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BlueGrot posted:
Give us more content on this post - what rocks about it, how much does it run for, etc. I don't want this to be a show our amps thread, I want candid user reviews and descriptions.
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Jul 11, 2010 20:31
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Aight, it's a 1974 Sound City 50 with two channels, a murky normal one and a nice brilliant one. I run p90 pickups through it with sensitivity set at 1. (You can choose between 1 and 2, 1 is for studio volume, 2 is for live volume) and as it's only 50 watts it really flats out when driven hard but the preamp is super clean. Picked it up 800$ but I guess one can get one from eBay for 500$ in the US. The 120 watt one is a monster, I did live sound on a band using one a couple of months ago and it was a bit too much.
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Jul 11, 2010 21:06
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Gramps posted:Retube it. Distortion when things should still be clean is one of the first symptoms of power tube wear. At least have a tech check it out as the bias could have drifted on you as well. Yeah, you're probably right. Any suggestions re: tubes? I retubed my classic 50 with JJs from eurotubes and was pretty satisfied, but the kit options for the R55 alone are extensive. What would the best balance of cleans that stay loving clean and enough gain on the dirty channel to play some rock? Do the high gain options let you keep clean? edit: Not to mention E34L vs. KT77 vs. 6L6GC. The amp came stock with EL34s, and I liked it when I bought it, so I guess that's the direction to go. kaptainkaffeine fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Jul 12, 2010 |
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Jul 12, 2010 17:04
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Schlieren posted:Sounds way too good out of this amp not to do it so I think instead I'll try to find something that can handle both reasonably well but thanks for this incredibly obvious suggestion! I think everyone's made the point that bass playing will quickly destroy guitar speakers, but since you're only using it to record, you could get around that by buying a DI, instead.
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Jul 14, 2010 17:08
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Do any of you guys have any love for a particular battery-powered amp? Not just for sound, but for battery life, size (definitely don't want anything too big), durability, extra features, etc. I'm looking to buy a "play this literally anywhere" amp, but there doesn't seem to be a wealth of info on the subject. I'm not concerned about price.
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Jul 15, 2010 01:08
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Fron Bolster posted:I think everyone's made the point that bass playing will quickly destroy guitar speakers, but since you're only using it to record, you could get around that by buying a DI, instead. Except it's entirely possible that part of what sounds so good are the guitar speakers as well as the amp itself...
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Jul 15, 2010 01:18
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Schlieren posted:Except it's entirely possible that part of what sounds so good are the guitar speakers as well as the amp itself... you were asking about replacing the speakers...
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Jul 15, 2010 01:34
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It's entirely possible that part of what sounds so good are most any sort of guitar speakers one might expect in an amp of the sort I use, as well as the amp itself...
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Jul 15, 2010 02:20
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Alakaiser posted:Do any of you guys have any love for a particular battery-powered amp? Not just for sound, but for battery life, size (definitely don't want anything too big), durability, extra features, etc. I'm looking to buy a "play this literally anywhere" amp, but there doesn't seem to be a wealth of info on the subject. Roland Cube. They have it in different styles and sizes but the micro cube I have is the poo poo for playing out at friends houses or if you want to do an acoustic act with an acoustic/electric hybrid. You can even plug a microphone into it - they really kick rear end. It takes 6 AA batteries I believe and lasts a good amount of time.
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Jul 15, 2010 02:55
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Seconding microcube. The battery life is long as hell. I left it on without plugging it in overnight one time and it was still going in the morning. It's also so small you can clip it to your belt and walk around and busk with it. The cleans are nice, the dirty channels aren't bad, and they're all over craigslist for like $60-70. Pretty much a no-brainer for portability.
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Jul 15, 2010 03:44
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The Mystery Date posted:Seconding microcube. The battery life is long as hell. I left it on without plugging it in overnight one time and it was still going in the morning. It's also so small you can clip it to your belt and walk around and busk with it.
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Jul 15, 2010 03:46
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Thanks guys, this should work out perfectly.
