MCChris Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I would reverse this for best resultsAs would I. The only reason I have more guitars than amps and cabs (other than money, of course) is because the guitars take up less room. More than two is superfluous, of course, but I love amplification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tres Aardvarks Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 "I have enough trouble justifying all the guitars "Pretty much everyone would have a hard time justifying all the guitars. As for amps, there's a lot of touring artists out there that will bring a couple guitars on tour with them and rent a backline. I have a buddy who only brings two guitars and a couple pedals on tour (except in the states where he drags a bit more, including one of his own amps). I got a kick out of a video with Blackberry Smoke where they ran down their European tour rig. Amps were rented(Orange) and they only brought a few pedals for sounds in certain songs. Strings: "whatever is FREE!"I'm in a similar situation with Nathan, although it has more to do with moving. My wife was all over my ass about the amount of stuff we were moving that I sold my entire bass rig. I had previously sold off my 4x12" and a Rivera tube head because they were both such SOBs to drag around. Now my entire amp lineup consists of my old Flextone II 1x12" and a JBL EON powered PA speaker for bass. Still have too many guitars though, as they are harded to replace. To my mind, the amps were a commodity item (I can rebuild that bass rig anytime money permitting). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningyen Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I used to get really excited about different tube amps and owned plenty of them. I've had Marshalls, VHT's, Mesa's, H&K's... but then one day I heard an Axe FX2. Everything changed. Yeah, modeling just about killed my interest in amps and pedals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 I'm very surprised to see that I'm not alone in being a guitar-over-amp guy. Well it's called "Guitar Center" rather than "Amp Center" for a reason... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 I would reverse this for best resultsI'm not sure I agree.If you have a set of specific tones you want to be able to nail, then sure: you have to have the right amp(s). And since every tube can be slightly different, not to mention tubes change in tone as they age, if you have the ability to hear subtle differences in tone and demand specific exact tones, then yeah: you'll need $20,000 in amps to ensure you still have that tone.Me, though, I'm not looking for any specific tone, just a "good" tone. Something with warmth, depth, clarity. Something that makes me want to pick up my guitar. The differences in tones that I seek are humbucker vs single coil vs P-90...single pup vs combo pup...mahogany vs ash...maple fretboard vs ebony fretboard (the latter has a little extra "chime" in the attack).Those differences are in the guitar. Could I get an amp that could mimic those differences? Dunno.Are there other elements that change with different amps? Certainly. But I guess I'm not careful enough to care about those. I have 3 amps:Peavey Classic 30: this is the amp that makes all my guitars sound goodRoland Microcube: my mobile amp, for when I want to take a guitar on vacation, or play my Rainsong by the riverside, or play guitar in the backyard while BBQingLine6 Spider IV 75: mainly because I haven't been able to sell it for what I want to get for it...probably just me expecting too much. But I also haven't pushed too hard to sell it because I do want to use it to investigate tone modification. Like, go to the "Barracuda" setting and figure out where the amp has the chorus and distortion set. Or see what Line6 has as the difference in distortion and/or other settings for "Cat Scratch Fever" versus "Stranglehold". And figure out how they can get a clean jazz setting that doesn't sound muddy like when I try to dial one up on my own on the Classic 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBP Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I also think that amps are the more important factor in an electric guitar sound, but technology has caught up more on the amp side, especially at the lower end. Remember when beginning guitarists essentially had a choice between a Gorilla, a Rage and a Pignose? Things have come a long way, both with modeling and in general. Even handwired tube amps can be very affordable now, especially from a smaller builder.Also, the improvements in PA systems--and better systems getting less expensive--have pretty much negated the need for a powerful amp driving eight speakers, as much as some of us may not want to admit it. We also now clearly see how many people who used those rigs are having hearing problems as they've aged. So, for better or worse I don't think most of us really need more than a good 1-20 watt amp driving one miked speaker. I have spent significantly more an guitars than amps--although two acoustics really throws that off--so I'm guilty, but not outrageously so. And, honestly, after getting the 5 watt tweed Champ-based amp, I'm not feeling much of a need for something else (I rarely use my 15 watt Pro Jr. anymore). I do find myself considering something like an iRig or Sonic Port, though.But while I don't need another guitar, either, I keep looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugartune Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Absolutely agree, Nathan. Same here. Not looking for any tone in particular, just a good tone that I enjoy. I get that from my amps. (My Peavey head bought new for $900, and VHT SPecial 6 for $200). No more amps, mean more more guitar.I find the differences in guitars make the difference in sounds more than anything, except for the player themselves (Ie. Mismatched Guitar thread). