It sounded better when Hendrix played through it

Chris 90 · 23-03-2013 03:12PM #1

Hey just taught I put this thread up for a bit of fun as well as feedback on gear. Recently I've put up a few threads asking about the minefield that is gear more specifically amps. I was unhappy with my marshall it was a solid state one, so I recently played a marshall tube amp and yeah while it did sound better still it didn't really do much for me. And so to my point have you had a similiar experience with gear, where you taught you were a marshall fan until you played through a vox. Name what gear be it guitar/amps/pedals that surprised you for better or worse, big brands against more obscure gems and the like, cheers.

Ravelleman · 23-03-2013 07:58PM

Chris 90 wrote: »

I was unhappy with my marshall it was a solid state one, so I recently played a marshall tube amp and yeah while it did sound better still it didn't really do much for me.

Erm, what Marshall were you playing through? They're not all equal.

Chris 90 · 23-03-2013 08:31PM

Fair question,it was a DSL401. I probably should have been a bit more specific in the sense, what pieces of gear where people surprised by either hearing negative things about it or simply not knowing its existence.

Squidgy Black · 23-03-2013 09:19PM

Chris 90 wrote: »

Fair question,it was a DSL401. I probably should have been a bit more specific in the sense, what pieces of gear where people surprised by either hearing negative things about it or simply not knowing its existence.

Terrible amp, has a poor reputation online too, play a superbass or a jcm800, then you'll hear the real Marshall tone.

Chris 90 · 23-03-2013 09:33PM

to be honest better than I'm use to and that's nothing to write home, there was a terrible noisy signal coming off it. never heard of a superbass, must check it out. There seems to be no middle ground with marshall, either terrible or brilliant

demanufactured · 23-03-2013 09:36PM

I have a hankering for a DSL 100 ATM

Chris 90 · 23-03-2013 09:59PM

Any thoughts on kay or danelectro guitars, looking at ebay and they look pretty good.

Alanstrainor · 23-03-2013 10:07PM

Chris 90 wrote: »

Any thoughts on kay or danelectro guitars, looking at ebay and they look pretty good.

Haven't played any danelectro guitars in a long while, they're certainly different and have pretty unique sound. I'd want to play it before I bought it personally.

Chris 90 · 23-03-2013 10:09PM

What did you find different about them?

Squidgy Black · 23-03-2013 11:38PM

Chris 90 wrote: »

to be honest better than I'm use to and that's nothing to write home, there was a terrible noisy signal coming off it. never heard of a superbass, must check it out. There seems to be no middle ground with marshall, either terrible or brilliant

That could've just been a dodgy tube or wiring. There's some decent modern Marshalls, the DSL 100s, Vintage Modern's, JVMs. I also though the JCM900 4100 wasn't too bad either. Nothing like the older Marshalls though.

wild turkey · 24-03-2013 09:37AM

I stopped changing amps every few months & now work with a clean amp & pedals to get my tone , which is Marshall based btw.
Its a way cheaper option for me as I build the pedals I want & can sound as good as any Marshall I've tried
Sometimes a good boost or overdrive in front of the drive channel can get you what you want

Before you start spending a fortune on amps try something like a bad monkey in front of it,theyre €30 on adverts

Chris 90 · 24-03-2013 01:23PM

I have a big muff pedal which I'm happy with,yeah amps are a bit of a minefield, I'm getting a bugera v5. Would love a orange tiny terror but it's too out of my price range.

TroutMask · 24-03-2013 04:35PM

I've a SuperLead 100W model '1959' JMP Marshall and while I always liked it, it only truly came to life after I modded it. So, I'd say many vintage Marshalls have the potential to be great amps - after a bit of tech'ing or modification.

hidinginthebush · 24-03-2013 04:43PM

Ravelleman wrote: »

Erm, what Marshall were you playing through? They're not all equal.

THIS.

Also, most tube amps have a sweet spot. Unfortunately, with a 50 or 100W tube amp, this will be as loud as hell. I mean sure, a JCM800 or silver jubilee will sound good at home, but to really get her singing you need to crank the bejesus out of it.

One a related note, I once had the distinct pleasure of playing through a Marshall Plexi head. I can honestly say it is without a shadow of a doubt the best thing I have ever heard.

Chris 90 · 24-03-2013 04:45PM

TroutMask wrote: »

I've a SuperLead 100W model '1959' JMP Marshall and while I always liked it, it only truly came to life after I modded it. So, I'd say many vintage Marshalls have the potential to be great amps - after a bit of tech'ing or modification.

How many amps do you own and would you modifiy them all or does it depend on the amp your working with? I'm a bit of novice at all this, really keen to find out as much information, cheers.

