Amp You Like vs Amp You Sound Best Playing?

[MistaGuitah]

One thing I've learned after squandering tons of money gear-whoring is that there are some amps that we sound best playing but are not always the ones we lust after. Is there an amp you sound best playing and get the most compliments on tone that never ends up replacing your main amp? If so, which ones and why? Or are you one of those guys who have a certain thing and stick with it no matter what?

 

[the other John Browne]

Pretty much any iteration of the 5150. They sound great and they just work. At the same they are the amps in my collection I play the least. They are almost too easy to play. I seem to like amps that are more dry and are somewhat demanding of the player

 

[glpg80]

I came here to say the same thing, my 5150II. I’ve done the most cover songs on it and it definitely gets compliments as well as also gets the job done, but I lust after the modded Marshall tone more. The latter is much harder to find unfortunately.

Another thing I’ll say is that I was perfectly happy modding my 5150 II and playing gigs with one guitar and two 4x12s. I was 90% there for tone but there were days I’d turn on my 5150 and be like wtf is this dialed in mess, and go from happy to fucking with it. I’ve never done that with my Laney which is Marshall inspired and my Marshall’s are both ground up mods/builds. So to get that last 10% required a lot more headache and money. A part of me wishes I’d never found you bunch of enabling bastards ?

 

[VESmedic]

Agreed, OG 5150 without a doubt. It just sounds right, always.

 

[itsgoodnow]

I always keep a 5150 around. You can have every gangster amp on the planet in the same room but sometimes its just the job for a 5150.

 

[jabps]

Marshall JVM first. Then I would say either the OG 5150 or JSX. Of all the amps I've owned from boutique to run of the mill those are the ones I have gotten the most compliments on, the ones that feel the best and sound the best "to me" to play.

I generally do not own alot of amps because once I find my tone, I don't search. I test the waters but only to see if something does the tone I like better. So far I've been on the JVM pretty much since they were released. I'd still own the OG 5150 if they MV was on par. After jettisoning my Fryette I'm down to three amps - 2 JVMS's and a 5150 Stealth. Looking at getting the 5150 EL34 to compare it to the Stealth, one will go and then possibly tracking down a JSX, then I'm done. I just have no need for multiple "different" sounding amps.

I commend guys who an fire up any amp and start playing, I can't. If I cannot dial in my tone or at least a familiar tone I'm kinda screwed, thus no need for multiple amps.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

I always notice that when I record a direct guitar track and reamp it while I tweak, I almost always dial in a tone that's less distorted and clearer than I do when I tweak while playing. When I get back on the amp after tweaking it I'm always shocked at how much more exposed I feel with that sound, hah.

It's always going to feel better to play with a bassier, more distorted sound, ESPECIALLY if you can also hear the clear acoustic sound of your guitar strings ringing while you play. If you can eliminate the sound and feel of playing while you tweak, you'll get a lot closer to how your amp actually needs to be set.

 

[Racerxrated]

Some type of Marshall for me. I have a Naylor SD60, and a Rev C recto that are amazing.
But if I had to choose 1, my 72 Marshall….if I gig out again I’ll probably grab the 4211(2210) head since it has a much better volume taper than the 72.

 

[MistaGuitah]

I always notice that when I record a direct guitar track and reamp it while I tweak, I almost always dial in a tone that's less distorted and clearer than I do when I tweak while playing. When I get back on the amp after tweaking it I'm always shocked at how much more exposed I feel with that sound, hah.

It's always going to feel better to play with a bassier, more distorted sound, ESPECIALLY if you can also hear the clear acoustic sound of your guitar strings ringing while you play. If you can eliminate the sound and feel of playing while you tweak, you'll get a lot closer to how your amp actually needs to be set.

That sounds familiar, though I'm just a home player and only record to hear myself playing covers and originals. I use a Suhr Reactive Load IR which lets me play my amps through a cab or studio monitors or direct. I have two 1x12 cabs with different speakers, one closed-back and one open-back, both mic'd with an SM57. This allows me to load an IR that matches my cab and setup my sound using studio monitors, then can I record my amp mic'd up. I suck at post-editing/mastering so I have to get it right before I record a track. This setup lets me know exactly what it will sound like recorded and eliminates needing to edit or re-record tracks.

