Amp w/ built-in effects or outboard?

[Boogie]

Many amps - PRS included - have built-in reverb and sometimes tremolo. But sometimes, the flexibility or overall performance of those effects don't meet our needs. Which do you prefer, built-in, out board, or a combination of the two?

 

[László]

The flexibility of outboard suits my needs better, but a good built in reverb and tremolo is not a deal-breaker for me, if the amp is great sounding.

 

[Danerada]

I went with outboard. That being said, on the Silverface Deleuxe Reverb I used to have was incredible...but overall - outboard...

 

[Albrecht Smuten]

Outboard (for quality reasons), but I've just bought a Marshall head, full of programmable built in effects I don't care about enough to buy them solo (like flanger), so I'll have to experiment combining them...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

both.

 

[11top]

I like two channels, plus a boost for both, and reverb. Anything else can be outside. The new 2 channel H custom is what the doctor ordered.

 

[PFL]

Always Outboard on a tube amp

 

[Egads]

I go back and forth. I have super complex amps and bare-bones amps. When I'm playing alone, I almost always prefer straight single channel bare-bones tone. When I play with a band, I find myself always going with multiple channels, and preferably reverb and boost.

 

[Rango]

I don't mind Reverb built in but I like everything else out on my board where I can see it and how it's set at a glance - So I checked "Both" but I'm really "outboard".

 

[jfine]

I prefer both. I use amps with switchable channels and reverb, and one has tremolo as well. I have had programmable multi-FX in the past, but I don't have one currently, and I kind of miss the versatility and flexibility. When I used the multi-FX, I ran the amp clean and dry, to reproduce what was coming out of the FX. There have been times when my FX unit died on the gig, and I just got out my spare volume pedal, ran it in my amp's FX loop, and used the amp's channel switching and reverb. The last time that happened, it sounded so good that I never bothered to replace the FX unit, but I may get another one soon. If my amp goes down, I can run the FX unit into the PA and get through the gig. Multi-FX built into the amp may be more convenient to set up, but if it dies you've got nothing! Of course, back in the old days I used a bunch of pedals into the amp like everyone else.

 

[Boogie]

One of my reasons for asking is that before I bought my Super Dallas, I planned on sending it to Doug to have tremolo installed. And while that may be both a good idea and cool, it may not be the most flexible option. Yes, it would be cool to have a guitar-cable-amp solution for the vintage rock gigs, but I already have a pedalboard that I'll probably never do away with, so why not just save the time, effort and expense of sending the amp to PRS when I can buy an amazing trem solution and not have a new cable and pedal strung from the amp?

 

[vchizzle]

Well, onboard is never the most flexible option. At the same time, sometimes outboard can't possibly eclipse the awesomeness of onboard when it is done really well. I haven't heard PRS version of those 2 effects on an amp, so I can't comment.