Members jjang1993 Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 I was wondering if anyone owns any of the Vintage Sound Amps.http://www.humbuckermusic.com/pages/vintage-sound-amps They're pretty much hand-wired Fender blackface clones with better components. I play a big Epiphone Emperor Regent jazz box with a floating pickup. I hate the dark muddy sound that is associated with jazz guitar. I usually have the bass on my amps at 0 and treble at 5-7 instead of other guitarists in town who like their bass knob at 7-10 and treble at 0. I've tried a lot of SS jazz amps and they either sound sterile or muddy. How responsive are the bass knobs on these amps? I like NO bass frequencies in my sound, and my problem with current Fender Princetons are the bass knobs aren't responsive at all, they're muddy sounding amps even with the bass at 0, and the PCB boards are built to fail and a pain for techs for repair. Pickup replacement isn't really an option, as a common complaint about the stock pickup in my Epiphone is that it's not dark enough. An "upgrade" would likely darken the sound of the guitar which is exactly what I don't want. I don't like the sound of the Dearmond rhythm chiefs either, you loose a lot of upper mid frequencies that I like in my tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 Two words: EQ pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjang1993 Posted August 16, 2016 Author Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 I do own one that I used heavily with the blues junior I owned before I sold it. I figure if I'm going to pay $1650 for a quality guitar amp, I shouldn't need an EQ pedal. I don't use guitar pedals unless I have to. I'm a guitar-cable-amp kind of guy unless the room I'm playing in has a hollow floor/stage or accentuates boomy bass frequencies. In that case, I'll use an EQ pedal, but I don't want to have it be my default if I am to spend a lot of money for an amplifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 It sounds like your requirements are pretty unique. I've never met a jazz player that uses a small fender tube amp with the treble cranked and the bass on zero. Do you roll off treble at the guitar or just prefer a thinner sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjang1993 Posted August 16, 2016 Author Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 I am unlike most jazz guitarists in so many facets. Today, so many jazz guitarists have flat wounds, roll the tone knob off on their guitars, put the treble at 0 and bass and mids at 10. Unlike most jazz guitarists, I use nickel plated steel round wounds. I have the tone knob all the way up (maximum brightness) and the volume knob at about 40-50% so there is little treble rolled off at the guitar and I still have some room to work with if I need to get quieter or louder mid song. I prefer a clearer sound so I can get better note definition and punch, and have my chords sounding nice and clear. I have the treble cranked and bass at 0 because my guitar gets enough low end even in duo settings with a vocalist. If I turn the bass up past three in full band settings, the mix gets really muddy especially if the bassist is using an amplifier. There's a reason the guitar is called a guitar and tuned to the range of guitar, it's because it's a guitar and not an electric bass. You can probably anticipate what I think of 7 string guitars. So many "jazz" amps are all about no treble and boosting all bass and mids which is a big reason why I steer clear of any jazz amps, not to mention many of them have a closed back cabinet plastic cabinet which makes them very directional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 Once again I am going to recommend the Yamaha DG80 You can get that for less than half the $1650 you mentioned above. It has all the advantages of a tube amp without the hassles of burning filements inside fragile little glass bottles. Please do yourself a favour and try one before you decide to buy an amp. If you try it and don't like it, I promise to stop bugging you about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 It all depends on the group. In a trio with bass and drums and no vocals I like lots of frequency overlap with the bass. You keep them from clashing by arrangement and separation in the stereo field. If you're playing with keys and a horn and a vocalist it does pay to occupy a tighter frequency band to keep the mix clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 I was wondering if anyone owns any of the Vintage Sound Amps. http://www.humbuckermusic.com/pages/vintage-sound-amps They're pretty much hand-wired Fender blackface clones with better components. The problem with Boutique amps like that is they make so few, they have to pay top dollar for the parts and then they have to charge you double and earn a profit. Personally, I'd just get a real vintage amp or buy a well made reissue. Fender does an excellent job on reissues. I do question why you'd want a blackface if you feel they have too much bass and need to roll it off. There are other amps that can probably do a much better job at getting you more jangle and less mud for that guitar. I'd take the amp you have now down to the music store, let them hear the tone you get now and let the store managers suggest some options. This way when you go shopping for something you wont need to ask people their opinions because you'll have first hand experience using the amps you're shopping for. One amp does pop into mind by your description of how you set things up to get your tone. You do the same thing Johnny Winter does. Johnny is well known for his rock blues but those who know his material also know he has done some excellent Jazz