Friday 03/16/12

[RampageFan]

Friday is finally here! I’m ready for the weekend. Hopefully this great weather will continue. It’s been fun being this week’s Lunch Reporter. Thanks for all the replies.

Lunch today will be leftover pork chops and rice. I Lost 2 more lbs. this week, so I am now down 19 lbs. total.

Non G&L: Like I’ve talked about most of the week, I have been doing a complete change in my gear. Amazingly, I’ve been playing for 30 years and I have never owned a tube amp. I started out with a Marshall Lead 12, and upgraded to a 60 watt Crate about 13 years ago. I have been researching tube amps for a few months now. I’m leaning towards Orange Amps, or possibly Vox. Any suggestions on any other amps that I may want to check out? Is there anything I should be looking for in a tube amp?

G&L topic of the Day: I would like to end the week by giving props to G&L, and to Craig for maintaining this website. I know there are people who like only Leo era, or BBE era. I am in the middle. Leo era guitars are the classics. The MFD pickups and the micro tilt neck adjustment were great features. Every time I pick up the Rampage or Invader I’m amazed at how well built these guitars are and how easy they are to play. I also appreciate the direction BBE has taken to keep them classic, but using modern technology. I can’t wait to get my hands on a guitar that has been through the plek machine. Whether it’s a Leo era, or BBE era guitar, you know right away its G&L.

I like how people like Darth Invader come on the boards occasionally and answer questions. When a forum member has an issue with a guitar, Craig will get in touch with his contacts and try to get the problem resolved. I really respect that, and that’s what has made me a G&L player. You don’t see that with a lot of the bigger companies.

I have learned a lot from the members here, and this was the place that I came to when I was getting interested in G&L again. So keep the discussions coming, and keep posting the G&L porn!

Dave

[Elwood]

Great week Dave,

I'll chime in later with more amp thoughts, your in for a whole new world of sonic fun !!

Elwood

[Sprinter 92]

Non G&L: Any suggestions on any other amps that I may want to check out? Is there anything I should be looking for in a tube amp?

Tube amps are just like guitars. Play through as many of them as you can and see which ones you really like. I've found that the less knobs a tube amp has, the better it usually sounds!


Nice job this week, Dave!

[gitman001]

Thanks for the great week Dave, really good stuff.

Tube Amps: They are all different monsters! I would recommend taking Your guitar with you when trying them out - There are so many factors contributing to tone - tube type, speaker type etc etc - you really need to hear what it sounds like with you playing through it.

For me, as i have said before, i am in love with my route 66 by dr z. I have played the Carmen Gia and Stang Ray along beside it and the 66 still stands out. It is the most articulate amp i have ever played, which i really like, but some people that have played it really don't like!

Good luck in the amp search. 2 weeks ago a student brought over an AC15 that he just bought. It was a great sounding little amp - if you are looking at vox stuff you should check it out. It didn't have a lot of headroom, but that also could be a good thing when playing it at home.

+1 on the kudos to Craig and the G&L family for the community that has been created here. What a fun place to come and spend some time on the internet.

G&L porn

The porn section has been really quiet as of late.... While on holidays this week i pickup up this beauty - stop by the porn thread and drop a line



Scott

[sickbutnottired]

Amps are so much fun. I have only had 2 solid state amps in my life. A Gorilla and some 80's fender concoction with red knobs. OH, and my batter powered Pig Nose - so 3.

I really like Orange--and very nearly bought one a couple years back. I love the VOX sound, but to me VOX has a lot of color--so you either have to be in to it, or not.

Scott's advise is bullet proof. Use YOUR rig to evaluate amps. And play a few, a mean as many as you can get your hands on!

Oh, I am a silverface fender guy, and play mostly DR's. But would love to expand my fleet. A couple of nice things about the Silverface stuff. Parts are easy to find and relatively cheap. Their are tons of well documented mods to dial them into your sound. They are pretty easy to get into, although the prices are going through the roof the past couple of years, they are still pretty accessible. The downside is--they are 30-40+ years old; and you will need some parts and a tech or soldier iron/multimeter. And if you want crunch, you are SOL.

Great week.

[glvourot]

Thanks for the good reports ! I have no idea what lunch will be today.

I have a Fender Superchamp XD that I like quite a bit. I have swapped the speaker to a Celestion G10 vintage and I also retubed it. It takes pedals well and I have the footswitch for it too. I seem to be partial to Fender amps but I am also intrigued by the Vox handwired AC15.

