In search of tonal nirvana....

[mamemo]

Im a guitarist in search of tonal nirvana, but also, in a dilemma

Atm, i have a budget of $2k.

Many have said that a good amp is crucial for getting a good tone. So at one time, i was looking for amps and such. But it kinda dawned on me that, even if i do get a nice tone from the amp, its not like im gonna lug it around to the jamming studio to use it. Its only for home use. Not that i can use it during band competitions/gigs/shows and stuff coz i dont have any form of transportation.

and now, i have another choice, get effects pedals instead of an amp. Though with effect pedals, you're at the mercy of the amp you're using, but then again, its much more "portable", and you can carry it around to the jamming studios or use it during a gig and such. My tone will vary from amp to amp but i guess that's one of the trade off.

So, i dunno, what do you guys think?

 

[thor666]

roughly the same dilemna as a lot of other guitarists, including me.

i think it also depends what tone u want. do you want a specific tone, or any tone as long as it sounds good to you?

sadly and seriously, the huge part of tone does come from the amp. effects serve more to color your tone that the amp u're using already has. if you want your tone to be consistent, be prepared to use emulator-type effects instead for your overdrive/distortion, such as multieffects, GT2, TriAC etc.

other stuff: not sure what guitar you are using. you might want to look into upgrading your tuners, bridge, improving playability. i'm a firm believer that a playable guitar improves your playing/sustains more interest and it'll help you in your playing technique (the other aspect of tone)

 

[mamemo]

im already happy with my guitar, its an EMG equipped mahogany explorer, it screams and is perfect for metal. its just now im in search of tone...

oh yeah i kinda need that scooped mids, thick low end for chugging, but a mid boost for solos.

 

[ciel21]

if you feel that you'll be playing more outside than at home thn get the effects that will give you the tone that you want. Bt thn to me getting a good amp is also important, you be doin your praticing at home and if ur amp sounds shitty to you you wont' be inspired to play much at all.

 

[mamemo]

if you feel that you'll be playing more outside than at home thn get the effects that will give you the tone that you want. Bt thn to me getting a good amp is also important, you be doin your praticing at home and if ur amp sounds shitty to you you wont' be inspired to play much at all.

yeah im in a band

 

[ShredCow]

I'm a pedal guy... I got my efx setup so I don't need to carry an amp around. For the last SOFT meeting, i just hooked up to the PA.

Sure, it doesn't beat a nice Cornford tube amp... but its the closest thing to having tube tones without the hassle.

My equipment is listed below...

 

[Vaiyen]

GASSing for a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. After hearing the samples, I believe it's the ultimate OD for me.

 

[milkmesto]

i faced the same dilemma as you did quote some years ago, and ultimately I made the choice to go for effects, since the gigging culture here is that the backline equipment is usually provided for, and nowadays backlines are improving... either that or I'm getting better gigs *heh*

however, i'm blessed to be in a position where investing in a good amp is a viable investment for me, since i can use the same amp for practice and for the occasional show. i'm crazy enough to lug a mountain of equipment to a show - its damn le che, people make jokes about your "moving house" activities etc - but i think its worth all the trouble. but i'm also blessed to know people who drive vans so... hehe. bringing lots of gear to a gig might not be as hard as you imagine... just a matter of being creative and being really nice to friends who drive vans.

 

[ciel21]

heh im still sourcing for money to get more pedals, now only have a distortion and and overdrive,my guitar and amp drained me pretty dry.

studying in ntu and my hall band plays the occassional gig so i thought getting a good amp is worthwhile and of course it sounded much better than my old AVT20 heh.

 

[Raley]

I also have decided to invest in effects. I feel you gotta think of what you're looking for first, then go try out as many pedals as you can.

Bear in mind that if you can't find a stock pedal that suits you, you can always get it modded.

I've got a DS-1 being modded by randolf. Can't wait to get my made in singapore keeley DS-1 ultra back!

 

[theblueark]

Try out the POD XT Live, the BOSS GT-8 and the VOX Tonelab SE.

Use one of these plugged into the PA then you can have basically the same tone you want every time.

Disadvantages:
-If the soundguy sucks, he may mess with your volume or tone on the mixer.
-Not all gigs support or allow musicians to direct-in to PA.
-If there are no monitors then you probably won't be able to hear yourself very well.


Which one to choose?
All 3 have great reviews. Personally I like the Vox.

 

[ShredCow]

I dunno blueark... I've heard the POD XT Live and the Boss GT8... and I wasn't impressed at all... very fake sounding...

My vote still goes for Tech21's analog modelling...

 

[ciel21]

I had the Vox, best tones for a multi efx i heard not as many functions as the Boss bt i felt it sounded better, the thing abt these modeling efx is like wat ark said, dun plug them into your amp, put them into a PA with full range speakers they sound so much better.

 

[mamemo]

im more of a single effects guy.

 

[Raley]

I got a Sansamp GT2 which kicked ass when i tried it on a solid state amp, but when i plug it into a hybrid or tube amp, it just sucks man!

Anyone know what's wrong? I figured it could be the pre amp in the GT2 messing with the tubes

 

[edo83]

well, it's a very common problem for us locally. I had the same thoughts and doubts as you mamemo, now i've resolved to owning a proper efx setup for jamming and gigs.

A good amp makes up a good portion, if not most, of where your tone comes from. Not being a purist here, but i believe an all tubed amp cranked has 1 of the most beautiful tones. To get that setup, you'd have exceeded your budget most likely. And assuming you're always cranking your amp for that nice tone, tubes wear out faster. If you ask me, unless you've got spare dough...else it's quite overkill to own such an expensive amp for home use only.

Owning effects have their pros and cons too. Pros being portable, as you've mentioned, and more effects with the same amount of money in most cases. Cons being, unable to dial in a consistent tone in diff venues BUT gigs nowadays usually have amps with efx loop. So make use of that, get a good amp modeler. Another way is to go direct PA like what Shredcow mentioned, it's another alternative to the efx loop.

My take on this is, you get such a good amp for home use only. No money left to invest in decent efx to bring for jamming and gigs, there's a very big tradeoff. Most of the time, that "tonal nirvana" can only be perceived by guitarists and not the listeners...I'm guilty of that too at times but gotten over it since.

 

[ShredCow]

For the GT2, it works best when going thru the efx loop or when you tweak the amp to give a nice clean.

Some amps, like marshal, have a distinct tone and that doesnt'work out well when used with the GT2.

A good amp to use would be keyboard/acoustic amps... or a Roland JC120, which has breath-taking cleans...

 

[edo83]

+1 to JC120....it's underrated. Always hear ppl complaining they can't get good tones with their efx through it. I get my best tone on JC120 with my GT2

 

[Vaiyen]

Always hear ppl complaining they can't get good tones with their efx through it.

that's beause those young punks use a metalzone with it. :lol:

 

[theblueark]

I got a Sansamp GT2 which kicked ass when i tried it on a solid state amp, but when i plug it into a hybrid or tube amp, it just sucks man!

Anyone know what's wrong? I figured it could be the pre amp in the GT2 messing with the tubes

Did you plug it into the effects return of the amp, so you bypass the amp's preamp?

Some amps just don't voice well with preamps other than the ones they were built with.