Chris 90 · 24-03-2013 05:04PM

hidinginthebush wrote: »

THIS.

Also, most tube amps have a sweet spot. Unfortunately, with a 50 or 100W tube amp, this will be as loud as hell. I mean sure, a JCM800 or silver jubilee will sound good at home, but to really get her singing you need to crank the bejesus out of it.

One a related note, I once had the distinct pleasure of playing through a Marshall Plexi head. I can honestly say it is without a shadow of a doubt the best thing I have ever heard.

this would be my main deal I guess, I don't need a 50 or 100 watt amp. I'm only interested in lower wattage amps at the moment.

Also I should note, I wasn't having a go at marshall in my original post, just based it on my limited experience was all. What I should have originally posted was,what are the more obscure or less known gems people have in their rigs.

TroutMask · 24-03-2013 06:20PM

Chris 90 wrote: »

How many amps do you own and would you modifiy them all or does it depend on the amp your working with? I'm a bit of novice at all this, really keen to find out as much information, cheers.

I've had dozens but have 2 now. I only modify when there's a need to. I have my eye on a Swart Space Tone and would not modify that amp. Other amps are either not worth modding or are too difficult to mod. The other one I have is a Vox AC 30 and I've modded that a number of times - it needed it

wild turkey · 24-03-2013 06:57PM

If it were me Id buy this & with what youve got left over get a reverb pedal & some type od / dist, try joyo etc

http://www.adverts.ie/guitar-amps/vht-1x12-jensen-loaded-cabinet/2826090

Ravelleman · 24-03-2013 09:49PM

That's just a cab though, not an amp - I imagine it's the Special you're referring to though, right?

Chris 90 · 24-03-2013 11:33PM

Hey guys I don't know if this thread is working, to be honest I should have been clearer in the original post/title I just wanted to see what piece of gear people really treasure in their rig.I made a flippant remark about Marshall, which I shouldn't have done.I don't want advice on what amps I should be buying I've actually taken care of that.

Ravelleman · 25-03-2013 02:03AM

Fair enough.

The gear that I really swear by is my stash of Dunlop Jazz III picks. They're great - perfect rigidity, nicely pointed, red so they're easy to find. I always have a load of them lying around my house.

I also think it's really worthwhile investing in a good tuner. The Polytune I use is convenient above all and also generally accurate, although some other models on the market are arguably better from what I've read.

Other than that I love my G&Ls.

Chris 90 · 25-03-2013 02:13AM

That's really interesting cause when i'm in a music shop,me personally, I take a few without really noticing the gauge or brand, must have a look for them. Ah the tuner maybe not the most exciting piece of gear but really essential, tuning in a live situation can be so unnerving, you don't want it failing on you. I was looking at a korg pitchblack myself.

wild turkey · 25-03-2013 06:52AM

Ravelleman wrote: »

That's just a cab though, not an amp - I imagine it's the Special you're referring to though, right?

Silly me !
GHarison had the special 6 up as well & tagged the wrong one
so special 6 instead of cab

As far as good gear on a budget, I presume your trying to do this as cheap as possible

Joyo pedals are great for the money I've had 6 of their peals & all excellent
Try WTF accessories online shop

Squier classic vibes are great guitars for the money, I would put my cv up against my USA anyday. Really !
Les paul wise, Ive had 2 Vintage brand V100s & for the money their really good
Acoustic, Try Recording King

Ampwise,
I have the Bugera V22 which is as good as any amp in the €500-€700 bracket imo,
The VHT special 6 will be my next purchase as Im tired of hauling the Bugera around .They get shining reviews from all corners

Chris 90 · 25-03-2013 01:28PM

I'm pretty good on gear getting a v5 bugera very soon it's very reasonably priced and also love the sound of it. As far as pedals go happy with the big muff, and the only other pedals I want is delay, tremolo, chorus and tuner, all of which danelectro and ehx do well and again good prices. As far as guitars go,I got a squier jagmaster which is doing the job for the moment. But I'm saving up to get a second hand electric and acoustic of ebay maybe a kay or a silvertone, not interested in the sister brands of the larger companies.

Alanstrainor · 26-03-2013 10:08PM

Ravelleman wrote: »

Fair enough.

The gear that I really swear by is my stash of Dunlop Jazz III picks. They're great - perfect rigidity, nicely pointed, red so they're easy to find. I always have a load of them lying around my house.

I also think it's really worthwhile investing in a good tuner. The Polytune I use is convenient above all and also generally accurate, although some other models on the market are arguably better from what I've read.

Other than that I love my G&Ls.

Ah man it's all about Jazz II's!:D

Just counted my plectrums that i could see on my desk, 16 Jazz III's, and 30 Jazz II's...I buy in bulk

It sounded better when Hendrix played through it

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