What do you look for in an amph?

[sunvalleylaw]

Stealing this question from Mark Wein and his forum because I was interested in your answers.

What do you look for in an amph(liphier)?! What sounds, controls etc. do you want, or what is it that makes you want to buy it?

(pauses to allow reader to ponder his or her own thoughts . . . ancake )



________________________________ What I like . . .

For me, basically, I like a nice, clean, articulate sound (lots of articulate, I want to hear the strings and what is going on with them), but with warmth. Not too sterile or shrill for me. For example of the sound I am describing, I prefer a Fender sound that starts to approach a Bassman (or just sounds like a Bassman with reverb), rather than hanging in the black or silverface range. Those late 50s tweed and early 60s brown and blonde fenders sound good to me, especially if they have more than one speaker. Likewise, the Marshalls that followed in the footsteps of the Bassman sound nice to me. Also, these amphs take pedals well, and I like that. More than I like a bunch of onboard effects. Therefore, I don't need the amph itself to have a great amount of or hard core gain built in. I have pedals for that. I am sure there are other amphs out there that have this sound and characteristics. As I read this back through, I highlighted in bold the key components of the sound I want to hear as my starting point: clean, articulate warmth.

So that is the sound I listen for when I plug in to an amph. For controls, etc. I don't need anything special, but like a nice reverb. I also like a mid tone control, especially in a 1x12 at least (like my Peavey has, it helps that amp a lot) so I can dial out some mid hump and emphasize the outside of the equalizer. My Fender with the 4x10 set up doesn't seem to need it as much, and does not have one.


Now, what do you good people look for in an amph?!

 

[otaypanky]

Portability, sensitive to playing attack versus a dialed in tone or sound, reverb and tremelo, quality components and construction.

 

[Radioboy950]

Great question, Steve (Mark).

I agree about being "articulate", whether it's clean or overdriven tones.
This is a must, and you know it when you hear it.
I think this also forces you to become a better player and to explore your individuality as a player.

Controls: I used to think an amph had to have two channels, with separate active EQ, reverb...etc.

But I'm starting to buy into "less is more". I don't want a bunch of friggin' switches, push-pull gizmos and other things to tweak all day long.

Take for example this killer little tone box. One volume, one tone.
All the different tones come from the player and the guitar. And it's well under a grand. I am seriously looking at this amph.

 

[Eric]

Hmm...this thread will get you thinking, huh? Neat idea.

I'd say something with warm, soft-ish cleans at a reasonable volume, but also with a nice biting overdrive/distortion. I agree that an articulate amp is good, particularly at more driven settings, but I also like that fuzzy Marshall sound. I also appreciate a smoother, warmer overdrive. It should also be portable. And have reverb. And a boost.

All I want is everything -- is that so much to ask?

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

I wanted a variety of tones and effects in a simple, easy-to-use and affordable package. My recently-acquired Cube 30X gives me a little bit of everything, without the expense and complexity of a tube amp and a bunch of pedals. I think modeling amps are an excellent compromise (isn't everything?) for hobby players like me, especially those on a budget.

 

[Tig]

I like the touch/attack sensitivity mentioned above. For me, it has to affordable. Otherwise, it falls into my huge "lottery list" of unreachable gear. Since I don't have the payola for a bunch of amps, I need one or two to cover a wide variety of tones and styles.

Glassy cleans. If it doesn't, I have no need for the amp, but it also has to be able to be driven without causing ears to bleed (Fender Twin).

Warm crunch with "woody" over-driven. Anything above that is nice, but isn't as important since an OD or distortion pedal can drive into metal zone if needed.

I like having control over the mid's, not just a single tone pot, so a 3 band EQ.

Master volume helps my home playing volume stay acceptable.

Effects loop isn't critical, but I look for one in a new amp. This is a refinement that most modern amps should have.

Anything between 15 - 22 watts for AB.
____________

Here's my new favorite GAS amph, the 65amps Tupelo. At almost $2 grand, it stays unreachable.