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Jul 15, 2010 03:55
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Awww dammit. I had my mind made up to go with the Vox DA5 over the Roland Microcube next paycheck. Now you all have me questioning that.
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Jul 15, 2010 04:02
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Dupree9973 posted:Awww dammit. I had my mind made up to go with the Vox DA5 over the Roland Microcube next paycheck. Now you all have me questioning that. Yes, yeeees. Come to the dark side... In my opinion it's a better sounding amp as well, but play both in a store to make your decision. If you're turned off by the single EQ knob, it's actually pretty effective at finding good tones. Basically, you're either emphasizing treble, mids, or bass. I like it at about 1 or 2 o'clock for clean stuff, and a little bit higher for dirty. You can't scoop the mids, but that sounds silly anyways.
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Jul 15, 2010 05:05
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Schlieren posted:Except it's entirely possible that part of what sounds so good are the guitar speakers as well as the amp itself... No doubt, but you will just end up shredding the new speakers if you keep doing this. Not to mention that it's difficult to properly mic bass amps without a massive room. If you hadn't specified that you're only using this for recording, it might be a different story. But for recording, a DI box is still a really good solution. It'll be cheap, and sound good. I mean, think about it, if you're only using bass for recording, are you seriously that concerned about having a "perfect," as opposed to "usable," bass tone? I have to assume that you're not a bassist, primarily, and as such, you would likely be perfectly serviced by having a clean, straightforward tone for it. You're not trying to be the next Jaco or something, otherwise you'd be running a guitar through your bass amp, and not the other way around.
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Jul 15, 2010 05:09
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Ibanez Thermion. Really weird hybrid of a marshall and mesa voicing. Sounded phenominal on the green channel with a boost, was even better with 6550s and JJ ECC83s-es. recorded well with G12t-75s. I honestly think some of my best tones came out of that amp. http://www.netmusicians.org/?section=id&value=5411 http://www.netmusicians.org/?section=id&value=5328 http://www.netmusicians.org/?section=id&value=5251 these were all recorded at apartment levels in my living room using nothing more than a cheap $99 firewire interface and 2 mics.
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Jul 15, 2010 18:36
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My Marshall MG10CD's overdrive went kaputt after years of trusty duty, so I'm looking for a new practice amp for my home and for band practice. Requirements:
I've had good experience with Marshall and very bad one with Line6 amps. Someone recommended me Orange, but I'm open to any maker.
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Jul 15, 2010 21:09
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Dupree9973 posted:Awww dammit. I had my mind made up to go with the Vox DA5 over the Roland Microcube next paycheck. Now you all have me questioning that. I haven't heard the Vox, but one advantage the Roland might have is the AA batteries - the Vox uses C's, but you're more likely to have an AA charger am I right? Throw in some high-performance rechargeables (I have some ReCykos in my bass Microcube) and it'll run for a long time. You guys aren't serious about strolling around with one clipped to your belt are you? Or is the guitar version a lot lighter than the bass one? 15lbs is light but it's not that light...
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Jul 15, 2010 21:39
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Fron Bolster posted:No doubt, but you will just end up shredding the new speakers if you keep doing this. Not to mention that it's difficult to properly mic bass amps without a massive room. I get a fantastic results (according to my tastes), considering the equipment I use. It's entirely possible I'll shred guitar amp speakers, but it's also entirely possible that at the SPLs I'm generating, there is an option out there that will still work for my guitar amp, and be robust enough not to deteriorate terribly rapidly, and still sound fantastic for guitars. These particular (stock, original, 35 year-old) speakers have had bass ploughing through them for three years and only recently has there been any buzzing anywhere in the amp. I'm not even sure it's not something else just rattling around, I still have to take it to my tech.
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Jul 16, 2010 01:07
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There is a danger of popping your voice coil running a bass through a guitar amp, but only if you do something stupid. Just pay attention and make sure you're not maxing out the speaker. One of the best bass tones you'll ever hear on tape is a p-bass through a blackface deluxe.
