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Clean or Distorted? what do you use most?
Clean 100%  100%  [ 15 ]
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:17 am
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nikininja wrote:



The simple fact is that the clarity of small point to point, no nonsense, not overladen with silly controls amps. Is far superior to almost anything most modern amp builders offer. SUre you have to be carefull in chosing speakers.


I think the simple fact is that most end users just don't know and/or have the patience to experiment with all those silly controls. They want to twist and go.

I would bet the difference between point to point wired vs. using a ICB is so subtle that most would never hear it, kinda like the different body woods used on a guitar.

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:23 am
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Can a small amp drive big speakers? Yes
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Ah yes!! The incontrovertible Niki-18........has neighbors for miles around phoning up Scotland Yard! 8)

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:26 am
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Dude!! You never let on that you harbored such serious gear. A Carole-Ann yet. I'm totally impressed. 8)

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:49 am
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I love my Champ 600 in much the same way as ABS loves his. Great for recording and home practice. I usually run a Boss FDR-1 or a Marshall Guv'nor through it though. Very handy when me and our other guitarist are sitting up all night writing over a few bottles.

CC

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:01 pm
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With reguard to small amps powering big cabs,I routinely run my little 5 W Pine Electronics Paul amp through my Marshall 4-12 1960 cab and it sounds just peachy.

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Post subject: Re: Little Amps! Share with me
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:08 pm
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So share away :) favourite bedroom amp convos and suggestions all wanted and more than welcome :D Regards ClassicRock92[/quote]

By the way...as a bit of nostalgia....my first 'little amp' was a converted old table radio that belong to a friend. Talking about 50 years back now.
In fact...we actually called it "The Little Amp" 8) Next up was a Danelectro Centurion. Then on to Fender. First a Concert and then the Dual Showman.

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:34 pm
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zzdoc wrote

"By the way...as a bit of nostalgia....my first 'little amp' was a converted old table radio that belong to a friend "

Apparently a certain Josh Homme swears by old amps filched from old tuners etc for great sounding cheap tube amps. :idea:


Hears a link to a site i came across some time back all about small amps available.

http://www.jedistar.com/low_watt_amps.htm


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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:09 pm
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firstrat wrote:

I think the simple fact is that most end users just don't know and/or have the patience to experiment with all those silly controls. They want to twist and go.

I would bet the difference between point to point wired vs. using a ICB is so subtle that most would never hear it, kinda like the different body woods used on a guitar.


Again mate, I'd have to disagree. I think reverb, effects loops and master volume controls just detract from the basic sound of a amp, I really do. The more you process a signal the weaker it becomes in my experience. There have been a couple of exceptions throughout history, the vox AC15 tremolo control being one. Fender did a similar circuit that operates just as well.
You can't blame bad amplification on people too lazy to get to know their gear. Thats the same whether the amp has one control or one hundred.

Yes I'd agree that point to point sounds no better or worse than a decently made PCB. The only thing I would say in the defence of point to point is that the circuits seem to be simpler and consequently sound better. Also you'll find that amp builders prepared to offer point to point amps tend to pick higher quality components. Thats not always true, just most of the time. I'll bet VHT hasn't gone overboard on expensive components with their special6 amp. It's a simple circuit though and gets the benefit of such.

Power rating and valve choices sure don't have as much to do with it as circuit design does. SPeaker size doesnt matter as much as speaker matching does. More frequency response and decibel rating than wattage and size. (Why do bassist's like 10" speakers?).

The next one, or maybe this one is losing the tone control. Theres a real sense of liberation using a amp with no controls, theres nowhere to hide with em. You either make the guitar sound good or you don't.

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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:23 pm
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I have an old (circa 1986) Champ and one of the new Super XDs. The distortion on the old Champ was never something that I cared for at all; some of the XD settings are much more useful. Still, I rarely use distortion anyway so I'd say that on the old Champ, it's 100% clean and on the XD, probably 95% of the time.

The only other consideration is that the old Champ (to my ear) has a somewhat warmer and just by nature and age very mild distortion all on it's own.


