Is this pursuit of my perfect amp pointless?

[barrymclark]

I say that half jokingly.

 

All these amps I try. I try them trying to find an amp that sounds better than my Roland. No matter what I plug into, there has only been one amp that I'd say bested it ...and we are talking BARELY... and that was a Gibson GA-40RVT.

 

Really, no matter what I do... I always come back to the Roland and the first chord tells me that it sounds better than really any amp I have heard save for that one.

 

Now, the Starlite is based very much on an old Gibson design. So... I will have that sort of tone once that is done.

 

I honestly can't even imagine playing a guitar that isn't my H575.

[Spectrum13]

Not if you enjoy the persuit.

[Guest HRB853370]

I say that half jokingly.

 

All these amps I try. I try them trying to find an amp that sounds better than my Roland. No matter what I plug into, there has only been one amp that I'd say bested it ...and we are talking BARELY... and that was a Gibson GA-40RVT.

 

Really, no matter what I do... I always come back to the Roland and the first chord tells me that it sounds better than really any amp I have heard save for that one.

 

Now, the Starlite is based very much on an old Gibson design. So... I will have that sort of tone once that is done.

 

I honestly can't even imagine playing a guitar that isn't my H575.

 

Amazing what those keyboard amps will do with a guitar plugged in!

[yavuz]

You may like Evans amps.

 

I have a feeling that you like solid state. Check them out.

[JeffB]

If it its any thing like my od stomp pursuit, then I would say yes, pointless indeed.

 

But, its not like you are actually buying these amps and spending a bit of time with them. Ive seen people spend a lunch time playing through 3-4 amps and write them off as no good or not there thing.

I gave a friend of mine my Egnater Tourmaster to use for a while when his amp went down. He had previously spent 15mins with it one day at the store and thought it wasnt much good. After 6 weeks of having it at his home and doing a few gigs with it hes trying to figure out what to sell to get one.

Some times you get used to a particular sound and everything else sounds wrong. The sound you are used to might not even be very good but it becomes what you expect when you play your usual licks and rhythms.

I had an old Ibanez acoustic that I played and wore out. The sound of it was so familiar that when I went out looking for a replacement anything sounded wrong. I almost had to take a leap of faith and believe other people that the guitar I replaced it with sounded better. Over a little while I got used to the sound of the new guitar and it was a much better sounding guitar than the Ibanez, much better, just took a while for me to get the crappy Ibanez's sound out of my head as a bench mark.

Just a few thoughts after pondering my own situation with stomps and amps all day

[DetroitBlues]

Pointless no, actually finding the perfect amp, yes. If you bought a record when you were a kid you really loved, how many times in a row did you play it before it wore out on you and you wanted something different. Same goes for guitars, amps, effects and such. What is perfect today, may not be tomorrow.....

[Guest HRB853370]

Perfect amp? Perfect guitar? Perfect tone? Don't care. Heck, I'd much rather spend my time just trying to improve or perfect my playing or technique.

[pushover]

Consider yourself lucky that you've found a sound combination that you like. Many people never get that far.

 

As far as trying to find something better, it depends on what your objectives are. For some it's just the pursuit, for others it's to find a new/different sound, for some it's just to try as many options as possible (I'm thinking of Brent here..) or whatever. I'm with Slammer.. I have a 70's era amp that gives me crispy cleans, and a 90's era amp that has a little more variety, several speaker options, and enough guitars and effects that at this point the problem is ME when I can't get the sound i like.

[rjsanders]

by Roland do you mean the modeling side with, like, the Tweed combo setting? or something else?

[Gitfiddler]

The pursuit of amps, tones, guitars, etc. should first of all, be fun. Enjoy it...and yes, we all can practice more.

[Genericmusic]

It is the journey that counts. I spent almost two years looking for the right amp. for me. Like you I settled on a Roland. An 80XL. I called Carving and talked to engineer about what I was trying to achieved and he offered me a 1X12 cabinet at a price I couldn't refuse. I seriously thought about the JC chorus. That was the only other amp that gave me the sound I was looking (hearing) for. Ultimately I settled for the 80XL and cabinet on price. That being said there are a lot of good amps out there. There has been some postings here about Evans. They intrigue me and I must try one out. But as solid state goes, the best I've tried so far has been Roland. They are extremely versatile. Good luck on your journey.

[pegleg32]

If it its any thing like my od stomp pursuit, then I would say yes, pointless indeed.

 

But, its not like you are actually buying these amps and spending a bit of time with them. Ive seen people spend a lunch time playing through 3-4 amps and write them off as no good or not there thing.

I gave a friend of mine my Egnater Tourmaster to use for a while when his amp went down. He had previously spent 15mins with it one day at the store and thought it wasnt much good. After 6 weeks of having it at his home and doing a few gigs with it hes trying to figure out what to sell to get one.

Some times you get used to a particular sound and everything else sounds wrong. The sound you are used to might not even be very good but it becomes what you expect when you play your usual licks and rhythms.