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Jul 16, 2010 01:38
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Uncle Marx posted:My Marshall MG10CD's overdrive went kaputt after years of trusty duty, so I'm looking for a new practice amp for my home and for band practice. To really answer your question, it'd be a good idea to tell us what kind of music you want to play. Also as for your requirements, OD and Wah pedals both generally go before the pre-amp in your effects chain (IE you plug your guitar into them and then run a chord from the pedal into the amp) so provided the amp you choose will take an OD pedal - and I haven't come across one yet that won't at least on the clean channel - you're fine. Most small amps these days have an effects loop too, so you should be covered there. Headphone out is a bit hit and miss in my experience - A lot of amps in the size/power range you're looking for don't have them. It seems you're looking for something that will compete with a drummer (although I can't see how your old amp could have??), so I'd say you're looking for something in the range of about 15-30W tube or 60W solid state. There's a LOT available in this price range(moreso solid state), I'd check out some of the cheaper Peavey/Fender combos. I have a Peavey Studio Pro that I bought a few years ago for $400AUD. 65 watt with voicings for vintage, metal and a high-gain rock sound. Honestly for the price I don't think I could have done better. Edit: Don't discount the used market - it's a goldmine for practice amps, as a lot of people get rid of them for space reasons when they upgrade to something a bit more pricey. Don Dongington fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Jul 16, 2010 |
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Jul 16, 2010 01:49
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baka kaba posted:You guys aren't serious about strolling around with one clipped to your belt are you? Or is the guitar version a lot lighter than the bass one? 15lbs is light but it's not that light... Done it. You just have to have your belt pretty tight or there will be some saggage. You could also probably rig it up like a backpack. Edit: How does the bass microcube sound? I imagine there might be problems in the low end with such a small speaker, unless it's larger than the 6 inch one in the guitar model.
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Jul 16, 2010 02:29
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The Mystery Date posted:Done it. You just have to have your belt pretty tight or there will be some saggage. You could also probably rig it up like a backpack. Yeah I had a look at the Roland site and the non-RX guitar cube's around 6lbs? Bit more conducive to rocking  Actually the Bass RX (which is what I have) doesn't even have a 6-inch speaker, it has four 4-inchers - and this is My First Bass so I don't have a lot to compare to, but it sounds pretty decent for what it is. A little boxy and middy, although I need to put new strings on the bass (got it second hand), but it does put out some decent low end growl and it can get pretty drat loud, especially in an enclosed space. I love the portability and the features, all that's really missing is some distortion modelling - if you crank the gain you can get a hosed up sound which kinda counts I guess, still have to dig in though. Plus I can play my guitar through it!
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Jul 16, 2010 03:05
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Uncle Marx posted:My Marshall MG10CD's overdrive went kaputt after years of trusty duty, so I'm looking for a new practice amp for my home and for band practice. If you don't absolutely need a tube amp, the older used Peavey Special combos are really good. You can find them for under $100 every now and then and they're loud as gently caress but sound just fine at non-permanent ear damage volume. Country musicians in the 80s and 90s used them extensively because they're very loud and clean, but pedals work well too. I've been using a Special 112 as a practice/small gig amp for years. Look for the ones with Scorpion speakers.
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Jul 16, 2010 06:16
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Ackbarf posted:To really answer your question, it'd be a good idea to tell us what kind of music you want to play. Also, you're right, that MG10CD was home use only would've been way too quiet for band practice (although it had surprisingly good song for its size).