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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:34 pm
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Hi class A. EL84 and EL34 in class AB theres less power in class A. and more clean head room in class AB either can be made to sound warm and lush or brash and biting. other factors such as the pre.amp and driver circuitry transformers components and speakers play a big part in the way thay break.up.I still like the tone of a 5 watt amp in class A sweet tone from the one EL48 and one 12ax7.Cheers.


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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:01 pm
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nikininja wrote:
firstrat wrote:

I think the simple fact is that most end users just don't know and/or have the patience to experiment with all those silly controls. They want to twist and go.

I would bet the difference between point to point wired vs. using a ICB is so subtle that most would never hear it, kinda like the different body woods used on a guitar.


Again mate, I'd have to disagree. I think reverb, effects loops and master volume controls just detract from the basic sound of a amp, I really do. The more you process a signal the weaker it becomes in my experience. There have been a couple of exceptions throughout history, the vox AC15 tremolo control being one. Fender did a similar circuit that operates just as well.
You can't blame bad amplification on people too lazy to get to know their gear. Thats the same whether the amp has one control or one hundred.

Yes I'd agree that point to point sounds no better or worse than a decently made PCB. The only thing I would say in the defence of point to point is that the circuits seem to be simpler and consequently sound better. Also you'll find that amp builders prepared to offer point to point amps tend to pick higher quality components. Thats not always true, just most of the time. I'll bet VHT hasn't gone overboard on expensive components with their special6 amp. It's a simple circuit though and gets the benefit of such.

Power rating and valve choices sure don't have as much to do with it as circuit design does. SPeaker size doesnt matter as much as speaker matching does. More frequency response and decibel rating than wattage and size. (Why do bassist's like 10" speakers?).

The next one, or maybe this one is losing the tone control. Theres a real sense of liberation using a amp with no controls, theres nowhere to hide with em. You either make the guitar sound good or you don't.


I understand where you are coming from, I really do. I have heard it before, I just don't experience it. I think there is a difference between processing a singal and having some control of it. An effects loop hurts nothing if it can be bypassed. I have also used completely clean unmolested preamp settings into my power amp cranked through my Marshall cab and been in tone heaven (Oh the ringing :shock: :lol: :twisted: ) and I know that no little 5 watt amp with a 6 or 8 inch speaker would come close.

Frankly Marshall heads do nothing for me as a practice amp, they are meant to be cranked. But at low volumes having 4 12's in stereo sounds much better than a small 10' boxy amp...I have both side by side in my home studio, and there is no comparison, even though I play my little amp all the time since that preamp goes directly into my hard drive in case I need to lay a track down. I just need more than one tone as well, I would get bored quick, especially if it was clean all the time. I generally use three tones at every practice session, clean, mid gain, and high gain.

Maybe I have some sort of ADD to tones, I can't focus on one too long regardless of its quality. The tube pre's deliver and I still am finding new tones 15 years later.

We could have a complete discussion on why bass players like 10" and 15" speakers. I like the 10" and 15" for guitar to sometimes too, but a 12" is the standard for good reason. My opinion is a 10" driver is the mininum

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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 3:56 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
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Dude!! You never let on that you harbored such serious gear. A Carole-Ann yet. I'm totally impressed. 8)[/quote]
Doc, remember this? http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... mily+photo

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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:14 am
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[Doc, remember this? http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... mily+photo[/quote]

May was a long time ago. :wink: Where do you sleep :!: :)

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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:54 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:


May was a long time ago. :wink: Where do you sleep :!: :)[/quote]

That's the office. The 2 Marshalls and cab, the Bogner and Carol-Ann are there with my guitars. Michael's stuff was brought in from his room (the stuff on the right) The Mojo Bluesbreaker cab and Paul Ruby amp are in my bedroom. I traded the Reinhardt for the Ron Kirn Tele, it wasn't getting any play time. Still looking to trade my Taylor 424CE Spring Limited (1 of 396 made) for something, maybe a Custom Shop Tele, 335 or P90 Goldtop. The Tayor is just too big for me.

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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:17 pm
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Niki! Is it possible you could tell me a little about that Amp build you did there with the Cabinet? It seems like a really good idea and Im really considering something like that if I can as I have a 212 cab at hand.

If you dont want to share on here then my email is:
ajct2high4u@hotmail.co.uk

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