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Amplitube Brian May


mathman

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Remember when all the old guys said, "CHAMBERED GUITARS SUCK", now thats all they play. Now its nothing compares to tubes and  "DIGITAL GEAR SUCKS", ...... Personally everything has its place, but there is something about plugging a guitar into a tube amp that is just primal. Just like getting into an old truck, with a manual transmission and no distractions. 

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I’m with Bub’s!!! Tube me up!!! I only play chambered guitars now because they’re lighter... no other reason. Are they different tone wise... sure but it’s still good... just different!!

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1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

 Just like getting into an old truck, with a manual transmission and no distractions. 

That depends on the old truck, mine was a white 67 GMC 3/4 ton with 4 on the floor a red Chevrolet box, a Ford radio, and a door bell button for the horn. You could pull a tree stump out of the ground but nobody wanted to be seen riding in it!😀 

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It sounds pretty good. Brian May and Queen were never afraid of technology. The "no synthesizers used" on early albums was there so people knew that the strange sounds were all created with Brian May's guitar and studio tricks, not a synth.

Also I think the original Red Special was Chambered. And also has a pickup setup unlike anything else.

If it's the sound you want, and it sounds good, use it!

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21 hours ago, bubs_42 said:

Remember when all the old guys said, "CHAMBERED GUITARS SUCK", now thats all they play. Now its nothing compares to tubes and  "DIGITAL GEAR SUCKS", ...... Personally everything has its place, but there is something about plugging a guitar into a tube amp that is just primal. Just like getting into an old 240Z with a manual transmission and no distractions. 

FIFY. 

My gigging days are most likely done but I kind preferred a modeling rig for that like I prefer my newer Toyota for the daily rush hour commute. The Z is definitely more fun but like a tube amp is loud and can be cantankerous.

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Two of the biggest fallacies in all of guitardom:

  1. The cover band guitarist needs all those tones to get through a set.
  2. The cover band guitarist will be able to effectively utilize all those tones without completely vanishing from a mix multiple times.

"Those tones" goes for modeling gear, software-based amps and "Swiss Army knife" pickup combinations on guitars. 

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Although I own a fantastic tube amp, all my guitars (almost all) get recorded using amp sims inside my DAW. I’m currently using GuitarRig which is getting long in the tooth so to speak but when I started doing this (circa 2013) I did demo AmpliTube.

It’s actually pretty awesome to have access to all those signal chains/effects on demand so I can see the value in this - particularly for recording. Live I’d be looking at Kemper/Helix/Axe - though I see how these PC/Mac based simulators are quickly becoming the go-to choice for gigging musicians - particularly solo/duo acts. So portable.

I still love pushing air - and my own rig was always minimal on pedals (not sure why - I had tons of cash back in the day). Amp, with a Chorus, DDelay, Tuner, & Wah...... I used to see them as crutches... now I realize they were more like colour choices on a painter’s easel.... 

Right now amp sims get be all the pedals I could ask for without having to buy them —- if I was starting fresh today it would be very tempting to go all digital.....

 

 

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I have a shit ton of amps in storage.  Marshall's, Boogies, Fenders and some boutique stuff (Dumble clones).  My '59 Tweed Deluxe is the only tube amp I play anymore.  It's my "test" amp.  I know it like the back of my hand and how it reacts to my playing.  It will be buried with me.

That being said, I've had more fun with my Headrush Pedalboard than any other piece of gear I've owned.  I had a real problem with their customer service (or the lack thereof) when my USB port died, but my replacement unit is all backed up and it can die prematurely and I'll still have all my hard work ready to dump into another one.  I'm looking for a second one to sit in a box until and if needed.

Tracii Guns (I was never a fan of L.A. Guns) has his presets available for free on the Headrush website.  They are some of the best sounding "rigs" I've found or been able to create myself.  I corresponded with him on the Facebook page for Headrush and he told me that his lead tone sounded much like May's rig with the tone controls turned way down on his humbucker guitars.  Damn if it doesn't.  We're doing Don't Stop Me Now and it just nails the lead tone on that song.

