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Guitar Amp Quesiton [message #27143] Thu, 29 September 2005 18:57 Go to next message
JWF is currently offline  JWF
Messages: 2
Registered: May 2009
Esquire
I just purchased a Marshall DSL-50(it sounded pretty good in the showroom, really only tried power chords). I use a Epiphone LP Custom. Now since ive purchased the Amp, ive noticed the Highs are nasty and harsh(distortion), and striking full bar Major power chords sounds pretty horrendous, and 10 fold harsh with bar minor chords. I was just wondering if anyone knows of an amp that can produce a good sound even with some of the funkiest sounding chords. Ive the Dual Rectifier is very good, but i havnt hear it myself.

Re: Guitar Amp Quesiton [message #27144 is a reply to message #27143] Fri, 30 September 2005 06:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Damir is currently offline  Damir
Messages: 1005
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
Yes, "fat" sounding guitar amps sometimes are not "good enough" for complex chords (high IM and odd order distortion), or versatile enough (clean, crunch, high-gain distortion).
I have a friend (pro-studio owner) who had tens of guitar amps during the years. He now uses Matchless "DC30" and Mesa Boogie "Stiletto" heads with various guitar boxes. Then, he has 4-5 topnotch guitars, carefully equiped for various tones/"genres" (strings, PUs, ...).
Probably not a direct answer, but IMO - "perfect" sound(s) are not that easy to achieve. And me, I just used old "Deluxe Reverb" and Fender "Ultra Strat" - good enough for me...

Re: Guitar Amp Quesiton [message #27145 is a reply to message #27144] Mon, 03 October 2005 13:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Thermionic is currently offline  Thermionic
Messages: 208
Registered: May 2009
Master
It's been my experience as a 25-year guitar player with literally hundreds of live gigs with many groups under my belt, that you simply won't find a good, smooth, warm, transparent tone from any mass produced guitar amp. They all have the most ultra-cheapo garbage known to mankind for componentry. Stuff like harsh/metallic sounding metal film resistors, cheap metallized film caps in the signal path, and bottom-of-the-barrel electrolytics in the power supply.

Add a Chinese-made output transformer with some kind of pseudo-steel lamination materials and poor build quality. Then, add one cheap-as-possible speaker. Use 20dB of negative feedback to make the bass chunky and tight for muted power chords. Finally, 99% of all so-called "all tube" amps are NOT all tube, but have a row of cheesy 5 cent clipping diodes between the first and second gain stages to add distortion! It's like having a cheap Death Slasher Chainsaw Metal fuzz pedal built right in. Add the above ingredients and there you have it, a poor sounding amp with a buzzy, fuzzy, gritty, homogenized tone with plenty of sharp, metallic, cold, spikey overtones.

Mesa Boogie used to make a few good amps, but I don't know if they still do. The Double/Triple Rectifiers and all their newer models are very homogenized, flat, dead, and buzzy. They operate the power tubes at low current in order to increase high order distortion, and really crank up the negative feedback to tighten the sound, especially in light of the poor damping factor produced by the low current operation.

This is just my opinion, but neither Marshall hasn't made a good amp since the '80s, and Fender hasn't made one since the '60s.

Although expensive, a good boutique amp with carbon comp resistors, polypropylene (or paper in oil) signal caps, better quality electrolytics, a quality output transformer, no solid state clipping diodes, a "more normal" amount of negative feedback, and a good speaker like Weber VST or the upper-line Celestion of your choice will torch a mass-produced amp and eat if for breakfast.

If you can afford it, commission a custom amp builder to build you an amp exactly to your tonal requirements, with the correct circuit, tube types, transformers, speakers, cabinetry, component types, etc. It reap rich dividends in that you'll always feel inspired to practice and play BECAUSE OF your tone, instead of practicing and playing IN SPITE OF your tone.

Thermionic

Re: Guitar Amp Question [message #27146 is a reply to message #27145] Mon, 03 October 2005 15:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Damir is currently offline  Damir
Messages: 1005
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
Hehe, yes, the most of it is correct - IMO, but the most important part is the player, of course...even on the cheap guitar and amp, some guys really "have it"...and they are not at all worried about equipment...used to know couple of them.


Re: Guitar Amp Question [message #27147 is a reply to message #27146] Mon, 03 October 2005 16:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JWF is currently offline  JWF
Messages: 2
Registered: May 2009
Esquire
thanks for you help guys. One other issue i probably forgot to mention, is im running on a cheaper Marshall 4X12 cab. Im sure that also has a pretty large effect on muddy sound. But one aspect I would love to incorporate in my music is some disorted bar Minor chords, and Ive had a hard time finding any amp that can keep from being to muddy and harsh.

Re: Guitar Amp Question [message #27148 is a reply to message #27147] Thu, 06 October 2005 10:23 Go to previous message
Thermionic is currently offline  Thermionic
Messages: 208
Registered: May 2009
Master
Yep Damir, you're definitely right. The most important part *is* the player. Al DiMeola would still sound just like Al DiMeola playing on your gear, and you'd sound just like you on Al's gear! But, there's just that certain something about having a killer tone that makes you want to pick up the guitar and not put it down. It just seems to play itself.

A friend of mine who played in another southern gospel group had the most killer clean lead tone I've ever heard, recorded or live. His rig was an old Japanese Strat with the stock pickups, a Peavey TubeFex processor, and an early Mesa Boogie 1-12" combo with a JBL speaker. Nothing exotic or fancy at all, but the combination was simply magical. I could sit and play for hours on his rig!

Sadly, their church was broken into and it was all stolen, along with the church PA system.........

Thermionic

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