Time for some Guitar chat (new guitar)

Zark · Jan 24, 2005

You are experiencing the diference in between single coils and humbuckers when you mention the "hum/pop" thing. Seymour Duncan makes great pickups, but if you really want to clean up your sound and active pickup is the way to go.

http://www.emginc.com/

The difference in between an active and passive pickup is signifigant, but your pickups might be worth more than the guitar!

"Real" or "fake" is really in the eye of the beholder. I've found epiphones to be quite nice actually.

MMcG · Jan 24, 2005

That looks like an Angus Young type of Guitar!

Zark · Jan 24, 2005

I really think a 50 watt amp would help you out a lot tone-wise. 15 watts isn't a lot to push out the sounds you are looking for. It will make an immediate difference, and piss off your neighbors!

GumbaFish · Jan 24, 2005

The fender fat strat has mix of both single coil and humbuckers (I adressed this in another post before as to the way in which pickup combinations worked for the fender that has humbuckers and when the humbuckers are being used if you want to dig it up somewhere, I cant remember what the thread was.) Anyways yeah the sg has double humbuckers which is where you are hearing most of the difference I would assumbe between the two guitars. In all honesty I have played a lot of guitars, and there is no reason why you cant get an epi to sound good. Before you go and spend around a grand on a gibson I would seriously consider getting a new amp. 15 watts is not very powerful at all, and even if you did get a really nice guitar if you are playing it through a 15 watt amp it isnt going to come close to its full potential. Do you stil have the fender amp as well, because if so I would consider maybe selling both of those amps to go towards a new one. Marshall amps will be a little pricey so I would consider looking into something else if money is an issue, I personally have a fender amp. If I really want to get a nice heavy feel I bought a marshall Guv'nor 2 pedal that actually is pretty good. I usually have a general disdain for effects, but if you take the time to play around with your amp and the pedal and your guitar you really can make it sound like its running out of a marshall (well almost, but the savings in money may make up for the rest lol). To make a long story short I would stick with the epi, if you get a better amp it will make a world of difference...I've played my guitar through some pretty junky ones all the way to 1500 dollar amps and the change is pretty immense, it felt like I wasnt even playing the same guitar.

Zark · Jan 24, 2005

As far as amps go Peavey and Crate make good sounding, affordable amps. A 2X12 combo offers the most bang for the buck IMO.

And keep your Epi SG, its a good guitar man!

H8R · Jan 24, 2005

The "warmth" is in the wood. The finish will have some degree of damping on the tone. Lighter finishes let the wood sing.

I've alway thought the Gibson LP's were a great choice for that really solid low end "crunchiness". Strats have a mellow, kinda "glassy" sound in comparison. Great for blues, but lacking in the over-all power that the LP tone can deliver.

SG's are somewhere in between, IMHO.

The Epiphones are nice for budget guitars, but sound somewhat tame and not as "solid" as their Gibson counterparts.
(EDIT: I know this because I own an Epiphone LP - great guitar, but I'd pick a Gibson any day if I was serious...)

And yes, get a minimum of 50w in there. 15 isn't enough to push the air that would produce the sound your ears are craving.

Disclaimer: all the above are observations of a drummer that can play some guitar. I've been around live guitar for 22 years though, you start to notice the difference.

Zark · Jan 24, 2005

Tube amps, while great sounding, are a fragile PITA. You have to wait for them to warm up, 30 seconds to a minute, before playing. Any hard shocks can break a tube, and they just wear out.
Solid state amps have come a long way in terms of sound. Some are very close to tube in terms of tone.

I have a tube amp and speak from experience. I'm on my 3rd set of pre-amp tubes :mumble: Thank god my power amp tubes are still OK, there is $200 in fragile glass and filament in there :eek:

H8R · Jan 24, 2005

Zark said:
Tube amps, while great sounding, are a fragile PITA. You have to wait for them to warm up, 30 seconds to a minute, before playing. Any hard shocks can break a tube, and they just wear out.
Solid state amps have come a long way in terms of sound. Some are very close to tube in terms of tone.

I have a tube amp and speak from experience. I'm on my 3rd set of pre-amp tubes :mumble: Thank god my power amp tubes are still OK, there is $200 in fragile glass and filament in there

Goes with the territory.

One secret I know: don't turn your amp off if you are playing frequently. The power cycle degrades the tubes rapidly. Leaving it on takes very little energy (no load) Playing it and leaving it on do little wear and tear.

