What Are Your Favorite Amps To Play?

Laszlo said: “The fact that an amp needs tweaking when you switch guitars is not a bad thing. It's actually a GOOD thing. It means the amp is responsive to what you're playing and isn't dominating the tone completely. It means the guitar's inherent tone and differences are shining through.”

I have been battling this, thinking it was a problem. Thank you for educating me. I bought a GigRig input switchbox called a “Three-2-One” which allows 3 inputs to a pedalboard that can be footswitch selected. The reason I bought it is because it has a preamp for each input with a volume pot, and a pushbutton for true bypass of each individual input. I thought if I could increase volume from single coils and reduce volume of hot pickups maybe switching guitars wouldn’t cause me to have to readjust pedal settings.

I’m still going to use the Three-2-One as intended, maybe I can enjoy each guitar with less pedal tweaking.

More amps IS better.
 
László said:
The fact that an amp needs tweaking when you switch guitars is not a bad thing. It's actually a GOOD thing. It means the amp is responsive to what you're playing and isn't dominating the tone completely. It means the guitar's inherent tone and differences are shining through.

A quality amp should ALWAYS need tweaking when changing guitars. If the guitar is irrelevant, the amp sucks.

If it doesn't need tweaking it means the amp isn't very transparent.
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Oh, I know this full well. Completely and totally. In fact, that lack of transparency you're talking about is one of my biggest complaints with the digital modelers I've tried. But that's not what I'm talking about. When I would have a really good tone dialed with the Mesa Mark V with one say dual humbucker guitar, I could switch to another dual humbucker guitar and it wouldn't sound good at all. I'd dial, and dial, and then just give up and start from scratch. Yet, with my Archon, you can immediately and clearly hear the differences in the guitars, pickups, strings and everything else as soon as you plug in another guitar, but it still sounds great and either A) only requires minor adjustments to get it where you need it or B) "needs" no adjustment at all because while the guitar sounds different the amp tone is still great. This is a HUGE difference from the Mark V. And I've said this before, I think there is so much wiring, circuitry and switching in the V that it lacks transparency.

There isn't an amp I've tried that doesn't require some dialing when switching form my decked Floyd Axis, to my floating trem Custom 24, and some more when switching from that to my NF3. But with the Bogner and Archon its VERY easy to dial it right back in to great tone. With the Mark V, it was somewhere between taxing and impossible.
László said:
I will admit that I have moved too many Mesas along. But I've also moved too many Two-Rocks, Fenders, Vox', Bad Cats, Bogners and others along.
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I've had less, and stopped flipping them and started selling them, when I A) quit playing amps most of the time, and B) realized that if I was only playing amps one night a week and always playing the same ones, the others were wasted space and money. There are still a few I'd love to try and if I try and like as much as I think, I'd add them. But I'm so happy with the two I have now, and may add the new HDRX to that as well once the honeymoon is over, that I will try them if I see them, vs. chasing them down to try.
 
DreamTheaterRules said:
With the Mark V, it was somewhere between taxing and impossible.
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I found it pretty easy to go from one humbucker to another, and even to P-90s, with minor tweaks when I had my Mark V. But they were all PRS guitars, so maybe there was enough similarity that they all just got along easily with the Mark V.

I'm a lower gain player than most here, which no doubt changes the equation, too. I even set up the third channel for very moderate gain. I switched channels more for different character than to achieve high gain. Which, yes, is weird!

But I liked my Mark V - in fact was surprised I liked it as much as I did. I mean, I knew it'd be a good amp in the studio, and versatile. But I got into the various tones, especially channel one. Of course, hearing the HXDA demo'd floored me, and that's when my amp world was rocked.

I've thought about a Mark VII; its channels and modes are different from anything I have here.

However, the Archon is a great amp, especially for the higher gain player. I totally understand having that preference.

DreamTheaterRules said:
But I'm so happy with the two I have now, and may add the new HDRX to that as well once the honeymoon is over, that I will try them if I see them, vs. chasing them down to try.
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It's hard for me to believe that I've had my current amps since 2014 (both PRS amps), 2015 and 2019. I haven't held onto any amp this long since college.

I guess that means I'm happy, too!

But my amp switcher can handle four more amps....and...there's a law of physics involved.

Einstein's First Law of Empty Equipment Jacks:

All available holes must be filled!

"That has kind of a naughty ring to it, Laz."

