Guitar amp advice/recommendation.

frank_johnson · Mar 22, 2007

I've always wanted a stereo amp. Selling my leathers ( the 'Blade went a few months back) and my Laney LC 30 valve amp should net me approx. ?350-375. I like the specification of the Marshall AVT 275 X as well as the Fender FM 212 R, have heard the Marshall, but not the Fender.
Has anybody out there experienced this amp or got one? :S

tris · Mar 22, 2007

Noooo.. selling your bike just coming into the season, man that sucks ;(

It depends on what AXE you use. Different amps seem to work better with single coils (Fender amps) but Marshalls give a lot better tone with humbuckers than single coils.

frank_johnson · Mar 22, 2007

Hi Tris,
It tore me up to see the bike go, but I am 60 and been riding a long time. Whichever way you look at it, it was a luxury, even 'though the insurance had gone down to under a ?100!!
There are some advantages to being an old fart. Anyway I can claim my bus-pass now and the welsh sheep will be glad that there's one fewer biker to terrorise them!
Re: amps. It's gonna be a hard decision.
Re: your art. I am extremely impressed by the portraits. :whistle:

Bobby G · Mar 22, 2007

One thing I've found, and I don't want to put a dampener on the proceedings, is that amps (or guitars, horns, mouthpieces or whatever for that matter) never sound exactly like they did in the shop once you get 'em home. This means, in a way, you have to use a bit of imagination and try and get a feel for the amp or instrument in the shop, as it's likely to behave a bit differently once it's in your practise room, or on stage etc.

Personally, in my guitar playing days (and I never owned a stereo amp) I liked Fender amps, but also used a Roland Cube for a while which was nice. Having been out of the guitar and amp market for a few years, I don't really know what's about, but I was in a guitar shop a couple of eeks ago and recognised very few of the brand names. Good luck with your search Frank!

Cheers, Bob

tris · Mar 22, 2007

The trouble with anything gear wise is that it may be great in teh shop, or even at home but it is what is sounds like with a rythm section live.

I love a fat tone at home but it is not a sound that I would gig with.

I used to have a big stereo rack built around a Marshall JMP-1 and a Boogie 50/50 stereo power amp. but all that made way for a Boogie combo. Early Boogies are great as are some of the modern ones but they produced some rubbish in the 90's.

Frank, why do you need a stereo amp and is it for home / live use?

frank_johnson · Mar 22, 2007

Tris,
You've hit the nail on the head. I don't need a stereo amp, I just love the sound. Already I'm feeling guilty!! I do want it for home and gigs/jam sessions, although I suspect it's going to be more and more for home use. Home use means earphones loud when everyone is in and amp loud when they are out.
Bless double-glazing!!
I'm thinking!!! :x

Bob, nice to hear from you again.

tris · Mar 22, 2007

Frank to be honest...

Guitarists have a lot of companies clambering for their cash. I do not think there is another instrument as bad, although somepeople on this forum have had more mouthpieces than hot dinners. There is a lot of confusion between what you need and what you want, damn marketing. What you need gives you soul satisfaction... what you want will give you some fun for a bit and then....... gather dust.

I have had all kinds of guitars down the years but the one I have kept is my old Tyler studio Elite, even though I have chopped it up to get rid of the slab front.

One thing I can tell you for sure is you will get a much nicer sounding mono amp for your ??? than a stereo.

If I were you i would get myself a really smart, small valve amp, something like one of the 15W Cornfords. Amazing little amps, you can run them flat and if you need more volume you mike it up. Great at home and at gigs.

A few years back fender reissued the Vibroverb... man that thing had amazingly pure overdrive when pushed.

Stereo is great for recording and playing live gigs where they are of that size where the acoustic sound stage can handle stereo effects well. Ie via the PA.. (for a stereo amp this means miking both speakers.) Truth be told down the pub... not so good better to spend the cash elsewhere.

At the moment I don't own a guitar amp... I have a Dave Guardala Alto instead.... long story (also one missing good, old factory PRS for the cause.)

If I were buying one tomorrow... nothing more than 20 watts.

You just have to try some out.. Best thing i can say is that if there is something that you really want get that, work out a way to afford it. It saves a lot of cash in the long run.