 

[marnold]

This:

Actually, it's almost that simple. I would have liked an effects loop, but I'm not really too bothered by its absence. I'm very easy to please when it comes to clean tones. I'm harder to please when it comes to distortion. I don't need death metal levels of gain, but it better be able to do the 80s metal/NWoBHM-level distortion thing. I also lean towards the bright side of things. I like mids too, I have no interest in scooping. If that sounds like a hot-rodded Marshall, you're probably right. That's basically what my Jet City is.

I know I probably sound like a Jet City shill most of the time but I can't get over how much I like this amph.

 

[Katastrophe]

With tube amphs, I judge each amph on its own merits, whatever they may be. There are alot more variances in the tube amph world, even with two amphs from the same line, IMO.

As long as I can has some spanky cleans, a good overdrive, and a enough gain to get my chugga chugga on (which doesn't require as much as many think), I'm happy. I really don't care if it's tube or solid state.

I know I don't want a really dark sounding amp, or one that sounds too muddy. I'm more of the "turn up the mids" crowd, too.

 

[Andy]

..an effects loop... these days it's considered an extra... c'mon really ?
of course it needs to sound great and have the right amount of power for whatever my needs are.

 

[jpfeifer]

Great question, I went through this process recently when I bought my new amp, just this weekend.

Someone told me some advice once, and it is actually very good "always buy good tone over features". In other words, find an amp that delivers the sounds that inspire you, rather than selecting one with more bells and whistles. It helps if you first take a look at your own sound and try to zero in on the things that you like to use the most.

There is no perfect amp. This is something that I've learned over the years. Every amp is a compromise of sorts, so it helps to narrow down your list to the things that matter most to you.

For me it was:
- Warm clean tones and nice reverb
- Ability to get compressed bluesy sounds that are slightly breaking up
- Effects loop, so that I can patch in some good delays, etc.
- Ability to get my favorite sounds at a lower volume
- Singing lead sounds (can't quite describe this, but I know it when I hear it)
- Ability to get crunchy rhythm sounds

In my view, there is no better amp for clean sounds than Fender. In my recent search, every time I plugged into a Fender and tested the clean sounds I thought to myself "this is the best clean sound ever, who could ever improve on this". But Fender is not known for their higher-gain sounds, although certain Fender models do an outstanding job of this too, especially some of their newer amp models.

Modeling amps will deliver the ultimate in flexibility. If you need to imitate a lot of different sounds, with an easy-to-use setup, this is definitely the way to go. I've played a Vox modeling amp for a long time and I love it for the flexibility. Modeling amps are also the best "bang for the buck" in my opinion. For your money, you get an incredible value. (these can also be some of the more reliabe amps if they aren't using tubes)

For lead sounds, this is where it all comes down to personal taste. There are alot of different makes/models out there that can deliver great lead sounds (Marshal, Bogner, Mesa Boogie, Egnater, ...) . But you have to zero in on the type of sounds that your amp does it's "best". Most of the swicthing amps will give you some flavor of a Jekyl and Hyde (Fender clean sounds, and wailing beast sounds). You just have to try out lots of different amps to see how well they do each of these, in addition to the in-between sounds, ...

There are a ton of great amps out there right now in all categories, and some good deals to be had.

--Jim

 

[Spudman]

The easy answer for me is, speakers and tubes. It mostly isn't more complicated than that for me. I guess I've been lucky to have some good amps over the years and just used what I had instead of having some notion of what I wanted before I bought most of them.

Now days I'd look for touch sensitivity and that spongy goodness that comes form a cranked tube amph.

 

[Robert]

A volume knob that goes to ELEVEN?

 

[MAXIFUNK]

Fender clean & crunch with Marshall crunch & overdrive with MESA overdrive & heavy distortion. Responsive, note detail & clarity and headroom.

 

[marnold]

A volume knob that goes to ELEVEN?

Then you need one of these!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

The easy answer for me is, speakers and tubes. It mostly isn't more complicated than that for me. I guess I've been lucky to have some good amps over the years and just used what I had instead of having some notion of what I wanted before I bought most of them.