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Jul 16, 2010 13:05
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Schlieren posted:I get a fantastic results (according to my tastes), considering the equipment I use. It's entirely possible I'll shred guitar amp speakers, but it's also entirely possible that at the SPLs I'm generating, there is an option out there that will still work for my guitar amp, and be robust enough not to deteriorate terribly rapidly, and still sound fantastic for guitars. These particular (stock, original, 35 year-old) speakers have had bass ploughing through them for three years and only recently has there been any buzzing anywhere in the amp. I'm not even sure it's not something else just rattling around, I still have to take it to my tech. If it works, it works, I guess. I would at least try a couple of bass cabs - you'd find out if it's the amp or the guitar speakers that you like. You might even prefer a different set of speakers
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Jul 16, 2010 13:31
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the wizards beard posted:If it works, it works, I guess. I would at least try a couple of bass cabs - you'd find out if it's the amp or the guitar speakers that you like. You might even prefer a different set of speakers This thread has convinced me to do just that. Any recommendations for someone who likes what comes out of a clean, hilariously overpowered, Fender-designed guitar amp when using a bass?
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Jul 16, 2010 20:55
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Schlieren posted:This thread has convinced me to do just that. Any recommendations for someone who likes what comes out of a clean, hilariously overpowered, Fender-designed guitar amp when using a bass? What is it about the sound you like? Any clips available?
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Jul 16, 2010 23:51
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Gramps posted:One of the best bass tones you'll ever hear on tape is a p-bass through a blackface deluxe. Funny you should say that. I just finished a recording session where a Rickenbacker 4001 went through a black panel Deluxe on an auxiliary feed and it sounds fantastic indeed. So much so that the DI'ed track was deleted. Another nice bass->guitaramp set-up is a muted Jazz or 4001 played with a felt pick through a Twin. Found that out by accident the other day. I recorded it at low volume via a large diaphragm AKG. Result: wall of bass with a layer of clear mids on top.
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Jul 18, 2010 11:52
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Hey gang, here's my review of the Black Star HT - 60 Price paid - $750 new Tube combo amp - 2x12 Three channels with included footswitch Effects loop ISF tone control (more on that later) Using an ESP LTD Les Paul with active EMG 85/81 pickups and Ovation Acoustic/Electric Hybrid with actives Seymore Duncan 59 pickups I'll be truthful right up front, the price was the main selling point to me on this amp. The amp retails for $900 which is already cheaper than many of the 2x12 combos that offer similar features and was THE ONLY AMP BRAND I could find that was honoring guitar center's  15% off 4th of July sale. Every other one was like gently caress that poo poo, you're paying full price bitch. I also had to order the amp because no one around me is carrying it yet in store so it was a bit of a leap of faith.I'm going to start with the negatives on the amp then go into the greatness because there is so much good on this amp that it greatly outweighs any negative. - Three channels but both overdrive channels share the same EQ. This isn't abnormal and is better than some Marshalls that have every channel share the same EQ, but it does limit the sound you can switch to and from on the over drive channels. - I personally felt an outside EQ was necessary to get the sound I wanted - the MXR placed in the effects loop with the mids toned down a bit helped give a great metal distortion that was not muddy or too high pitched. I realize that nothing short of a Mesa or Orange are really going to be perfect out of the box, but this tool really gave the amp a bigger set of balls. - For some reason Reverb is on whenver you turn on the amp and you have to manually turn it off on the footswitch. The footswitch itself uses a VGA connector which I've never see used before. - Switches are reversed because of British backwards poo poo - switches go up for off and down for on. And that's about all the bad. Here's the kick rear end parts of the amp - The craftsmanship: - IT IS LIGHT AS HELL for a tube combo. I could carry this with no problems as opposed to something like the Peavey 5150 combo which is heavy as hell. - The switches and knobs are mostly plastic but are of good quality - while I would rather have some steel/metal knobs like on a Mesa/Marshall I can see this was used to cut the price on the amp. - the tubes and speakers a very protected