I had an old Ibanez acoustic that I played and wore out. The sound of it was so familiar that when I went out looking for a replacement anything sounded wrong. I almost had to take a leap of faith and believe other people that the guitar I replaced it with sounded better. Over a little while I got used to the sound of the new guitar and it was a much better sounding guitar than the Ibanez, much better, just took a while for me to get the crappy Ibanez's sound out of my head as a bench mark.

Just a few thoughts after pondering my own situation with stomps and amps all day

 

I think this is the most intelligent opinion I have read all day. That may be because I very much agree with the opinion though. I also have developed a sound that I expect to hear and everything else seems weak by comparison when I play it, but when I hear other peoples sounds, I often think mine is lousy. How to get from here to there drives me nuts. Thus I keep trying out new amps and looking for new sounds.

[barrymclark]

by Roland do you mean the modeling side with, like, the Tweed combo setting? or something else?

partly, yes.

 

JC channel, modeling channel (specifically the Tweed, Brit Combo, Black Panel, Dlx Combo, Stack Classic and Metal models).

 

The only thing I wouldn't be hesitant to do is get another Cube so I have a functioning speaker out. Then I can turn my current one into an extension cab or run them stereo.

[rjsanders]

partly, yes.

 

JC channel, modeling channel (specifically the Tweed, Brit Combo, Black Panel, Dlx Combo, Stack Classic and Metal models).

 

The only thing I wouldn't be hesitant to do is get another Cube so I have a functioning speaker out. Then I can turn my current one into an extension cab or run them stereo.

 

 

yeahman. well, few, if any, tube amps will match the Roland JC for immediacy of attack and feel is important and varies from player to player. what i'm trying imagine is someone preferring the Cube 80's model of, say, a real live Vox AC-30 or Marshall JTM combo to the real thing. but. there are diffs and if the Roland gets it for you, no one can reasonably say otherwise. so, yeah, maybe your amp search is over. yay!

 

('course there are so many great amps available for try-out in your area...maybe you haven't tried 'em all yet? hey, you haven't told us what your idea of a perfect amp is yet!)

[barrymclark]

 

what i'm trying imagine is someone preferring the Cube 80's model of, say, a real live Vox AC-30 or Marshall JTM combo to the real thing.

yeah, that is me. Thing is, I didnt get it as a modeler. I got it because it sounded so good. I suppose if I was out to get an AC30, I'd go after getting the real thing. Since I don't have a real thing that I'm after, maybe it makes it easier to hear what the Roland is instead of what it isn't.

[barrymclark]

 

('course there are so many great amps available for try-out in your area...maybe you haven't tried 'em all yet? hey, you haven't told us what your idea of a perfect amp is yet!)

An amp that doesn't have a master volume would probably be a good start.

 

Very immediate response from the amp. VERY articulate. Smooth warmth to its tone. Smokey, I guess I would call it.

 

When I lean into it, it breaks up and bites.

 

Like I mentioned, the closest thing I have found is the Gibson GA-40RVT.

 

The Starlite that KBP810 is designing for me is actually based on the Gibson BR-1.... another WONDERFUL sounding amp.

[barrymclark]

You know... and this is weird to admit... I have never really played through a JC120.

 

That has been one of those amps I have always wanted to try. Just one has never really been available.

 

Their weight is a bit of a concern because of my knees... but they have casters so it wouldn't be too bad.

[tsp17]

not a waste of time if you enjoy it! you are certainly not alone in this avocation. i spend way too much time (including in this forum) on this topic; but hey, if i didn't, i wouldn't know you guys ....

[rjsanders]

You know... and this is weird to admit... I have never really played through a JC120.

 

That has been one of those amps I have always wanted to try. Just one has never really been available.

 

Their weight is a bit of a concern because of my knees... but they have casters so it wouldn't be too bad.

 

 

the Starlite/BR-1 amp should be a good'un, then. friend of mine been gigging with his for years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJ3MkgDq9Y)

 

couple more i can think of is the Juke Coda w/Jensen Tornado neo spkr (have had mine almost a year and a half now), and the Swart AST combo (a friend's, he & i just finished comparing & swapping in a new speaker for it. huge diff)...the Juke has a master volume, but is one of the few i really enjoy.

[barrymclark]

 

 

the Starlite/BR-1 amp should be a good'un, then. friend of mine been gigging with his for years (https://www.youtube....h?v=NsJ3MkgDq9Y)

 

couple more i can think of is the Juke Coda w/Jensen Tornado neo spkr (have had mine almost a year and a half now), and the Swart AST combo (a friend's, he & i just finished comparing & swapping in a new speaker for it. huge diff)...the Juke has a master volume, but is one of the few i really enjoy.

That's what I'm talkin about!

[Kuz]

I can offer this explanation.....

 

When I played many different amps at PSP, for better or worse, I sounded like me. I know that my fingers will yield a DARKER tone. Not necessarily a bad thing, but from my hands, through any guitar, through any amp, my tone will be darker than others playing through the same guitar & amp.

