godgrinder":168lncxx said:
The Chimera is thick/throaty but still very dynamic and open, very pissed off and punchy sounding. Sort of like a cross between a Pittbull and a Recto, these 2 amps are on the 2 extreme tonal polars but the Chimera seem to blend the best parts of both. A bit sad to see that it has been discontinued. It's perfect for angry sludge metal with hardcore overtones (say Eyehategod or mid-era Neurosis) or sleazy death metal (Autopsy, Obituary etc). But I guess musicians that play these music are usually not in the market of expensive amps.
I updated my site this morning adding a new design, CSM, to the lineup. It has the basic sound/feel of the Chimera but with the somewhat tighter attack/lows of the FSM.
The Chimera was misunderstood for a long time. In 2007 it was my most aggressive sounding design, back before my designs had both crunch and edge switches (and before the Gryphon got a bit more aggressive too). People seem to remember "the Chimera is the most aggressive Peters design" to this day even though that's not accurate anymore (especially as of 2011 when the FSM was introduced). That's difficult for me to overcome, explaining that the FSM is a better choice with tighter attack and lows. Almost no one wanted the Chimera for what it really was--effectively a somewhat more classic/lower-gain and looser/more raw FSM. It's not as though the Chimera was too loose sounding to everyone who bought it, but a few people were disappointed with it for that reason despite my explaining the Chimera as best I could. Whether an amp sounds "tight enough or not" is a make-or-break thing and I can't afford to take the chance that the buyer will be upset with it.
On the other hand, the Chimera had something my other designs didn't. When I discontinued it, I had a couple owners contact me to urge me to leave it in the lineup. One even played it over the phone, he was so happy with it (not that it helped me hear how good it sounded because, well, telephone quality being what it is...)
Over the last couple days I thought about it, and came up with the CSM. So if someone really thinks they want a Chimera, I'd be glad to make the CSM for them.
The Hydra was a similar story. It's fatter than most people really want it to be. They'll find a clip of someone playing it (with a very specific setting and setup meant to get the sharpest attack from it) saying "I want this sound" and I'd try to explain how the FSM was actually better suited to that.
Once I tried my new "dual overdrive channel" approach of rhythm/lead versions of each design, I realized the FSM Lead variant was pretty close to the Hydra, and a better choice for most people asking about the Hydra. That was a no-brainer.
Oblivion DC":168lncxx said:
I've been going back and forth on whether I should go for the FSM or not. My concern is that it might be too modern, djenty and uncompressed - but I like the heavy grind and I'm really leaning that way.
I don't make anything "too djenty". All my designs have a strong blend of more classic Marshall character/feel in them; none are "too compressed" or "too tight" (unless you just don't like modern high gain). You could use the FSM for djent with the right settings, but it's not aimed at that sort of thing. It only has enough compression to fall into the modern-high-gain category that people recognize these days. If you've played a number of modern high gain amps with significant compression, the FSM will feel "uncompressed" by comparison. Technically all high gain amps have compression, so when I say "the FSM has just enough compression" I do *not* mean it's a very compressed amp.
This goes back to the Chimera story. I'd sometimes get people asking about the Chimera but scared to get the FSM. Anyway now there's the CSM...if you're the sort of person who wants a bit more classic sound/feel yet. I doubt it though. Everyone I've recommended the FSM to has been happy with it, to my knowledge. I'd be glad to talk with you about it anyway.
And thanks to everyone for the kind words! I'm very glad my amps are still appreciated.
