Which Amp Do I Need Next?

Which Amp Do I Need Next?

  • HXDA

    Votes: 10 52.6%
  • DG

    Votes: 4 21.1%
  • Neither, you already have it covered

    Votes: 5 26.3%

  • Total voters
    19
Sorry, going to buck the system..... May I suggest a Tubedepot JTM 45 head kit... $795 and for $500 they will put it together! Sound incredible and pretty good price for a handwired turret board amp! Get the Master Volume mod. No Charge
 
Gotta embrace technology, sir. A lot of people already swear by it... including tube users.

I already embrace technology; tube technology.

;)

Seriously, I use digital recording technology every day in my work. Just not when it comes to amps.
 
If I had a 33x14 studio in which I could play as loud as I wanted, I may not have a modeler either. Truth is, most times when I can turn it up a little, I play an amp. Any time the wifey is not feeling good and doesn't appreciate the walls vibrating a bit, or every time she's already in bed, I go straight to the AmpliFire. And trust me, when I do, I'm happy. Heck, if the Archon model in the Helix is as good as they say, I might try one sometime.
 
Ultimately, it's about what lets you get the job done and makes you happy. Some people swear by tubes, some by modelers, some go back and forth. I go back and forth - I usually prefer tubes, especially for distorted sounds, but sometimes it's just quicker and easier to get it done w/a model.

As gear heads, sometimes we put too much importance on the tools instead of the finished product. On the other hand, sometimes it's about the journey you take to get to the sound you want. In the end, most people can't tell the difference anyway. In the end, it's about what makes you happy.
 
So, why not with amps?

A few reasons. First, I don't care for the sound; it's relatively two-dimensional in comparison to tube amps, which have more nonlinearities that can't be truly modeled. The nonlinearities often add a three dimensional quality to analog gear.

Second, the modeled amps don't respond like tubes to the player; they're not as dynamic, and the breakup characteristics are quite different.

Folks like what they like; there's nothing inherently wrong with modelers or other transistor circuits. I speak only for myself.
 
As gear heads, sometimes we put too much importance on the tools instead of the finished product.

This is true, and at times, not true. By coincidence, today is a day when it wasn't true. Sometimes the tools make the product better, as happened today.

I had to open up a demo sketch session I did in 2013 for an ad, because my partner needed the track as a placeholder for what he was doing with sound design on a project we're working on.

The moment I heard the mix, I realized I'd recorded the original track with a modeler - it was intended to be a quick sketch. The guitar part sounded absolutely lifeless, and I realized that to use the track, I'd have to recut it with a real amp. The fact that I recorded it with a modeler was holding back the energy I put into my playing, and screwing up the mix. Everything fell flat, no dynamic range.

Had I used the right tool, the track would have turned out a lot better. I'm to blame for this, but as I said, it was a sketch for an idea, and later we did a better track for the actual ad.

Fortunately, no client will ever hear this track, because it was for internal use only.
 
Ultimately, it's about what lets you get the job done and makes you happy. Some people swear by tubes, some by modelers, some go back and forth. I go back and forth - I usually prefer tubes, especially for distorted sounds, but sometimes it's just quicker and easier to get it done w/a model.

As gear heads, sometimes we put too much importance on the tools instead of the finished product. On the other hand, sometimes it's about the journey you take to get to the sound you want. In the end, most people can't tell the difference anyway. In the end, it's about what makes you happy.
That's very well said!
 
aw, dangit. the DG30 has a presence knob and a boost switch, but the DG50 doesn't? decisions, decisions...
 
aw, dangit. the DG30 has a presence knob and a boost switch, but the DG50 doesn't? decisions, decisions...

Maybe it doesn't need a presence knob. I know for sure, based on my former 50 Watt HXDA, that it doesn't need a boost switch! 50 Watts is a lot of honkin' PRS power.

You set it up so your guitar's volume control is the boost.

The boost switch on my DG30 isn't footswitchable for solos. It just makes the amp a lot louder and somewhat gainier. But again, the solo boost is your guitar's volume control.

The presence control...very subtle difference on most amps. Evidently Grissom didn't even want to deal with having it on the amp.
 
The DG Custom 50 shares the controls of the 30 with the exception of the Presence, Top Cut, and Boost/Normal switches.

For me, the Top Cut is what makes the DG30 the 'go to' amp for recording. You can gently dial in 'just enough' "less" to tune the amp/cabinet 'Loud and Sweet' without it sounding too brittle/harsh/ice picky even with the bright switch enabled. My method: Clean, use pedals; Boost, use guitar volume. However Grissom runs his with Boost "on" playing live at The Saxon and goes with the 'Three Channel/One Amp' process using his pedals. Sounds glorious.
 
The DG Custom 50 shares the controls of the 30 with the exception of the Presence, Top Cut, and Boost/Normal switches.

For me, the Top Cut is what makes the DG30 the 'go to' amp for recording. You can gently dial in 'just enough' "less" to tune the amp/cabinet 'Loud and Sweet' without it sounding too brittle/harsh/ice picky even with the bright switch enabled. My method: Clean, use pedals; Boost, use guitar volume. However Grissom runs his with Boost "on" playing live at The Saxon and goes with the 'Three Channel/One Amp' process using his pedals. Sounds glorious.

Great ways to run your amp, Flats.
 
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