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorch Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Nice thread. Just figured out that I'm quite equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragan Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 amps are the tonal delivery system , to me their half of the tonal equation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialk Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Paging kurtstuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyB Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Maybe the reason some of you have so many guitars is because you're plugging them into the same ol' crap amp.Call the amp a mere tool if you must deceive yourself, but with an electric guitar it's at least half of the tonal equation.Back in the late '90s I picked up a like new USA G&L Legacy for tree-fiddy. As a beginner I thought I had an awesome rig, plugging it into my Blues Jr. Then a few months later I stumbled onto the introductory pricing and picked up a Top Hat: All tube including rectifier, no master volume, 4-band EQ, handwired PTP, UK-made Greenback. That's a really simple signal path with no stops or re-routes along the way. When I plugged my Legacy into it I was stunned; the sound seemed to leap out of the speaker before I was done plucking the string. I could also get more tonal variation from the EQ knobs than all the knobs, switches, graphic equalizers, or multiple channels of mass-produced amps, even the expensive tubed ones. If a boutique amp incorporates top-notch parts throughout, the pots exhibit ranges you wouldn't guess were possible. In 2000 I wrote of my newly-acquired Newport that it re-defined what an electric guitar could do. You can say the same of a well-designed handbuilt amp. If you spend too much time twiddling with knobs to get a good sound, you have a shitty amp. Good amps sound good (but in different ways) regardless of the settings. Until you spend some time with your favorite Hamer playing through a handmade amp that suits your style, you really don't know what your guitar can do. let alone the other 19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Maybe the reason some of you have so many guitars is because you're plugging them into the same ol' crap amp. The reason I have so many guitars is because I'm into guitars - not amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyB Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Maybe the reason some of you have so many guitars is because you're plugging them into the same ol' crap amp.The reason I have so many guitars is because I'm into guitars - not amps.You play a Tech21. How could you get into an amp substitute? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Maybe the reason some of you have so many guitars is because you're plugging them into the same ol' crap amp.The reason I have so many guitars is because I'm into guitars - not amps.You play a Tech21. How could you get into an amp substitute?Best sounding SS amp made - lol!Seriously, though, I play at bedroom volumes (when I play) and I don't play out, so the TECH-21 works best for me.Plus, I get to funnel that amp money into more guitars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugartune Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 That's it! I'm saving for a Trainwreck...maybe a Z-Wreck instead...after a couple more guitars, and that has NOTHING to do with my current amps. Just that I love guitars of many stripes and colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfish7 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I dunno. I have gotten some of the best "tones" ever playing through a damn computer program. They don't "feel" the same as a quality amp in full roar mode, but sound? Damn good!They also don't always respond to subtle picking dynamics and volume-knob tricks, but they can sound fantastic. I'd rather spend my $$ on guitars, but I am also one who thinks that anything over about $1k is wasted when electric guitar tone is the goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenmindbeginner Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I dunno. I have gotten some of the best "tones" ever playing through a damn computer program. They don't "feel" the same as a quality amp in full roar mode, but sound? Damn good!They also don't always respond to subtle picking dynamics and volume-knob tricks, but they can sound fantastic. I'd rather spend my $$ on guitars, but I am also one who thinks that anything over about $1k is wasted when electric guitar tone is the goal.I must be an amp addict because I have a Kemper KPA and still play out of my amps on a daily basis. The Kemper is for recording but my amps are for practicing. My blackface Princeton Reverb is the most unforgiving amplifier I've ever played... it is really stiff at bedroom levels and forces me to play with better technique. My Kemper is fairly forgiving and is a sumptuous lady with a soothing voice and soft bronze skin. The '66 PR is a prickly feminist with taut forearms and an incredulous disposition... she keeps me on my toes. lolz!I've gotta have a: 70s JMP Marshall + 4x12 cabinet & a blackface Deluxe Reverb to round out my collection... and my blackface Bandmaster needs a proper 2x12 cabinet.... and I think a blackface Vibro Champ would also be in order... or maybe just a regular ol' Princeton? I keep thinking my Dad will give me his, but I don't think thats gonna happen anytime soon. ; PI'd also love to have a Tungsten Cremawheat & maybe a David Bray amp if he still makes them.Oh and a Lovetone Brown Source has always sort of been on my list... I definitely need a big box Deluxe Memory Man to match