Simple or complex amps?

[Jasco]

Do you like simple amps, or do you prefer amps with lots of options?

 

[sleewell]

simple is always better


jack of all is usually master of none

 

[metropolis_4]

Agreed. IME it seems like the simpler the circuit the better the amp sounds.

 

[dignlivn]

Less is best

 

[Dez]

Eyeing my Mark lol

 

[T Gobbs]

I just want something that won’t give me the latitude to fuck up.

 

[Devin]

Simp

 

[T Gobbs]

Pussy

 

[sleewell]

 

[Chocol8]

I find simple tends to sound better but that's not a hard rule. Simple is almost always easier to debug and repair though.

 

[Genghis]

Is both an option? I like channel switchers for my use, but consider my 5150 III pretty simple compared to my Mesa Mark amps.

 

[paisleywookiee]

The Badlander/Fillmore setup is IMHO the best that’s ever been done, as far as “simple” amplifiers.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I tend to prefer simple amps because I feel like single channel amps tend to have a better chance of sounding really good to me... But basically all of my amps are on the more complex side, because one or two good sounds isn't as fun as a bunch of them.

Interestingly, I A/B'd all my amps the other day and the one I ended up liking the most by quite a bit was my Engl Savage 60 Mk II and it's probably the most complex of all of my amps. My Gen 3 Armored Sabot was a close second. It's a single channel, but I'm not sure I'd consider it simple, either. That said, I do love my Fender Pro Jr. I like it even more than the Deluxe Reverb I owned before it and it's just 2 knobs.

 

[HotRats]

I'm definitely into simple amps and Marshalls are my happy place.

The best sounding amp I owned was an early jtm45 boutique copy. Set cleanish sounded like a fucking full concert piano, simply glorious.

Owned only one multichannel amp (Engl Powerball/2) with several tonal options and loved it both for the sounds - in the right context, and the flexibility.

Since my focus is on gigs, I appreciate the multichannel flexibility but, after all, I can do anything I like and need with a single/two channel Marshall and few pedals and I belive simpler amps sound better.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I prefer single channel amps, but I do need things like a good effects loop and master volume.

So I'm somewhere in between. Don't need a JVM but a stock plexi wouldn't do it either, at least not on its own.

 

[Stratzrus]

My two favorite amps...(not mine pictured). I like simple or complex depending on what I'm playing or the situation at hand.

Jazz gig in a small club - Super Reverb

Jam session with the guys in my old Brooklyn Hardcore band - Sig:X

 

[laxu]

I've had both and I prefer the ones with plenty of features.

What I don't want to have is a pile of amps. I know I'll just feel bad about not using all of them regularly enough. So fewer amps that do a lot are my thing. The less pedals I need to augment them the better.

My BluGuitars kinda float the line - they are very simple to use, but also 4 channel amps with a boost, noise gate, fx loop etc.

If I were to get a custom amp built, it'd probably have multiple identical channels. That way I can have more of what I like at two different settings. That's also part of why the Synergy system interests me because many modules offer just that.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Amps with a lot of features tend to be less focused in their design and often don’t sound as good as an amp that’s designed with a specific sound and response in mind. If there’s a lot of modes and switches, then it can mean you need to discover those yourself, which while fun, can mean there’s more bad/average sounds than good.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I've mostly owned amps that were versatile in their tones, with at least 2 channels, and when I gigged I set up multiple presets in my rig, my desire being to get close to the sounds of the guitar in the songs we covered.

If I still used real amps much, I'd own a Mesa JP2C, or MkV or VII, and my only fear would be if it ever needed any repairs, due to the complexity. But not being able to get great tones out of them, surely would not be a concern.

Ironically, now that I pretty much only use my Axe Fx III, I don't play much beyond high gain, even though I have every tone under the sun available.

 

[Dez]

I've mostly owned amps that were versatile in their tones, with at least 2 channels, and when I gigged I set up multiple presets in my rig, my desire being to get close to the sounds of the guitar in the songs we covered.

If I still used real amps much, I'd own a Mesa JP2C, or MkV or VII, and my only fear would be if it ever needed any repairs, due to the complexity. But not being able to get great tones out of them, surely would not be a concern.

Ironically, now that I pretty much only use my Axe Fx III, I don't play much beyond high gain, even though I have every tone under the sun available.

I think the Mark amp is one of those amps that doesn’t compromise tone for complexity. There are gold standard tones in every channel