Bldr_DH · Jan 30, 2005

I agree, I think an amp is the way to go at this point. Shop around for a good one -- I saved about 200 bucks by getting a Marshall 3203 Artist with a 1965A (4x10) cab instead of an AVT275 2x12 combo, which I was originally looking at.

Of course, it sounds like you're looking for a practice amp, so I'd imagine you're looking to spend about $200 or less. I've only owned two amps -- a small 15W crate and the Marshall, so I can't reccommend a whole lot.
I have a friend who has a Roland Cube 30 -- It's a pretty nice practice amp, but it might be a bit weak in comparison to what you're looking for.

jdcamb · Jan 30, 2005

But mine goes to 11

Leethal · Jan 31, 2005

A lot of people with EPI's switch the pickups to the ones actually made by Gibson, their website has great samples you can download and listen too...

Enginerd A2 · Jan 31, 2005

Props on the new axe. While I agree with Zark about tubes being high maintainence, I'm a huuuuge fan of small tube combos. I have a Fender Pro Junior, and I really love it. I am a believer that your amplifier is the biggest key to your sound. To prove it, try this test: Go to your local music store, find an expensive guitar and a cheap amp. Play. Find a cheap guitar and an expensive amp. Play. Swap. Play some more. A good amp can make cheaper guitars (that's what I buy) sound good. A cheap practice amp isn't much better with an expensive axe. That said, if you like the Epi, put some new pickups in it and keep it for a while. I don't buy into guitar elitism.

Enginerd A2 · Jan 31, 2005

Oh, a friend of mine has a Vox Valvetronix amp, and it's pretty sweet. 12ax7 preamp tube, and crazy modelling action. I still prefer my one trick pony Pro Jr.

Leethal · Jan 31, 2005

KonaJosh said:
Oh, a friend of mine has a Vox Valvetronix amp, and it's pretty sweet. 12ax7 preamp tube, and crazy modelling action. I still prefer my one trick pony Pro Jr.

Right on I have a Fenders Blue Jr which is one size up from your I think... Tube amps might be more of a hassle but they are worth it if you want good clean sound.... You can make a clean amp sound distorted but you can't do the opposite.

Enginerd A2 · Jan 31, 2005

Leethal said:
Right on I have a Fenders Blue Jr which is one size up from your I think... Tube amps might be more of a hassle but they are worth it if you want good clean sound.... You can make a clean amp sound distorted but you can't do the opposite.

Not just clean sound, mine has the most killer overdriven-tube-breakup sound when you crank it. Smaller tube amps can distort at reasonable volumes without pedals or preamp gain stages. I've read that a lot of heavy guitar songs have been recorded on small combos because they're easier to mic and recorded as opposed to a cranked Triple Rectifier. I can't afford a Triple Rec and it wouldn't fit in my apartment anyway.

Enginerd A2 · Jan 31, 2005

math2014 said:
i am stoked now with an Ashdown Fallen angel valve amp....

oh and also a Stratocaster DLX HSS....

I've never played an Ashdown, but I love the analog needle gauge things they have. I've heard they're nice, probably more common in the U.K. Maybe look for a small Vox tube combo? I think my next amp will be a Vox AC30 or AC15, y'know, someday...

Enginerd A2 · Jan 31, 2005

math2014 said:
is there any comparison with respect to power outputs between valve and transistor amps? ie a 40W valve is the same as a 40W transistor one?

NO! A 15W tube amp is SIGNIFICANTLY louder than a 15W solid state/transistor amp. It has to do with efficiency and frequency response and how they rate amplifiers, but tubes are way louder than a comparable solid state amp. The Tech Education column in the back of the March issue of Guitar World says that a tube amp is as much as three times louder than an SS amp of the same rating.

I can't turn my Pro Jr. up past 2 or 3 without really pissing off the neighbors (it goes to 12). I'd say it's quite a bit louder than my 50W solid state Ampeg bass amp.

MMike · Jan 31, 2005

I have a Peavey Classic 30 and a Rivera Chubster 40. I like the Peavey's sound but I find the distortion a little lacking. A great blues amp though.

But the Rivera is my perfect amp. Paul Rivera used to work for Fender and he was a custom amp builder for guys like Chet Atkins and stuff.

But the Chubster is has two totally independant channels. Both can be over-driven. and one is wired like a Marshall, the other is wired like a Fender Twin. What more could you want? It's the best of both worlds in a small box.

oly · Feb 1, 2005

Make sure you get a bitchen Delay pedal so you can make whale sounds....

