[Peel Ferrari]

I saw a Hip cover band last night and I was (almost) shocked to see an early version of the Fender Mustang amp played by the one guitarist. The other had the Fender Champion - the digital one. Not even a Blues Jr, or tweed or HRD…Couldn’t have been more than $500 total of value in amps that are the among the least coveted in these days of boutique gear. Both sounded just fine in the mix. Just fine.


Don't get me wrong, I actually don't mind the Champion or the Mustang at all and I don't have a problem with inexpensive gear, (definitely not a gear snob) but here I am looking at the new Blackstar combos for $1900+tax. (yes they’re overpriced)...and I'm thinking what for...? No one in the audience would notice.

I think of all the time tone chasing, money on the ultimate amp and guitars etc when a basic, solid state amp would probably work just as well for almost all gigs.

Makes wonder, why bother ...?

 

[Mark Brown]

Why bother?

Because then you can convince yourself it matters and brag to your friends That right there is worth the price of admission lol

 

[Chito]

Why bother?
I have multiple amps, multiple options including solid state amps, amp simulating pedals, tube amps, name it. There is a specific sound that I like that I can tell the difference of the sound I get from most of them. I use a specific amp because it gives me the sound that for me is the best. To be honest, I really don't care about how I sound out there when people are watching me. I am more focused on the sound I'm getting on stage. Could I use for example a Dream 65 which I used for recording our album? For sure, but I don't get the same dynamics, the response to pick attack and just hearing how I sound with the band playing live. I've played live with a Dream 65 and it's not the same for me. So I continue to lug my tube amp to shows. I don't mind it when we're doing the trio which means we are playing in a small area with no stage, etc. But if I am playing on a stage, my Creamer/Rambler gets used.

 

[alphasports]

Yup, as is often said here and elsewhere, 99.9% of the audience wouldn't have a clue anyway. Hell, I sit on my couch with my Spark set to a nice Soldano model and I ask myself "Self, WTF do I need a real Soldano for?". Then I sober up and remember it's our obligation as musicians to keep the manufacturers producing more shit even though tone hit its apex in like 1971...

I do occasionally light up my Mesa Electradyne but really only because I like the color of the pilot lights

 

[superfly]

BB King did just fine with a solid state amp and a cable his whole career. Anything works if it gets the tone out of your head and into people's ears.

That said, solid state and digital amps don't work too well as a platform for certain pedals, that's my reason for keeping a tube amp.

 

[Budda]

BB King did just fine with a solid state amp and a cable his whole career. Anything works if it gets the tone out of your head and into people's ears.

That said, solid state and digital amps don't work too well as a platform for certain pedals, that's my reason for keeping a tube amp.

Which certain pedals? Which solid state and digital amps?

 

[KapnKrunch]

Nothing but the snobbiest set-up in the studio. Close to ten grand, not counting the guitar.

On stage: Blues Cube Hot with no effects. Yard-sale guitar, cord, amp. Let's dance!

 

[superfly]

Which certain pedals? Which solid state and digital amps?

Fuzzes and univibes on Yamama THR series and solid state combos I owned and forgot the models (Yamaha and Roland mostly). Those pedals work on them, but work better for my taste on tube amps. Mind you, I don't have experience with exotic modeling and solid state gear.

 

[Rollin Hand]

There are many big names that have the big stacks on stage, but use in-ear monitors and modelers for their sound. It cheaper to own, cheaper to transport (that a real biggie for touring acts), and they are more reliable, with zero change when you go to the backup.

As for the Hip cover band, the non-tube amps only make sense: the amps are cheaper, sound close enough that the awesome acoustics in a bar won't belie the difference, and no worries about a tube going "kah-fizzzzzz" duing a show.

If I was gigging, and I could figure the damn thing out, I would use my HX Stomp XL for gigs.

 

[Kerry Brown]

For guitar almost any amp or modeler will do for live use. For bass I like to feel the sound to sync with the drums but anything that accomplishes that will do for me. Beyond that I have to feel good about my gear. It makes me play better if I like my gear. That said, I won't bring really expensive gear to gigs. For live use I use good quality, reliable gear that feels good to me and won't break the bank when something goes wrong.

 

[audiorep2]

 

[Parabola]

As a test a couple of years ago, I bought a used Boss Katana 50 Mk2 to play around with. I was really impressed that with 2 minutes of tinkering, I was able to get it to 99.9% match the tone of my Supro Blues King 10 ( some consider it to be a Blues jr killer). It didn’t have the same feel in terms of response and dynamics, but it was pretty good.

I was an early adopter of the Mustang line, and had a 1/2/3. For the money, they are excellent amps, with pretty good models of vintage Fenders, and the ability to tweak via the interface.

If I was looking for a burner amp for gigging, or as a recommendation to a home player, I would have no issue telling them to get a Mustang or Katana.

