Re: Guitar amps

[KRosser414 <KRosser414@aol.com>]

>>And forget about putting anything other than guitar sounds
>>through it, the amp colors it too much.

>Umm... so why do people put up with this for guitar?
>I don't understand the amp obsession.  Why not learn
>to love the sound of something other than the strange
>coloring traditional guitar amps provide?  Is there
>really something inherently "good" about them, some
>deficiency in the tone of the guitar the amp makes
>up for, or such?  Or are guitarists just used to how
>guitars sound on other people's records?

I have a radical idea - maybe some people like that sound, the 'coloring'
guitar amps give.  Maybe there was actually meant to be a wide variety of
sounds out there and you could pick & choose from them as you please.  As 
far
as I'm concerned, nothing objective has been decided about guitar amps only
being good for 'nothing but simple loops', nothing objective has been 
decided
about amps' coloring of a guitar sound being detrimental, and nothing
objective has ever been decided about direct-to-PA or even stereo being
better.  This all totally subjective and varies not only from player to
player, but listener to listener as well.

>What is wrong with Stanley Jordan's tone (I've never
>heard it)? 

Nothing "wrong" with it, I just don't like it.  It doesn't appeal to my 
ears.
It's not a matter of right or wrong.  Stanley can continue using that sound
with my blessings.  For *my* taste, it's a thin, fragile sound that doesn't
allow for the kind of range of expression in articulation or dynamics that
more traditional guitar techniques do, especially since, at least on the
recordings I've heard, it's all he used.  Too intentionally gimmicky...if
other folks dig it, more power to 'em.

> Is it just not-what-you're-used-to?

I don't think so.  I usually like a sound I'm not used to, especially if 
it's
done in the context of some playing that's saying something to me.  

>Would you complain if it was coming out of a DX-7?

A DX-7 doesn't already have enough sounds of its own to complain about?

Ken R