Zark · Feb 9, 2005

The transistor amp's sound will be consistant throughout the whole range of volume. A tube amp will change signifigantly as you turn it up. Which can suck since they sound the best when your frail 80 year old neighbor is beating the wall with a cane. But if she can keep good time

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

My fender doesn't start to distort until it's loud enough for the whole apartment building to hear. I run a Rat distortion in front of it at home or anytime I need some crunch at reasonable volume levels. When I get the chance to jam somewhere we can get loud (rare these days), I can plug straight in and crank it. I guess some would say the Rat sort of defeats the purpose of having a tube amp, but I like both tones.'

Edit: Have you had a chance to try a Vox Valvetronix? Also, I've found that I rarely if ever use many of the doodads on feature-laden guitar gear. I'm a proponent of finding a few useful tones that you LOVE and sticking with 'em. I guess that sort of goes with finding "your" sound.

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

Zark said:
The transistor amp's sound will be consistant throughout the whole range of volume. A tube amp will change signifigantly as you turn it up. Which can suck since they sound the best when your frail 80 year old neighbor is beating the wall with a cane. But if she can keep good time

I guess I haven't played enough decent SS amps, save for a bunch of Line 6's and a Vox (all modelling amps). Zark makes a good point here, but I have a soft spot for the "character" of tube amps. I guess guitar sound is subjective enough that you shouldn't listen to anyone except yourself. Dimebag Darrel played solid state amps on every single Pantera album.

Zark · Feb 9, 2005

KonaJosh said:
I guess I haven't played enough decent SS amps, save for a bunch of Line 6's and a Vox (all modelling amps). Zark makes a good point here, but I have a soft spot for the "character" of tube amps. I guess guitar sound is suggestive enough that you shouldn't listen to anyone except yourself. Dimebag Darrel played solid state amps on every single Pantera album.

Have you heard Dimebag's Signature amp the Warhawk? 300W, sounds like the apocalypse. My brother has one and he's coming off of a Peavey 5150. The Warhawk freakin kills it, its ridiculous.

I too, have a soft spot for tubes, but I like people to know the 'eccentricities' of tubes

I have an old Digitech Twintube preamp with a bunch of effects to boot and a Peavey Classic 50/50 power amp. Sounds awesome.

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

I guess Dime had just switched to Krank all-tube heads before he was killed. And no, I haven't heard/played a Warhead or any other Randalls. I generally have the same opinion of guitar stuff as bike stuff: use whatever works for you, and just run whacha brung.

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

Sounds like Zark has a Peavey. I borrowed a small Peavey practice amp for a while when I first started playing. Right now I have a Fender Pro Jr, probably the simplest tube amp since Danelectro stopped making them, also the cheapest Fender with all tubes. It only has volume and tone knobs. No reverb (which I with it had), line out, headphone jack, effects, effects loop, drive channel, nothing. But it sounds like it should have cost way more than it did. There are two small problems with it: it gets pretty hot (hasn't caused any problems yet, but I keep an eye on it) and the retaining springs for the power tubes rattle a little (barely audible, you can't hear it through the speaker). It also picks up random radio signals when not being played, which a lot of amps do (again, barely audible). I like it. The tubes start to break up the more you crank the volume. It stays clean to about 1/3 of the way. I also have a Kustom Tube 12, which is a small solid state practice amp with 12ax7 tube in the preamp. It's okay, decent clean sound, bad drive sound, tends to sound muddy, especially when using the neck pickup. I'm kinda poor, and I live in an apartment, so just small and cheap amps for me. I guess I should mention that I'm not a very good guitar player (I've played bass in a couple garage bands).

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

You can read some reviews at www.harmonycentral.com, but, much like mtbr bike reviews, you should take them all with a grain of salt. Also, since it seems like you move around a lot, tube amps are heavier and more fragile than comparibly sized SS amps. I was all set to get a Line6 Spider at one time. I'd still sort of like to get a Vox Valvetronix AD30 (I think). I think perhaps my $$ would be better spent on lessons, though. Man, slow night.

H8R · Feb 9, 2005

Portable? Tube?

Pignose!

http://www.pignoseamps.com/index.php?disp=detail&subcat=tubeamps&id=257

Enginerd A2 · Feb 9, 2005

math2014 said:
nah... i got a SS amp in Greece when i go there,...so the new amp wont get any travels... unless i move back to Greece...sometime....

I dont know, but i am not too convinced about this all-in-one digital thingy about Line6, whereas i was stoked on the valves...

I wasn't convinced, either, thus I got real tubes.

Time for some Guitar chat (new guitar)

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