As for feel, some amps have a very dry feel and some are very liquid and dynamic. Some amps don't 'sustain' or respond to pick attack unless you max out the gain/distortion or hit it with a boost. The Randall Thrasher is an amp I really like but doesn't feel right unless it's saturated. Playing with a lot of saturation is hard to keep quiet and mute so I try to find a good balance between feel and articulation. That's me though, and I know a lot of pros have such good control and technique that they don't need any accommodation.

 

[japetus]

Amp I like: Cranked up bassmans/marshalls
Amp I sound best: n/a

 

[BeZo]

Amp I like is a Mesa Mark V. I'm just digging it. Gotta mention the OG 5150 also.

Amp I sound best theough is an Ampeg SVT 2 Pro. Especially if I get to run it through at least one 8x10 cab. I'm a bassist.

 

[PDC]

This is a cool and interesting thread because - at least for me - there is always a bit of disconnect between how I hear my guitar tone when I'm physically playing. If I hand my guitar to someone else (who is a solid player) and listen to the actual 'sound' of the amp while I'm not playing, I can really hear what it sounds like. Sort of like the phenomenon of what we think our own voice sounds like when we are talking in a group of people compared to listening to a recording of ourselves.

For me, I loved playing live with my Mesa Mark IIIs. They did my lead work a lotta favors. I'll never forget the first time I heard a Splawn at stage volume through a PA. It was a buddy of mine who is a great player and his sound was just so much BIGGER than my tone with my Mesa. Just open, uncompressed, articulate. I sold my Mesas and hopped on the Splawn train after that experience. At stage volume, with power stage tube compression and the speakers flexing, you do get a bigger type of 'sag' than you do at bedroom levels with all front end overdrive and preamp gain. Splawn is a different 'flavor' but I think it is in the same vane as what Wizard fans are hearing.

 

[anomaly]

For me it's definitely the Mesa Mark IVb that I sound best thru (it's got the sustain, the frequencies, the tight low end and clarity) and I've stuck with it for like 7 or 8 years now so I know it inside and out and can dial it in very easily. I always got complimented on my tone when I played out with it.

Actually any of the Mark series amps I sound great thru. The amp I lust for most of all is a IIC+ though, which I will probably never own due to their prices. And another amp that intrigues me is the Wizard mtl. I'd like to own one some day, but that's an amp I've never even played through, so who knows if it would work for me?? From the clips though, it seems to be right down my alley as far as tone goes.

 

[MistaGuitah]

This is a cool and interesting thread because - at least for me - there is always a bit of disconnect between how I hear my guitar tone when I'm physically playing. If I hand my guitar to someone else (who is a solid player) and listen to the actual 'sound' of the amp while I'm not playing, I can really hear what it sounds like. Sort of like the phenomenon of what we think our own voice sounds like when we are talking in a group of people compared to listening to a recording of ourselves.

For me, I loved playing live with my Mesa Mark IIIs. They did my lead work a lotta favors. I'll never forget the first time I heard a Splawn at stage volume through a PA. It was a buddy of mine who is a great player and his sound was just so much BIGGER than my tone with my Mesa. Just open, uncompressed, articulate. I sold my Mesas and hopped on the Splawn train after that experience. At stage volume, with power stage tube compression and the speakers flexing, you do get a bigger type of 'sag' than you do at bedroom levels with all front end overdrive and preamp gain. Splawn is a different 'flavor' but I think it is in the same vane as what Wizard fans are hearing.

I remember a famous golfer explaining that he's always used the exact same clubs and gloves, and that anything that affects the feel of his grip bothers his game. So if his gloves get damp or a little sand on them, or his grip is too new or too worn, it'll affect his swing. There seem to be 4 kinds of players: some who can play comfortably on any guitar or amp, some who have such good technique that they can sound good even if not comfortable, some who have very specific muscle memory (that would be me) and need everything very consistent, then there's everyone else.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Something else to note on the general subject of this thread is that if you use any amount of distortion, your in-the-room-through-cabs tone and your recorded tone will NEVER, EVER sound the same. It's just a physical impossibility.