Get an amp that has a great clean channel and go from there. To me, that makes or breaks an amplifier. The options for distortion seem to be infinite ( pedals , et al.. )

I was drawn to G&L at first when I realized I was a Fender guy. I felt they offered the best value for money in an American made guitar.
And while small, this is the best guitar related forum that I have come across. Actually, its the only one that I check everyday.

Thanks !

[louis cyfer]

scott already pretty much covered it all. i have lots of tube amps, and lately i have been playing my ceriatone ots50 exclusively. i love the tone. not for everyone though. i am gonna get a two rock custom reverb v3 later this year hopefully. to me it is all about the clean tone. i have several 2 channel amps, but i only use the clean channel. the only amps i can not get along with is boogies. the vox is great. what i have found that often the more preamp tubes in there, the better they sound. orange is good if you like heavy sounds. the tiny terror is not bad. look at thd amps as well, you can out any preamp or power amp tubes in there to change the tone. i really like ampeg guitar amps as well. ceriatone makes clones of all major classic amps at a very reasonable price. look into it. whether it's a trainwreck a dumble a jtm45 etc, they make it. if you like high gain heavy metal sounds as well, and still like fexibility, nothing beats a bogner xtacy for that. first thing is to nail down the size you are looking for, second the price range. peavey makes some really well priced amps that are great. the classic 30 and 50 are great amps, flexible too and sound awesome.

[darwinohm]

Great week of early reports Dave! Had a french dip sandwich for lunch.

All I care for is clean in amps. I have owned several Fender tube amps and like all of them, but some better than others. I still think my Twin Reverb Custon 15 is the best for me. I have sold some amps but the only amp I grew to dislike was the Bogner Alchemist with 2-12 cabinet. I changed the pre amp tubes and got it better but really grew to dislike it. Lighter amps are better for me now but I still am lusting for a Vox Ac 30 but know that the AC-15 would be more practical. Bass amps are a whole different animal.

I agree on the kudos to Craig. He is a valuable asset also does a great job in getting issues for G&L products expedited. Great week Dave- Thanks-- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

Great week of early reports Dave! Had a french dip sandwich for lunch.

All I care for is clean in amps. I have owned several Fender tube amps and like all of them, but some better than others. I still think my Twin Reverb Custon 15 is the best for me. I have sold some amps but the only amp I grew to dislike was the Bogner Alchemist with 2-12 cabinet. I changed the pre amp tubes and got it better but really grew to dislike it. Lighter amps are better for me now but I still am lusting for a Vox Ac 30 but know that the AC-15 would be more practical. Bass amps are a whole different animal.

I agree on the kudos to Craig. He is a valuable asset also does a great job in getting issues for G&L products expedited. Great week Dave- Thanks-- Darwin

those bogner alchemists were absolute junk. couldn't get any decent tone from them. at gc in the amp room it was by far the worst amp out of all of them.

i have to agree that craig is an absolute blessing to have. both running this forum, and as a liaison to g&l. his presence among other things is what makes this the best guitar forum out there.

[zapcosongs]

Did I say Great Week?

Not knowing your budget, it's hard to give you tube amp recommendations.

If you want to spend very little and are a basement player at this point, I don't think you can go wrong with a Vox AC4tv. The reviews are great, and the investment is small.

I agree with you on the value of having Craig around. Over the years, we've butted heads from time to time, but I have to give him props.
His job is a constant thing, and pretty thankless, all in all. Still, he remains encouraging, informative, and an invaluable link between the company and it's loyal customers.

Have a great weekend! - ed

[meowmix]

Thanks for a great week.

I wish I had more to say, but then you mentioned amplifier.
All those amps in gc. meh.
Good to try out to see what you like. What usually ends up happening is you will like the one tone of many in amp A,
another tone of many in amp B, etc etc.
Build one to your specifications.
Only take what you want.
This is they guy you want to talk to for that. http://www.londonpower.com/

Craig is very valuable to this site. It is good to have someone is here to clean the mess.

Have a great weekend

[RampageFan]

Thanks for the recommendations. I will use the replies for a reference point. After my vacation next month I will get serious about finding my amp. I will report on what I choose.

Scott, Wow! What a beauty! Can't wait for a tone report. Enjoy!

thanks again everyone,
Dave