Guitar teachers, what kind of amps are your students using, if any, and how is the impact?

tbp0701

tbp0701

There are some who call me ... Tim.
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Feb 28, 2014
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I was thinking about how much processing, modeling, and technology has likely altered how people are learning to play guitar and wondered how much of a difference it is making. For instance, are a lot of younger players foregoing tube amps, or even amps in general.

I was also thinking this could be both a help and hinderance.

On the one hand, I suspect players may lose something without experiencing how a tube amp responds, akin to an instrument, and how to work on getting a sound you're happy with.

But on the other hand, do more players stick with learning when they play through a modelled sound that gets close to recordings that inspire them? In the older days, how many fledgling guitarists gave up during their Gorilla/Pignose/Bandit phase?

So I thought it might make for an interesting discussion.

If not, then, how about what is the coolest amp grill cloth design you've seen?
 
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Coolest grill cloth is an old Boogie's wicker grill. I still regret selling my old Mark II with a wicker grill.

Re. modelers: I still have UAD UAFX pedals that will soon be sold for a Silver Jubilee 2525H to go with a closet full of various new and vintage amps - tube and solid state Real amps through an OX box or Suhr RLIR work best for me when I can't turn them up.
 
There is no substitute for the tone of a cranked tube amp. You simply cannot duplicate the feel and response of a 100W tube amp, especially a plexi of even a Twin. Virtual amps and IRs certainly have their place and benefits, but the feel cannot be duplicated. EVH described it as the way a 412 moves your pants when cranked through a Marshall. A plugin pales in comparison. Plugins and IRs will always come in second, and that may be OK of close enough is good enough. Its just different nowadays as those options didn't exist when we were aspiring in the 80s-90s to be rock gods, reasonable volumes as unnattainable as they were then.
 
bodia said:
Calling @Aahzz with the cool grill cloth!
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ministack.jpg
 
This is the amp I took lessons on at Hewitt's Music in Dearborn, Michigan in 1966. It's a 1960 Fender Princeton.

I went back to Detroit around 1980 and visited Hewitt's Music and asked if I could see the old lesson room.

The amp was still there. So I bought it and took it back to Colorado. That's my '54 Esquire in front of it. Still have both.

I don't know what kids learn on today. Probably a Katana or something modern.

https://imgur.com/s50Ecq9
 
Lewguitar said:
This is the amp I took lessons on at Hewitt's Music in Dearborn, Michigan in 1966. It's a 1960 Fender Princeton.

I went back to Detroit around 1980 and visited Hewitt's Music and asked if I could see the old lesson room.

The amp was still there. So I bought it and took it back to Colorado. That's my '54 Esquire in front of it. Still have both.

I don't know what kids learn on today. Probably a Katana or something modern.

https://imgur.com/s50Ecq9
Click to expand...
Love me some Fender Tweed tone, man. So cool that you got to buy the amp you learned on? That’s epic.
 
I started both my students out on the peavey "red stripe" bandits. It's old school and not a bad amp for little money. Had to find them used. I wanted them to learn to turn knobs and stomp a footswitch. When they come here for lessons, we run through my PRS SE50 and a wicker grill Mesa lone star. They comment that my sound is much better than theirs. Tubes will be in their future.
 
I am not a professional guitar teacher, but I know a 12 year old that wanted to learn to play. I loaned him a PRS SE 245 and a Fender Frontman 15R. I don’t think he grasps tone yet. He comes by for lessons occasionally, but he doesn’t practice much. He has a lot going on, so the guitar isn’t getting a lot of his attention. But he is making progress. He has some great apps in his phone that I think would make it pretty easy to learn, but I am looking at them from the perspective of someone who has been playing a while, not as a beginner. I think the tools are readily available for anyone who wants to learn.

Tube, digital, traditional solid state, I don’t think it matters in the beginning. I had my first electric for a couple of months before I could afford an amp. I plugged it into my hand-me-down cassette player, crammed my finger into the lever mechanism inside and pushed the record and play buttons to create the most god awful tone imaginable and I loved it. Eventually I bought a used Crate 10 watt something or other and made a different horrible noise that I loved.
 
Since my daughter started switching from acoustic to electric she uses a little Line 6 Spider amp but she doesn't use any of the built in effects.

She's a weird kid though, her two favorite bands are Taylor Swift and Slipknot.
 
loocnmad said:
Since my daughter started switching from acoustic to electric she uses a little Line 6 Spider amp but she doesn't use any of the built in effects.

She's a weird kid though, her two favorite bands are Taylor Swift and Slipknot.
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That's awesome. Maybe she can do some mashup covers.
 
loocnmad said:
Since my daughter started switching from acoustic to electric she uses a little Line 6 Spider amp but she doesn't use any of the built in effects.

She's a weird kid though, her two favorite bands are Taylor Swift and Slipknot.
Click to expand...
tbp0701 said:
That's awesome. Maybe she can do some mashup covers.
Click to expand...

She should use the stage name "Taylor Slipknot" or "Taylor SwiftKnot"
 
Stephen J. said:
I am not a professional guitar teacher, but I know a 12 year old that wanted to learn to play. I loaned him a PRS SE 245 and a Fender Frontman 15R. I don’t think he grasps tone yet. He comes by for lessons occasionally, but he doesn’t practice much. He has a lot going on, so the guitar isn’t getting a lot of his attention. But he is making progress. He has some great apps in his phone that I think would make it pretty easy to learn, but I am looking at them from the perspective of someone who has been playing a while, not as a beginner. I think the tools are readily available for anyone who wants to learn.

Tube, digital, traditional solid state, I don’t think it matters in the beginning. I had my first electric for a couple of months before I could afford an amp. I plugged it into my hand-me-down cassette player, crammed my finger into the lever mechanism inside and pushed the record and play buttons to create the most god awful tone imaginable and I loved it. Eventually I bought a used Crate 10 watt something or other and made a different horrible noise that I loved.
Click to expand...
I agree about many apps and online resources that can be helpful for beginners, but my younger sister, for ex, prefers more traditional methods of learning, such as taking lessons from a professional teacher. So it is smth on a personal level. For example, I prefer such sources like https://edubirdie.com/write-my-paper where I can get help from professionals and ask them to write my paper on any topic. For a student, it is easier to learn in this way. So have you considered sitting down with the 12-year-old and discussing their goals and interests when it comes to playing the guitar? I did it with my sis and it helped me tailor my guidance to her specific needs and motivations, and also helped her stay more engaged and interested in practicing.
 
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So when guitar teachers give lessons these days do you each play through pedal boards into your own amp?

Is part of the lesson teaching kids how to use clean tones, overdrive, delay, etc?
 
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