What hill would you die on? Amp edition

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

stickyfiddle said:

Fender's Tonemaster series is one of the best innovations in amplifiers in 40 years. 

I love my Tonemaster Princeton, but I'm not sure I'd call anything about it 'innovative'. It's just a really good one-trick pony amp modeller mated to a nice cab and speaker, plus a couple of good IRs on the DI out. 

thecolourbox

At gig volume, as an audience member, I can't really tell much more difference than "clean" "crunchy" and "distortion" guitar amp

Nerine

The sound coming out of the amp barely matters. 

The notes matter a lot, but the nuances in the tone of the amp are literally hogwash/meaningless to an audience. 

Your licks don’t sound any better to a listener coming out of a Bartel rather than Marshall DSL. 

Alex2678

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

stickyfiddle said:

Fender's Tonemaster series is one of the best innovations in amplifiers in 40 years. 

I love my Tonemaster Princeton, but I'm not sure I'd call anything about it 'innovative'. It's just a really good one-trick pony amp modeller mated to a nice cab and speaker, plus a couple of good IRs on the DI out. 

It’s innovative marketing for a modeller 

stickyfiddle

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

stickyfiddle said:

Fender's Tonemaster series is one of the best innovations in amplifiers in 40 years. 

I love my Tonemaster Princeton, but I'm not sure I'd call anything about it 'innovative'. It's just a really good one-trick pony amp modeller mated to a nice cab and speaker, plus a couple of good IRs on the DI out. 

I’d say that’s pretty innovative compared to most of the modern amp market…

Danny1969

I view  the Tonemaster as a Line 6 Spider stuck on one amp model .... but it looks like the real thing and to some people that matters. 

Sansamp put a superb DI with speaker emulation on their amps 25 years ago ... 

Nerine

If two identical amps and speakers were housed in different chassis and cabinets (visually), one given a low end marque and basic aesthetics and the other given a high end marque and high end tolex, badging, finishing etc people would absolutely hear more fullness, articulation, “3D” sound, creaminess etc etc blah in the otherwise identical high end one and would defend that position until the cows came home. 

People always listen with their eyes. 

chris78

People spend too much on a guitar and not enough on their amp.
Most of the tone comes from the amp.

CountryDave

strtdv said:

I've owned about a dozen amps (high gain channel switchers to turret board Hiwatt and Matamp, 6V6/EL34/EL85/6L6) and I sound like me through all of them

This +1
whatever amp I plug into, I generally set the eq controls to noon, then add the gain until I’m happy. Always sounds like me.

jmf1928

Amps haven't improved in forty years. 

ElectricXII

mo6020 said:

stickyfiddle said:

mo6020 said:

• There is no such thing as a "too loud" amp
  

My tinnitus would beg to differ 

I'm blaming mine on drummers... 

Me too. It's the feckin cymbals!

ICBM

jmf1928 said:

Amps haven't improved in forty years. 

Only thirty-three, actually...

Yes, the Mesa Dual Rectifier really is that old! It's an older design now than the '59 tweed Bassman was when the Rectifier was released. Which is the vintage amp?

Both of them.

Lebarque

jmf1928 said:

Amps haven't improved in forty years. 

Amps haven't needed to improve in forty years

TTBZ

A 2204/2203 circuit is the amp equivalent of a tele, it sounds good doing anything. Provided you have a suitable boost and guitar/pickups it'll go as heavy as you like, and they clean up great too. An old JMP 2104 combo is still the best sounding amp I've played, instant ACDC straight out the box but with a boost it worked perfectly for my stoner metal band. 

InactiveX

When you switch on a modeller, you are greeted with a front panel display with the current patch selected.

When you switch on an amp, you open the doors TO THE MAGNIFICENT GODS OF ROCK'N'ROLL.

Danny1969

Lebarque said:

jmf1928 said:

Amps haven't improved in forty years. 

Amps haven't needed to improve in forty years

Agreed ... same as the electric guitar, they got it right from the get go 

Reverend

TTBZ said:

A 2204/2203 circuit is the amp equivalent of a tele, it sounds good doing anything. Provided you have a suitable boost and guitar/pickups it'll go as heavy as you like, and they clean up great too. An old JMP 2104 combo is still the best sounding amp I've played, instant ACDC straight out the box but with a boost it worked perfectly for my stoner metal band. 

it will do death metal, thrash meal, doom metal, sludge, AC/DC and more. 

and by do, I mean its still the best for all of them

ICBM

The 2203/2204/2104 isn’t just the best-sounding rock amp ever, it’s the definition of the sound of rock guitar. Ask any non-musician what an electric guitar sounds like, and they will try to describe it in words, in the same way as if you ask them what an electric guitar looks like they will describe a Strat or a Flying V.

PolarityMan

It's too hard to update the firmware on valve amps. 

JayGee

ICBM said:

The 2203/2204/2104 isn’t just the best-sounding rock amp ever, it’s the definition of the sound of rock guitar. Ask any non-musician what an electric guitar sounds like, and they will try to describe it in words, in the same way as if you ask them what an electric guitar looks like they will describe a Strat or a Flying V.

I think the word we’re looking for here is “Kerrang!”, and the fact they named both a magazine and subsequently a radio (and for a while TV) channel after it kind of reinforces your point… :-)