rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
Posts: 260
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 Posted: 09/30/2007 at 10:43 PM Post subject: amps (general and particular) |
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I know there's a thread about this from a few years ago, but I'd like to revive it here. What amps does anyone use their Beans with?
And my more specific question: I just bought an early '70s Traynor YBA-1 head. It's pretty amazing. Sounds like a Marshall plexi for about a quarter of the cost, and more durable, etc etc. One of the best sounding amps I've ever heard, for that seriously blown-out sound. And to think this thing was designed as a bass cab. I'm playing it through a Gretsch 2x12 cab from the mid-60s with new Jensens (amp and cab are 8 ohm).
With a "normal" guitar it starts to break up just past 2 on the gain knob, and is totally destroyed (in a good way) by 5. But the output of my Bean is so high that it starts distorting this amp at about 1. Do I just consider this amp to be a specialty/recording amp if I'm using the Bean? Or maybe use my ZVEX super-duper pedal to actually LOWER the input volume? It does help if I just turn the guitar's volume pot down, but I always find that I start losing tone too. I've already got an attenuator going between the head and the cab, but that has nothing to do with tone, just sheer volume. Does anyone have other ways of dealing with this kind of issue?
I've mostly played Fender style amps in the past, and am new to this world of Marshall style stuff. I've never even owned a non-combo amp before.
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GG
Joined:
05 May 2006
Posts: 96
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| Posted: 10/01/2007 at 11:19 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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I used to use a Sound City 50W head & cab, mixed with a 56 tweed Bassman when I played live. Now that I'm just playing & recording at home, I use a Hiwatt Custom 7, and a 57 tweed Princeton. I use a Lehle A/B/Y to blend and switch between them.
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TBGURU
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| Posted: 10/01/2007 at 12:00 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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I use electroplex amplifiers which are about like a fender bassman on steroids. (This may sound stupid, also keep in mind that I am a vintage pedal nut) The TBeans can maintain tone so well without thinning too much by adjusting the volume, (or in the case of the tb500 thin-out just perfectly with the volume nob) I find myself running straight to the amp input. The less there is between the guitar and amp the better. Listening fatigue is another way of saying that after all is said and done, the basics are what it's all about. Less is more? As far as separates vs. combo, I would say that isolating speaker vibrations from the electronics of a tube amp is worth thinking about. Rattling tubes and rattling electronics have a certain sound, compared to a head not sitting on a cabinet. If you set your head on your cab, I would guess that the benefit would be: what you carry may weigh less but you carry it twice. I think that a little combo at moderate volume is the way to go for most bedroom rockers, little combos can be heard on countless studio recordings as well. Sometimes, less is more. Rock on.
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rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
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| Posted: 10/01/2007 at 1:39 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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All of this is useful information, thank you! My head's a little inflated because I just got off a tour with a little band opening for a huge band on huge stages. I was playing bass, a Kramer 250b, and really needed both 1x15 and 4x10s to hear myself on stage. House sound was DI though, so my thoughts about tone are pretty irrelevant, ha. But back to guitar, I guess having a second amp for clean and an A/B/Y would be the way to go, and maybe mix the two sometimes.
It's pretty crazy how much a little bit of volume control can do with an amp like this, in terms of going from distorted to clean sounds. And also how much hotter the Bean is than any other guitar. My other guitars are fine with this amp, I can play them clean no problem. Here's another idea: a volume pedal with a post installed on the inside so it only goes down about 1/4 of the way. So when you push the pedal up/down, the signal only drops a little bit. This gives more control over output signal, and doesn't change the tone, in comparison with using the volume knob, which I've always found hard to do mid-song. I have a friend who does this with his Marshall half-stack and Epiphone Dot and it works really well. But then again this is only for that kind of amp, where the volume knobs don't actually change the volume, but distortion and tone.
I think I got off topic. And it was my own topic.
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Kevin
Joined:
16 Mar 2007
Posts: 147
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| Posted: 10/01/2007 at 10:42 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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I use a Landgraff 150 watt head(sound city chasis with partridge transformers) through 2 Genz Benz 4x12s with 75 watt eminices. I use it for bass and guitar. Ive also used an early 80s 100watt JCM800 when in a pinch.
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gse1
Joined:
09 Jun 2005
Posts: 27
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| Posted: 10/02/2007 at 12:05 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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Was using an ivp into 8 15 box plus a bassman into a 2 x 12 (30 watt celestion) box. Just using the bassman and 2 x12 at the moment.
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admin
Joined:
01 Jun 2001
Posts: 1266
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| Posted: 10/02/2007 at 12:39 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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Rivera Knucklehead 100 Watt head through 4x12 Marshall cab with Vintage 30 speakers. I primarily play straight through, but on occassionally use a Audio Crowther Hotcake and/or Fulltone Fat Boost.
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awkwardsilence
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| Posted: 10/02/2007 at 3:27 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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1978 TB1000 Standard (left handed) usually straight into an all original 1970 Hiwatt DR103 through an old Fane loaded 2x12" cab. It's pretty nice...
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holmes
Joined:
29 Feb 2008
Posts: 182
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| Posted: 10/02/2007 at 10:37 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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73 dr103. sounds good.
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LHakim
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| Posted: 10/02/2007 at 7:24 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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Amps: 1952 and 1959 Rickenbacker M-11's (the poor man's 5B3 and 5E3 Tweed Deluxes), '69 Deluxe Reverb, Marshall Studio 15, '63 Princeton, '65 Valco/Gretsch, and a Narrow Panel Tweed Pro clone. The Bean sounds great thru 'em all. The key to going from clean to scream just from the guitar's volume knob is by playing through a medium gain vintage-style non-master volume amp. Modern channel switching amps with cascaded preamp circuits don't allow this as well no matter what guitar you use.
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BoulderBean
Joined:
04 Feb 2004
Posts: 309
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| Posted: 10/03/2007 at 11:56 AM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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I play a smaller rig than many described here.
Mesa/Boogie DC-5 direct input.
I use the effects loop to run through a series of (mostly analog) pedals.
Sounds great with my Bean and my new EGC.
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mr.arrison
Joined:
19 Feb 2006
Posts: 2
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| Posted: 02/05/2008 at 11:23 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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i use
1977 hiwatt DR103
1972 traynor YBA-1
through a Mesa 2X12 slant with Vintage 30's
for guitar.
for Bass;
YBA-3, 1 mesa "diesel" 1X15 and 1 dietz 1X15
Sometimes a GK800 rb
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1uncertain3
Joined:
02 Aug 2007
Posts: 77
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| Posted: 02/06/2008 at 8:37 PM Post subject: RE:amps (general and particular) |
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Black Amp, 120W, which powers a Black 4x12 cab.
A Sunn Bata Bass that powers a Black 2x15 cab.
I use a Lehle A/B/Y switcher between the two amps.
www.blackamps.com
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