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Letting a lot of gear go, but am I doing the right thing?


cacheek

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My wife and I trying for our first child and it got me thinking about having a bunch of gear, especially 50 and 100 watt amps that I only play at home. Today, I took my DSL50, Marshall cab, 6505+, and one of starts to a friend's store to sell on consignment. I now have my Tweaker online too.

 

I really just play at home (I can turn it up, but not to ear bleed levels). I have no interest in gigging, and I really just want to record on my computer. I figured if I can get a really good 30-40 watt head with the recto cab I have at home plus my little Traynor tube amp, that should suffice. Is that a pretty justifiable philosophy?

 

I've been doing some research into the Mesa Transatlantic 30. Looks like a killer amp and the clips on Youtube sound amazing. My question is can it do prog rock. Not all-out metal, but upwards of Tool, Opeth, and Porcupine Tree? Most of what I play now is fusion, hard rock, and classic rock, all of which I hear the amp does great. Has this been your experience?

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My wife and I trying for our first child and it got me thinking about having a bunch of gear, especially 50 and 100 watt amps that I only play at home. Today, I took my DSL50, Marshall cab, 6505+, and one of starts to a friend's store to sell on consignment. I now have my Tweaker online too.


I really just play at home (I can turn it up, but not to ear bleed levels). I have no interest in gigging, and I really just want to record on my computer. I figured if I can get a really good 30-40 watt head with the recto cab I have at home plus my little Traynor tube amp, that should suffice. Is that a pretty justifiable philosophy?


I've been doing some research into the Mesa Transatlantic 30. Looks like a killer amp and the clips on Youtube sound amazing. My question is can it do prog rock. Not all-out metal, but upwards of Tool, Opeth, and Porcupine Tree? Most of what I play now is fusion, hard rock, and classic rock, all of which I hear the amp does great. Has this been your experience?

 

 

You are doing the right thing. Keep the Tweaker and focus on starting your family. You can always go back to buying gear once things are settled. I practically quit playing for 7 years to raise my son exclusively. It was totally worth it. Now he is a bit older and I have the parenting thing pretty much down so I have some cool gear AND a happy kid at home. Zero regrets.

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I would check out the orange th30.. Its got gobs of gain and does cleans very well. Plus the multiwattage is cool i think its 30 to start with and goes down to 15 and then 7.

 

 

Orange's are interesting amp, but not quite my think. I'm looking for something a little less raw I think. That's why I was checking out those particular Boogies: low watts, Mesas sound great, and versatile. If it can get Tool territory, I'll be pleased.

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I am kind of doing the same. I already have a family, but I am just getting to the point where I feel like having 5 100W+ tubes heads and racks of guitars is useless. I just think the money and space could be used for more useful things.

I am kind of going an opposite direction though.... I got an Axe-FX and a SS poweramp. I am going to be working with this setup to see if I can get rid of all the tube amps.... time will tell...

I think you are doing the right thing... I have always found that I play more, and enjoy playing more when I have less gear. It seems like the more gear I have, the less I actually play and have fun because I am more worried about sampling all the gear constantly...

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Dude you should not be selling anything. You should be playing the crap out of every bit of gear you have until that little dude actually makes his appearance on earth. Just trying now? WTF am I missing something? Are you too busy buying prenatal vitamins to play your guitar? Or are you just gassing for some new amp? That's ok too, I guess. Do what you want.

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Dude you should not be selling anything. You should be playing the crap out of every bit of gear you have until that little dude actually makes his appearance on earth. Just trying now? WTF am I missing something? Are you too busy buying prenatal vitamins to play your guitar? Or are you just gassing for some new amp? That's ok too, I guess. Do what you want.

 

 

The trying of the kid just made me think about how I don't need all this stuff. Just puts things into perspective.

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I am now at the position were I have a cheap but good combo and 2 guitars (here, I have one in storage) and some pedals. I am finding my more limited options help me focus on playing and enjoying guitar.

 

And as for parent hood, for me it was that jigsaw piece I was missing in my life. My son is so awesome I wouldn't swap it for the world.

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The trying of the kid just made me think about how I don't need all this stuff. Just puts things into perspective.

 

 

Sure. Maybe I'm a little touchy on this subject because I have so many friends who are choosing not to have kids because they think it will obliterate their whole existence. It really doesn't. You do change the way you look at gear, kind of more as tools or a means to an end, but that comes with getting older too. You can't completely lose that sense of playfulness and individuality, or you'll be a lousy parent.

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No experience here with the TA series, but if I were to get one it would be the 30. Haggerty's music has some good vids up of Don playing them and it sounds like they can get pretty raunchy. Mesa's take on the Vox vibe more or less, but if you dig it, then go for it. Have you considered the Mini-rectifier by chance? I ask because it seems like it'd be closer to your alley. It's a bit tighter and brighter than your average Recto due to the EL84 power section. Unless you're just not a Recto guy, which I understand. They're not for everyone.

 

Also, while not a lunchbox/smaller amp per se, a Mark IV can sound pretty damn righteous at lower volumes. I was amazed with my IVa I had how little I actually needed to turn it up to get awesome low volume sounds out of it. Plus it sounded massive when I did get to crank it. Those amps literally do cover almost everything tonally. Plus there's a good amount of power amp options, with Simul-class (90 watts), Tweed Power (45 watts roughly) and being able to run Class A on the outer tubes (15 watts).

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No experience here with the TA series, but if I were to get one it would be the 30. Haggerty's music has some good vids up of Don playing them and it sounds like they can get pretty raunchy. Mesa's take on the Vox vibe more or less, but if you dig it, then go for it. Have you considered the Mini-rectifier by chance? I ask because it seems like it'd be closer to your alley. It's a bit tighter and brighter than your average Recto due to the EL84 power section. Unless you're just not a Recto guy, which I understand. They're not for everyone.


Also, while not a lunchbox/smaller amp per se, a Mark IV can sound pretty damn righteous at lower volumes. I was amazed with my IVa I had how little I actually needed to turn it up to get awesome low volume sounds out of it. Plus it sounded massive when I did get to crank it. Those amps literally do cover almost everything tonally. Plus there's a good amount of power amp options, with Simul-class (90 watts), Tweed Power (45 watts roughly) and being able to run Class A on the outer tubes (15 watts).

 

 

Not really big on the rectos. Always had way too much power for my taste. I might like the rectoverb though or the mini if I could find one to play.

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My wife and I trying for our first child and it got me thinking about having a bunch of gear, especially 50 and 100 watt amps that I only play at home. Today, I took my DSL50, Marshall cab, 6505+, and one of starts to a friend's store to sell on consignment. I now have my Tweaker online too.


I really just play at home (I can turn it up, but not to ear bleed levels). I have no interest in gigging, and I really just want to record on my computer. I figured if I can get a really good 30-40 watt head with the recto cab I have at home plus my little Traynor tube amp, that should suffice. Is that a pretty justifiable philosophy?


I've been doing some research into the Mesa Transatlantic 30. Looks like a killer amp and the clips on Youtube sound amazing. My question is can it do prog rock. Not all-out metal, but upwards of Tool, Opeth, and Porcupine Tree? Most of what I play now is fusion, hard rock, and classic rock, all of which I hear the amp does great. Has this been your experience?

 

{censored} that. Your gear is more important.

 

Bang your kid's head against a rock and keep the amps.

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