Now days I'd look for touch sensitivity and that spongy goodness that comes form a cranked tube amph.

A volume knob that goes to ELEVEN?

Ok, you two uber players, I am not letting you off that easily. :spank I was going to shrug my shoulders and admit that when you are a really good player and have your own sounds, it doesn't matter. But then I remembered . . . you both have added amphs in the last year (especially Robert), and both have owned, sold and purchased many. And I remember some excitement at the time of the purchases. Come on now, spill. What are you listening for or hearing when you end up buying? oke :thumbsup

 

[Duffy]

What I look for in an amp.

Selecting a great amp is not a simple task, I have found.

I received two Peavey Classic 30's, brand new, recently, that sounded great but both had quality control issues serious enough to induce me to send them back. These are American made Peavey's. In this case I finally ordered one of the new Vox AC15c1 and have had absolutely no problems with it, but it isn't a Classic 30, although it is a great amp in its own right and has a lot of potential that you have to discover.

Probably the best thing to look for in an amp is the availability to actually play the amp you are considering at a store and compare it to others of the same model as well as other totally different amps. Then I go for the best tone, best quality of sound, not bells and whistles and lighting up like a Christmas tree like the Vypyrs.

Playing the amps in person lets you listen to the tones you can get and explore the tone shaping aspects of the amp and the overdrive channel or channels, if so equipped. I bought a Hot Rod Deluxe after playing many other amps in the same price range.

On the other hand I read a lot and gain a lot of insight on prospective amps via reviews and comments made by owners on these forums. You have to sift thru them but you can get a lot of great information. I bought my Egnater Tweaker without ever hearing one or playing one just based on reviews I read here and on other forums. I was going to lay down 1100 dollars on a Marshall Dual Super Lead 100 watt head. I decided that I'd get a Tweaker that I could actually "turn up" at home and also save enough money to buy a top and bottom bound Agile AL 3100 real nice Les Paul copy that I had been wanting; and also have some cash left over for other pursuits.

So, in the above case I looked for a reputedly great ultra high gain capable amp, suitable for home use, that was priced WAY below an ultra high gain Marshall super powerful amp. I based my decision on the reputation of the Egnater Tweaker and opinions of owners of the amp who have real world experience with it. Same criteria for the Agile I had been wanting for so long. I will probably get another top/bottom bound "black" Agile AL 3100 before long.

I heard about the reputation of my Fender SCXD as well as my Blackheart Little Giant and then went out and played them, much to my delight. My Blackheart sounds way bassier and generally way better now that it has been modded by Jim P, after it stopped working and he fixed it.

I like to look for an amp that has a reputation for being very reliable and repairable for a long time into the future. Because of this I have stayed away from highly computerized Vox Chromies and Peavey Vypyrs, although the new Vox Chromies sound and play very well in my opinion and offer a lot of amp versitility - but, can you imagine how much it would cost to get one of these things fixed if it messed up? It would take a very well educated amp technician to figure out the problem and design a solution in many cases except for simple issues to fix. A Blues Jr., for instance, will be economically repairable for many years to come and is a fairly simple amp design compared to these highly complicated modelling amps.

So, I look for a relatively simple amp design that should be able to be inexpensively fixed for a long time to come. I'm not sure if my Egnater Tweaker falls into this category, since the circuits seem a lot more complicated than, for instance, a Hot Rod Deluxe. The Tweaker has a lot of different things going on inside it in order to replicate the Fender, Vox, and Marshall amps, and supposedly it is all analog circuits - this could be a positive thing and make it way easier for a good amp tech to figure out.

But what are you going to do? I have a great Epiphone Valve Jr., new style, that has one knob and sounds great and is very repairable far into the future. However a lot of times I want an amp that is way more powerful, has two channels, boost, tone shaping, and a lot of other great added features. The more complicated the amp gets, the harder it is to diagnose problems and fix; but if you want to dance you need to pay the piper, so an amp that offers a lot of features is going to be more expensive and have a lot more circuits to potentially fail.