and not very difficult to access - Very sturdy body. Could easily take some hits with little to no damage. I'm not going to chuck the drat thing like the Mesa tests, but It feels extremely solid. The sound: - with the EQ, this has the best distortion channel on any amp I've owned. Warm, thick cutting distortion that sounds amazing cranked up. The clean channel is extremely competent and sounds great overdriven as well. - The ISF knob allows you to go to USA mode, British mode, or anywhere inbetween which changes the characteristics of the amp and allows for a great deal of tonal options which all sound good in their own way. It's one of the few tone features I've used on an amp that really hits the mark. - Very happy with the presence control, it and the reverb work perfectly for what they need to do. Bass response is great. - Mostly Pedal friendly. Plugged in a Metal Muff to get another distortion type and it sounded good. When I plugged the metal muff into a boss ge-7 EQ it made this amazing ballsy electronic type distortion which is probably my favorite. Worked great with my carbon copy. Hated the Boss ME - 5 I had lying around (multi effect board) though - just colored the sound way too much. I'm sure a tube screamer would sound good through it as well. Only thing I use in the effects loop is the eq which is loving loves. - Celestion Speakers only sound good when they are pushed by a good head unit and this unit does the job perfectly. It is amazing how the Kustom solid state with 12 inc celestions sounds so lovely yet the celestions are amazing on this tube combo. This amp isn't as good as a Mesa or Orange, but it really isn't trying to be. It was released to offer a cost-effective tube 2x12 combo with a myriad of options for practice and gigging. At 60 tube watts it gets very loud and stays clear at the same time. It totally kicks the poo poo out of amps I've tried in it's same price area, the Peavey and Marshall amps especially seemed very limited compared to this amp. If you have a large budget for an amp, go grab a Bogner, Orange, or Mesa but this amp is a godsend for anyone who can't spend more than a grand on an amp - easily one of the best sub -$1000 amps I've ever used. - edit - Forgot a score. I'd give it a 4.0 by itself and 4.5 with additional eq on the effects loop. Just a drat good amp. ruinedhero fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Jul 18, 2010 |
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Jul 18, 2010 18:20
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I'm not sure if this is the thread for this, but I had a question about daisy chaining. What I'm trying to do is Guitar > Laney VH100R > Laney to a Fender M80 Chorus for power, then out of the M80 to the cabs. But I can't figure out how to get it to work. I was trying to do from the speaker output on the Laney to the guitar input on the M80 and I learned this is BAD NEWS BEARS. I talked to an amp tech and he said to go from the Preamp Line out of the Laney to the Line In of the M80 and I tried that and it didn't do anything. I also googled the poo poo out of it and tried to old school way of daisy chaining (guitar in to amp 1 input1 > amp 1 input2 to amp 2 input1) and that didn't do anything either. What am I doing wrong and how do I make this work 
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Jul 19, 2010 19:27
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Sirius Sam posted:I'm not sure if this is the thread for this, but I had a question about daisy chaining. What I'm trying to do is Guitar > Laney VH100R > Laney to a Fender M80 Chorus for power, then out of the M80 to the cabs. But I can't figure out how to get it to work. I was trying to do from the speaker output on the Laney to the guitar input on the M80 and I learned this is BAD NEWS BEARS. I talked to an amp tech and he said to go from the Preamp Line out of the Laney to the Line In of the M80 and I tried that and it didn't do anything. I also googled the poo poo out of it and tried to old school way of daisy chaining (guitar in to amp 1 input1 > amp 1 input2 to amp 2 input1) and that didn't do anything either. Why would you want to bypass the tube power section of the Laney in favor of the lovely sounding power section of the M80? Either way Line out of the Laney into the line in of the M80 is correct. In this configuration only the master volume control on the m80 will work. You are going to be way better off throwing the M80 off of a cliff and running the laney straight into the speakers.
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Jul 20, 2010 18:40
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What's a good middle of the road/"middle class" tube amp? Currently I'm runnin bass and guitar through my bass rig, but really, it's novelty and necessity more than anything and I aim to buy a guitar amp within the next few months. Definitely gonna need something giggable, so in the 30 - 50 watt range. Combo, preferably, but I have no problem running a head through my bass cab, which is a run of the mill Ampeg 410. 8 ohms.
