Question What would you do ?

[lukather101]

I've been looking at my guitar collection of late and comparing the quality to that of my Amp and pedals and to be honest there is no comparison. Over the years I’ve concentrated so much on my guitar collection I’ve forgot about the rest of my gear .

So here's the dilemma, shall I sell a few guitars to fund a really good amp or keep my guitars and put up with the fairly average sound from my amp and pedals.

There are two or three guitars that get the most play time but I do get around to playing all of them at some point, the problem is I haven’t really got a favorite so I can’t think to myself I’ll keep those and sell the rest.

I’ve been eyeing up a Fractal Axe fx 2 lately so what do you guys think KEEP OR SELL?
By the way i'm a bedroom player

Dar.

 

[beej]

My two cents: sell what you don't play (or aren't attached to) and get a good amp. If the AxeFX appeals to you, go for it.

I freakin' love my amp, regardless of what guitar I use. Wouldn't want to be without it.

 

[NoUse121]

I went through the same prob a few months back for my "bedroom" rig. A Mesa Triple Rec does not cut it for an apartment amp. I was not pleased at all with playing out of a 30watt solid state Marshall. It did not matter if I was playing a $100 guitar or my EBMM Al HH, it all sounded the same. So I sold off one of my Gibsons that did not get any play anymore and I invested in a nice little H&K set up. It made a world of difference and I wanted to play more often at home and practice for a change. You only sound as good as your weakest link.

 

[lukather101]

My two cents: sell what you don't play (or aren't attached to) and get a good amp. If the AxeFX appeals to you, go for it.

I freakin' love my amp, regardless of what guitar I use. Wouldn't want to be without it.

What you got ?

 

[ErnieJohn]

I'm in this exact same position, I'm selling my Ibanez to fund a new amp, that leaves me with 2 EBMM and hopefully a Mesa Boogie combo,

 

[mikeller]

Not that there is anything wrong with the gear you have listed in your sig - but I would certainly recommend you investigating it further to see other gear might be inspiring and beneficial...

 

[Roubster]

The amp is as important as the guitar. I was not very happy with my Blackstar HT20 eventually so I sold it. Right now I'm not playing out, so my Line6 HD Pro is getting me by just fine. Has some decent tones in there if you tweak the heck out of it. But I would like a AxeFx myself. There is still nothing like a good old tube amp...but if you cant really crank it up it's kind of pointless. I also have my pedal board which I've been working on in cases when I go jam in the studio and can just plug into a clean amp and have a fairly consistent tone...and I can hook them up to the L6 HD as well.

 

[beej]

What you got ?

Guytron GT100.

Basically AC30 style on one channel, Marshall on the other, into a 20W amp and internal load, slaved to a 100W output section and parallel loop (so has both EL84 and EL34 output sections). Best clean channel I've heard in an amp and, with the slaving design, it sounds pretty much the same at low volumes vs gig volume.

Tommyindelaware sold me on them years ago, and I can't say I've played another amp that's really interested me since.

 

[luv]

Man, I don't know if I could drop a lot of coin on a bedroom amp with the options that are available today. I find most amps sound better when they are turned up loud, or if they sound good at low volumes then they have tiny speakers (which I don't really like). I love my Cube 40xl (as my little amp), but it still likes to be played reasonably loud (much more dynamic) and the headphone out is not very good. It only cost around $200. I suppose if I could find a good 1w-5w tube combo with a 10-12" speaker, an effects loop, a master volume and gain control that was manufactured in USA or England or Germany I'd consider spending more than $500 on it, but I dunno. I'm still in the sub $700 amp territory myself (for my main amp), and have considered upgrading. I'm just a home player too, but I get to play reasonably loud at times.

Maybe it is the Fractal Axe Fx/2? I don't know much about them....need to do some research.

 

[Guitarded]

It's hard to say whether an amp or guitar is more important. IMO, as far as tone goes, I think an amp has the largest effect on your sound. It's harder to make your masterfully crafted EBMM sound good through a solid-state Crate practice amp, than it is to make an Epiphone starter guitar sound good through a nice high-end tube amp. That being said, a good guitar will make you a better player by providing an easier and more enjoyable playing experience. I beleive you should have a feeling of comfort when you pick up your guitar, like putting on your favorite pair of jeans. It just feels right.

It seems you have plenty of awesome guitars and the Blackstar HT series amps aren't bad by any means (I used to have the HT-100), but I beleive a new amp is definately in order.