guitar recordings as well, especially some of the things he recorded with his brother Edgar who is an excellent Jazz Player. Bass off and treble maxed up is what he used to get those up front lead tones. Also by your other posts you use a Hybrid amp. Johnny used Fender, then Marshall. He finally moved to using Music Man amps. Music Man was created by Leo Fender after he sold Fender to CBS. The amps have many tonal similarities to Fender amps. I have a 65W vintage heads and I often forget I'm playing through one and think of it as a Fender by its tone. The amp has differences however. It does have a solid state front end. The tonal range is fairly bright and snappy. The warmth lush tones comes from the tube Power amp. The EQ has a wider and broader range then a Fender. The bass knob brings up deeper lows with less mud tones in the 500~700 range, until you crank it way up. The highs are voiced a little higher then a Fender especially if you use the bright switch. If the Bright switch is off its more like a normal Fender. The mid EQ has a broader Q then a Fender, and the amp has a deep switch that changes how the bass contours in. Its not like a Fender deep switch that makes an amp muddy. It has no effect on treble. The reverb is voiced a bit different too. Its as long and deep as a Fender, but its got a bit more upper mids. It would be tough finding a Vintage amp that's in good condition. A 2X10" version would probably be ideal for you if you could find one. Music Man has started making Reissues. The 112 RD 50 might be exactly what you need. http://www.music-man.com/amps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted August 16, 2016 Members Share Posted August 16, 2016 I thought of the same thing. It shouldn't be necessary to spend $1650 on an amp that sounds good, especially if you buy used. Here's a sampling of what's on the St. Louis CraigsList: Vox Night Train G2 $345Bogner Alchemist $40090's Laney VC30 $400Peavey Delta Blues 210 (tweed) $425Vox AC15 $450Peavey Delta Blues (black) 210 $500 These are all 15-30 Watt open back combos that would make somebody a great amp. You could buy any three of them for $1650 and get change back. There is an amp out there that's right for you and you won't have to spend four figures on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted August 17, 2016 Members Share Posted August 17, 2016 I was thinking the same thing, so I second that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted August 17, 2016 Members Share Posted August 17, 2016 Interactive eq on a Fuchs amps work very well I have ODS they aren't cheap but can be had used for around your price of $1650. Or send your PR to Andy and have him rebuild your amp to a Fuchs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 2, 2016 Members Share Posted September 2, 2016 I would consider possibly a new guitar with a bridge pickup. Les Paul felt the same way about jazz guitar being too muddy, so he would use a Les Paul recording, and used the bridge pickup, and some slap back echo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 What you're playing now is designed exactly for what you don't like. Get a strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjang1993 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2016 I'm playing an Epiphone Emperor Regent strung with Labella 13s Rounds. I did try strats, but they don't sound good with heavy strings, and I find for straight ahead jazz, I can't dig in as much with a strat even with heavier strings. After trying a lot of amps, I've learned I like the warmth of the Fender Blackface Sound, specifically the 65' Twin Reissue and the 68' Vibrolux Reissue. I have a VSA 35SC on the way from Humbucker Music! It's a 35 watt AB763 Deluxe circuit amp into a 12" WGS C/S/ Speaker with a mid control and a bright switch, all in single channel compact package that's a little bigger than a Princeton Reverb. I'll be able to tell in a matter of minutes whether I'll keep it, or return it. The two things I keep in mind are, does it sound like a blackface Fender, and does the bass knob work? I think having the mid control is really helpful as the sound I get from almost every Twin I've played through I love, and I usually have the bass at 0 or 1, mids at 3, and Treble at 5-7 with the bright switch on. If this amp fails in either of those categories, I will look into those music man amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted September 5, 2016 Members Share Posted September 5, 2016 I learned the only things I'll ever know about amps maybe 5 years ago. A Roland AC-60 or 90 sounds better with a good synthesizer than any synth amp I've ever heard. It sounds better with any electric guitar I've ever tried. It sounds better than any acoustic/electric amp I've used also. That made me think. (It sounds better on synths, acoustic guitars and electric guitars I've tried. It must be a pretty good-sounding amp.) So later, I bought an AC 60 for my synths and I use it with both my electric guitars (one big Jazzbox) and a Starfire iii too. I used it on all my acoustics. Later I'll get an AC 90. As I now have a Guild Starfire iii and am looking for a Korg M3 or KRONOS. If I need a Rock sound for the instrument/amp combination, I'll get pedals. I have a few already. (BTW, listeners tell me I am a jazz player. I'm not. But I've been told otherwise plenty of times.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 6, 2016 Members Share Posted September 6, 2016 Check out the strat special that comes with jumbo frets. Get the nut filed. A used Tone King Meteor II black faced tone at its very best. Good luck man! and I thought I was particular , fastidious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.