Re: guitar amps

[Joshua Carroll <josh@infinivert.com>]

If you decide to use something besides your amp for effects, you might 
check out the Crate V-Series amps.  They can get great jazz tone and 
even push through to searing bluesy stuff.  I always hated Crates, but I 
demoed a V 32 (blonde version of V 30 w/ a Celestion speaker) at a 
Guitar Center a while back and bought it right away.  Their 15 watt 
version sounds really good as well, and is fairly inexpensive for a 
class A/B tube amp.

The larger V-Series amps do have some built-in effects, but they're 
probably bigger than you want to haul around.

--Josh



Krispen Hartung wrote:
> Yup...your reasoning seems sound. In my case, I have nothing on the 
> floor. I connect one cable from my guitar to the amp, turn the amp on, 
> and away I go. I can setup in about 2 minutes or less. Of course, if I 
> were doing a more large scale/higher paying gig, I might bring my two 
> Mackie powered speakers, and just use my laptop. Still nothing on the 
> floor.
>
> K-
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "mark sottilaro" 
> <zerocrossing2001@yahoo.com>
> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
> Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 9:33 PM
> Subject: Re: guitar amps
>
>
>> Oh I hear you, I just always think "well I'm going to
>> have to have at least one thing on the floor anyway"
>> so why not have it be the source of my tone?  Sure
>> it's kind of a controller at the same time too.
>>
>>
>> --- Krispen Hartung <khartung@cableone.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm with you. I could even run my laptop directly
>>> into my Mackie 1x10
>>> speakers...it's mainly convenience and portability.
>>> I have a thing about
>>> being able to walk into a jazz gig with nothing buy
>>> my guitar and a combo
>>> amp. :)   It's ver liberating. The more gear I have
>>> to setup for a gig like
>>> that, the more disgruntled I get over time.  / K
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "mark sottilaro" 
>>> <zerocrossing2001@yahoo.com>
>>> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
>>> Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 7:47 PM
>>> Subject: Re: guitar amps
>>>
>>>
>>> >I think we've been over this before, but since you
>>> > seem to be happy with many of the modelers around
>>> (as
>>> > am I) why not just get a nice keyboard amp or
>>> powered
>>> > PA speaker and use the amp modeler of your choice?
>>> > This gives amazing flexibility IMO.  Sounds good
>>> for
>>> > bass, acoustic and  you can even route keyboard
>>> sounds
>>> > though it.  Get a modeler that's an all in one
>>> floor
>>> > unit, as I'm sure you'll need stuff on the ground
>>> > anyway.
>>> >
>>> > I found the Mackie 650s to be a little cold
>>> sounding
>>> > but had great bottom.  A bit of time with an EQ
>>> was
>>> > all they needed though.  Why have the bells and
>>> > whistles in the amp?
>>> >
>>> > Mark
>>> >
>>> > --- Krispen Hartung <khartung@cableone.net> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> The polytones are indeed nice (just don't use the
>>> >> gain on them, as that
>>> >> produces what could likely be the most nasty
>>> >> sounding distortion on the
>>> >> planet earth)...however, having used many models
>>> of
>>> >> Polytones in my guitar
>>> >> playing history, I find that they are a generally
>>> a
>>> >> one-dimensional amp.
>>> >> Most guys I know using them are using good sized
>>> >> archtop guitars, which is
>>> >> what I did. The polytones are designed to have a
>>> >> very flat frequency
>>> >> response and re-produce the beautiful, and unique
>>> >> sound of a big bodied
>>> >> archtop.  This is also why they are a popular amp
>>> >> for accordion players. But
>>> >> for someone who wants to play modern jazz - a mix
>>> of
>>> >> traditional clean tones
>>> >> with other flavors of dirtied up tones, like Mike
>>> >> Stearn, Scofield, etc - I
>>> >> don't believe the Polytone is a good choice. It's
>>> >> not that sort of amp.  I
>>> >> keep falling back to the newer DSP amps, like the
>>> >> Roland Cube 60, Fender
