Amp Misconceptions

[metropolis_4]

I think the biggest one is the JCM800.

I've heard so many guitarists tell stories about being so excited to get one and then being so disappointed because they couldn't figure out how to make it sound like they thought it would sound.

That amp can sound amazing, but it's quirky and only really sounds good if you know how to dial it in. Many people end up getting horrible sounds out of them (usually because they're trying to use them at less than ear-bleed volumes).

 

[tekbow]

I think the biggest one is the JCM800.

I've heard so many guitarists tell stories about being so excited to get one and then being so disappointed because they couldn't figure out how to make it sound like they thought it would sound.

That amp can sound amazing, but it's quirky and only really sounds good if you know how to dial it in. Many people end up getting horrible sounds out of them (usually because they're trying to use them at less than ear-bleed volumes).

People used to think they're gainier than they are because they got boosted with everything and there's still this attitude that boosting an amp is cheating.

Nothing sounds like a boosted 800 2203/04. Not even the best mods.

 

[woody]

One big misconception:
"It sounds just like a Plexi!"

If you never felt the sheer terror of plugging a guitar into a 100W non master Marshall stack you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[la szum]

That there was every any thing really wrong with ANY Marshall and that they needed to be "improved."

 

[James Freeman]

"The more fragile harmonics can survive in a vacuum tube, where they seem to be eliminated or squashed in a solid state crystal lattice. I think it just comes down to that. The physics of it--electrons can survive in a free space vacuum, where they have trouble in a crystal lattice. I think that's the best and simplest I can put it."

- Alexander Dumble

 

[tekbow]

"The more fragile harmonics can survive in a vacuum tube, where they seem to be eliminated or squashed in a solid state crystal lattice. I think it just comes down to that. The physics of it--electrons can survive in a free space vacuum, where they have trouble in a crystal lattice. I think that's the best and simplest I can put it."

- Alexander Dumble

First documented instance of trolling.

 

[James Freeman]

First documented instance of trolling.

Jokes on Dumble, because Henry Kaiser was trolling guitarists and the music industry since the 70s.
And him (Henry) using a Dumble amp is trolling of cosmic proportions in and of itself.

 

[tekbow]

Jokes on Dumble, because Henry Kaiser was trolling the entire guitar playing universe since the 70s.
And him (Henry) using a Dumble amp is trolling of cosmic proportions in and of itself.

I ALWAYS thought he was an odd choice for that vid..

Dumble played better than he did.

Was all like

"Mr Dumble, can you give us a backing track"

*Dumble plays*

*Kaiser picks up guitar*

*screeching cats*

 

[Bruce]

This is a quote attributed to Cliff from the first gen Axe-FX from the Fractal Audio Wiki

"The SLO100 is the loudest amp I've ever used. It feels like there's a small nuclear explosion going off inside when ever you hit a power chord. It's a wicked amp but not something I would recommend for anything but large gigs. If you like the SLO 100 model you might want to try the Recto models too. It's not widely known but the Rectifier preamp is a derivative of the SLO100. Some minor changes but the basic topology is identical"

Meanwhile my SLO100 and Triple rec couldn’t sound more different. I’m not disputing Cliff, the man walks on water but my ears do not hear this. To me they sound as similar as a fender amp and a tuba.

 

[tekbow]

Meanwhile my SLO100 and Triple rec couldn’t sound more different. I’m not disputing Cliff, the man walks on water but my ears do not hear this. To me they sound as similar as a fender amp and a tuba.

The preamps are similar, in fact in the earliest versions of the Recto, it was basically 1:1 transplant.

But the power section has always been very different.

 

[spawnofthesith]

This amp has fender cleans and a marshall gain channel

 

[Elric]

WEIRD you say that but i was suprised to find John Fogherty from CCR used both the Herbert and VH4.

I wasn't. When I first heard the Creedence live set that was recorded at Woodstock, I was like 'that tone is clearly a Diezel'. You could totally hear the VH4 power section.

 

[Bruce]

This amp has fender cleans and a marshall gain channel

So basically its a Friedman SS100.

 

[spawnofthesith]

So basically its a Friedman SS100.

Haven’t played that amp but I’m skeptical


I’m sure I’ve been guilty in the past of making that claim about an amp before lol

 

[Baba]

This amp has fender cleans and a marshall gain channel

That's every Rivera ever made

Seriously, a lot of them are though, lol.

 

[spawnofthesith]

That's every Rivera ever made

Seriously, a lot of them are though, lol.

I owned and loved a Duo 12 and I'm still not convinced

 

[Baba]

I've never been in the same room with a SLO, and every time I've tried the model, (albeit, in Line 6 gear only), I don't get it, why it's "magical" but maybe it's like others have said, needs to be boosted, bass tamed, etc.

 

[Bob Zaod]

What amps aren't like most people think they'll be like.

I'll go first.

Soldano SLO (or any SLO family amp).

"Marshall on Steroids". Nope, sounds nothing like a Marshall. It's as similar to Marshall tonality as a Mesa Mark is. The closest it gets to an old school 2203 is the Normal/Crunch channel, and that's really only in terms of gain levels. Sounds amazing boosted though.

Also surprising to me is the enthusiasm of the metal community for it, at least when it first reappeared a couple years ago. I see many being moved on these days.

I guess because it's the granddaddy of high gain amps, and because so few were actually exposed to one for the longest time, it was just assumed that it did things it couldnt do.

And its actually not that high gain by modern standards, certainly the pre-BAD ones. It's a 35 year old amp design.

The OD channel is a lead channel for big, fat, fluid, but articulate solos. It seriously flubs out after 6 or 7 on the dial, and really needs a bass cutting boost up the front for most types of tight contemporary metal.

Is it an all time great? Yup. Is it a unique sound definitely. Is it incredibly versatile? Yes (just not all at once).

Is it an all out metal machine? No.

Every single Orange Tube amp (a bunch) I have ever played through sounds like absolute a$$ to my ears. Fuzzy, messy, crapola IMO and wayyyy overpriced these days. I have never hated the sound of an amp more than a Thunderverb I had to use at a multi band show. Ok maybe the Fender 75 head I had but other than that one..yuck. Marshall JCM900 is a close 2nd. Fizz city caca.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I've never been in the same room with a SLO, and every time I've tried the model, (albeit, in Line 6 gear only), I don't get it, why it's "magical" but maybe it's like others have said, needs to be boosted, bass tamed, etc.

I think the SLO is an amp that is not going to get any justice in any modeling platform compared to cranking the real thing through a speaker cab.

 

[Whizzinby]

I've never been in the same room with a SLO, and every time I've tried the model, (albeit, in Line 6 gear only), I don't get it, why it's "magical" but maybe it's like others have said, needs to be boosted, bass tamed, etc.

Owned a SLO30 and I found it to be quite remarkable with that gummy midrange, and the way it reacts to gain is really impressive… it…just…gets…meaner… while retaining its note separation.

It def has a fat @$$ that needs to be handled. (That’s what she said) I hit mine with an OCD.

I don’t know that it’s magical, but it does a thing, and that thing is awesome.