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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
 Posted - 10/14/2007 : 19:12:27
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the old tone vs weight issue...... thats because when the abs start to get bigger with their reaction to lots of this.... your tone improves because the angle of the guitar is at a 75/90 degree angle to the amp..... jimi hendrix dicovered this...thats why he used to play the guitar with his teeth.... .....
maybe DeFrag just wants to wait to see all the posts and everyones opinons and what works for them....let us know what you decide to go for DeFrag..... |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2007 : 22:36:21
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Franzoni is right, I've just been letting all of your recommendations pile up.. taking it all in without interrupting. I'm extremely grateful for everyone's inputs, thank you! I've taken on a student (guy from work) I'm showing the ropes & time slips away. I am trying to post more on the threads & be more active.. shootin' for that magic 500, heh. 
Anyway, I don't get down to GC as much as I'd like since they put in the new Tacoma Narrows bridge with tolls in place & my bedroom studio is stuffed to the gills. Note to self: I simply must move my bed into the basement.  Many of you have a lot of great input regarding amps including some things I've not considered before. I see a tube amp coming my way most probably after Christmas so I'm in no real rush & like to do my homework first so I buy the right thing the 1st time. Please keep your input coming, its all great; thanks to everyone. I very much appreciate it. 
As stated previously, I really like the Mesas, Vox AC30 series, but haven't given a fair chance to the Fender reissue amps & I really want to do that so I don't cut myself out of a perfect fit. One problem I have is that I've always played at lower volumes. I am just now feeling as though I can play well enough that I don't suck as much as I used to & hopefully that will manifest itself in my trying out different amps at GC without feeling so self-conscious. 
Wikipedia has a page chock full of links to amp manufacturers..  ; there are tons. I like boutique like Orange etc. but will probably stick with conventional brands. I'd like to have a versatile amp so i can get some clean 60s sounds as well as bluesy, almost rock (not thrash) tones as well. Those sounds I can get from all my pedals. 
One thing I DON'T like is distortion that is so broken up that chordal work turns into mud.  This is one reason that my MT-2 is so admired; its a clean or distinct distortion. I want an amp that mimicks this type of sound without sounding mushy. Even my BD-2 at high-gain starts to sound too fizzy. But, I'm not entirely sure that an old clean-sounding Fender from days gone by will do the trick as its my guess they would be a bit too clean.
A last note is that I need, REALLY need a beautiful, LUSH reverb.  Alas, I have none. The built-in reverb in my Mackie mixer sounds a hell of a lot better than the RV-5 which is why I traded it away (now I wish I hadn't). But the RV-5 sounded VERY harsh at all modes unless the tone was around 9:00. It sounded great in the store but in my setup, just didn't work well at all. I'm sure the RV-5 is a great pedal, which is why I initially thought it was when testing it out in the store.  I suppose its all about the combinations we put together & the immensity of all the different settings all working together. At least I have my effects split into 2 banks ala LS-2 which helps. But an excellent, lush reverb is at the top of my list. 
Lastly, I want feedback. Harmonic, tube-induced feedback that sounds good. I've sat on my knees in front of my solid-state 40W & get nothin' but squeals. Sure, I realize some of that great feedback tone is the magic touch on the fretboard, pullin' out the rich harmonics the amp can work with. But a rich, warm tube amp should give me what I want as my fretwork improves. 
Again, tks a million for your thoughts & experiences. Especially those of you that take time for such lengthy, informative responses. I'm definately watching every post here. Sometimes, certain threads just doesn't generate much & when I get results like this one, I'm hungry to see what all of you say. 
P.S. The FBM-1 sounded great in the store. At home, I can't get a thing out of it. I even went as far as to remove it from all my other pedals & run it alone through my Peavey Studio Pro 40 & my son's Marshall DFX-30 & it sounded better but the 4 tone controls don't really affect the sound AT ALL! I guess you can say I'm very disappointed in the FBM-1. I think it might shine running through a tube amp. But its about as useless as tits on a bull at this point. 
P.S.S. About my new smileys, I've got a million of 'em. Well, at least 240 different ones. Maybe bossarea can implement them. I'd be glad to give 'em up. It would be a fun, easy way to spice things up 'round these parts! 
Visualize Whirled Peas  |
Edited by - DeFrag on 10/15/2007 03:48:30 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 05:04:09
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| I love the one with the smiley drinking the shots..kinda reminds me of our gig(which i'm coming home from....!!!)DeFrag great post...i hope i know where your coming from now with regards your amp sounds... the reverb thing is tricker as reverb depends on the venue and how much natural reverb/echo your getting off the place...i think with small pubs/clubs(the kind i normally play) you can get away with some spring reverb..i tried to use the pod xt pro rack i have again on this gig just for reverb.. and it sucked..i know it depends on the music but...Imho.. spring reverb can't be beat for good ol' rock n roll..the rivera pubster 25 looks like a very good amp for what you describe...the only thing that would put me off is the 1x10 speaker..i'd be afraid that it would sound too boxy,,especially after having 2 amps x 2x12 speakers belting it out for the last five years.....although i haven't given up on the 40 watt,el 34 1x12 version just yet...on reading the spec..i think that two of them might work out perfect for me...oh by the way..and i'm being totally honest here...the tube overdrive pedal i have really works..warms up your sound bigtime,........... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 10/15/2007 05:05:11 |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 10:57:15
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Hi DeFrag & Guys
If you are out testing some Fender amps, please take a look at a real
Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue.