I visited my folks last year and plugged into my old shitty starter amps I had in the 80’s. As a beginner, the best positive reenforcement is sounding good, that I’m still playing based on those amps is a miracle lol. We are lucky to live in a time, where you can access these awesome tones so easily and cheaply.

 

[Budda]

View attachment 471681

I played with a band (Norma Jean) that did the opposite: they had 2x orange? 412s strapped to dollies for each guitarist. The venue was up two flights of stairs (Hard Luck). I thought our load in was bad..

 

[Sketchy Jeff]

Makes wonder, why bother ...?

those cheap amps sometimes have a thin brittle tone that sounds sh!ite on its own but when you got bass below and keys above and some other guitarist's huge ass width side by side and a vocal on top of everything that brittleness stands out as clarity instead. it's a sound that knows its lane and stays in it.

i have a friend who plays a Peavey Rage 158 on stage. Partly it's a gag but mic'd and mixed in he has a clearer and more stress free time than anybody else as far as finding his sound and being heard. That said it wouldn't work in a mix where the amp sound needed to fill the house over drum and bass he relies on PA but that's sometimes advantage not disadvantage practically.

j

 

[Parabola]

those cheap amps sometimes have a thin brittle tone that sounds sh!ite on its own but when you got bass below and keys above and some other guitarist's huge ass width side by side and a vocal on top of everything that brittleness stands out as clarity instead. it's a sound that knows its lane and stays in it.

i have a friend who plays a Peavey Rage 158 on stage. Partly it's a gag but mic'd and mixed in he has a clearer and more stress free time than anybody else as far as finding his sound and being heard. That said it wouldn't work in a mix where the amp sound needed to fill the house over drum and bass he relies on PA but that's sometimes advantage not disadvantage practically.

j

those cheap amps sometimes have a thin brittle tone that sounds sh!ite on its own but when you got bass below and keys above and some other guitarist's huge ass width side by side and a vocal on top of everything that brittleness stands out as clarity instead. it's a sound that knows its lane and stays in it.

i have a friend who plays a Peavey Rage 158 on stage. Partly it's a gag but mic'd and mixed in he has a clearer and more stress free time than anybody else as far as finding his sound and being heard. That said it wouldn't work in a mix where the amp sound needed to fill the house over drum and bass he relies on PA but that's sometimes advantage not disadvantage practically.

j

I saw a video or article, which I will try to find and link here, which talked about how Peavey in that era was way ahead of the curve in terms of having amps that were designed to integrate with sound systems in stage settings. I’m sure there’s been a huge shift in the technology/sound quality since then, but I’m not surprised to hear he was using the Rage.

 

[isoneedacoffee]

My last two gigs have been with a Katana head going through a 2x12. I use it as a dirtyish-clean pedal platform.

I got frustrated at the previous gig trying to dial in the sweet spot (in terms of tube warmth vs volume) with my tube amp. Before you ask, the amp itself has an onboard PPIMV attenuator, and I was even making use of an external attenuator. I've tried to even use a power soak in the past. The tube amp is great... but finicky when I try to use it in diverse settings. The Katana is just way easier to dial in and sounds just fine.

 

[Grab n Go]

That said it wouldn't work in a mix where the amp sound needed to fill the house over drum and bass he relies on PA but that's sometimes advantage not disadvantage practically.

That's part of the reason why I used to lug the Traynor Mk3 around. I knew it would be loud enough in unmiked scenarios (outdoors, small clubs and bars etc.) Thankfully, loud amps come in smaller packages these days.

But yeah, anything goes if the PA is doing the lifting.

 

[Doug Gifford]

BB King did just fine with a solid state amp and a cable his whole career. Anything works if it gets the tone out of your head and into people's ears.

That said, solid state and digital amps don't work too well as a platform for certain pedals, that's my reason for keeping a tube amp.

Did solid state amps exist at the beginning of BB's career?

 

[Peel Ferrari]

My last two gigs have been with a Katana head going through a 2x12. I use it as a dirtyish-clean pedal platform.

I got frustrated at the previous gig trying to dial in the sweet spot (in terms of tube warmth vs volume) with my tube amp. Before you ask, the amp itself has an onboard PPIMV attenuator, and I was even making use of an external attenuator. I've tried to even use a power soak in the past. The tube amp is great... but finicky when I try to use it in diverse settings. The Katana is just way easier to dial in and sounds just fine.

I use the Katana Artist MKII combo for cover gigs. Works well for most everything. The sound quality is good and it gets the job done. So like I said, I have nothing against cheap non boutique gear.

 

[mhammer]

A good amp may be easier to dial in a tone you like. A cheaper amp may have that sound buried deep within it, and simply require more effort to find it.

Like Phil McKnight says: "Know your gear".