With all this in mind I like to have a few amps instead of one real expensive one, so that I have a decent amp to fall back on if one of mine fails.

If I had quite a bit of money available at all times I might look for an expensive Marshall or Soldano or Rivera and get another real good back up expensive amp and just have like two great amps, and be ready to buy another great one if one of them failed - trade it in or whatever.

In conclusion, I look for an amp with a good reputation of reliability that doesn't cost too much and doesn't have WAY too much power. My Delta Blues and Hot Rod Deluxe have enough power to really have a lot of fun with where I live. I can crank them up and not get a lot of heat from the neighbors, etc. I can even play fairly loud in the middle of the night, but I live in a rural town on a very large lot - maybe the biggest lot in the town. An old homestead farm going back before it became a rural neighborhood.

I look for an amp that fits into my budget, tone quest, and neighborhood reality, jamming need to drownd out a very loud drummer with glee, etc. I look for at least two types of amps: a low power tube one I can crank up at home; and a powerful one I can confidently drownd out a super loud drummer if necessary - thereby avoiding the insultory drummer comment to, "Get a real amp!". I find this comment something to be avoided and would rather have the drummer frantically waving me down, since I never have enough influence in a band to control how loud any drummer will be playing, and most every drummer I know only knows how to play REAL loud. Very few drummers I know can play softly with any degree of excellence, they need to be slamming and running full tilt boogie. Of course most of them sound real good, but they are real loud.

Tone, features, suitable power for the application, reputation for dependability and economy of repair, and a groove I can really get into are the main things I look for in an amp.

 

[deeaa]

Interesting thread indeed...particularly about how people say they want 'articulate' amps.

I guess I don't...basically because my guitars are all active, and VERY articulate...and that is why I look for an amp that gives a more organic sound, then. I want an amp that responds to both guitar volume and it's own volume and gets kinda unexpected and 'spongy', before it gets insanely loud.

My current amp is a good example; I have almost zero gain on my OD pedal and the amp gain is very low as well...BUT I use bridge pickup only, and a strong pup too.

If I turn down the MASTER volume on my amp, it gets basically clean. If I turn it up it overdrives, mostly from power tubes, but getting thrusted over the edge with OD pedals that serve as more EQ's than pure OD's. That's what I like.

So I guess what I look for in an amp is it can be driven hard and it's power section can be made to distort/overdrive, or at least it can sound just like that. Sort of what I also like about the AD30TV; the 'master' volume in the back gives great power amp sound even at quiet volumes.

I guess my dream amp would be a simple p-t-p amp with two power sections, much like my Ceria, but with two channels switchable, one like it is now, and one with EL34's and 50W, but sharing a preamp, and maybe with a power brake and D/I out.

The Marshall JMV's seem really nice, they're not puristically like that but they do _sound_ sufficiently like that, so I guess that'd come close to my dreams in factory-made amps.

The only problems with this kind of power-stage driven amps can be the lack of headroom when you need yet more oomph, or really glistening shimmering cleans. But I don't like that ultra-clean sparkle much anyway. I used to have 100W Fenders for a decade but I could only get the sounds I liked when I really floored 'em...and oh yeah, it's gotta be closed-back for live use, open-backs just radiate everywhere...they work for guitar heroes when the guitar is the main issue and can radiate all around, but not for more focused sound/playing.

 

[Eric]

Interesting thread indeed...particularly about how people say they want 'articulate' amps.

I guess I don't...basically because my guitars are all active, and VERY articulate...and that is why I look for an amp that gives a more organic sound, then. I want an amp that responds to both guitar volume and it's own volume and gets kinda unexpected and 'spongy', before it gets insanely loud.

My current amp is a good example; I have almost zero gain on my OD pedal and the amp gain is very low as well...BUT I use bridge pickup only, and a strong pup too.

If I turn down the MASTER volume on my amp, it gets basically clean. If I turn it up it overdrives, mostly from power tubes, but getting thrusted over the edge with OD pedals that serve as more EQ's than pure OD's. That's what I like.

