Star guitarist using very modest amp....

chromatuna

I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as a shock but seeing Steve Cropper playing through a red knob Fender on the Stax Proms show (available on iPlayer) kind of surprised me, lovely looking guitar tho. Just goes to show something or other....

EricTheWeary

I haven't watched that yet but I saw him live many years ago and he was playing a red knob Fender back then. 

There's an interview with Jeff Beck on Sky where he plays, IIRC, through a Vox Valvetronix. 

ICBM

"The Twin". They have a bad reputation - often confused with the 'Evil Twin' model allegedly because they're no good (which is not why that model is so called anyway!) - and they do certainly have some questionable construction issues as stock, but it's actually possible to fix them pretty effectively and then they're actually very reliable, as long as you protect the knobs from damage, ie flightcase it. Very heavy, very powerful and flexible - I find them a bit 'sterile' or even 'solid-state sounding' despite being all-valve, but they certainly do that sharp, clear clean sound well.

I have to admit I don't like the guitar.

stratman3142

I saw Robben Ford a few years back and IIRC I'm pretty certain he was using a couple of red knob Fender Twins.  He walked on with a Telecaster and I thought here we go this is going to sound "ping, ping". Instead his tone was sublime and totally shattered my preconceptions.

I believe Scott Henderson has used a Hot Rod Deluxe, although he sensibly changed the stock speaker.

KKJale

Apparently Cropper's amp blew a valve just minutes before the show...

ICBM

KKJale said:

Apparently Cropper's amp blew a valve just minutes before the show...

These amps are very good at surviving that, because they were one of the first production amps to have full bias test and adjustment points on the outside of the back panel, so you don't need to open the chassis. You don't even need to undo any covers, the valves can be reached easily behind the protective wooden strip.

Kebabkid

Alan Murphy and Fender Superchamps although they did feed a power amp and rack fx.

Jeff Beck and his little Fenders.

Doesn't Bill Nelson use just a POD and I think the guys from The Average White Band did the same

I used to watch a covers band years ago that was headed by Ray Stiles of Mud and featured session guys and occasionally, Rob Davis of Mud would also fill in and they all used Session/Sessionette Amps and no pedals.

More recently, Steve Wilson using the H&K Tubemeister 5W!

Sassafras

Jalapeno

Hardly a guitar hero but Midge Ure uses a JHS Vinatge v100 and a Vox Valvetronix 40

They've even got a signature V100 now for £400 or so.

EricTheWeary

Kebabkid said:

Alan Murphy and Fender Superchamps although they did feed a power amp and rack fx.

Jeff Beck and his little Fenders.

Doesn't Bill Nelson use just a POD and I think the guys from The Average White Band did the same

I used to watch a covers band years ago that was headed by Ray Stiles of Mud and featured session guys and occasionally, Rob Davis of Mud would also fill in and they all used Session/Sessionette Amps and no pedals.

More recently, Steve Wilson using the H&K Tubemeister 5W!

( Country guitarist) Pete Anderson uses a first generation POD live - the Fender models were based on his own vintage amps so they are close as he can get without taking the originals on tour. 

I remember this thing in GP about a top US Beatles tribute using PODs, they had a series of empty combos they would use onstage for the different eras but all the sounds were POD-PA.

impmann

Last time I saw Jan Akermann he was using a Pod Pro.

Although hardly "guitar gods" but the guys from Elbow still use Line6 Pod XT Lives to provide their sounds - especially on bass. The whole of Seldom Seen Kid was recorded with them.

ICBM

Garbage still use Pro Pros direct to the PA as well - no amps on stage.

Sassafras

Frank Zappa also used a Pignose on at least one live performance.

octatonic

Steven Wilson used a Pod Pro and Line 6 Amp Farm on all of the Porcupine Tree albums, although not exclusively.

57Deluxe

I sometimes output my BOSS ME-5 via the headphones out straight into Cambridge Soundworks powered Woofer and twin Tweeters PC speakers with my Hofner archtop and it sounds enormous...

musteatbrain

Is tod rundgren still using line 6 vettas on stage?

Gassage

Jonny Buckland uses a pair of Hot Rod Devilles !!

ICBM

Gassage said:

Jonny Buckland uses a pair of Hot Rod Devilles !!

So do a lot of good players. They're reliable, easily replaceable and sound fine.

richardhomer

ICBM said:

Gassage said:

Jonny Buckland uses a pair of Hot Rod Devilles !!

So do a lot of good players. They're reliable, easily replaceable and sound fine.

I wonder how many truly 'great' guitar recordings have been made using a 'boutique' amp? Unless you count early Mark Series Boogies as 'boutique', I bet the answer is close to 'none'.....

Gassage

ICBM said:

Gassage said:

Jonny Buckland uses a pair of Hot Rod Devilles !!

So do a lot of good players. They're reliable, easily replaceable and sound fine.

He used to use vintage DR103's but stopped for the reason of not wanting to take them on tour anymore.

EricTheWeary

richardhomer said:

ICBM said:

Gassage said:

Jonny Buckland uses a pair of Hot Rod Devilles !!

So do a lot of good players. They're reliable, easily replaceable and sound fine.

I wonder how many truly 'great' guitar recordings have been made using a 'boutique' amp? Unless you count early Mark Series Boogies as 'boutique', I bet the answer is close to 'none'.....

You'd also have to quantify great guitar recordings but there might be a few Dumbles and Matchless in there. 

Anyway, Felicia Collins ( on stage guitarist  for Madonna and Cindy Lauper and others) was in the house band of the Late Show with David Letterman and entertained millions of Americans every night through a Crate Powerblock.