So I finally pulled the trigger on a Fryette Powerstation ....

[rsm]

Not a bad deal but as you well know, I'm in no position to buy a hamburger let alone a new used amp, LOL. The ZT lunchbox is about $200 or so used and is the actual size of a lunchbox. Solid state but still 120 watts....surprisingly decent sounding for such a compact amp but no it's not going to be as good as a nice tube marshall gain sound.

I remember the ZT lunchboxes when the were first relased; seemed hard to believe at the time; IDK if they're still in business either. Keep watching for the smaller Marhsall and fender combos, you might find a bargain if you need a small practice amp?

 

[DanTravis62]

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Wayne, the presonus is is probably fine. There’s extremely diminishing returns with mic pre’s and interfaces when it comes to actually getting a good sound into your daw. Are you going the IR route (boo) or micing a speaker? (Yay).
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This is correct. Your interface is probably fine man.

You seriously don't get any benefits unless you buy like fucking serious 2000$ mic pres; and even then 99% of them you'll need an interface like the presonus anyways.

IRs are the easy way if you've never done this before @griff10672

But even if that's the case you should at least mess around a bit with a 57 and learn what you can.

 

[rsm]

tube preamp, solid state power; needs a cab: this American (Fender) voiced for blues and jazz...they have other models

 

[DanTravis62]

tube preamp, solid state power; needs a cab: this American (Fender) voiced for blues and jazz...they have other models

View attachment 464729

These are my favorite cheap practice amps of all time. They sound fuckin great for what they are.

 

[VonBonfire]

I remember the ZT lunchboxes when the were first relased; seemed hard to believe at the time; IDK if they're still in business either. Keep watching for the smaller Marhsall and fender combos, you might find a bargain if you need a small practice amp?

Need vs want. I never practice with an amp at home. Mainly it'd just be for rehearsals and demoing out tunes at rehearsal where tone and volume isn't very important. Still a want more than a need....

Wife did find herself a really good deal on a nice hohner acoustic today though.

 

[ilikehats]

While I agree there are diminishing returns on mic pres and I agree you should try the interface you have first ...

I had a presonus 24c and had all kinds of issues with latency and stability. I tried everything with my computer and software and never could get it stable. I moved to a MOTU M4 and it was instantly better.

Try what you have, but a good interface is a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[skoora]

While I agree there are diminishing returns on mic pres and I agree you should try the interface you have first ...

I had a presonus 24c and had all kinds of issues with latency and stability. I tried everything with my computer and software and never could get it stable. I moved to a MOTU M4 and it was instantly better.

Try what you have, but a good interface is a worthwhile upgrade.

Yeah, the interface often comes down to the functionality and compatibility you need, not the tone of it per se.

 

[midnightlaundry]

appreciate the info !

mic ing a cab to me seems like a humungus rabbit hole .... I'll have to see .... but my initial plan is to use IR's .... if I feel I can't get a good impression of how it sounds in the room .... I'll have to consider a Iso cab of sorts ..... and I like to build shit so ....

A good micpre will color the sound vs something that is clean and replicates the mic without adding anything.
Generally people like a more crisp guitar sound and color is probably lost on most people anyway.

 

[mentoneman]

I'm really looking forward to running this into the Powerstation ...

View attachment 464718

that graphic and color layout looks clean brother.