Gigging amps

bigjon

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n498/bigjon1684/BossBE5no1.jpg

bigjon

And now it hasn't parsed it as a picture - thought we just pasted the direct link from photobucket - tough, I've got to go to work!

p90fool

ThePrettyDamned;359357" said:

my car can't fit a 2x12 cab in it (seriously!).

Are you Noddy?

thomasross20

Will refer to this thread later if it looks like I need one. 

When selling amps on here.... do people ship them and how (if delicate)?

Gassage

If you can find a Marshall 6101 on fleabay for c 400 you'll have every base you ever need covered plus one of the greatest things to come out of Bletchley since the M1. Incredible Amps, massive power, great tone, cheap as chips

ICBM

Gassage said:

If you can find a Marshall 6101 on fleabay for c 400 you'll have every base you ever need covered plus one of the greatest things to come out of Bletchley since the M1. Incredible Amps, massive power, great tone, cheap as chips

But if you do, make sure you buy a reliable amp as well and take it to every gig.

Gassage

^ mechanics and cars

ICBM

Gassage said:

^ mechanics and cars

You'll thank me for that advice if you own a 6101 .

I like the sound of them too…

But they are so inherently unreliable that I have actually sent several back to Marshall rather than work on them (and hence have to guarantee the repair) and get paid myself.

thomasross20

I can't comment too much on Marshall's only ever had onep ractice amp of theirs but it did go faulty after a bit. Reliability defo a consideration!

Gassage

@icbm That was mainly due to all the ribbon wiring? I still think they're one of the greatest Marshalls though.

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

I can't comment too much on Marshall's only ever had onep ractice amp of theirs but it did go faulty after a bit. Reliability defo a consideration!

Some Marshalls are fine, some are much more of a lottery. Old Valvestates (80xx series and VS series) are good workhorse amps with only a few minor servicing upgrades, 80s JCM800 valve and solid-state models are almost bombproof usually. More recent ones, less so…

Gassage said:

@icbm That was mainly due to all the ribbon wiring? I still think they're one of the greatest Marshalls though.

Ribbon wiring, PCB-mounted power resistors, the switching circuitry, cramming it all into a small chassis with the valves underneath so it overheats (the 6100 head is not quite as bad), crappy pots and switches, even the speaker cable is junk.

I agree they sound great - when they work.

Gassage

Fuck it- get a Hiwatt. Even @icbm is in awe of the build quality....

MattG

Laney LC 50, they can be had pretty cheap theyre built like a tank and are loud as hell!

They also do a large variety of sounds exceptionally well

thomasross20

If I'm using a distortion pedal then is there any point in buying a "distortion amp" like a Marshall??? Not better to buy a Fender with great cleans and click the pedal when distortion is needed?

Cirrus

thomasross20;361407" said:

If I'm using a distortion pedal then is there any point in buying a "distortion amp" like a Marshall??? Not better to buy a Fender with great cleans and click the pedal when distortion is needed?

Buy whatever you need to get the sound you want at the volume you want it. Sounds simple and patronising but what other answer is there? It depends on whether you prefer the sound of your pedal into a fender or a marshall overdrive channel surely? They're just different.

Getting into the realm of personal experience, pedal distortion and amp distortion are in some ways different. For the same amount of gain, I typically find pedals to be more compressed and to present the guitar sound in a more flattened, 2d sort of way. It's hard to explain. Amp distortion feels a bit more lively and seems more "robust". What do I mean by that?

Well, the way I run my rat into my ac30, there are some things I can play that I think make the guitar sound GREAT and I do a little happy dance and cream myself. With exactly the same settings, I can play something else and it sounds like muddy shit, or harsh icepicks. That seems to happen less with a good amp distortion - once it sounds good it's more foolproof. With pedals you've got to kind of adjust your playing to play the pedal. I think that's why guitarists that rely on pedals for distortion end up with several kinds on their board - to cover different bases where perhaps one amp overdrive channel would be as flexible.

I say this as a lover of pedals!

thomasross20

I know what you're saying. I went through a Marshall at one practice and used the footswitch - the distorted channel was amaaazing. The dist pedal I have is Suhr Riot Reloaded so not too bad..
I'm not into backbreakers or cabs & heads...
And I don't think I'm into using FX loops either... surely it'd mean having to split out half the pedals on my board - no thanks!

IanSavage

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, US-made (pointy-logo) Peavey Classic 30. Not too heavy, easy one-handed shift, lovely sparkly cleans and take pedals well (the OD channel's bloody good in its own right, though; you could always set that up as your solo boost channel and get your dirt from pedals), you'd get one for less than £300 on t'bay.

thomasross20

£300-400 would be the budget so that's good.
30 - does that mean 30W because if so.... my Roland Cube is 30W!

markslade07

^ this. Or a HRDx. I've got the latter and it's a cracking amp as a base for pedals. Picked up a v2 for around £310 I think it was. Blooming bargain if you ask me!

vasselmeyer

You could pick up a Laney VC30 112 for around £200. Fantastic cleans and good drive and louder then you'd ever need for a pub gig.