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Guitar Amp advice requested

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DerGeist
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Re:Guitar Amp advice requested December 17, 09 8:14 AM (permalink)
As for the "great amp but needs new tubes/speakers" crown and harmony central. You will see that for all kinds of amps, not just the Bugera.
 
I once saw a review for a matchless Independance ($5000) amp that said it sounded like crap until he replaced the speakers and the tubes. I always wonder who buys a $5000 dollar amp that "sounds like crap" hoping to upgrde it.
 
Don't belive anyone on the internet. Everyone on the net is sweaty, ignorant, chrystal meth abuser.
 
Especialy me.
#61
Guitarhacker
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Re:Guitar Amp advice requested December 17, 09 8:15 AM (permalink)
OK...so I'm a bit late to this party.....

I'll add my 2 cents anyway.  I have played lots of amps in my time.... from small solid state combo's to tube double stacks......

I ended up with a Mesa Boogie 22 watt amp. (still have it) I used it live onstage. If I needed it to cover more acreage, I plugged into the line output and  I used my 2 4x12 cabinets powered by a Carvin DCA-800 stereo power amp (dialed down) and had plenty of cone movement for stage. I would have the Boogie close to me..... near my floor monitor so I could hear it and it was close enough to feedback effectively on those notes I wanted to ring.  BTW: 22 watts is actually pretty loud in a properly designed and efficient amp. I don't think I went above 6 or 7 on the master.

OK...so you have an amp..... don't do any mods to it for several months. Get to know the amp, how it sounds, and all it's little quirks. In all the time I played and with the various amps.... I never modded any of them. No speaker changes.... no circuit mods.... I just ran them stock.  If you see or hear the need for a mod... do it, but have a specific reason and a goal in mind.

I now actually have 2 amps that are both in the 25 watt range.... One is the Mesa Boogie Studio 22  (cost about $550 new 30 years ago when money was worth more) the same/similar Boogie today is twice that.... 

the second amp is the Vox AD30VT....I think I paid maybe $225 to $250 for it new...a few years ago.  It sounds pretty good (considering) and it sports a tube in the signal path.

When I have them turned on, side by side, the difference is hugely obvious. The Mesa blows the Vox away for tone and quality. So....yeah, you do get what you pay for.... but having said that...

IIRC you said this is your first guitar amp...... hey...enjoy the living daylights out of it. I remember my first real amp.... it was a Baldwin "Externinator" with these cheezy colored buttons for tone selection, and it had an auto light bulb for a fuse...... but it was an amp.... my first, and I loved that amp.  Played some Grand Funk and Deep Purple on that amp. If you stay with the guitar for any time, you will have other amps, and as Mike said above, you will learn something from each.

So for now.... enjoy that amp... use it to play some great music and have a blast while doing it.
post edited by Guitarhacker - December 17, 09 8:17 AM

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#62
glen55
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Re:Guitar Amp advice requested December 17, 09 12:52 AM (permalink)
I'm on pins and needles waiting for this thing to arrive.  I've set aside a practice area and a place to put it (up high enough that I can easily fiddle with knobs while I'm playing).  Clearing out a space in my "recording booth" for some direct mic-ing experimentation - I already have one SM57, even though I've only done DI recording so far.

I'm not 100% convinced that I shouldn't go ahead and get a speaker replacement.  I AM convinced, however, that it's better to wait a bit before making a switch.  Get a feel for how it sounds now.  Then I'll get some education when I swap the speaker out - knowing how speaker X affects the tone.  Even if I don't like it, decent speakers aren't so expensive.

That sucks about the circuit-board tubes - the kind of thing I just wouldn't know unless somebody told me.  If I DO swap the tubes out, I'll get a pro to do it.

But I'll still seek to short-cut the traditional experiment-and-learn process by glomming onto other people's knowledge on the internet.  Like I said, it works "often" - I've got no illusions that I can't get burned that way, but hey, that's just me being me.  That's how I roll. 

Nevertheless, don't worry, I don't take Harmony Central user reviews as gospel - the success rate wouldn't even hit "often" if I did.  The cheapest, awfulest crap can get a glowing review from somebody who's only ever used the one item of a class - hey, it's a lot better than nothing.  And vice versa, some dude can get the one bad item out of a lot and damn a great item to hell.  Grain of salt for all.

Thanks again for all the tips.  Wish me luck.

The Beatles, Sinatra, Elton John, Zappa, Steely Dan, Howlin' Wolf, Pink Floyd, Al Green, ELO,  Nickelback, at the moment. Yourself?
#63
The Maillard Reaction
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Re:Guitar Amp advice requested December 18, 09 10:26 AM (permalink)
Have fun with this.

As for the internet and knowledge. You should seriously consider constructing your own guitar amplifier. Not the kind you wanted to buy, but rather a nice simple unit.

You will find that the internet presents a unique oppurtunity for you to learn what only twenty years ago was thought to be a lost art. The internet and tube amp hobby construction have grown up together. There's lot's of great stuff you can learn.

Have a great time with it!

best,
mike
post edited by mike_mccue - December 18, 09 10:28 AM


#64
glen55
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Re:Guitar Amp advice requested December 18, 09 1:52 PM (permalink)
 
 
You know, I was actually already thinking about doing that, even though I am SO NOT a DIY-er.  But it seems they're actually fairly simple to build, and I could learn so much for future reference.  I can see that a lot of guitarists fiddle with their amps to get the sound they want, and that's a good thing to be able to do.
 
So thanks, it's interesting to hear someone who appears more knowledgeable on the subject than myself recommending that.
 
On another note, I'm trying to speed up that truck that is on its way here from New York with my amplifier.  Do you think I should tap my foot impatiently, look at my watch frequently, or maybe just put a pot of water on a hot burner and start staring at it?  I would be interested in hearing from anybody who has had any luck with this process.
 

The Beatles, Sinatra, Elton John, Zappa, Steely Dan, Howlin' Wolf, Pink Floyd, Al Green, ELO,  Nickelback, at the moment. Yourself?
#65
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