my big box Polyphase and Clone TheoryI could see never needing another electric guitar but just buying a lot more amps and effects... I'm thinking of converting gear/guitars into that blackface Deluxe Reverb I mentioned earlier.Like I said... I think I am an amp addict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 If you like amps more than guitars: You're right!If you like guitars more than amps: You're right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablo175 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 My amp needs are fairly simple: one gigging amp: 50 watt JVM and a cheapo Marshall 4x12A (that, frankly sounds better than my former Mesa 2x12 Roadster) and two Kustom HV/30's for practicing in the office/work and when on vacation. I'm with Nathan and Kizanski in that I'd rather spend the money on guitars. You don't have the intimate relationship with an amp that you do with a guitar. You don't caress and stroke an amp... at least not in the way you do with a guitar. A guitar, by way of contrast, is a very intimate instrument. It responds to delicate and brutish touch alike. It can be coaxed to cry out in ecstasy or throttled into growling, raging rebellion. Try doing that with an amp alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfish7 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 My amp needs are fairly simple: one gigging amp: 50 watt JVM and a cheapo Marshall 4x12A (that, frankly sounds better than my former Mesa 2x12 Roadster) and two Kustom HV/30's for practicing in the office/work and when on vacation. I'm with Nathan and Kizanski in that I'd rather spend the money on guitars. You don't have the intimate relationship with an amp that you do with a guitar. You don't caress and stroke an amp... at least not in the way you do with a guitar. A guitar, by way of contrast, is a very intimate instrument. It responds to delicate and brutish touch alike. It can be coaxed to cry out in ecstasy or throttled into growling, raging rebellion. Try doing that with an amp alone. Plus they are harder to paint crazy shit on and have it look good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablo175 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Plus they are harder to paint crazy shit on and have it look good! Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeboy Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Amps are more important to tone, IMHO, but guitars are more intimate.Having two identical guitars but in different colors seems to count, to matter what I play on them.Because this is true I am both a guitar guy and an amp guy. Good tube ampa are instruments to be played in and of themselves. I have a bunch of classic circuits, all Fender, with one Marshall and one Traynor. Something needs to go to make room for a Vox circuit....I like looking at and playing both guitars and amps. My amps are all different and make me play different as a result, but all me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadroller Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I've got ten guitars easily accessible in my home-office, but amp duties are a Peavey Delta Blues 15 and a Valveking 100 head sitting on top of an Avatar 2x12. I rarely get 'em over 2 'cause I'm an adult now,* and frankly much of my guitar playing involves Pandora... into a Pandora into headphones or the mini-monitors on my desk. *.... courtesy of The Pursuit of Happiness. Sing along, you crusty old bastards!: Speaking of hearing, I can't take too much loud musicI mean I like to play it but I sure don't like the racketNoise, but I can't hear anythingJust guitars screaming, screaming, screamingSome guy is screaming in a leather jacket,Woah, I'm an adult now, I'm an adult nowI've got the problems of an adultOn my head and on my shouldersI'm an adult now, woah, woah, I'm an adult now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyB Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 If you like amps more than guitars: You're right!If you like guitars more than amps: You're right!And actually, I've seen it both ways. I know a guy who has (of all things) a lefty 1979 Norlin-era Gibson ES-335 with trapeze tail and coil splitter, hardly the features of the legendary ones. Yet that thing is magic. He'd plug it into a 10w 8" Crate combo in the teaching studio and it still sounded great. I couldn't get my G&Ls and Hamers to do that with the same amp in the same studio.OTOH, I know a guy who runs a vintage guitar store, and for a long time he reserved a Matchless 1x12 combo as his demo amp, because, he admitted, it made every guitar in the shop sound great.So it can work either way. However, this is a Hamer forum, and Hamer USAs are boutique instruments. They use the best woods and materials (except pickups) and are meticulously crafted and finished. To show them at their best, any of the ones with garden-variety Duncans need a swap, and they all deserve an amp of commensurate quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragan Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I think whatever works for your situation is the way to go I've heard wonderful tones out of every type and or combination, tubes , solid state , samplers , emulators , bottom line is whatever makes it happen . for me that's a good guitar and a cool tube amp . at home I often do not plug in while practicing / learning new tunes , or use a small amp ( I could use an emulator for practice and or recording no problem ) . for gigs though the amp is very important to me. If you don't need an amp to achieve your desired tone live or at home , more power to ya , it comes down to how you play not what you play ! (same for whatever guitar you like ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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