So I guess what I look for in an amp is it can be driven hard and it's power section can be made to distort/overdrive, or at least it can sound just like that. Sort of what I also like about the AD30TV; the 'master' volume in the back gives great power amp sound even at quiet volumes.

I guess my dream amp would be a simple p-t-p amp with two power sections, much like my Ceria, but with two channels switchable, one like it is now, and one with EL34's and 50W, but sharing a preamp, and maybe with a power brake and D/I out.

The Marshall JMV's seem really nice, they're not puristically like that but they do _sound_ sufficiently like that, so I guess that'd come close to my dreams in factory-made amps.

The only problems with this kind of power-stage driven amps can be the lack of headroom when you need yet more oomph, or really glistening shimmering cleans. But I don't like that ultra-clean sparkle much anyway. I used to have 100W Fenders for a decade but I could only get the sounds I liked when I really floored 'em...and oh yeah, it's gotta be closed-back for live use, open-backs just radiate everywhere...they work for guitar heroes when the guitar is the main issue and can radiate all around, but not for more focused sound/playing.

I get you on this, but I feel like you're still saying the same thing when it comes to the articulate thing. You kind of want something with more headroom because your current rig dissolves into fizz and/or lacks punch sometimes due to headroom, right?

When I say 'articulate', that's what I mean. I love me some rock tonez just like anyone else, but sometimes when you add in a bunch of gain, particularly on dumpy amps, you lose any semblance of individual note definition because it's just fuzz everywhere. That pisses me off, so this theoretical amp I'm talking about would allow me to get that distortion I love, but would still be punchy enough to not get lost.

 

[deeaa]

Hm, no, I don't think I mean that...I just need more headroom, more volume. Actually that I did solve now pretty much, with the biyang tube od I can now get a less driven, clearer sound with more round highs that cuts thru well, and still sounds driven.That and I talked some with the other guy about how he really must keep it restrained a little better during my leads...

 

[hubberjub]

My Soldano Astroverb is almost perfect for me. Both my Mesa and Soldano are EL-84 based but they really don't sound all that similar. I like the Soldano for it's simplistic nature. It just has one channel with TMB stack and reverb. It's compact and light but packs a lot of sound. The two things I wish were different about it are that I would prefer an effects loop and I wish it didn't have a master volume. The effects loop is just something I have to deal with and the master volume can be overcome just by cranking it and using the preamp volume.

 

[Duffy]

Eric

Vox AC15c1, either channel, with a bad monkey in front of it and some reverb; playing your Agile 3100. Check one out, they are at all the places that sell Vox. You might be surprised.

 

[Eric]

Hm, no, I don't think I mean that...I just need more headroom, more volume. Actually that I did solve now pretty much, with the biyang tube od I can now get a less driven, clearer sound with more round highs that cuts thru well, and still sounds driven.That and I talked some with the other guy about how he really must keep it restrained a little better during my leads...

Hmm. My bad, I guess.

 

[Katastrophe]

Then you need one of these!

A SLO100 in EVERY home, I say!

 

[hubberjub]

Vox AC15c1, either channel, with a bad monkey in front of it and some reverb; playing your Agile 3100. Check one out, they are at all the places that sell Vox. You might be surprised.

I really like the AC15. I almost bought one about two years ago. It was one of the hand wired ones and it sounded fantastic. It was pretty cheap too. GC was getting rid of it for $650 but I had the opportunity to buy the Soldano for $400 and my cheap side got the better of me.

 

[Duffy]

Amp

Yeah, that Soldano sounds real nice.

That price on a hand wired Vox AC15 also sounds really nice. One would be able to probably get that thing fixed for a very very long time. That is unless tubes eventually completely disappear or mfg's stop making them and they get harder and harder to get. That would be a LONG way into the future though I think. Something we really probably don't need to even worry about.

 

[Robert]

Well for me, it's simply something different than what I already have. I am not going to buy a Marshall DSL when I have a JVM. I am not going to buy a Blues Junior when I have a Pro Junior. Not different enough.

