Gear Regrets: Amps & Cabs Edition

gearJunkie

gearJunkie

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Do you regret an amp purchase?

How about regretting the sale or trade of an amp?

Here's a thread to share your worst gear regrets.

I'll start. I regret getting rid of my first tube amp, a Marshall 50 watt JCM 800 4010. combo. I didn't know how to properly use it at the time, and I was too poor to afford pedals back in 1989, so I traded it in towards an ADA MP1.

I wish I could go back and do it differently. The MP1 was great, but I couldn't afford a good cab or power amp, so my tone suffered.

If you look closely, you can see the amp in this photo from band practice circa 1988.

1000000899.jpg

Live and learn. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Who's next?

edit: updated thread title to include cabs
 
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Well, you made a great trade at least! (I mean, the MP-1 was awesome. And still is!)

I bought a 70's Marshall (JMP?? Can't recall) w/ a 4x12 cab w/ 25 watt Green backs for $200 in the 80's. I had my JCM 900, a buddy's Super Lead, and another buddy's JCM 800, all half stacks, all in my living room one time, and I explored playing them in stereo.

And I fell in LOVE!! Tried to get the same going with that Marshall I had bought, and my 900, but because it was MV only, I just wasn't digging it. So I traded both my 50 watt 900 and the JMP, even up, for a new Mesa Boogie Stereo 50/50, and bought a new ADA MP-1.

I loved it!! But it wasn't til much later that I grew to appreciate those older Marshalls, and realized I should have kept it.

But really, I got what I wanted, so not too much regret.
 
gearJunkie said:
Do you regret an amp purchase?

How about regretting the sale or trade of an amp?

Here's a thread to share your worst gear regrets.

I'll start. I regret getting rid of my first tube amp, a Marshall 50 watt JCM 800 4010. combo. I didn't know how to properly use it at the time, and I was too poor to afford pedals back in 1989, so I traded it in towards an ADA MP1.

I wish I could go back and do it differently. The MP1 was great, but I couldn't afford a good cab or power amp, so my tone suffered.

If you look closely, you can see the amp in this photo from band practice circa 1988.

View attachment 13102
Live and learn. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Who's next?
Click to expand...


Look at that flowing mane!
 
All of them.

But notably-

Mesa Studio Pre I did not know how to use, like I didn’t know I needed a power amp and all that. In ‘98 someone bought a Mesa Studio Pre off eBay for $125 and I’ve died inside every time I’ve thought about since.

Carvin Legacy- It was the first run, the first few months they made them and while I sold it because it was too Vai for me then, it’s basically a cheap, 2-channel modded Marshall/Bogner with an outstanding clean channel.

Mark IV head- Don’t really need to say more bout that. I got a combo a while later but I still miss that head.
 
DrewJD82 said:
All of them.

But notably-

Mesa Studio Pre I did not know how to use, like I didn’t know I needed a power amp and all that. In ‘98 someone bought a Mesa Studio Pre off eBay for $125 and I’ve died inside every time I’ve thought about since.

Carvin Legacy- It was the first run, the first few months they made them and while I sold it because it was too Vai for me then, it’s basically a cheap, 2-channel modded Marshall/Bogner with an outstanding clean channel.

Mark IV head- Don’t really need to say more bout that. I got a combo a while later but I still miss that head.
Click to expand...
great post.

Keep the stories coming.
 
DrewJD82 said:
Carvin Legacy- It was the first run, the first few months they made them and while I sold it because it was too Vai for me then, it’s basically a cheap, 2-channel modded Marshall/Bogner with an outstanding clean channel.
Click to expand...
Still have mine, but need to play it more. Yes -- the clean channel is great, very good. Dirt channel is great too, but finicky. Boosted with a ts9 or similar helps a lot though.


Regrets... not really. Since I've built my own that kind of killed any regrets with other amps I've let go.
 
Oh man. Definitely the Mesa DC-5 that I had, that was basically mint, and my Mark V:25 and Rectoverb 25, both of which had the black/tan weave grilles and the ROV had black chrome knobs.
 
Not a huge regret, but a year and a bit ago I bought an EVH 5150IIIS EL34 100-watt head, and I was just really uninspired by it. The blue channel was not as good as the original 5150III, the cleans were pretty terrible, and the red channel was overgained and borderline useless.

