Now that you have amassed a nice array of pedals, what amp to go with it?

[backpacker]

Hi everyone,

I was just thinking about this. For pedal-users, we normally use our amp for clean sound and activate our pedals for overdrive/distortion/fuzz etc right.

So, isn't using our pedals with a nice tube amp like e.g. Orange Dual Terror, HT-5 'wasting' the amp because we are not utilising the amp’s inherent tube distortion?

Even when we are using the amp’s distortion, wouldn’t having a delay pedal before the distorted amp be ‘wrong’ because modulation normally comes last after distortion in a pedal board set-up? (Assuming the amp has no effects loop)

As such, wouldn’t pedal users be better off just going for an amp with nice clean sound, whether tube or not. Any good examples of such amps?

Sorry for my late night rambling and hope my questions make some sense.

 

[carboxymoron]

we are not utilising the amp’s inherent tube distortion?

Not true, unless your signal with the distortion pedal on is still so low that it doesn't push the amp into breakup at all. If not, what you're hearing is a mix of the pedal + amp's distortion. The simplest way to prove that an amp's inherent distortion makes a difference is that the same guitar+pedal sounds different on different tube amps, even if the amps are tweaked to very similar clean sound.

wouldn’t having a delay pedal before the distorted amp be ‘wrong’ because modulation normally comes last after distortion in a pedal board set-up?

I don't see why this is wrong. I use delay in between two distortions/fuzzes all the time. Then again, I don't play "normal" music. Buy an amp with an effects loop if it bothers you.

As such, wouldn’t pedal users be better off just going for an amp with nice clean sound, whether tube or not. Any good examples of such amps?

Best to buy an amp with nice clean and overdriven sound, no? I'll leave recommendations to others, but in studios my choice amp is a Roland Jazz Chorus, a very reliable clean solid state.

 

[dudelove]

You can use them how the old school guitarist do. Crank the amp, use your pedals to boost the amp into further distortion, then roll down the volume for cleans.

Effects like modulations and delays put in front of the amp can still sound decent. Eric Johnson uses his Echoplexes in front of his Plexis and they have a very unique sound, with the preamp of the Echoplex driving the amp. Or you can get a delay pedal like the Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay which is designed to be used in front of the amp. Modulations like phasers, and chorus, IMO, sound better in front of the amp. Then again all these are very old school type sounds. If this really bothers you, get an amp with an effects loop.

For pedal users who just love their pedals and only utilize the amps cleans (e.g. David Gilmour), it's fine. Just make sure you don't get a tube amp with such low headroom that it starts breaking up at low volumes. If you're intending to use it in a studio or bedroom then its fine..

 

[Godspeed64]

Most pedals are designed to push the amp into overdrive, or for fuzzes to be used in conjunction with a tube amp!
That said only through solid state amplifiers can you hear the true tone of the pedals, without the tubes affecting the tone.

Plus it's not a waste whether you utilize a tube amp for cleans or distortion. The amplifier is a tool. Use it as you seem fit.
Personally I bought a Vox for it's tube distortion tone, but end up utilizing it for cleans only. Your gear your call mate!

 

[AaronSoFat]

In general the signal chain with wah to compressor to distortion to delay and what not thats just a guideline to get the easiest sound to model that sounds decent. If you watch carboxymoron's videos his tone is pretty awesome but sounds weird cos he rearranges his signal chains. look at steve vai and all the other weird ass sound experimenting guitarists they go all out with their signal chains. So if you really want an easy way out (like me), i just bought an amp with a very clean sound and not use the post amp effects. or you could always get one with effects loop. that works too. but the distortion would drive into the wah. that to me sounds weird. never made that work for me.

 

[zesn]

I think i'm like TS.
not wanting to buy a HT-5 and pushing it with my HT-DIST.
Lolol.
I would just buy a tube amp with about < 1k budget.
Since the 300-400 range isn't that..awesome?
Unless 1k isn't enough =O

 

[skipper53]

Lol.. i wrote a whole bunch and realized, no point.

If ur tone is already shaped from ur pedal board then yes, no point going for high gain tube amps that will color ur intended tone away.

If ur intending to buy a tube amp, then it's time to rethink ur pedal line up to suit that amp and it's tone.

Nothing wrong with running mod pedals through the front end of the amp, it's a mean to an end. If u wanna be particular abt placement, then just look out for amps with loops.

I dont know what ur situation is, but how many of us really have the means to lug ard an amp and a cab to venues? how many sounds guys will u piss off insisting to use ur own amp instead of the house amp he spent the whole morning setting up (hypothetically). I say it's always a better idea for on the go musicians to base urself off ur pedal boards that way, no matter where u are, what amp u use (keeping e amp tonally flat) u will get e intended tone that is YOU.

If u say oh.. i just wanna buy a good amp to have at home to try exploring tones. fair enough i suppose, but, and this is a very personal opinion no offence meant to anyone, buying a stellar amp at to have at home to "explore" tones to me is like buying a street lamp post and putting it under ur pillow (ie pointless).

 

[AaronSoFat]

yeah don't be so enthu go buy the first amp you see out there which is big. i bought my crate glx212 cos perfect performance size. 2x12 driver, 120W amp with damn fuzz tones. but you kinda realise you're never gonna bring it out. so far all performances after that just simple pedalboard through whatever crap amp they give you on stage anyway.

the main problem is that you model your tones at home then go there through something like one of those behringer amps making it so shrill and disgusting its really kinda disappointing and you take forever to finally get a decent tone. When people fill up the space during the performance it makes the tone more muffled again. it's a vicious cycle really.

oh yeah forgot to say that the crate glx212 kinda sucks loud anyway. tone totally falls apart. cheap and worth it for the price i guess. but i will never use it live.

 

[backpacker]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your varied replies.

@carboxymoron: Interesting that you mentioned the Roland Jazz Chorus. I've used it (JC-120) in a jamming studio before years ago and it left a very good impression on me. Very nice sounding amp indeed. Just wondering if it is too big for home practise.

Currently, I use a small Fender Champion 600 tube amp at home. My pedal board is larger than it! I'm normally plug into the amp at the 'low' input point. I rationalise that this will give me a bigger clean headroom, versus plugging into the 'high'. Guess I subscribe to the idea of getting more tone consistency from my pedals, whichever amp is in-use, by keeping the amps clean (something like what dudelove is saying).