Guitar and amp purchase

[warlok1965]

Originally Posted by poly800rock

yeah, almost every band I play with has a deville, blues jr or modern ac30 nowadays. but being they are so common doesn't necessarily equate to bad, but these aren't amazing by any means either. just more convient
I wouldn't be embarrassed to play any of those - have seen lots of bands using them. It's an irony that many hobbyists own nicer or more expensive gear than actual working musicians.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Metal was just one tone. Think more 1990s alt/grunge for what I might mainly be hitting for. Bush, AIC, old PJ, STP, etc.
Actually this is why I was trying to warn you away from, say, an AC30 or Fender Reissue. Those amps won't give you a sound like 90's Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains. Think high gain Marshall, Mesa, Bogner etc. if you want to sound like that. On an amp with lots of distortion, you can always turn down the gain knob to get a cleaner, more "rock/alt" sound, but on a cleaner amp you are stuck with that sound unless you put a pedal in front, which almost never sounds as good.

 

[origenesprit]

Originally Posted by warlok1965

Actually this is why I was trying to warn you away from, say, an AC30 or Fender Reissue. Those amps won't give you a sound like 90's Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains. Think high gain Marshall, Mesa, Bogner etc. if you want to sound like that. On an amp with lots of distortion, you can always turn down the gain knob to get a cleaner, more "rock/alt" sound, but on a cleaner amp you are stuck with that sound unless you put a pedal in front, which almost never sounds as good.

Is that really true? A LOT of people seem to like overdrive and distortion pedals on top of cleaner amps.

 

[milosz]

http://www.guitarfxdepot.com/rigs/st...am-guitar-rig/

Fender & Matchless (Vox-y) both prominent throughout PJ's career.

 

[warlok1965]

Originally Posted by origenesprit

Is that really true? A LOT of people seem to like overdrive and distortion pedals on top of cleaner amps.

I guess it's a matter of opinion I much prefer the sound of real tube overdrive to distortion in a pedal. But I have and do use both depending on the situation. It's not just the type of gain, but also the voicing of the amp, cabinet & speakers etc.

Originally Posted by milosz

http://www.guitarfxdepot.com/rigs/st...am-guitar-rig/

Fender & Matchless (Vox-y) both prominent throughout PJ's career.

True, although when I hear "Ten" I think more of the Marshall JCM800 sound. Lots of players carry around multiple amps for cleans, crunches, leads. I watched a youtube on Eric Johnson's rig a while back and his signal chain was nuts.

 

[Quatsch]

Originally Posted by origenesprit

Is that really true? A LOT of people seem to like overdrive and distortion pedals on top of cleaner amps.
This works and sounds sweet, but you have to be playing really damn loud. Or have one of those power-soak thingies. I've been out of the guitar market for about 7 years, but if my old experience still holds true, I'd much rather have a epiphone LP standard with upgraded pickups/pots/etc than a gibson LP studio. I find studios very underwhelming for the price. As for amps - 90s music has always been my favorite and when I became a pretty capable guitar player Mike McCreedy was my idol. I rocked a Fender Classic 60s (mexico, but better than 90% of american strats I've ever touched) and a epi LP w/seymour duncan pickups through a Marshal DSL50. Coupled with an ibanez tubescreamer, the low-gain channel nailed the sound I wanted pretty well. That being said, modelling is so much more practical, and the better modeling amps/units do very well. As a small aside - if I ever got back into playing a lot, I'd like to get into rack gear. I read some interviews years ago with billy howerdel and always thought he has a variety of interesting sounds on his records.

 

[poly800rock]

Originally Posted by warlok1965

I guess it's a matter of opinion I much prefer the sound of real tube overdrive to distortion in a pedal. But I have and do use both depending on the situation. It's not just the type of gain, but also the voicing of the amp, cabinet & speakers etc.