In terms of qualities, I look for versatility and good tones. The basic nature of the amp needs to make me smile and give me that feeling of pure happiness. Some amps you have to work with, and spend a lot of time dialing knobs in order to get a good tone. Not for me. A good amp should immediately produce a great tone, almost regardless of how the knobs are set.

Currently, I'm digging amps like the Suhr Badger, which has a power scale feature and can go from very overdriven to very clean easily.

I will never buy a Fender Twin for example, because they only sound great when you crank them up, which is way too loud for my part of town!

 

[deeaa]

A good amp should immediately produce a great tone, almost regardless of how the knobs are set.

Ain't that the truth. When the amp really is exceptional, almost any setting it'll sound good.

I will never buy a Fender Twin for example, because they only sound great when you crank them up, which is way too loud for my part of town!

LOL ain't that the truth! Just took me a decade to realize that

 

[deeaa]

Hmm. My bad, I guess.

Well, not really, I realized it's more like how you view it....I guess yeah, if it'd be more articulate, then it could louder without mushing up...but then, conversely, it wouldn't sound nicely mushy at lower or normal volumes. So on one hand I'd not want it to be more articulate at all, but, well, to retain what articulation it still has even when cranked even further

It's a bit difficult when your sound comes from poweramp largely, or the amp is of 'non-master volume' type...can't much change the volume at all, because the sound comes at a given volume. All you can do is select a wattage that gives the sound at your desired volume - and the speakers that also do that.

But, to me, still, the best sound comes from the non-master volume amps. Every amp I truly loved always sounded the best when it's master was really cranked.

 

[marnold]

My Soldano Astroverb is almost perfect for me. Both my Mesa and Soldano are EL-84 based but they really don't sound all that similar. I like the Soldano for it's simplistic nature. It just has one channel with TMB stack and reverb. It's compact and light but packs a lot of sound. The two things I wish were different about it are that I would prefer an effects loop and I wish it didn't have a master volume. The effects loop is just something I have to deal with and the master volume can be overcome just by cranking it and using the preamp volume.

I'd like to compare and contrast your Astroverb to my Jet City sometime. I've a feeling that I'd like your Astroverb too

 

[Commodore 64]

I'm really trying to define this for myself since, as of this past Thursday, I've been asked to join a real giggin' band. An 8 member band playing classic rock, motown, and oldies for weding reception type gigs. I have some 60 songs to learn ranging form The Animals, to the Commodores, to CCR, to the Stones, to the Ramones. So yesterday, I was playing around, significantly, with a guitar tuned in Open G, playing some Stones type noodling. I'm starting to appreciate the Stones after being on this earth for almost 35 years.

I have a Blues Jr. and a Peavey Bandit 112 (Transtube, 1st gen). The Peavey cost me $25 on CL, +another $10 for jacks, + another $20 for OP AMPs (2134PA). I played the Blues Jr. a ton. I played the Peavey a ton. I played the Blues Jr. through a Lopoline external cab with a Weber Sig12S. Then I did it some more.

I strummed hard, I strummed soft. I hammered, and pulled off. I used a Marshall Jackhammer in front of both. I used a Boss BD2 Allum mod in front of both. For me, based on my current level of skill and ear development:

The Peavey can be tweaked (TT Dymanics knob, FTW) is just as responsive to my picking/strumming. I can dial in sounds that are damn close to the Blues Jr. (Bandit has pre gain, post gain, bright switch, presence dial). This is not to say that I don't like the Blues Jr., I do, it's just that this Peavey isn't all that different. Is it the TT circuit? Is it the 2134 Op Amps I retrofitted? I'm really starting to think that all this tone searching and tube-sniffing might be for the birds. I've got F'ing 60+ songs to learn!

I do have to admit though, that I ordered new tubes for the Blues Jr. and some caps and resistors to do some Billm tonestack and power supply stiffening mods. I'm not going for adjustable bias though, I think there's a 50/50 divide on whether running the EL84s at higher bias is better or worse for tone. I certainly don't mind shorter tube life, trying new tubes is fun