What's more important to you in an amp -- clean or dirt?

[Eskimo_Joe]

So when you're looking for an amp, what's higher on your priority list....the amp's clean tone or the amp's dirty tone?

I go for clean. If it sounds great clean, I can get it to sound great dirty, but if there's nothing you can do to turn a bad clean into a good clean.

Thoughts????

[DocRock]

Agreed. There's always a compromise in there somewhere. If I was exclusively a rock player, I'd probably vote the other way. The best distortion, in my mind, still comes from turned-up amps with a pushed power section, output transformer, and working speakers.

But if you're into making any kind of variety of music, there's no skirting around the clean issue IMO. A great pedal (like these pretty ones from Sweden ) can take you most of the way there now. It's a helluva lot easier to make a clean amp do a convincing rock tone than it is to take a rock amp and try to make it into a jazz machine.

(Besides, I'll take a good clean amp with a Model H and put it against most dirty amps any day of the week.)

"There have been made both dirty and clean amps ... BJF has made them equal."

(Great slogan, don't you think?)

As always, FWIW & IMHO,

Doc

[Bobby D]

before i got my BJF pedals, i was using the "crunch" channel" of my Soldano quite frequently.

NOW that I have DRD and LGW, the amp is set to a nice loud full CLEAN with a hint of ragged edge if guita volume is up all the way.

it is two schools of thought/style.

for me personally, since many times i play with rented backline, i just go for LOUD AND CLEAN and let my pedals do the magic

[cabo]

i would vote for cleans too if it had to be just 1 amp.

[mfolet]

Clean all the way..I get my sound from the pedals. Just like Bobby says ,you never know what your gonna get on a backline.

[Bobby D]

Clean all the way..I get my sound from the pedals. Just like Bobby says ,you never know what your gonna get on a backline.

usually either one of those

1. red knobbed Twin (ugh) or blackface twin re-issue

2. Fender Hot Rod series amp (ughhhhhhhh!!!!!)

3. Roland JC-120 (for some reason, i don't hate these amps)

[huckleboogie]

Clean all the way..I get my sound from the pedals. Just like Bobby says ,you never know what your gonna get on a backline.

usually either one of those

1. red knobbed Twin (ugh) or blackface twin re-issue

2. Fender Hot Rod series amp (ughhhhhhhh!!!!!)

3. Roland JC-120 (for some reason, i don't hate these amps)

Oh Yeahhh-the fender blackface twin RI 9 times out of 10. i'm on tour in turkey right now and most EVERY nite, this is what i get. i used to be unhappy with those and the results i got using several <brand name> pedals, until the day i started using BJF stuff (3 yrs ago it was a HB that i pushed with a DRD, on this tour is use a LGW that is pushed either by a BBOD or RRB or running by itself) . the Singer i'm with has a lot of funky gospel tunes, and for that stuff the clean twin is a great if not the best choice....but THEN there's rock and blues stuff to cover as well and my blue-red-green pedal setup just KILLS!!!

[BJF]

Hi,

Well, from experience I'd say loud and clean over an amp that just does distortion.
Ideally I'd like an amp that does both nice distortion and loud and clean so I can have a choice and use pedals whenever I'd need a clean sound......

I've once made a gig with a fuzzpedal and a tape echo and the alkaline battery died in the fuzz as in completly dead.......the way out then was quickly redialing both amp and tape echo to use amp distortion.....so yes I'd like an amp to be able to distort on its own just in case but I also find that changing distortion textures refreshes as different sounds suggest different things.

Ah, fun to know this about backline amps.....seems universal
For gigs where I haven't brought my own amp backline I have choosen Roland JC-120 over Marshalls channelswitching types and got myself a BOSS DS-1 specifically for use with the JC-120.
The tonecontrol on the DS-1 set at 9 oc and Treble and Middle on amp set to fully ccw and Bass fully cw.
Even set like that JC-120's can be quite bright on a clean sound.

