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Post subject: cant find a sound i like
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:11 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 2:41 pm
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went to the biggest local music store today and played:


fender vibroverb.
fender reverb deluxe.
fender blues jr pro.
Peavey Classic 30
Peavey 5watt valveking.
Laney LC 15.

Maby its just me, and i was disoriented by listening to a lot of amps, but i couldnt find one that i could get the required tone. Unfortunately i dont know what tone im looking for, but i didnt like anything i heard except the Laney LC 15.

Do you have to turn these amps up a decent amount to get the best out of them? I was playing at 1-2 as they were pretty loud even at that. i live in an appartment so cant turn them up more than that while practicing, and there are no headphone jacks on these valve amps.

the fender deluxe reverb and peavey classic 30 were not bad also, but i couldnt easily find a tone that i liked.

hours spent researching, and im no nearer to knowing what i want!

anyone got any advice on how to find my dream amp?

should i just stick with my cheapo 10watt marshall practice amp i got years ago?


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:24 pm
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first you have to let us know your budget... can you afford to step up to a high end amp?... name some players you really get off on...
next, whatever you finally choose, look into a power attenuator... yes, you do have to crank the volume up to get decent breakup and put the valves to work (tubes, for you yanks)... I couldn't play without my THD Hot Plate anymore - practising or gigging... quality all the way through
I know this is a Fender forum, but Fender just doesn't have anything like the Hot Plate...
and never be afraid to find your own sound and then BE your own tone!


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:01 pm
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Go back and play those very same amps on "5" (Start with the tone controls all on 5, too; Reverb on 1 or 2). You won't believe the tone difference. The full frequency spectrum will kick in.

Tube amps do not "shine" until you turn them up. Because of this fact, a 100 watt Marshall is worthless unless you're playing a large arena.

For small gigs with a gentle/moderate hitting drummer (maybe 50 people in the audience) the Fender Deluxe Reverb is ideal.

For small, but moderately loud gigs (with a drummer for 100 people in the audience) 30-40 watts will be way plenty.

If you want crunchy distortion, many fender amps will give you that tone on 7 to 10. But many players use a distortion pedal: good, inexpensive choices are the Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Boss Blues Driver, and for extra extra fuzz the Boss Metal Zone. But there are many more.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 4:21 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Attenuator eh? wouldn't that need to be built into the amp? i mean it would have to be applied after the amp, but before the speaker. without being built in it couldnt be achieved in a combo.

I live in an apartment, so volume would be a big issue, and id prob be better off staying with the crumby 10 watt marshall practice amp im currently stuck with.

unfortunately i dont have a huge budget, perhaps 500 euros.

i honestly dont know who i want to sound like. i know i should sound original, but as i dont know my own sound, i need to start with other peoples. Im a huge fan of Rory Gallaghar and Jimi Hendrix, so perhaps thats a starting point.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:16 am
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I personally like to play the bluesy sound. therefore my Fender Blues Deluxe with its possibilities fits perfect for me.

If I want to be versatile - as I play in a coverband - I use a multi-fx board which offers a broad range of sounds in 1 device like heavy distortion, flanger, chorus etc.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:48 am
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I'd reccomend the marshall dsl40. 1x12 combo good tones and you wont find the volume so much of a battle as a 100 watt. You can plug a attenuator into the speaker out and the speaker into the attrenuator. Attenuators are expensive though a decent one will cost as much as a dsl40.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:25 pm
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I love my Pro Jr. 8) It sounds really good with volume at about 7 and tone on 1-2. If you don't like that tone, try an OCD in front of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4diQzCr87qA

Good luck!

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:43 pm
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I had the same problem, but I did find out you do have to crank the volume a bit to get the best sound. The amp I chose was the Hot Rod DeVille with the four speaker option. It has a wide range of tones, the gain works well if you want to get some good crunching distortion that you can moderate for some swampy blues, or really cranch for some almost metallic classic rock sound. You do have to explore. For playing in an apartment, you have a bit of a trap there. Not much you can do except maybe use that little 10 watt marshall with a pedal board to simulate some sounds. It's not ideal, but you may have more fun than playing straight thru a larger amp at low volume, or playing thru the tiny Marshall. Also, Fender frontman combined with a pedal board works. You can get something like a Digitech GNX4 (I know, it's cheating) or a Boss, or Line 6, just so you can get some sound and enjoy.
Best of luck...try to find some place where you can practice, like a local school auditorium or a studio that doesn't charge much, so you can let the beast out every once and awhile!


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:02 pm
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You really need to crank em and play with the tone controls.


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