| Title: | GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion |
| Notice: | Discussion of the finer stringed instruments |
| Moderator: | KDX200::COOPER |
| Created: | Thu Aug 14 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 3280 |
| Total number of notes: | 61432 |
There seems to be so much info on amps in this conference that, believe
it or not, there's too much to answer my question!
I'm looking to buy a new amp to compliment my Strat and am bewildered
at the choice. The other problem is it is pretty hard to fully exercise
any potential amp in your average music shop. It's only when you get it
home and turn the wick up that you decide whether the sound is really
for you. Because of this, I am very tempted to go for whatever the most
popular amp is on the basis that n,000 people can't be wrong. However,
that approach worries me. So what it is I want? Here's some basic
criteria...
1) Power must be somewhere in the region of 80 watts max.
2) Must have effects loop.
3) Must have good fat warm overdrive.
4) Also a squeeky clean channel (but 'warm' if you see what I
mean). I've heard clean sounds that grate because they're so harsh.
5) Not concerned whether valve or solid state.
Price? Well I reckon hre in the UK I can get what I want for about
�300-�350. Now, to make 'conversion' easy, that'll get a Marshall
Valvestate 8080 or a Peavey Bandit here. So I guess equivilants to
these (or indeeed one of these) is a good starting point.
Any recommendations/tips welcome.
Richard
Reading, UK
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2756.1 | KERNEL::MCGOWAN | Thu Jun 24 1993 07:08 | 5 | ||
How about a Marshall valvestate 8240 stereo chorus. Sounds terrific and
fits all of your specifications, plus the extra chorus makes it stand
way out above the standard 8080 sound.
Pete
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| 2756.2 | 8^) | NAVY5::SDANDREA | As You Were | Thu Jun 24 1993 07:49 | 3 |
Marshall = Warm
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| 2756.3 | Listen to closed back SPKR's | SUBSYS::GODIN | Thu Jun 24 1993 08:01 | 26 | |
If you're into "pooging" these things, the EFX loop can be added fairly
eaasily, so if you found the right sound in an amp without the EFX
loop (at the right price), go for it.
You're right about that "clean" sound. To me this is priority #1. If it
can't do clean, it's probably a dog.
Don't be fooled by power rating. I have a class A 15 watt Mesa Boogie
MK-II that breaks glass at 200 ft. The only way to know is to listen to
it. The best test for this is "clean & LOUD". Use your own guitar when
you test it (even in a music store), set it for a clean sound as loud
as they let you & play some full (all 6 strings) chords. Listen for a
slight grungy sound which you *don't* want (the cleaner the better).
Playing with distortion or overdrive on will only mask what you're
trying to hear. (BTW: This will not usually make you sound like a great
guitar player in the music store, there's other techniques for that.)
If you're mostly playing a Strat, I'd expect that you'd be better off
with a closed back speaker cab. Depending on which pickups you've got,
Strats tend to be thinner sounding (than Les Paul's), so you can use
all the help you can get in the low end & low mid. Open back enclosures
tend to be light on the lows. If you've got the space, a Marshall (or
decent copy) 4x12 cabinet is an excellent choice. Outside the building
is a good place to audition speaker cabs for low end.
Paul
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