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The Be All, End All for why or why NOT YOUR Amp Cuts.


Chrisjd

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FIRSTLY, I BELIEVE THAT ANY AMP, ESPECIALLY TUBE, CAN CUT IF SET RIGHT.

 

I have been seeing so many of these threads "my amp doesn't cut, help." It is more than just coincidence that most of these amps that apparently don't cut are also the amps that sound REALLY BIG and THICK on their own.

 

While my opinion is in fact, only an opinion, look at my sig, I have owned and played A LOT high end, high gain amps. I have also played in a band for quite a while now, and played with many guitarists. Also, I have a VERY critical ear when it comes to live guitar tones.

 

Basically, it is very hard to have an amp that sounds HUGE and cuts through extremely well at the same time. About the only two amps that do it FOR ME are the Cobra and 5150.

 

You have guys with the rectifiers and uberschalls who are always complaining about their tone being loose and not cutting. The more lowend, and low-mids your amp produces, the less it is going to cut most likely. Comparatively, the less lowend and more midrange and highs you have, the better you will cut, but the thinner you will sound. So, take all these HUGE sounding amps and guess what, they arnt going to slice through the live mix as well as we all would like them too, that's just the way it is kids.

 

Another "coincidence", look at all the tighter amps out there: Cobra, VHTs, Quickrod, 5150 II, Laney, ENGL, MAKO etc. These amps are all stupid tight, AND have a brighter, more mid voiced tone.

 

Take the Looser amps out there: Uberschall, Recto, Dragon, etc. they are voiced darker and thicker. yet they dont cut as well as the others.

 

Basically, to sum things up, its a trade off. its damn hard to have a super tight and cutting amp that sounds super thick at the same time. Like I said, the only amps that I have played that can combine both qualities are the Cobra and the 5150 series amps.

 

I just want people to know, that there is a trade-off for going too extreme in either direction.

 

1. A VERY bright amp will usually yield a thinner, more brittle tone.

and

2. A VERY dark amp will yield a looser tone that doesn't cut very well.

 

Amen.

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I have been seeing so many of these threads "my amp doesn't cut, help." It is more than just coincidence that most of these amps that apparently don't cut are also the amps that sound REALLY BIG and THICK on their own.


While my opinion is in fact, only an opinion, look at my sig, I have owned and played A LOT high end, high gain amps. I have also played in a band for quite a while now, and played with many guitarists. Also, I have a VERY critical ear when it comes to live guitar tones.


Basically, it is very hard to have an amp that sounds HUGE and cuts through extremely well at the same time. About the only two amps that do it are the Cobra and 5150.


You have guys with the rectifiers and uberschalls who are always complaining about their tone being loose and not cutting. The more lowend, and low-mids your amp produces, the less it is going to cut most likely. Comparatively, the less lowend and more midrange and highs you have, the better you will cut, but the thinner you will sound. So, take all these HUGE sounding amps and guess what, they arnt going to slice through the live mix as well as we all would like them too, that's just the way it is kids.


Another "coincidence", look at all the tighter amps out there: Cobra, VHTs, Quickrod, 5150 II, Laney, ENGL, MAKO etc. These amps are all stupid tight, AND have a brighter, more mid voiced tone.


Take the Looser amps out there: Uberschall, Recto, Dragon, etc. they are voiced darker and thicker. yet they dont cut as well as the others.


Basically, to sum things up, its a trade off. its damn hard to have a super tight and cutting amp that sounds super thick at the same time. Like I said, the only amps that I have played that can combine both qualities are the Cobra and the 5150 series amps.


I just want people to know, that there is a trade-off for going too extreme in either direction.


1. A VERY bright amp will usually yield a thinner, more brittle tone.

and

2. A VERY dark amp will yield a looser tone that doesn't cut very well.


Amen.

 

 

There are a couple of things:

 

1) NOT ALL amps are created equally

 

2) Having the right gear, IS a HUGE part of the journey, BUT... knowing what to do with it, is what ends up determining if one ever reaches their tone destination

 

3) There is NO accounting for taste, and some guys can take the best gear in the world, and their talent is... achieving the WORST possible tone out of it, and then those same guys rave about how great the tone is, all the while saying that it doesn't cut for some "unknown" mysterious reason.

 

4) KNOWING what equipment it "Actually" takes to get the "right" tone is often NOT known by people.

 

My $.02

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I have been seeing so many of these threads "my amp doesn't cut, help." It is more than just coincidence that most of these amps that apparently don't cut are also the amps that sound REALLY BIG and THICK on their own.


While my opinion is in fact, only an opinion, look at my sig, I have owned and played A LOT high end, high gain amps. I have also played in a band for quite a while now, and played with many guitarists. Also, I have a VERY critical ear when it comes to live guitar tones.


Basically, it is very hard to have an amp that sounds HUGE and cuts through extremely well at the same time. About the only two amps that do it are the Cobra and 5150.