True, although when I hear "Ten" I think more of the Marshall JCM800 sound. Lots of players carry around multiple amps for cleans, crunches, leads. I watched a youtube on Eric Johnson's rig a while back and his signal chain was nuts.

i'd agree here. I own a JCM800 and a fender 1969 twin. Even though a lot of musicians use distortion boxes (or overdrive), I do as well when on stage, there is no comparison when you plug into a jcm800 in terms of sound. A pedal cannot emulate how driving and rich the JCM800 amp really is. If I could find a pedal that could sound exactly like the JCM 800, i'd let it go.

a note about bands using clean/dirty channels, keep in mind that when they list fenders (clean) professional bands like pearl jam usually have amp switching so that they can go to their other amps.

 

[Toiletduck]

Nobody like Paul Reed Smith? Thinking of picking their budget SE models up during the spring clearance sales in HKG. ( yes i know they arent comparable, but played a few and they are great fun still)

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

Nobody like Paul Reed Smith? Thinking of picking their budget SE models up during the spring clearance sales in HKG. ( yes i know they arent comparable, but played a few and they are great fun still)

I used to own a Custom 22, 24, and my father currently has a McCarty. Gorgeous guitars, really, but I wont be buying one again. The quality has dipped quite a bit from the "old days", at least in their expensive models. I'd get an SE, probably comprable handwork but much cheaper.

And I have personally gone away from the thick poly paints that feel like plastic in the hands in exchange for the nitro based paints which, over time, wear away and lets you feel and see the natural wood.

 

[gomestar]

oh, and I played a few Gibsons this past weekend, the new ones. Quality doesn't seem to be what it was a few years ago, I'd put my money on a used Standard from earlier in the decade. Even a used studio will be a slightly better guitar, and you don't have to worry about that first ding.

Guitars get better as you use them more and more, and I sure as hell spent a lot of money to realize this.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by gomestar

oh, and I played a few Gibsons this past weekend, the new ones. Quality doesn't seem to be what it was a few years ago, I'd put my money on a used Standard from earlier in the decade. Even a used studio will be a slightly better guitar, and you don't have to worry about that first ding.

Guitars get better as you use them more and more, and I sure as hell spent a lot of money to realize this.

I will keep that in mind. I'm rethinking this whole thing at this point!

 

[Toiletduck]

Originally Posted by gomestar

I used to own a Custom 22, 24, and my father currently has a McCarty. Gorgeous guitars, really, but I wont be buying one again. The quality has dipped quite a bit from the "old days", at least in their expensive models. I'd get an SE, probably comprable handwork but much cheaper.

And I have personally gone away from the thick poly paints that feel like plastic in the hands in exchange for the nitro based paints which, over time, wear away and lets you feel and see the natural wood.

thanks.

 

[DentistCare]

WOW, that's an amazing guitar,
With this guitar does't need anymore
My father said that a guitar can play anyone, but anyone could do it well.
The amp great too, you should try a fender deville 4X10 is a good combination with Gibson, also orange amps are really cool but a bit more expensive, but worth it.
What do you thin about fender jaguar or fender mustang? They are terrific guitars, they gonna rock your life.
Something I like about fender amps is they have a great distortion.

Cheers

DC

http://desperesdentistry.com/

http://www.justinbshortdentistry.com/

 

[poly800rock]

never a fan of the mustang, look really amazing, but they were student guitars and are really really fickle without a lot of leg work.

 

[shootspeed]

Originally Posted by origenesprit

Is that really true? A LOT of people seem to like overdrive and distortion pedals on top of cleaner amps.
I am one of those people, but mainly because I prefer having a nice clean first and foremost. One thing to consider is if your amp can be pushed into overdrive with the volume maxed and the tubes cooking. You can get a nice distortion tone if you use your distortion/overdrive pedal as more of a volume boost with the distortion on the low side and volume maxed (with your amp's volume set on the edge of clean) to push the amp into natural overdrive.

 

[poly800rock]

Originally Posted by shootspeed

I am one of those people, but mainly because I prefer having a nice clean first and foremost. One thing to consider is if your amp can be pushed into overdrive with the volume maxed and the tubes cooking. You can get a nice distortion tone if you use your distortion/overdrive pedal as more of a volume boost with the distortion on the low side and volume maxed (with your amp's volume set on the edge of clean) to push the amp into natural overdrive.

this is true, clean is always more important than dirty.