 

This is often a little disheartening because when I try a new amp..... I sound like me, again!!!

 

Maybe you just sound like you, and you think you sound best through the Roland!!!!

 

I will also offer that a different room will make the amp sound completely different. SO if you tried the GA-40 somewhere else than where you normally hear your Roland, it could have been a better acoustic room where you played the GA-40.

[barrymclark]

I can offer this explanation.....

 

When I played many different amps at PSP, for better or worse, I sounded like me. I know that my fingers will yield a DARKER tone. Not necessarily a bad thing, but from my hands, through any guitar, through any amp, my tone will be darker than others playing through the same guitar & amp.

 

This is often a little disheartening because when I try a new amp..... I sound like me, again!!!

 

Maybe you just sound like you, and you think you sound best through the Roland!!!!

 

I will also offer that a different room will make the amp sound completely different. SO if you tried the GA-40 somewhere else than where you normally hear your Roland, it could have been a better acoustic room where you played the GA-40.

Agreed. I will say though that some amps just make me not want to play. Haha.

 

 

I would say that my favorite sound on the Cube is the JC setting.

 

That is why I kick myself for not playing one when I had the chance...but I wanted gain at the time. Not clean.

[hinesarchtop]

I think for me personally there can be too many choices. The other day a friend came over with a few guitars. We plugged in to his and mine one by one......first into the Polytone and then the Acoustic Image Clarus. There were about 7 high end archtops and they all sounded good for different reasons. Same with the amps. At the moment my go to jazz setup is the Sweet 16 with a single humbucker in the neck position and my Acoustic Image amp.

 

When I have too many amps and guitars around at one time it distracts me.

[yavuz]

When I have too many amps and guitars around at one time it distracts me.

 

Well, Let's see, George Benson has been playing his signature model for about 25 years? He uses a pair oj JCs I think.

Scofield uses his Ibanez as long as I can remember. He used boogies for a long time now he uses Voxs as well.

But the same R.A.T pedal.

Metheny uses his Ibanez signature model for about 10 years now, before that he used his similar ES175 for about 30 years.

Then it was getting to fragile to take on the road but he still practices with it sometimes.

Mike Stern used his Tele for almost 30 years until Sadowsky made him an exact replica, now he has a similar Yamaha sig. model but I think he plays his Sadowsky the most. But essentially the same guitar, same sound.

 

Pat Martino, his most famous guitar was an G. L5-S, then he kept changing a lot of guitars with very similar setups, now he uses a Benedetto.

 

All these examples should mean something...

 

I have recently read an article that Pat Metheny wrote where he says "You had to spend a lot of time to develop your unique style back in our days. Being a unique player was as important as being a good player." This is very true. Today I hear a lot of good players but they are just good players. They are not unique. I am sure you could count 3-4 George Benson clones if you had to think about it.

 

What I am trying to tell in a nutshell is we have to go for a unique sound. We have to concentrate on getting most of the sound from our fingers, pick, choice of strings etc.. From then on, it is amplified and we have the least control over those even if we study/learn and try to understand them.

It won't make much difference after you develop your own style anyways. You will sound like your self if you've spent to time to sound like yourself.

[barrymclark]

 

Well, Let's see, George Benson has been playing his signature model for about 25 years? He uses a pair oj JCs I think.

Scofield uses his Ibanez as long as I can remember. He used boogies for a long time now he uses Voxs as well.

But the same R.A.T pedal.

Metheny uses his Ibanez signature model for about 10 years now, before that he used his similar ES175 for about 30 years.

Then it was getting to fragile to take on the road but he still practices with it sometimes.

Mike Stern used his Tele for almost 30 years until Sadowsky made him an exact replica, now he has a similar Yamaha sig. model but I think he plays his Sadowsky the most. But essentially the same guitar, same sound.

 

Pat Martino, his most famous guitar was an G. L5-S, then he kept changing a lot of guitars with very similar setups, now he uses a Benedetto.

 

All these examples should mean something...

 

I have recently read an article that Pat Metheny wrote where he says "You had to spend a lot of time to develop your unique style back in our days. Being a unique player was as important as being a good player." This is very true. Today I hear a lot of good players but they are just good players. They are not unique. I am sure you could count 3-4 George Benson clones if you had to think about it.

 

What I am trying to tell in a nutshell is we have to go for a unique sound. We have to concentrate on getting most of the sound from our fingers, pick, choice of strings etc.. From then on, it is amplified and we have the least control over those even if we study/learn and try to understand them.

It won't make much difference after you develop your own style anyways. You will sound like your self if you've spent to time to sound like yourself.

That is all very true. I think my biggest problem has been just that: finding myself. I believe I am as close now as I have ever been. I know the 575 I have is part of the equation. That guitar is just me. Now... I am trying to find that amp. I LOVE the tone I get from the Cube particularly in the JC setting. I am really hoping that the Starlite I am having built is about right.