I put together years ago a bag of tricks with a number of different pedals that I brought when freelancing
and for years also used just a clean loud sound from amplifier and pedals for all sounds...but as I drifted into music with mostly distorted guitar I use amp distortion mainly.

However on unknown backline; well seems quite known and it would be most interesting to read whatelse is used as backline loud and clean so exact level can be set without having to balance on the magic spot where sound is perfect, pedals would give flexibility.

There's this guy that told me he had Fender amps in the range from student model to 4x12 combo ( known as the Backing Elvis model) so he could bring one amp that he could set with volumecontrol on '6'

I hear alot from the touring musicians here that back up artists, about what amps are usual backline.

I am interested in this and also to fin solutions for the most common amps that'd be best run clean with pedals.

Speakers play a big role here too.

I'd really like to know what pedals I make work with what amps and also what does not work and this is something I'll use both in giving answers as it's always good to be able to recommend something that goes well and also to be able to tell what might not work so well and perhaps I'd use this in new models.

If such information is contained in this thread it might be very useful.

Thanks and have fun
BJ

[Bobby D]

hmmm......I think BJ is correct here.

It is very true, hired guns like Huckleboogie and myself have to deal with varying backline amps provided by venues and promoters.

When I was on your in Italy, we did a gig with Robben Ford, and he actually brought his Dumble with him, but I am sure it cost a lot to transport. He was one of the ONLY guys I saw that entire tour who brought an amp.

So yes.........this is why pedals are so important to working guitarists who tour regularly.

AND --- one must have the ability to dial in a nice, clean, loud sound VERY quickly, because soundchecks are sometimes very short, or basically consist of the first song

My boss used to let me come out with the band as a trio, and do 2-3 songs, so the sound system would get dialed in first......THEN he would come out when it sounded good!

But I have been able to get a good sound nearly every time. You just have to be fast, have good ears, and know what you are doing. Simple, right?

Once in Sardegna Italy, we had the promoter provide backline. This vintage collector guy comes up to me and has a "menu".....a WHOLE LIST of some of the most desireable amps EVER.

I nearly fell over. So, I selected a PAIR of 65-66 blackface Twins for myself, and a plexi Marshall head and vintage 4x12 for my boss. Sherman played an ES-355 that I had wired "Peter Green style" for him, and he used my zvex super hard on (he usually NEVER uses pedals, but he liked the SHO).



It was one of the best nights of the whole tour sound-wise.


I miss touring like that. But I think my time to tour is coming again soon

[Bobby D]

I hear alot from the touring musicians here that back up artists, about what amps are usual backline.

I am interested in this and also to fin solutions for the most common amps that'd be best run clean with pedals.

Speakers play a big role here too.

I'd really like to know what pedals I make work with what amps and also what does not work and this is something I'll use both in giving answers as it's always good to be able to recommend something that goes well and also to be able to tell what might not work so well and perhaps I'd use this in new models.

If such information is contained in this thread it might be very useful.

Thanks and have fun
BJ

I think if a guitarist has a dyna red, a little green wonder OR baby blue overdrive, and one of the fuzzes (CAF, PPF, or the heavenly snow white) one should be able to get a good sound out of nearly ANY amp.

One good overdrive, one good distortion, and one or two good fuzzes are what I would think most guitarists need.

Obviously, if one likes to have multiples of various styles of pedals, this is permissible as well

But FOR ME -- one good overdrive, one good distortion, and one good fuzz.......with some good ears and good fingers.....any guitarist should be able to get a good sound. along with wah, chorus, phase, delay and other flavours.....

I am trying to stick to 8 pedals max. THIS fits onto the small Gator Pedaltote Junior model (my old company I worked for, as a disclaimer)

That small board will fit in the overhead of any plane or bus. Or easily into a car. And easily goes HOME with you to your hotel room or other lodgings. I NEVER LEAVE MY PEDALS OR GUITAR AT A VENUE, no matter how "secure" the facility is.