You have guys with the rectifiers and uberschalls who are always complaining about their tone being loose and not cutting. The more lowend, and low-mids your amp produces, the less it is going to cut most likely. Comparatively, the less lowend and more midrange and highs you have, the better you will cut, but the thinner you will sound. So, take all these HUGE sounding amps and guess what, they arnt going to slice through the live mix as well as we all would like them too, that's just the way it is kids.


Another "coincidence", look at all the tighter amps out there: Cobra, VHTs, Quickrod, 5150 II, Laney, ENGL, MAKO etc. These amps are all stupid tight, AND have a brighter, more mid voiced tone.


Take the Looser amps out there: Uberschall, Recto, Dragon, etc. they are voiced darker and thicker. yet they dont cut as well as the others.


Basically, to sum things up, its a trade off. its damn hard to have a super tight and cutting amp that sounds super thick at the same time. Like I said, the only amps that I have played that can combine both qualities are the Cobra and the 5150 series amps.


I just want people to know, that there is a trade-off for going too extreme in either direction.


1. A VERY bright amp will usually yield a thinner, more brittle tone.

and

2. A VERY dark amp will yield a looser tone that doesn't cut very well.


Amen.

 

 

thank you dr phil for being right all the goddamn time and correcting me....my DSL cuts thru just fine without your asshole advice

 

 

please people...play what you think sounds great and dont take the advice of the elite assholes who have so called ''owned'' everything say.......

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Cabinet

 

My experience is the cabinet matters most. V30s are still the kings of cut. If a nice set of broken-in V30s are loaded in a solid, well constructed, high quality birch cabinet then it's possible to have the best of both worlds. Solid low end and cut.

 

Several years ago I learned. A good cabinet can make a lower end amp sound great. But it usually doesn't work the other way around. Also, not all cabinets are created equally. I've used to own 3 4x12 V30 filled birch RIvera cabinets and only liked the sound of one of them. SO it takes some searching to find the right cab. But once ya find it....it can stay with ya a lifetime....just like a nice guitar

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FIRSTLY, I BELIEVE THAT ANY AMP, ESPECIALLY TUBE, CAN CUT IF SET RIGHT.


I have been seeing so many of these threads "my amp doesn't cut, help." It is more than just coincidence that most of these amps that apparently don't cut are also the amps that sound REALLY BIG and THICK on their own.


While my opinion is in fact, only an opinion, look at my sig, I have owned and played A LOT high end, high gain amps. I have also played in a band for quite a while now, and played with many guitarists. Also, I have a VERY critical ear when it comes to live guitar tones.


Basically, it is very hard to have an amp that sounds HUGE and cuts through extremely well at the same time. About the only two amps that do it are the Cobra and 5150.


You have guys with the rectifiers and uberschalls who are always complaining about their tone being loose and not cutting. The more lowend, and low-mids your amp produces, the less it is going to cut most likely. Comparatively, the less lowend and more midrange and highs you have, the better you will cut, but the thinner you will sound. So, take all these HUGE sounding amps and guess what, they arnt going to slice through the live mix as well as we all would like them too, that's just the way it is kids.


Another "coincidence", look at all the tighter amps out there: Cobra, VHTs, Quickrod, 5150 II, Laney, ENGL, MAKO etc. These amps are all stupid tight, AND have a brighter, more mid voiced tone.


Take the Looser amps out there: Uberschall, Recto, Dragon, etc. they are voiced darker and thicker. yet they dont cut as well as the others.


Basically, to sum things up, its a trade off. its damn hard to have a super tight and cutting amp that sounds super thick at the same time. Like I said, the only amps that I have played that can combine both qualities are the Cobra and the 5150 series amps.


I just want people to know, that there is a trade-off for going too extreme in either direction.


1. A VERY bright amp will usually yield a thinner, more brittle tone.

and

2. A VERY dark amp will yield a looser tone that doesn't cut very well.


Amen.

 

 

you are full of {censored}

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thank you dr phil for being right all the goddamn time and correcting me....my DSL cuts thru just fine without your asshole advice



please people...play what you think sounds great and dont take the advice of the elite assholes who have so called ''owned'' everything say.......

 

 

haha. you need to get angry about it, I dont think i was coming off offensively or anything! and i think a dsl cuts fine.

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Cabinet


My experience is the cabinet matters most. V30s are still the kings of cut. If a nice set of broken-in V30s are loaded in a solid, well constructed, high quality birch cabinet then it's possible to have the best of both worlds. Solid low end and cut.


Several years ago I learned. A good cabinet can make a lower end amp sound great. But it usually doesn't work the other way around. Also, not all cabinets are created equally. I've used to own 3 4x12 V30 filled birch RIvera cabinets and only liked the sound of one of them. SO it takes some searching to find the right cab. But once ya find it....it can stay with ya a lifetime....just like a nice guitar

 

You bet. this is another HUGE piece of the puzzle that gets overlooked.

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Cabinet

I've used to own 3 4x12 V30 filled birch RIvera cabinets and only liked the sound of one of them. SO it takes some searching to find the right cab. But once ya find it....it can stay with ya a lifetime....just like a nice guitar

 

 

 

heh, makes me want to try clones of all my cabs to see if there is any variance.....

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