timsch
First Class Scout
soothes the savage beast
Posts: 190
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Post by timsch on Jul 28, 2006 13:45:17 GMT -5
I'm not sure if this is the proper forum for this, maybe should be under Chords but here goes.
Alright Tokyo..... Got some great input on Les Pauls. Now I need some on different amps. Tube vs Solid State etc. I have my eye on a Peavey Classic 50, 2 -12's, all tube amp. Guy has it here for the right price. Any opinions or suggestions are welcome or if there is another amp I need to be looking into, please let me know. I have up to $550.00 to spend on one of these things. The wife is being kind. You all know the drill. Thanks in advance for any input....T
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sbailey
Second Class Scout
Posts: 35
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Post by sbailey on Jul 28, 2006 13:53:22 GMT -5
What type of sound are you going for (clean vs dirty)? What type of pedals do you use (overdrive vs distortion, delay, etc)? How loud do you want to go (practice or for gigs or both)?
I would suggest playing any amp before buying. If you haven't ever heard a Peavey Classic tube amp before, it may not be worth the money if it won't do what you want.
For my money, it's Marshall all the way, but Fender makes some very good amps as-well, and of course, all tube is a must.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 28, 2006 14:04:49 GMT -5
Good points, sbailey. You need to try out various amps, see how it sounds to YOU. How the tone controls are, do you like the distortion, or how it sounds clean. And 2 x 12's are gonna be loud if you're just playing it in your apartment or in the basement of your house. Big room, big amp. Small room, small amp.
Fenders are good---I'd love to get a Matchless amp, though.
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timsch
First Class Scout
soothes the savage beast
Posts: 190
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Post by timsch on Jul 28, 2006 14:21:49 GMT -5
Great info. I have Fenders, Gretschs and now a Les Paul. I really want a clean warm sound because I have the pedals if I need distortion. I checked out the amp you suggested. Point to Point wiring...awesome. Price? Maybe if I win the lottery. Thanks and keep the info coming. T
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 28, 2006 14:48:05 GMT -5
Ha! Like I've told everyone, if I had the $$$ I'd get a Matchless. Ain't gonna happen anytime soon, though.
Wow, Gretschs are nice looking guitars. Never played one, though. I know Neil Young has an affinity for them. He loves the tremelo bars on them, although I think he digs Bigsby tremelos better.
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timsch
First Class Scout
soothes the savage beast
Posts: 190
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Post by timsch on Jul 28, 2006 15:09:10 GMT -5
Gretsch 6120's have a sound all there own. Really a clean rockabilly thing. It's probably no wonder that Eddie Cochran played one almost exclusively. there pretty pricey but man are they cool! Try one out if you get a chance.
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Post by hootenanny58 on Jul 28, 2006 16:11:31 GMT -5
Maybe you're hung up on tubes ... that's cool, no argument here. But I just recently bought a Line 6 POD XT due to apartment constraints. I'd noticed that the prices in the US (Musician's Friend for example) were sooo much more reasonable than here in Ireland, and as it turns out (free advice to UK/Ireland musicians) the included power supply converts 110 to 220 and vice-versa ... All you need is the proper interchangeable plug end - three-prong UK to replace two-prong N.American. (Line 6 can supply this for a small price on request.) In any event, between the POD and Cakewalk's SONAR multi-track recording software, I've happily replaced about 500 lbs. of gear with a bit of kit that sits nicely among other piles of CD's and books on my coffee table. The POD, along with its companion foot-controller add-on, will work quite nicely in an amp/stage configuration. For my limited budget, the POD is fantastic value. I run an Epiphone Sheraton and SG, a Korean Fender Strat fitted with Texas Specials, and an old wired Ovation acoustic through the POD with very satisfying results. A little tweaking with one of the POD's factory settings has yielded a very exacting replica of Paul's tone on "Silent Film Star" - which has long since become my default choice noise. Apologies for sounding like a salesman, but given the neighbours' proximity, POD and a good set of headphones has been a god-send, not to mention a ton of fun in a one-pound box.