A few guys here on the forum have them.
It has a lot of the qualities that you spoke about in your last LONG post.
The Lush reverb is a 16 inch long spring.
The Vibrato is all valve & as good as they get.
And it's real all tube, as in even the rectifiers are tubes.
Where some of valve amps like the Mesa & a lot of Fenders & Peavey's
use solid state rectifiers.
This give you more voltage on the output tubes plates, & therefore usually more volume.
But you won't get that "Classic Tube SAG", as you push the amp, & the rectifiers get pushed as well.
Where Solid state rectifies will give you a hell of a lot of extra punch.
I have seem some later Mesa Boogie amps, that have both, & a selector switch on the rear panel.
The best of both worlds... 
I know how much of a heartache it can be, trying to get great tone & a really good tube amp, it took me the best part of 30+ years of playing & experimentation.
As far as your FBM-1 goes, you really have to run it into a main amp via the effects loop, & bypass all the tone controls.
Or into a PA.
Or into the front end of a Combo, with the Tone controls set to FLAT.
& finding the Flat tone setting, can he a real chore on a lot of amps.
Regards Dr. Bob 
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Edited by - Dr. Bob on 10/15/2007 13:31:01 |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 14:48:33
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quote:
Originally posted by FRANZONI
the old tone vs weight issue......thats because when the abs start to get bigger with their reaction to lots of this.... your tone improves because the angle of the guitar is at a 75/90 degree angle to the amp..... jimi hendrix dicovered this...thats why he used to play the guitar with his teeth.........
maybe DeFrag just wants to wait to see all the posts and everyones opinons and what works for them....let us know what you decide to go for DeFrag.....
Hey Franzoni.
Can I use that in my stories about great tone & how to play better.
I must he one hell of a better player than you, based on this theory.
Regards Dr. Bob |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 16:57:02
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Work away Doc..as long as i get some of the royalites when it goes to the top of the bestsellers around the world....."..Dr Bob's book of tone vol 1..."...........
of course you can always come to ireland and pay me in lots of this.. if you want...... |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 19:26:01
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| At this point, I'm leaning toward the Mesa Roadster. It has 4 channels/preamps with 3 voicings each (clean, fat, tweed, brit), multi-watt (50/100), diode/tube rectification, raw/vintage/modern modes, in combo or head/cab configurations. The feature set of other Mesas are equally impressive including configurable valve sets, endless I/O & loop control, custom finishes, & 5-year warranties. They're like getting 3 or 4 amps in a single package. |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2007 : 19:56:17
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
At this point, I'm leaning toward the Mesa Roadster. It has 4 channels/preamps with 3 voicings each (clean, fat, tweed, brit), multi-watt (50/100), diode/tube rectification, raw/vintage/modern modes, in combo or head/cab configurations. The feature set of other Mesas are equally impressive including configurable valve sets, endless I/O & loop control, custom finishes, & 5-year warranties. They're like getting 3 or 4 amps in a single package.
supposed to be really good amps...i never had the pleasure of playing through one but i've heard great things about mesa/boogie.........did i read in one of your other posts that you run a stereo setup...?? this mean you have to buy two...??.. .......... |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2007 : 03:47:03
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hey Defrag. i just read your lengthy post.
about the feedback thing. its nice to see that people are interested in this. its probably THE most overlooked technique in guitar playing.(yes i said technique!) i used to think feedback was a bad thing that happened when i used too much gain but if you can learn to harness it and use it tastefully, it can be a glorious tool. every guitarist should experiment with it and learn their rigs dynamics and limits and learn how to use microphonic and harmonic feedback to their advantage. its all about volumes, angles and proximities. there is a lot to know about it and it can be used as a tool and thats why i consider it a technique. listen to Hendrix's National Anthem live at Woodstock or a lot of his Moneterey Pop to see how he used feedback as music.
by the sounds of your description, a tube amp is definately what you are looking for. do you have much experience playing with a cranked up amp or do play more with basement levels? naturally tube amps sound better the louder you go so if you play at bedroom levels 100% of the time you might not even hear much of a difference between tubes and SS. i find its not until you crank up that you can really hear the tubes.
and as far as reverbs go, ive tried many differnet brands and price ranges and i keep coming back to the RV-2. the plate setting is my favorite~
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2007 : 05:34:17
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| Not much high volume experience no & never really played with a tube but will definately exercise one when I finally get one. I love creative feedback in subtle doses but that goes with any effect. Spring & plate reverbs usually sound the best to me. |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 07:47:30
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Picked up the Mesa Boogie Roadster Combo. I'll get the extra 2x12" mini-cab for it to sit on in a week or so. More later. Tks  |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 09:22:34
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
Picked up the Mesa Boogie Roadster Combo. I'll get the extra 2x12" mini-cab for it to sit on in a week or so. More later. Tks
Woo Woo -- Great choice Defrag.
Now you will have to keep us all informed about your new toy..
Boast as much as you need to, we all like to hear about new & expensive gear.
Let us know what you end up getting for your son as well.
Regards Dr. Bob |
Edited by - Dr. Bob on 10/19/2007 09:24:33 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 10:04:02
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congrats..... enjoy the amp.....let us know how it pans out.... |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 10:16:25
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Congrats DeFrag and welcome to tube-heaven!!!!!!
I haven�t tried that many Boogies, but they are the real stuff of course.
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 13:40:22
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awesome Defrag!!
new amp days are awesome. Mesa's have a great reputation for good reason. youll see.! |
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I need a tube amp