I'm being a bit unfair, but it didn't last long. 4 months, tops.
 
not many amps that I regret buying because there's no substitute for hearing it for yourself. Overall, I don't miss the ones I've sold too much, although I wouldn't mind a Peavey Triple XXX (or JSX) again at some point. Definitely much more regret over amps I've sold vs amps I've bought.

Most disappointing was maybe the Diezel Herbert, I knew it would be a gamble but I wanted to try to see if there was something I was missing. Just way too compressed for my liking - I always think its easy to reduce headroom if you want less dynamics but its basically impossible to get that back. Was kind of fun for what it was, but its basically the total opposite to what I look for in an amp.
 
Ive not bought much gear and what i sold i never regretted except for maybe my Yamaha PAC510V was really the only thing i may have regretted

1698919546681.png
 
Stone said:
Ive not bought much gear and what i sold i never regretted except for maybe my Yamaha PAC510V was really the only thing i may have regretted

View attachment 13109
Click to expand...
We need a new thread "Gear Regrets: Guitar Edition" in the "Guitar" forum for this post.

Gear Regrets: Guitar Edition

Do you regret guitar purchase? How about regretting the sale or trade of a guitar? Here's a thread to share your worst gear regrets. Here's one from @Stone to get us started. Ive not bought much gear and what i sold i never regretted except for maybe my Yamaha PAC510V was really the only...
thegearforum.com thegearforum.com
 
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I think the only amp I truly regretted buying was a Reeves "Custom Jimmy". It's supposed to be that early Hiwatt Jimmy Page circuit (a la Royal Albert Hall), and I was so excited to get it - but the amp just stunk on ice. I bought it new and lost a ton of money on it.

The amp I most regret selling was a 4-input JCM 800 era 1987x. It just sounded incredible.
 
Amps I regret selling:

1. Mesa Mark IIB head - I bought this online in the late 90's, the seller fraudulently claimed it was a IIC+. It sounded great but I sold it thinking I'd rather keep looking for a IIC+. Never bought a IIC+ and I liked how the IIB sounded. Wish I'd kept it.

2. Peavey 5150 Sig - I bought this in the early 2000's, like-new condition, for $350. I sold it to fund another purchase thinking I could get another just as good at any time. Wrong. Eventually I ended up buying another one for, well, a whole lot more than $350.

3. ENGL Powerball v1 - I don't really miss the tones of the amp but I made some great memories with it, everything from seeking one out and driving several hours away just to try it, to finally (triumphantly) getting it, to taking it to university and having it around to bang on when I wasn't studying or drinking, to recording with it for the first time at a good friend's first decent home studio where we both geeked out about it along with recording in general. Lots of great memories with this dumb amp and I wish I still had it.


Amps I regret buying:

1. Fender Rock Pro 1000 half stack - I bought it as an idiot teenager when I lived in a small rural town and it was the first half stack I'd ever seen in person. Four speakers in one box and a head!? Had to have it. It was a terrible, terrible amp. Just awful. I was so happy to finally get rid of it. I played my first live show ever with a band with this amp and even with those memories I still shudder every time I think about that setup.
 
Massive regret.

I bought a Line 6 Flextone II xl and floorboard when they were first released in 2000. I had about £1000 saved for a new amp and it sounded pretty good super quiet in the store. I was young and thought having all these classic amps in one box was the way to go.

After 1 rehearsal at band volume I recognised it for the POS it was. I couldn't return it to the store so it sat unused until I gave it to someone. Worst gear purchase I ever made, I basically threw £1000 away and it put me off modellers and anything digital until I bought my stomp in October 2020.

Regret number 2

Selling my JCM900. I loved that amp, don't know why I sold it but didn't realise how much I missed it until I bought a jvm. I did one gig with the jvm and realised I hadn't been really happy with any amp since I sold the jcm900.

I know people hate on them but turned up to an appropriate level I flipping loved it.
 
Amps I regret buying:

1. Peavey Valveking head. It had a decent clean channel and took pedals well, but I couldn't stand needing to use pedals for dirt.
2. Peavey JSX. Good cleans, and decent crunch? but to me felt too plasticky.
3. Mesa Boogie F-50. My first Mesa. I figured it had to be amazing, because it was a Mesa. Well, I just couldn't gel with it. Sold it in less than a month. Guy I sold it to was so happy with it he emailed me a year later telling me how happy he still was, and grateful for the great deal. So, people hear things WAY differently, which is fine.

Weirdly, the DC-5 that I loved was the predecessor to the F-50.
 
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