A lot of people conflate the two and think that all you need is the right mic and those tones will just magically sound like each other but that's fundamentally just not how it works at all.

 

[ZEEGLER]

I guess kind of along the same lines, I have the amp I like to play the most by myself, and the amp that works best when playing with my band.

Just lately, you will rarely catch me playing anything other than my Uber. It's full of chewy goodness. Sounds awesome!

But...when I jam with the band, I can't seem to dial it in to where I like it and not get buried in the mix without being super loud. So, I always go back to the Rivera KII. It's a very different beast to the Uber, but it just works for me in a band situation, and punches through like nothing else I've played. Where the Uber is chewy and saturated, the Rivera is somewhat dry and stiff in comparison.

 

[Techdeth]

For me it's definitely the Mesa Mark IVb that I sound best thru (it's got the sustain, the frequencies, the tight low end and clarity) and I've stuck with it for like 7 or 8 years now so I know it inside and out and can dial it in very easily. I always got complimented on my tone when I played out with it.

Actually any of the Mark series amps I sound great thru. The amp I lust for most of all is a IIC+ though, which I will probably never own due to their prices. And another amp that intrigues me is the Wizard mtl. I'd like to own one some day, but that's an amp I've never even played through, so who knows if it would work for me?? From the clips though, it seems to be right down my alley as far as tone goes.

The wizards blow me away . I prob slims best on those even though my Hermanson 5 gain stage jcm 800 is my fav . I think . You could flip those back and forth lol .

 

[Nigel]

Nothing tops low voltage underbiased power tubes or cathode bias at full tilt boogie for my sounds. Makes my Rivera 28 watts in half power mode and plenty fookin’ loud with a drummer!

 

[Nigel]

I always notice that when I record a direct guitar track and reamp it while I tweak, I almost always dial in a tone that's less distorted and clearer than I do when I tweak while playing. When I get back on the amp after tweaking it I'm always shocked at how much more exposed I feel with that sound, hah.

It's always going to feel better to play with a bassier, more distorted sound, ESPECIALLY if you can also hear the clear acoustic sound of your guitar strings ringing while you play. If you can eliminate the sound and feel of playing while you tweak, you'll get a lot closer to how your amp actually needs to be set.

Yep! Pushed in gain 1 on the SL channel of this Rivera and INSTANTLY cut better with greater clarity. Less is more was never truer!

 

[TheGreatGreen]

To try and answer the thread's original question, I always find that I gravitate towards great big fat sounds when I play by myself. Slightly scooped, wide bandwidth tones with a lotta gain. Not quite "Guitar Center on a busy weekend" level scooped and gained out lol but way more than would be appropriate in any band. I'll go for stuff like a 5150 100w Stealth or 100w EL34, boosted Recto, boosted Ecstasy, or a mid-scooped Mark IV, etc. which are all very big, wide sounding amps with a ton of gain on tap.

For studio mixes, I'll use these same amps but I'll dial them in to be a bit more controlled. Less huge lows and highs, more balanced, and typically I'll dial in less gain. I still go for saturated sounds, but I don't want so much gain that I lose detail or dynamics.

Playing live, however, I find it's often better to go with leaner sounding amps altogether. When I play out live I'm perfectly happy with a boosted JCM 800 or boosted JCM 2000, both with an EQ in the loop. I'll use the loop EQ to slightly, slightly cut some mids with the widest Q I can use and compensate with volume so that I'm not so much scooping mids as I am slightly boosting lows and highs while managing noise levels. I find this makes these amps sound just a bit broader, but they're still good at sitting in a specific EQ range and not overpowering everything so it works. I find that using an EQ in the loop this way works better than just lowering the Mid knob, which om these amps has a fairly narrow Q, so scooping that way only hollows out the tone instead of broadening it.

So to summarize, I guess you could say I like my amps thicc in the sheets but lean in the streets.
Aaand I'll see myself out.