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My long road to "the tone" for me has become jaded, Any suggestions?


Sailorofdarknes

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I have been working a long time to get that "sound I want" and I have finally become tired and in need of some help. I am looking for a great blues sound. I went P90 and as far as pickups go it's the ticket. But my amp is holding me back. I cannot have a large rig so I have to stick with a 5 watter and a box. I use currently a Bugera V5 with Jensen speaker and it is a good little amp but it seems to be getting muddier by the day even with brand new JJ tubes (pretty sure it's getting ready to let go). I have a BB preamp on the way but I need suggestions on small little amps. Maybe the LIL night train? what else is out there different from what the sell in GC and the like. I am open to pricing up to 500 bucks. Thanks!

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I got the Egnater Rebel 20... it's a great little amp that can put out some great blues tones. I play a Les Paul and a Telecaster with it, and both sound great. Variable wattage knob is a great "extra" to have (can go 1-20 watts). Not a muddy amp at all. Not sure what their prices are used, tho... I spent just a BIT more than 500 for mine new.

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Honeyiscool, I am a firm believer in being happy with ones equipment and the fact that when you are inspired by your tone it becomes second nature to learn. And easier at that. I have been playing and paying dues a long time I am ready for better equipment and to finally find what I am looking for.

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2 suggestions:

1. Find out what people you like use and try those out (eg, didnt SRV use a fender and tubescreamer?)

 

2. Dont overlook anything. Some of the best gear ive bought is stuff that I initially overlooked for one reason or another - youll never know what its like until you try it!

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I'm on a Kustom jag right now. I had a HV65 and sold it. In hind sight it was a great amp. I did not need 65 w so I got the HV30. Yes - I have had Blackhearts, a Jet City Combo, a Valveking, and played thru a bunch of others - and I LERV the HV30. More of a basic controls setup, but still a lot of flexibilty. Not really a modeling amp. Anyway - her it is. You sould go play a Kustom or two. They make 100% tube amps as well.

HV30_1.JPG

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Just to throw out there, at different times, I've had Fenders and Voxes as my main amps and I lived with a Marshall for a year that got a lot of play time. My point is, there are lots of amp tones that, not only I like, but I can have as my main amp.

 

Having said that, I have never played a 5W amp of any kind at any price point that I could happily live with as my only amp. I much prefer the complexity that comes with amps with at least two power tubes.

 

I would also through out there that there's probably a very good reason that AC15s, Tweed Deluxes, Blackface type Deluxes and 18W Marshalls are SOOOOO popular.

 

If you don't need the headroom that bigger versions of these amps offer, I'd guess one of those four amps with the right boost pedal would be very likely to make you happy. There's also a chance that you don't really like P90s.

 

:lol:

 

Not trying to totally stir the pot, but maybe traditional single coils or bright humbuckers are more for you, once you have the right amp.

 

:idk:

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If you're looking at small amps, here's my suggestion. Nothing wrong with small amps from a wattage perspective. But often times the compact cabs and small, cheap speakers that come with these amps really hold back the tone. A big speaker and full size cab provide a body and depth that the little boxes and 6", 8" speakers just cannot do. So consider going with a head/cab setup and getting yourself a decent cab.

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For me a great blues tone fits into the less is more category..Don't get fancy with it..

 

The Blues tones i like the best are slightly muddy with some reverb and occasionally some tremolo ..Back in the day there was no hi fi..In fact it was the opposite lo fi..

 

To me blues is all about trying to convey what i feel and think into my fingers and that aint always pretty or nice..

 

Now that i did my little speech on the blues with a $500 dollar budget wanting blues tones ..Once again look into the past many blues men of yesteryear played those sweet Vibro Champs..

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Is there a chance that you're just suffering from ear fatigue? A week of rest from that rig could do wonders and give you a fresh set of ears to work with. I know that I've gone just about given up on some stuff only to come back weeks or even months later and remember just why I bought it in the first place and ask myself why I had turned my back on it in the first place.

 

Probably not the GAS inducing answer you were looking for...I played a Nighttrain a few years ago and remember being very impressed with it. Not enough to buy it though.

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Sooo...you're on a search for the perfect tone but yet you can only get a 5 watt amp? That's your problem dude, you're limiting yourself to 5 measly watts. Although I'm sure you have a very good reason for it, I've never heard a 5 watt amp that has captured the tone of some of the more well known 30+ watt amps.

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Try a Dr. Z or a Swart or a Clark...they will really help you get your tone across much better than any of the guitar center "McAmps" which tend to hide nuances with cheap commercial-grade audio components and half-assed speakers. All of these "McAmps" are pretty much indistinguishable once you get inside the amp. Sure once can get good sounds from a Bugera or whatever GC flavor of the month amp, but a better made amp will help bring out your sound much better.

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Yeah, it's hard to define through a typewriter, but much like DavidMgT says, the higher quality circuits, whether they are vintage amps or current boutique types, almost always have more... I don't know... complexity or harmonic character. I think this is why you see guys raving about their Dr Z Carmen Ghias... it's almost the most simple amp around that has multiple power tubes, but even as simple as it is, it has teeny complexities surrounding the notes.

 

That's not to say you can get fine tones out of PCB amps or modeling amps, but they NEVER react as immediately to small differences in input from the player.

 

:idk:

 

Again, I've played lots of lots of sub 10 watt amps with a single power tube... Champ 600, Vox AC4, Valve Jr, Class 5, Crate V5 and the like, as well as Silverface Champs and I have a clone of a Tweed Champ with a 12" speaker... it sounds plenty big and I sometimes surprise myself with tones from that amp, esp smoother, warmer tones, but it completely lacks the complexities from the Tweed Deluxe which, in the scheme of things, is a very similar amp. And I've found that for me, I much prefer the smaller power tube amps for getting those complexities... EL84s and 6V6s. Four 6L6s are great for huge booming clean tones, but the amp just doesn't respond the same way in my opinion as the smaller power tubes.

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