues deluxe reissue :

- The amazing, lucious, sensual, did i say amazing?, clean sound.
- The fact that it takes pedals super well.
- Tweed = awesome.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I got my VOX AD15VT for several reasons

- It sounded great
- It sounded great the appropriate volume for my apartment living and mic'd gigging
- It's versatile - can do clean to dirty, scooped Fendery to middy Marshally, compressed to reverb'd
- It's small - I can carry my gear bag, my guitar, and my amp to the car in one trip. This is very important to me because I play out twice a week and I live in a third floor apartment that's a bit of a walk out to where my car is.
- It was priced to sell --- $189 for the best sounding amp I've ever had
- It's weight is very low, key for my aforementioned 3rd floor situation

 

[ErikH]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

Of the ones I have now, I got my Marshall because I had always wanted one and the amp I had prior had blown 3 times and I finally got rid of it after the 3rd time. Somebody was on my side after that because the Marshall came to me at a steal of a deal.

I got my Vox AD50VT because my Marshall went down, blew the power transformer. I needed an amp quick, something that'll allow me to cover the bases and not be overly expensive. A got some recommedations and the Vox won out. I'm still using it today. I'm getting some really great tones out of it. I still sound like me, just a different flavor.

 

[sonicexplorer]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I tried the Mesa DC 5 when they first came out, and loved the crazy high gain, but couldn't afford them. Then one day I find one used for $650. I asked the guy at the counter how much with tax and he says he'll sell it for $600 plus tax. I ran to the atm and put a deposit down without even trying the amp that day. I did try it a week later, when I came back with another payment, and was still blown away by the distortion tone. That was 10 years ago and I still love this amp!

Last year I was trying out a PRS Singlecut through different Mesas and I decided to try it through the Marshall DSL 100 head. Again blown away the tone , that when the sales guy came around to check on me, I told him forget the guitar I like the amp. Went and grab my strat for the final test and half hour later walk out with the amp.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I've owned a lot of amps in my 27 year career as a pro.

Now my rig is the following:

Behringer V-Amp Pro
Peavey tube amp 50+50
2x12 cab w/ Eminence Cannabis Rex speakers
Boss GT-8

I'm more than pleased with the sounds I can get out of it.

Pepe aka Lt. Kojak
Milano, Italy

 

[formula73]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I've bought all my amps because they were good deals:

Valveking-trade
Randall-trade
Cobra and Dragon-$800 each
Marshalls-$700 each
Metaltronix-$600

Jury's still out on the Metaltronix, though.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I knew the exact tone I wanted, and decided to play a ton of amps until I found it. It took me almost two months, but I finally found what I was looking for in a Mesa Stiletto Ace. Best piece of gear I've ever bought.

 

[thespricket]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I like the price to sound ratio, It's just the best amp i could afford. I could have saved for another amp but i seriously think I've got the perfect amp for me. If this one dies on me, i'll buy one of the newer Palominos.

 

[DMR]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I bought my current amp partly because of affordability, partly because of versatility, and partly because I wanted to venture outside the world of tube amps for a change. My current amp is the Line 6 HD147. Since none of my musical heroes plays this amp, or any Line 6 amp I certainly didn't get it to chase the tone of my favorites.

I spent alot of time over at the ESP forums and it always amazed me how much money people would spend buying gear trying to sound like someone else. I'm a huge Metallica fan but I keep it within reason. But some guys will see a particular head in a fanclub magazine and rush right out to buy it just because Hetfield or Hammett own it. There's several guys over there who make it a point to own or have owned every single amp Hetfield has/had, buy every sig guitar, and even go so far as to contact Ken Lawrence and drop $6,000 on a custom explorer (using Hetfield's specifications) because they saw hetfield use them. And that's all well and good if you have that type of disposable income and if that's what gets you off. I just wondered where all that money came from. My wife gave me a hard enough time just spending $1400 on my Line 6 head and cab.

 

[Robbyk]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I wanted to sound like me. I playewd through many amps and have owned amps Like peavey and traynor, ampeg, Kustom( blue padded) etc. But never really liked any. I bought my Marshall and love the sounds I get from it. I actually have it in stereo to another amp and they both sound awesome together.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I was just wondering how many of the members here bought amps because they were looking for thier own tones and how many bought one to sound like someone else?

i have many amps... i've always bought amps looking for a tone I LIKE first... i do admit i bought a 5150 because of the EVH thing but in the end it came home with me because i liked what i heard...

but my Classic 50 and my Classic 30 amps are more or less because they were cheap and they provit a great clean channel for my pedal board... The C50 Head into a Marshall 1x12 id my most gigged set up i own... closely by the C30 combo

 

[Thunder7]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

It smelled pretty good

 

[marvar]

Re: Why Did You Buy Your Amp?

I wasn't even looking for an amp when I bought mine.
I walked into a pawn shop, saw a Marshall JCM602, all tube combo marked at $200, knew that they had no idea what they had, and snatched it up, thinking that I'd turn it over for a good profit. But I sorta' liked it!
Then, over the course of a couple of years, retubed it, re-speakered it to fit what I wanted. Never looked back.