PS will you be watching the Moto this weekend?

frank_johnson · Mar 22, 2007

Hi Tris,
thanks for putting things into perspective. I appreciate the advice.
Maybe I should leave things as they are. At the moment I'm using my (adult) daughter's 15 watt Marshall practice amp more than mine, because it has an earphones socket, playing her Mexican tele, my strat and my Les Paul through it. The tele actually sounds best. The strat sounds mushy through the laney, which is a class A valver which I bought about 10 years ago, but get it out of the house, turn the volume up and it sings. The Gibson likewise; at low volume, especially on clean it sounds crap.
I'll probably stick to the small amp until my daughter leaves home and then buy another for ?70!
To answer your question: just try and keep me away. Until last season I used to go to 90% of the BSB & the english WSB. My wife, bought me a season ticket for BSB which worked out at ?10 each for me & a friend. I was going to go to Donington the 1st of April, but the tickets are ?45 on the day. It's getting as extortionate as watching Wolves play!!
Keep going with the Artwork. I'v got a mate who is a longtime session musician, song-writer. He has painted seascapes (not chocolate boxy) for about 10 years and they sell for between 450 and 600 quid.
You never know; that Ducati might become a reality!! I'm dreaming of the big win for the Honda RC30 (1980's) >:)

tris · Mar 22, 2007

My other big passion is F1.... (Gilles Villeneuve fan.) My mum & dad live in Knutsford, near Oulton and I remember seeing a certain young Brazilian racing against, Martin Brundle in F3. (Friends of the family took me... I am not form a motor sport loving family.) ?45 doesn't seem so bad when you compare to the prices for Silverstone... ?120 for general admission ?300 for a stand..

Don't forget the quali is on on BBCi on Saturday. (Go Rossi go!!!) I think Hayden may not be for Moto soon, just not got the two stroker style..

I had a LC15 for a while, but I never really got on with Laney amps, whatever the axe. I like class A.. a vox AC15 would be nice. If i had the cash I think i would go for a Matchless (amp not bike!)

I have the vid of the RC30 around Ilse of Mann. It is the 100th this year and rumour has it that it will be the last 🙁 and if the TT goes the road racing in NI will die also. My son is only 2 and he will not get to see the NW200... all my fav riders are dead, Jeffries, Joey Dunlop you know since I moved back from NI I could not tell you you is still alive or not.

Have you seen the Desmo RR Ducati... the road legal Moto Gp bike? The guy who used to live behind my parents had a 916 but he had it tuned by Bennetton Sport systems... ie the F1 team. It was all done out in the Mild Seven colour and man that thing sung...

Thanks for the comment about the art 🙂

Bobby G · Mar 22, 2007

Valve amps (all combos) I have known and loved, but are now long gone; all very simple, but that simplicity made for a great sound. A Vox AC10, an old WEM 10watter and a Gibson 10watter, which had a lovely overdrive sound. I tend to agree with Tris, get a lower powered amp - you'll get to drive the amp a bit and get the tone at a volume that won't deafen the neighbours.

BTW, my preferred guitar was usually a Tele or solid Rickenbacker as I like the jangly sounds, or the Keef rhythm crunch. Just don't ask about basses and bass amps.... so many, so little to do with saxophones or jazz 😉

Cheers, Bob

tris · Mar 23, 2007

These days like like SC guitars... much more expressive. the guitar is naturally a rhythm orientated instrument and I think SC's suit it better... less compressed sound, more expressive.

Basses... LOL My wife has a great Yam Billy Sheehan.. purple all over.. stereo output, scalloped fingerboard! My mate is good pals with Jon Thorne who plays bass for Robert fripp these days. Jon has a Warwick sponsorship and they just keep making him and sending him custom basses. My mate bought a 5 string Dolphin, a 4 string hollowbody and a passive upright for ?2000 of him... man they are the best basses I have played! They are so good it is rude! Shaun is a mega player himself a great great Jazz bassist. He plays upright too but his is worth more than the house I rent

Ampwise at the moment I am using a 5w Heathkit HiFi amp that I modded. I prefer a clean tone these days. Single EL84. Very pure can't hide anything in your playing but that is cool by me. (Saying that I hardly play guitar these days but it is nice to pick it up and really tear things up, doing stuff that I can't play on the sax yet. Sometimes I forget what is is like to be able to burn with gay abandon.) If i need into the PC i built a stepped attenuator to bring teh signal in.... it is a bit noisy but it cost me less than a fiver so i can't moan!

I am a one instrument kind of guy. If I have a favorite and I always do that gets played 95% of the time. Me, I would rather have just that one killer horn and MP than an average tenor, alto, sop, bari all together.

I do own and early Jap Squire Start, man that thing is a killer. I got it beat up for ?30 from a pawn shop. I stripped the neck, steamed the bumps out and oiled it, re fretted it and installed dimarzios. It is not like playing the tyler, i have it set up w' 13's and a mediumish action. To be honest I probibally play better on it than i do the Tyler.

You know i would swap all my nice kit for a guarantee that I would be able to play of a min of three hours a day, something that is not so compatible with looking after a 2 1/2 year old.