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Post by justlikemartinsaid on Jul 28, 2006 23:58:41 GMT -5
do sound nice with them. I have a circa 1996 Marshall JTM 60-watt 1x12 combo amp (tube) that is loud as HELL and sounds fantastic. I went to the store wanting a 2x12, but I played both and decided the 1x12 sounded much better. My point is, you could probably play 2 of the same model amp side by side, and they could sound very different.
I hear a lot of good things from my musician friends about Matchless, so I can't really argue definitively just for Marshall. I think the first decision is what type of environment you are going to be playing in - if it's mainly at home or in a small practice space, there's no need for a 100-watt amp and 4x12.
I liked Paul's sound on the last tour with the "NO" Soldano amp. He played through a Marsha(ll) 4x12, no telling what speakers were inside.
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Post by brianlux on Jul 29, 2006 10:12:17 GMT -5
timsch, I'm definitely biased toward tube amps for warm sound. Marshalls and Fenders (especially Twin or DeLuxe Reverbs) sound great with Les Pauls. On the other hand, if your looking for a practice amp, keep an eye out for older tube amps. There getting harder to find, but there out there, and some times you can find great bargains. I found an old Airline made by Montgomery Ward for $65 and spent another $50 or so to have a little work done on it. It's got a ton of warmth- very sweet with it's own unique sound (which I've found is so much better than trying to cop someone else's sound). Good luck, and happy hunting.
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Post by hootenanny58 on Jul 29, 2006 10:46:38 GMT -5
"... liked Paul's sound on the last tour with the "NO" Soldano amp."
I remember that amp head from the '96 Eventually tour. It was matched with a Marshall 4x12 cab that had the 'r', 'h', and 'all' blacked out with tape. In effect, the message read "NO Mas" - a reference to Roberto Duran's famous reaction to getting whooped by Sugar Ray Leonard some years ago. "No Mas" - "I quit" or "I give up." Of course, the end of the Eventually tour marked the beginning of the longest stretch of time that our man has spent out of the limelight since The Impediments cranked it up in a Minnie church basement.
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Post by hootenanny58 on Jul 29, 2006 10:55:12 GMT -5
Of course, the end of the Eventually tour marked the beginning of the longest stretch of time that our man has spent out of the limelight since The Impediments cranked it up in a Minnie church basement. BTW, aside from a one-off, one song appearance on a British variety show, PW never toured behind Suicaine Gratifaction. Capitol dropped him before he could say boo. After Eventually, he next hit the road in earnest on the in-store tour in support of Mono/Stereo. |
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sbailey
Second Class Scout
Posts: 35
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Post by sbailey on Jul 29, 2006 11:09:46 GMT -5
I agree with brianlux- find your own sound. I often think I want a certain guitar sound I end finding something elsenew to me that works much better. Affordable vintage gear is hard to find, but it is always fun looking.
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Post by justlikemartinsaid on Jul 30, 2006 16:06:51 GMT -5
"... liked Paul's sound on the last tour with the "NO" Soldano amp." I remember that amp head from the '96 Eventually tour. It was matched with a Marshall 4x12 cab that had the 'r', 'h', and 'all' blacked out with tape. In effect, the message read "NO Mas" - a reference to Roberto Duran's famous reaction to getting whooped by Sugar Ray Leonard some years ago. "No Mas" - "I quit" or "I give up." Of course, the end of the Eventually tour marked the beginning of the longest stretch of time that our man has spent out of the limelight since The Impediments cranked it up in a Minnie church basement. I guess that makes the last tour's setup the "No Marsha" rig? |
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gage
First Class Scout
Posts: 168
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Post by gage on Jul 30, 2006 16:32:51 GMT -5
I don't know if they make them anymore but I've got a Fender Blues Jr, tubes, great sound, about $230 if I remember right. A friend of mine has another, larger, amp from the same series that's also a great amp. he used it on the road at mid size clubs and small theatres and never needed a larger amp, I think his was in $400-500 range. Of course I bought mine about 9 years ago and my friend about 6 years ago. Here's the price list for the Fender Hot Rod Series Amps. Retail is probably about half? 2/3s of list?
Hot Rod Series Guitar Amplifiers
The worldÕs most popular tube amps.
