Been looking at videos of the new Line 6 Amplifi amp range, and yes part of me thinks here we go again another gimmick, change the face of amps as we know itetc etc, part of me also thinks great idea.
But, there is always a but, for a lot of us of a certain age, commonly called old bas****'s, we have seen amps continually change from single channel low gain amps, heavy and cumbersome! to SS lightweight combos with built in FX.
Is this just another change, and with the OB's like me slowly becoming a minority over next few years, the younger beginners and guys not with a hang up that it has to be Valves or it's shit brigade, slowly allow valve amps to die for good. There is no doubt to me there is a place for valve amps, but there is a place for horse and carts but do we use them if we have an off road vehicle ?
After all one of the reasons we had stacks was people were playing bigger and bigger venues with crap PA systems, now we have much smaller higher quality PA systems and with the advent of DI boxes and the like, do we even need valve amps that often project the sound far further than the PA can.
We have had a load of revolutions through the last 50 plus years, a 2nd Chanel for OD, reverb and tremolo, extra gain stages, SS amps, digital amps, rack mount pre and power amps, does it matter as long as what you do with it is musical?
Just a random rant to provoke discussion.
Comments
I did a gig at a vintage fair where i used a small tube amp as a monitor on stage, but the tone actually going through the PA was my guitar through an old Vox tonelab. I had more compliments on my tone that day than i have before or since, most other times ive used proper amps...
Having said that, on a related note, i saw one of those new Line 6 Amplifi things in the shop yesterday, they looked very snazzy indeed. Didn't bother trying one as i assumed theyd just sound like a Pod X3 but louder... But yeah, in the right application, I'm sure theyd work very well and nobody would know (or care) about the difference
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Don't tell me you are the one that can tell the difference ? I can't tell the difference when I'm in the audience, not sure anyone can, even top muso's.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
JJ manage in Slovakia. A member of the EU, and a high-income advanced economy. As long as there's demand, someone will find a way, however small scale. No demand? Then it'll stop.
JJ's 12,000 sq mtr factory
And yes, I can tell the difference in the audience. Not that I believe that kind of 'lowest common denominator' chod should motivate us!
FWIW, every competent young player who tries my valve amps comes away amazed at the dynamic feel and rich, deep sounds they're getting, out of simple, production-line stuff. It's not just us old farts who get it, anyone with a good ear and a well-controlled picking technique does.
Interestingly, I can get closer to a good valve amp using digital modelling than I ever have with analogue S/S, but it helps that I know exactly what I'm chasing when I'm programming.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein