Breaking the "always buy the same amps" cycle

[JiveTurkey]

So to not further clutter up Spawn's Engl thread; I thought I would start a new thread.

My whole life has been 5150s and Boogies. There are a METRIC TON of options but those are just what I choose. Mainly based on availability : tone : price. @KyleBull just posted a vid of the 6505 1992 reissue and of course; I am watching it drooling and realizing I will never end up with an Engl or a Diezel or whatever other "different" high gain amp because there are just a few usual suspects that command all my attention.

Is anyone else stuck in this same amp forever cycle? Even with modelers; I grab from this same pile of amp models.

 

[DrewJD82]

Yes! Also with Mesa and Peavey. They just cover that ground so well it’s like, why bother with anything else? And it’s funny, I just posted on Sevenstring that these new 6505’s are making me sweat a little because I don’t want to buy another high gain head. Used 6505’s are back to normal prices, there’s a head for $600 now that was $700 a month ago and I’m REALLY fighting myself not to buy it, or any high gain head until I get some single channel boomery amp first.

I’d be curious to try out all the high gain amps out there, but I feel like I’ll always have my safe space with 5150s/Dual Rec/Marks.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yes! Also with Mesa and Peavey. They just cover that ground so well it’s like, why bother with anything else? And it’s funny, I just posted on Sevenstring that these new 6505’s are making me sweat a little because I don’t want to buy another high gain head. Used 6505’s are back to normal prices, there’s a head for $600 now that was $700 a month ago and I’m REALLY fighting myself not to buy it, or any high gain head until I get some single channel boomery amp first.

I’d be curious to try out all the high gain amps out there, but I feel like I’ll always have my safe space with 5150s/Dual Rec/Marks.

There are SOOOOOOO many amps I wanted to try. Framus Cobra, H&K Warp T, Engl Fireball. So. Much. Gains. I'll never have any of them lol

That Fortin HiWatt 50 sounds DUMB as well. The Steve Stevens V2. UGH!

 

[bgh]

For real amps, I seem to stick with Mesas. I have three different flavors. The three seem to scratch my itch for amps. On my modelers, not so much. I usually us a lower gain model, with a favorite drive pedal in front of the modeler.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

So to not further clutter up Spawn's Engl thread; I thought I would start a new thread.

My whole life has been 5150s and Boogies. There are a METRIC TON of options but those are just what I choose. Mainly based on availability : tone : price. @KyleBull just posted a vid of the 6505 1992 reissue and of course; I am watching it drooling and realizing I will never end up with an Engl or a Diezel or whatever other "different" high gain amp because there are just a few usual suspects that command all my attention.

Is anyone else stuck in this same amp forever cycle? Even with modelers; I grab from this same pile of amp models.

I don't always use the same amps. Sometimes its a tweed deluxe; others a tweed princeton/champ. Sometimes I take a tweed Bassman for a spin. Ever once in a while I even spread my wings and try a blackpanel princeton!!!! And don't get me started in the boutique copies of tweed amps...

 

[JiveTurkey]

I don't always use the same amps. Sometimes its a tweed deluxe; others a tweed princeton/champ. Sometimes I take a tweed Bassman for a spin. Ever once in a while I even spread my wings and try a blackpanel princeton!!!! And don't get me started in the boutique copies of tweed amps...

Tonemaster Bassman purchase confirmed

 

[Steinmetzify]

I don’t really do it because I’ve tried enough that I know what I like.

I’ll always have an Orange or two just because they don’t sound like anything else, and I’ve had the Herbert for years at this point because I can get it to sound like anything that I like (Rectos, super tight massive high gain etc) which is a giant monster with a good amount of low end.

Still looking at getting that Uber back here and maybe trying one of the new Iconics (probs not) but other than that I can’t really see any amps out there I even really want to try, let alone buy.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I don’t really do it because I’ve tried enough that I know what I like.

I’ll always have an Orange or two just because they don’t sound like anything else, and I’ve had the Herbert for years at this point because I can get it to sound like anything that I like (Rectos, super tight massive high gain etc) which is a giant monster with a good amount of low end.

Still looking at getting that Uber back here and maybe trying one of the new Iconics (probs not) but other than that I can’t really see any amps out there I even really want to try, let alone buy.

Did you have the real Uber or the Syn-Uber? Can't remember?

 

[la szum]

Yup. We like what we like. It's not a bad thing.

I'll never want to have multiple Vox style amps, and Tweed amps are a take it or leave it affair
for me. I gravitate towards 3 spots.... Marshall, Mesa, and Fender cleans. Outside of that I have
zero need for anything.

Even my favourite non-Marshall amps are just Marshalls in disguise. Talking to you Bogner.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yup. We like what we like. It's not a bad thing.

I'll never want to have multiple Vox style amps, and Tweed amps are a take it or leave it affair
for me. I gravitate towards 3 spots.... Marshall, Mesa, and Fender cleans. Outside of that I have
zero need for anything.

Even my favourite non-Marshall amps are just Marshalls in disguise. Talking to you Bogner.

I need to try a Marshall of some sort again. I have only ever had the Mode Four (lol) and the DSL. I would love a JVM of some sort and the Kerry King model

 

[Steinmetzify]

Did you have the real Uber or the Syn-Uber? Can't remember?

No I have a real one, just dropped it off one time with one of my oldest friends in MN and then all our MN runs got cancelled lol

Neither one of us wants to ship it, let alone PAY to ship it.

I have to take some vacay time this year and run back there and get it.

 

[KingsXJJ]

I need to try a Marshall of some sort again. I have only ever had the Mode Four (lol) and the DSL. I would love a JVM of some sort and the Kerry King model

Save yourself from the heartache that is Marshall and try something better… like Splawn, Friedman or Bogner. Been there done that all the way up to the JVM top of the line stuff….

 

[Stone]

For sure those are staples as are JCM 800's
so your not wrong at all we just all use what we like and what works
but then we do Love Modelers for that reason huh? many many choices
I cant say i have one particular amp i just find what works for whatever cover ill be doing
right now to get that Plush tone im using a Bogner Shiva with a Vox AC-30 its what works

 

[Deadpan]

The Silver Jubilee is worth checking out.

 

[TSJMajesty]

but then we do Love Modelers for that reason huh? many many choices

Nope. Not this guy. I got my Axe III for the effects. I've loved Mesa high-gain tones for 3/4 of the time I've been playing, and finally got my dream rig of a Tri Axis/2:90, so what I was really seeking was high-end effects. I learned multi-effects had come a long way, so I landed on the Fractal, since I really didn't want stomp boxes.

The amp modelling and all the choices ended up being an icing-on-the-cake thing for me. And now, it's all I use because I'm mainly in practice-mode, and as such, I still live on the Mesa stuff in the box.

#happyaccident

So to the OP, I say you like what you like, and there's nothing at all wrong with that! Even if you have gear that affords you all sorts of other possibilities, and you only use a tenth of what that gear can do, if it does what you want, then that's all that matters.

Edit: Plus, if I ever do do the cover band thing again, I know I have what I'd need to faithfully recreate the tones used in those songs.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Hmm of the dozens of amps I've owned I don't think I've ever had a duplicate.... unless my current vintage deluxe reverb counts against the '68 DRRI

There's a lot of amps I haven't owned that I'd like to get my hands on... however I do have a short list of amps I would love to own again.

Kind of want to grab a dual recto of some kind as my next purchase, as I have 3 cabs but only two heads and that seems wrong. But I've also been fantasizing about a PRS CE semi hollow for some reason so we'll see

 

[Whizzinby]

I think certain amps (manufacturers) just have a gravity about them that’s hard to escape once you find one that works.

I too sorta got pumped seeing Kyle’s 6505 vid. The great thing there is you know exactly what you’re getting. The bad thing is you know exactly what you’re getting.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I think certain amps (manufacturers) just have a gravity about them that’s hard to escape once you find one that works.

I too sorta got pumped seeing Kyle’s 6505 vid. The great thing there is you know exactly what you’re getting. The bad thing is you know exactly what you’re getting.

Watching him laugh after playing it was a bad sign for me. My first 5150 cranked up through a quad of t-75s had me rolling because it was SO GODDMN GOOD

 

[DrewJD82]

Yup. We like what we like. It's not a bad thing.

I'll never want to have multiple Vox style amps, and Tweed amps are a take it or leave it affair
for me. I gravitate towards 3 spots.... Marshall, Mesa, and Fender cleans. Outside of that I have
zero need for anything.

Even my favourite non-Marshall amps are just Marshalls in disguise. Talking to you Bogner.

Kinda of OT but reading this just reminded me of the Tone Talk I watched last night; someone asked Friedman and Soldano if they’d be interested in making their own presets for the AxeFX, utilizing the deeper parameters and of course, Dave had to go on his “it’s not toooobs” 15 minute rant again, but what cracked me up was he was saying “They’re missing all the aggressiveness, the harshness, the in your face aspect that a tube amp gives you” and I’m thinking the whole time, “Daaaaaammmmn, LA Szum would light you up right now for the same thing about your amps!”

 

[JiveTurkey]

Kinda of OT but reading this just reminded me of the Tone Talk I watched last night; someone asked Friedman and Soldano if they’d be interested in making their own presets for the AxeFX, utilizing the deeper parameters and of course, Dave had to go on his “it’s not toooobs” 15 minute rant again, but what cracked me up was he was saying “They’re missing all the aggressiveness, the harshness, the in your face aspect that a tube amp gives you” and I’m thinking the whole time, “Daaaaaammmmn, LA Szum would light you up right now for the same thing about your amps!”

Fly on a muffukkin' wall in that conversation