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Jul 20, 2010 18:48
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Zuhzuhzombie!! posted:What's a good middle of the road/"middle class" tube amp? Currently I'm runnin bass and guitar through my bass rig, but really, it's novelty and necessity more than anything and I aim to buy a guitar amp within the next few months. I'd just get a used old Twin if you gig a lot. Easy to fix if something breaks. If you really want lower volume while keeping the oomph from driving the amp hard you can take out 2 powertubes. But you'll get 100 different suggestions; probably all valid too. All depends on what music you're into.
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Jul 20, 2010 18:54
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Underflow posted:I'd just get a used old Twin if you gig a lot. Easy to fix if something breaks. If you really want lower volume while keeping the oomph from driving the amp hard you can take out 2 powertubes. Honestly, I had been looking at a Vox Valve Reactor, but IIRC, those are hybrids, and I can't find one in store to really check out. My bass amp is a hybrid, but I'm not entirely impressed with the tube preamp in it. I wish I could find a good Fender Twin, but every one I've come across was at the 1000$ range. Same for the Bassman. I play lots of music. Latest group is kind of a Black Keys thing. Playing through a buddy's Line 6, which I absolutely do not like in the slightest.
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Jul 20, 2010 19:02
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Zuhzuhzombie!! posted:Honestly, I had been looking at a Vox Valve Reactor, but IIRC, those are hybrids, and I can't find one in store to really check out. My bass amp is a hybrid, but I'm not entirely impressed with the tube preamp in it. I wish I could find a good Fender Twin, but every one I've come across was at the 1000$ range. Same for the Bassman. I hadn't heard of them before, they sound pretty good. I'd stay away from any model that doesn't have a confirmed reputation of being roadworthy, that's why I mentioned the Twin. Any you can always find a local rental in case yours gets damaged in transport. It's been a while since I shopped for amps, but perhaps you can find that lower priced version they made at some stage called The Twin - I think. Or keep combing the classifieds. One in your budget range is bound to turn up. From my own experience, the only amps that were able to take a constant beating on the road were Twins and Bassmans (the silver panel 100W heads), Hi-Watts, and original AC-30s. I suppose Marshalls would do the trick to, but I never used them. Everytime someone in the band tried out something different for a while it ended in ampsoup one way or another. That's not taking into account a whole generation of newer makes and models, of course. Someone will have a better suggestion that'll fit your budget.
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Jul 20, 2010 19:22
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Hiwatt and VOX are my dreams. Maybe in a year I'll have the cash for one of them. Yeah right. :P EDIT I literally live in Peavey country. Lots of PR here means that most used gear on the market is Peavey poo poo.
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Jul 20, 2010 19:59
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I've been thinking about getting (or building- oh god) a Vox AC15. An AC30 is way to o much for what I'll ever need. 15 watts seems a bit more reasonable. I'm still looking at a schematic and seeing how feasible it is.
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Jul 22, 2010 01:57
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As some of you have seen in the new equipment thread, I just got my first tube amp: the Bugera V22. This thing has blown my socks off. Given that my last amp was a Roland Micro Cube that's probably par for the course but the cleans on this thing sing and I can finally appreciate my Agile 3000 for the great instrument it is. The low end is nice and full while I tend to keep the treble and presence rolled back a fair bit cause it is a little chimey at the top end. And that's without the boost. With the boost, it sounds like I'm playing with The Kinks(think old school British band). Not only are the cleans beautiful but there is a lot of crunchiness pumped out by the preamp. I was expecting to have to put a peddle in front of this for a decent distortion but it's fine on its own, save for heavy metal. Unfortunately I can't really get the output tubes to breakup due to the ridiculous 22 watts and living in an apartment building. When I crank the clean volume to 10 I cant set the master past 1 without pissing off my neighbours and my cat. Aside from my agile, this is my best instrument purchase ever. No regrets and hopefully no breakdowns like a lot of you are on about in the other thread. Crossing my fingers and hoping not to be struck down by the Behringer curse.
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Jul 22, 2010 02:05
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Shalkore posted:With the boost, it sounds like I'm playing with The Kinks FYI, The Kinks sounded as gritty as they did because the guitarist literally slashed his speaker cone with a knife.
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Jul 22, 2010 19:36
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