>>> >> FM65, Vox, and so on. I keep seeing these amps
>>> pop
>>> >> up in jazz guitar
>>> >> discussion forums over, and over again. One just
>>> >> found out that one of my
>>> >> favorite jazz guitarists, Lorne Lofsky (an
>>> >> mind-blowing modern jazz
>>> >> guitarist that teaches and lives in the Toronto
>>> >> area), is also using the
>>> >> Fender FM65.  These amps have the ability to
>>> produce
>>> >> a very clean tone (like
>>> >> a JC-120), but also a vintage amp or tube amp
>>> that
>>> >> will get dirty when you
>>> >> push it.  I never believed it until I use them,
>>> but
>>> >> amps like the Cube 60
>>> >> even have the ability to produce that "spongy"
>>> feel
>>> >> of tube amps.  I think
>>> >> it's just amazing what they've done with
>>> them...so,
>>> >> for the versatile jazz
>>> >> guitarist who has to switch from traditional
>>> jazz,
>>> >> to smooth jazz, to modern
>>> >> jazz, to fusion on the fly depending on the gig,
>>> >> these DSP amps are the
>>> >> cat's meow.
>>> >>
>>> >> I find "harshness" to be a feature of EQ, not an
>>> >> amp. I've never played an
>>> >> amp that I couldn't get a smooth tone out of by
>>> >> adjusting the EQ...roll off
>>> >> the presence or highs, boost the mids, and turn
>>> the
>>> >> tone down on the guitar
>>> >> a bit....all age old tricks of jazz guitar
>>> players
>>> >> to "silkify" their tones.
>>> >> Although I've heard some tube purists say that
>>> solid
>>> >> state amps in general
>>> >> are harsh...but I think this is an unqualified
>>> claim
>>> >> as well. Once you tweak
>>> >> a solid state amp right, it will NOT sound
>>> >> harsh..."harshness" is not the
>>> >> right term, in my opition..rather, it's that
>>> >> "sponginess" I mentioned, the
>>> >> fact that tube amps breaks up when you push them,
>>> >> that they change
>>> >> throughout the duration of a performance as they
>>> >> heat up (which annoys the
>>> >> shit out of me), etc.  I think harshness is an
>>> easy
>>> >> characteristic to
>>> >> change, but these more organic features of tube
>>> amps
>>> >> are more difficult to
>>> >> emulate...but the new DSP amps are getting really
>>> >> good at it...enough so for
>>> >> that I really prefer the DSP amps now, because
>>> they
>>> >> run cool, don't require
>>> >> tube maintenance, and they are light. It's the
>>> best
>>> >> of all worlds. I don't
>>> >> know who a Roland could be regarded as
>>> harsh...turn
>>> >> the treble and presence
>>> >> to 0...the last thing it will be is
>>> >> harsh...incredibly undefined, but not
>>> >> harsh.
>>> >>
>>> >> Speaking of Polytone, you ever played a 104? The
>>> >> George Benson model? I used
>>> >> to one one...weight a tone, but it was a LOUD
>>> >> sob....very clean, 2X12 amp. I
>>> >> used to own a Lab Series L5 too...very intriguing
>>> >> amps, with built in
>>> >> compression and some filtering EQ. I used to run
>>> a
>>> >> L5 one one site, and a
>>> >> Polytone 104 on the other for big jazz gigs,
>>> where I
>>> >> had to compete with an
>>> >> 18 piece jazz group or loud drummer.
>>> >>
>>> >> K-
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "samba -" 
>>> <sambacomet@hotmail.com>
>>> >> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
>>> >> Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 5:55 PM
>>> >> Subject: guitar amps
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> > Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
>>> >> >
>>> >> > I think for small portable the polytone is very
>>> >> tatsty.  I find the roland
>>> >> > stuff has a sort of harsh edge,where the
>>> polytone
>>> >> is sweet.No bells and
>>> >> > whisltes though.I got one for under 100 and
>>> have
>>> >> seen 2-3 for 50 that
>>> >> > needed repair.It'/s usually switch or power
>>> supply
>>> >> problems,or maybe a
>>> >> > cap.
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >>
>>> >
>>>
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>>
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>>
>> === message truncated ===
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 
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