The Amplitube stuff is good.  A buddy raves about it.  I just think there's a better mousetrap being invented almost monthly in the realm of simulation, modeling and whatever else the folks trying to replicate vintage tones are "inventing".  An exciting time to be a player.  And most of it doesn't break the bank...

 

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2 minutes ago, The Shark said:

My '59 Tweed Deluxe is the only tube amp I play anymore.  It's my "test" amp.  I know it like the back of my hand and how it reacts to my playing.  It will be buried with me.

I hope you have some strong pall bearers.  

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7 hours ago, Stike said:

FIFY. 

My gigging days are most likely done but I kind preferred a modeling rig for that like I prefer my newer Toyota for the daily rush hour commute. The Z is definitely more fun but like a tube amp is loud and can be cantankerous.

That’s a proper car.

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1 hour ago, kizanski said:

I hope you have some strong pall bearers.  

My buddy had an original 55 tweed deluxe. I revived it for him and he carried it with him everywhere he'd go to jam.

His main amp was a Rivera era Concert, which was a great amp. But the thing outweighed the Deluxe by 50-60 pounds so it stayed at home.

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1 hour ago, Moose said:

My buddy had an original 55 tweed deluxe. I revived it for him and he carried it with him everywhere he'd go to jam.

His main amp was a Rivera era Concert, which was a great amp. But the thing outweighed the Deluxe by 50-60 pounds so it stayed at home.

Here's the old gal sitting in front of one of the amps in storage...

REBhGv0.jpg

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This was my buddy's:

image002.jpg

 

I capped it and put in some decent tubes and it sounded fantastic. Good enough I cloned it a couple of times -- this was 19 years ago -- and I still play one of my clones more than almost any amp I have.

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I sold my Red Brain May Special but I still have a Black one..

 

 

002.JPG

BrianMay-2.jpg

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 I tend to agree with that lanky, hippie-looking dude in those old, pre-YouTube Van Halen tutorial videos that would always begin with, "If you want to sound like Eddie Van Halen, you have to play like Eddie Van Halen." He emphasized that point at a time when people thought they could sound like their guitar hero by simply having similar type gear or, if they were lucky, getting a signature guitar or amp (assuming such existed for the person whom they wanted to emulate).

Now, with modeling and digital tools, there is so much that already gets you the right sound of a particular player without effort that all you have to do is reasonably learn to play the songs (I mean, that product comes with everything except a Brian May wig and inflatable guitar). It takes all the fun out of tone-chasing. 

Still, I think digital tools make perfect sense for professional musicians who just need to get the job done as efficiently as possible, so there's definitely a place for them. I suppose it all depends on each player's individual needs and goals.

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This old somewhat fat guitar player says, “if you want to have fun playing guitar, then you have to have fun playing guitar.”

 

A real amp is fun ,  a good solid state amp is fun.  My Z4.

This Brian May set is fun because  it really does makie it easier to dial in his sound.  I was trying to match his sounds with what I already had, but this definitely gets closer.  I can’t ever really sound like because I sure as hell can’t play like him.

 

 

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I absolutely love tube amps and have built a couple myself.  Nothing better then just sitting down with just your guitar and amp and enjoying great simple tone.

i have discovered some great pedal makers that have really moved me away from the desire to buy or build more amps.  I am getting very close tones to some Marshall amps I have always wanted.  company is Lawrence Petross Design if anyone wants to check them out.

as much as I love the purity of amp and pedal I bought a Helix last year and it’s really killer.  There is something to be said to really get any tone and any pedal combo you want in one unit.

guitar has come a long way from my horrid Harmony les Paul!  I’m loving all the new cool options we have

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I downloaded the demo and did a quick test of the settings for Hammer to Fall.

Doesn't sound exact but sounds pretty good.

 

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I love my tweed Deluxe too....and my tweed Champ. Both Lil Dawg clones and gloriously perfect. I will likely buy the May rig so I can have access to it though I am not a huge May fan or a chaser of his tone.

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The May modeler might sure be a nice tool to dial in close to the sound for a decent price. However, I went the other route, buying a Vox and a Deacy amp, a RS guitar and various treble boosters over the years that are all analog and fun to play too. The sound is almost exact in a raw sense, without additional effects or orchestration. Which is totally fine if you don’t want to recreate in any way of covers.

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