Guitar Amps

[Mole239]

Hey guys.

I'm not strictly a technician, more of a dabbler, but I've recetly started playing guitar. I'd be interested as to what you guys have to say about any amps you've met on your travels (whether they were any good, but especially if they aren't worth the moulded plastic and wiring they're made from).

 

Thanks

 

SF

[Mr.Si]

Well, personally, I don't like Marshall Amplifiers. The people I know with them haven't had a great sound. (yes I know other things such as the guiar itself are rather important too).

 

However, I love Fender Amps, a friend of mine has a fender EightyFive amp. Lovely sounding.

The band I engineer for's guitarist has a Messaboogie Stack which is rather nice! (expensive too).

I've come across VOX amps too, but not enough to comment.

That's in terms of the Electric Guitar world.

 

 

In terms of Acoustic Guitar amplifiers - I love trace elliot / trace acoustic amps.

 

 

HTH

 

Si

[J Pearce]

Acoustic wise AER all the time. Just so open and natural.

 

Electric:

 

Vox - I like

Fender - I like them too, the older stuff especially

Marshall - Classic sound, but reliability hasn't been great on many of my mates stacks.

Mesa Boogie - Haven't used them much, but they seem good

Orange - Very nice

 

Bass:

 

Best one I've ever heard was hand built by Tony Waldron of CADAC for his son, who played in a jazz band with me.

Hartke - very nice

Ampeg - classic rock sound

Some of the cheap CRATE bass amps sound quite good too.

GK - great for jazz and double bass

 

There's loads I haven't mentioned, I only mention the ones I've used or worked alongside.

[Rob_Beech]

Being SM for a Beatles tribute band I have to put up with the VOX AC30 day in day out.

 

Whilst you get an authentic sound from them they are far from versatile. Very basic. and NOT AT ALL reliable. its not a big show at the moment but we've spoke about carrying a couple of spare amp modules with us. 1 amp is currently in for repair and has been for some time. We dont seem to get more than a couple of months without issues. These are repaired by experienced people and other modifications have been carried out on the amp which has improved one of them significantly.

 

With all the risks! 1 has has a modification to one of the boards and has since not failed. its been out on the road 3 months now (longest ever)

 

I've heard rumours that the way the valves sit (facing front to back) has a major effect on its reliability. the original AC30's had the valves upright and were much more reliable.

The addition of 718,000 fuses has not made things better either.

 

All in all I would avoid them

 

I am a messa boogie fan and a fender (old) fan.

Another vote agasint marshall too I'm afraid.

 

Rob

[adamburgess]

Good combos like Fender Twin, MesaBoogie, Hughes and Ketnner Stuff are great. Things like the Marshall Mode4 seem very one-dimensional and are just not "there" for me. The cheap Marshalls are OK if you feed he a clean line from a decent pedal or pod. If you're talking a bit more money then things like engl, soldano etc.. You can play a straight A chord and it will fill the room with 50Watts.

[dbuckley]

I wasn't going to enter the fray, but I cant have folks dissing Marshall amps. If there is a definitive "rock guitar" sound, its what comes out of an old Marshall, the low gain (ie non-MV) models and a 4x12 cabinet, miced through a PA. Without the PA the tone is a bit insipid and wimpy to my ears, and not at all classic. I've never played one, but Soldano also appear to be trying to fit this bill.

 

If you are after the high-gain buzzsaw sound, then MV Marshalls, Mesas (both combos and rectifiers) and several others fit the bill. So do any number of pedals with the word "turbo" in their name. Very very few guitarists have managed the word "tasteful" along with high gain, with the obvious exception of Santanna.

 

If you like "that Fender sound", then its either a Fender or an Orange, which was as near as anything UK made that did Fender-ish tones, and is significantly louder. Can be an ideal rhythm guitar sound. The Music Man was a sweeter (tinnier maybe, or possibly thinner would be a better word) version of the Fender, lovely with humbuckers, but with a Tele could rip your head clean off your shoulders.

 

You owe it to yourself to play a power chord through a Hiwatt just once. The ground will shake, you will go wow. Now switch it off and walk away.

 

That leaves AC30s and Matchless. Hmmm... Both can sound good, and hell, AC30s can (the ones with the "right" speakers) be loud out of all proportion to their meagre power rating, but both brands generally sound naff rather than good.

 

What will really make your sound man happy is:

 

http://www.marshallamps.com/images/product_overview/el842020feature.jpg

 

 

One of them in a 4u gator case with a preamp and korg tuner, and a couple of 2x12s. A beautifully toned stereo mic-upable guitar rig, loud enough on its own for rehearsal, perfect for stage use, and small and light enough for your mum to dismantle and take home when you fall off the stage and break your arm