 

[ily]

for me i'll never sell a guitar for an axe fx (i've owned one ..)
but for a good amp and some hight end effects and cables i'll sell the guitar that i'm not playing

your rig in your signature isn't so bad too maybe it'll be interesting to more explore it
or you don't like the grain of the amp
try to made some test with your main guitar in a shop

 

[Spudmurphy]

how about :-
keep yer gear
get a Line 6 Pod just for now - cheap as chips second hand - borrow mine for a week and see how you get on - so easy to tweak.
save your money then get the axe fx if that's what you really desire.

 

[lukather101]

Thanks for all the responses lads.

I find playing a valve amp at such low volume a bit hit and miss, some days I think it sounds pretty good other times to my ear's it sounds plain **** . I was considering going down the modulation road thinking at least the sound would be more consistent plus I wouldn’t have to bother with all the effects on the floor
Anyone got any experience with the line 6 DT25 and HD500.

 

[lukather101]

how about :-
keep yer gear
get a Line 6 Pod just for now - cheap as chips second hand - borrow mine for a week and see how you get on - so easy to tweak.
save your money then get the axe fx if that's what you really desire.

Does the pod come with the EVH

 

[beej]

Sorry, I completely missed your comment about being a bedroom player!

There's certainly a balance between buying something for home use, and something you can grow with. There's some great modelling stuff, for sure. One great thing about the modellers is having a chance to play through a bunch of amps to see what you really love, with an eye to eventually picking up that particular amp (after all, most people don't really need 10,000 amps at their disposal ...). As well, a good amp + attenuator (or one with a good master volume, power scaling, etc.) can still sounds great at bedroom volumes. (My Guytron certainly does when my daughter's asleep.)

Good luck with the search.

 

[Benji Peterson]

I've got an Orange Thunderverb 200 that I'm using in the bedroom. It sounds fantastic because it has a attenuator that allows me to run the tubes hot for a great sound at any volume. Perhaps a hot plate will achieve the same thing for tube amp tone at bedroom volumes. I'm currently trying to sell my rig to buy an Axe FX II. As soon as I have some more cash though I will replace my Orange gear with another head and cabs.

 

[Jimmyb]

You could try some of the kit amps, like the ones from ampmaker. He does some very low wattage ones, which look pretty interesting, as you can crank them up without getting into ridiculous volume levels.

 

[acwild]

If you're looking in the AxeII price range, try a Mark V. It's Output volume control makes it sound great at any volume. A great amp is very inspiring. The Axe II has some hidden costs such as a midi controller and FRFR speakers, maybe some expression pedals as well depending on what you're going to do. I've got an AxeFx Ultra that's been relegated to effects only since I got my Mark V. Most of my dirt pedals were sold off as well.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I think Ben's experience with his TV200 is very indicative of the recent Orange amps in the Thunderverb and Rockerverb series - they all have excellent Master Volumes. Something to consider. I play my RV50 at very quiet volumes - when everyone else in the house is sleeping - and it still has great tone even at whisper volumes.

Now, I love my DR. Zs too - but they don't do low volume well - and they aren't really designed for that either. Point is - there are a lot of great amps out there today that work as well in the bedroom as on stage and are made to do just that. You just have to take some time and find the right one for you, IMO. I wouldn't give up the search.

Bedroom levels are tricky - you have to remember that what really makes amp sound great, is when those speakers are pushing lots and lots of air - and that will never happen at bedroom levels regardless of how "low-watt" and amp is. Take the Z Vex nano, for instance: 1 watt amp on top of a 4x12 and it's still plenty loud. I've learned the hard way that watts isn't always the greatest measure of how loud an amp can or will be. If you want it sounding good and still quiet - look for a good Master Volume setup. Attenuators are nice - power scaling is better, but IMO, nothing beats a terrifically designed Master Volume. YMMV.

 

[spkirby]

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is the speakers / cab. Firstly, see if you can play your amp through a few different cabs, the differences in tone you will experience will be surprising. Speakers are generally much cheaper than new amps too and that might mean that you can keep all your gear if something floats your boat!

If I can recommend an amp for the bedroom/studio and that suits your rocky style, without hesitation I'd say pickup a Cornford Harlequin... Only 6w but tone to "live" for, boutique point to point construction, and they're now quite cheap on ebay if you want to buy used.