"Einstein did not have a dirty mind like you."

"Dude, Einstein's second wife was his cousin."

"OK, I'll rephrase it. How's this: All potential connections must get hooked up."

"Pretty much the same concept. Try again."

"All female jacks need to have a male plug inserted?"

"Yeah, stop already. Every second grader on this forum is giggling right now."

"They're adults. They don't think like you."

"Trust me when I say this, pal: At heart they're ALL second graders."
 
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John F said:
I’m still going to use the Three-2-One as intended, maybe I can enjoy each guitar with less pedal tweaking.

More amps IS better.
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Before I got my amp and cab switcher, I had a Lehle amp switcher called the 1 at 3 that allowed switching between three amps from the output of my pedalboard (or from a guitar, etc).

If you used the 3-2-1 with the 1at 3, you could switch between guitars and amps, and truly drive yourself bonkers with all this stuff!

Ask me how I know... ;)
 
Hi everyone! Long time no post! My enjoyment of amps seems to be directly related to the scenario in which it's in use; I LOVE big, scooped-EQ amps when playing by myself. The more bass, the merrier! In live band scenarios however, I've leaned heavily on the upper-mid-focused amps to help me be heard while FITTING IN. My main band has keys, and the bass player sings, so they take up a lot of the spectrum; the other gig I have on a semi-regular basis has another guitar player who has a Twin and Tone King Comet stereo rig. The upper-mid focused amp works great in both instances to keep my guitar audible, but also out of the way.

I've been using a Tone King Majesty as my main amp since 2014. It has been one of my all-time faves!!!

I also spent a few months with a PRS Texaplex that I LOVED! It was very similar to the Majesty, but had the top end rounded off quite a bit in comparison. Using them both together was superb.

The aforementioned Tone King Comet was mine that I sold to the other artist. That is probably my all-time favorite amp. If I hadn't moved into a house where my wife relegated all of my guitar stuff to the garage, I would have held onto it. But now it lives its life in a studio, and I have the first right of refusal should the artist wish to part with it.

I've always wanted to see what the DGT amps were all about.
 
Bogner said:
1. Komet Concorde

:)
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I had a Concorde in the studio for a tryout many years ago; it's a great amp, though I was a Two-Rock player at the time.

Komet had Ken Fischer design the Concorde for a higher, more modern gain than their original model, the 60, which was the original version of the Trainwreck Ken Fischer designed and licensed to them to produce.

Concorde is a beautiful sounding amp! But I think the 60W is 'more me'.

Anyway, the 60 is definitely on my hit list. If I continue to walk the planet for long enough, the others might be, too. :)

The DGT tapped the gear fund for a while. But I won't forget the other stuff!
 
squirrel211 said:
If I hadn't moved into a house where my wife relegated all of my guitar stuff to the garage...
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That's considered mental cruelty and grounds for divorce in most states.

squirrel211 said:
I've always wanted to see what the DGT amps were all about.
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They're great. I have the DG30, and it's now my most-used amp. They're very different from the Texaplex you used. If you imagine the best tones of a Fender Tweed mixed with a few tones like a vintage AC30, with a HiWatt tone stack, you've got a bit of the picture.

It has a thick, chewy midrange and upper midrange like a Tweed amp, and a much bigger low end than a Vox.

It's not scooped like a Black Panel Fender, it's a much warmer sounding amp.
 
Boss Katana 50 MKII with Katana Library app, Mission Engineering exp pedal and Airstep KAT footswitch is my practice setup. It's probably what I have the most time on, but not necessarily my 'favorite'.

My other amps include:
-'80 Marshall JMP 2203 w/ 6550s
-Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue modded by Kruse
-ADA MP-1>BBE 442>MosValve 962

The one I would never part with is the 2203. I'm the second owner and bought it in '91 from my guitar teacher.
 
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Due to the colder weather , I moved my Blue Sierra paisley to the upstairs studio ..the warmest room in the house ( 29 F this am !)
After the switch to KT77 power tubes it has really become my #1 . I only play the DG30 on the weekends as it's downstairs , and the neighbor lady complained about the sound .. she works at home and is the HOA Prez .. soo ....

I completely agree with having to tweak for each instrument , and I've found that several of my instruments have amp preferences . They sound magic through some and less than stellar in others. Running and average of 15 Artists a week through sound checks has certainly honed my ears .
 
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