Hot Rod DeVilleª 410 60 Watts, 4-10" Eminence spkrs, black, footswitch & cover 1,142.84
Hot Rod DeVille 212 60 Watts, 2-12" Eminence spkrs, black, footswitch & cover i$1,071.41
Hot Rod Deluxeª 40 Watts, 1-12" Eminence speaker, black, footswitch & cover included$857.12
Blues Juniorª 15 Watts, 1-12" Eminence speaker, blac$569.99
Pro Juniorª 15 Watts, 1-10" Eminence speaker, $419.99
Blues Deluxeª Reissue 40 Watts, 1-12" Eminence "Gold Label" spkr, Tweed, ftsw& cover $892.85
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Post by rbourlan on Jul 31, 2006 19:38:44 GMT -5
I've got a Hotrod Deluxe and love it. Search around at some local used places and you should be able to pick one up for a good price. I got mine for a Marshall HD100FX and Marshall Lead 12. One of the best trades I ever made. I mainly play a Fender Thinline Tele though it and love the sound I can get from it.
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timsch
First Class Scout
soothes the savage beast
Posts: 190
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Post by timsch on Aug 1, 2006 9:43:01 GMT -5
The advice has been great. Thanks to all. BTW Hootenanny 58 I have Line 6 rifftracker. Love the modeling effects, love the ease of operation. Hate the limits to what it can do from a recording perspective. No cut and paste. No variation in tempo etc. So how do you like the Sonar Cakewalk. Whats the price for something like that?
After all things considered, I did buy the Peavey Classic 50. The amp was dead mint condition and the sound this thing puts out is really incredible. To be honest, you almost don't need any pedals. The clean channel is super warm and the dirt channel can completely raise hell. Doesn't hurt that the guy sold it to me for $350.00. This really was a steal that I couldn't afford to pass up.
Again, thanks to all for the input. It is greatly appreciated. Tim
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Post by hootenanny58 on Aug 2, 2006 3:18:36 GMT -5
I purchased Sonar 4.0 for EUR100.00 from Thomann Cyberstore (Germany). I've seen it priced on Amazon (US) for $159 and MusiciansFriend (US) for $129. (Again, the reality of living in rip-off Ireland forces people on tight budgets to find a way where there is a will. I can save massive amounts of money on anything from strings to accessories by using friends in North America or the continent as go-betweens. UK musicians should also take note. You don't have to pay those ridiculously inflated prices!)
Anyway off my soapbox: The Cakewalk Sonar version I have gives me more than enough versatility and features to do what I want. In fact, likely I haven't yet made use of 60% of what the package has to offer. What I like most about the POD/Sonar combination is that it allowed me to recycle - upgrade and refurbish - a second-hand laptop into the mix, effectively replacing a roomful of kit. Of course, the vintage buffs out there will scoff at my digital setup, but you can't beat the ease with which I can reproduce a very reasonable representation of most any sound I've heard. The fidelity does lost a bit in the translation, but not so much that I'll ever go to go back to amps, racks and miles of wiring. (Unless I win the lotto, in which case, I'm getting my LP Jr. back!)
BTW, I do have a mode of comparison. I had a Blues Deluxe for a time and at the height of the madness, about 10 guitars, mostly Gibsons/Epiphones and Fenders. If you're going to go the tube route, find a guitar loaded with a P90 pickup. Mine was a reissue Gibson LP Jr. I'm nostalgic for that setup, and might never hear the likes of it again with my conversion to a table-top sound system.
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timsch
First Class Scout
soothes the savage beast
Posts: 190
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Post by timsch on Aug 2, 2006 8:49:02 GMT -5
Did you have to have any certain hardware requirements in order to run the Sonar?
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Post by hootenanny58 on Aug 2, 2006 11:09:13 GMT -5
The hardware requirements are published on the Cakewalk website. I can't recall any individual specs off-hand ... I can only say that for about EUR200 all told, I got a serviceable "frankenstein" that seems to handle SONAR without any annoying crashes or other interruptions. I was conscious, however, not to go out of my tiny budget to load the PC with big honking bleeding-edge stuff. (It's pretty plain as technology goes.) It's been recommended that I upgrade the soundcard to improve the fidelity issue, but that'll be for another time, another paycheque.
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Post by pline on Aug 2, 2006 14:59:57 GMT -5
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