"Amp feels good under the fingers"... WTF?

  • Thread starter Thread starter napalmdeath
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napalmdeath
napalmdeath
Well-known member
I don't get WTF people are trying to say "Feels good under the fingers". What kind of TGP nonsense is that? Maybe I'm dense... I've been playing close to 40 years, and I've never said, "Hey, this feels good under the fingers".. Maybe a guitar, but an amp?
 
Mainly in terms of dynamics. How reactive it is to the velocity of your pick attack and how much compression there is. I've found that usually means how much negative feedback is in the amp's power section.
 
Different amps have different types of responses and “it feels good” to play when it works for one playing style without feeling like you’re fighting the amp

For example, a ccv or Hermansson feels great to play for metal or more aggressive rock styles since it’s so tight and fast (in the Hermansson’s case), but would feel not so good for playing blues (even on the lower gain channels), while an amp like a Gjika feels amazing to play for bluesy stuff, but awful for metal

Even in classical guitar, my main thing, I find some guitars respond in ways that make them feel better for me to play than others independently of the neck, frets or sound itself of the guitar
 
napalmdeath said:
I don't get WTF people are trying to say "Feels good under the fingers". What kind of TGP nonsense is that? Maybe I'm dense... I've been playing close to 40 years, and I've never said, "Hey, this feels good under the fingers".. Maybe a guitar, but an amp?
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Meaning dynamic with a little of bounce or give to the single notes and some bloom, and more forgiving vs a rigid or immediate pick attack thats somewhat clinical/precise. This isn't TGP descriptions, it's a common lingo for as long as I can remember
 
napalmdeath said:
I don't get WTF people are trying to say "Feels good under the fingers". What kind of TGP nonsense is that? Maybe I'm dense... I've been playing close to 40 years, and I've never said, "Hey, this feels good under the fingers".. Maybe a guitar, but an amp?
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This is a rather vague way of describing sag or bounce, that makes something"forgiving" for playing leads/blooze

Contrast with "tight" for more clinical metal oriented amps.
 
I kind of agree but yet disagree if I can put it that way.
 
I'm more comfortable saying "great dynamics", "great note separation and clarity".. Feels good under the fingers is stupid. 🤣
 
napalmdeath said:
I'm more comfortable saying "great dynamics", "great note separation and clarity".. Feels good under the fingers is stupid. 🤣
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Some amps that feel easy to play don't have great dynamics (more compressed, like the CCV as one example) or the best note separation out there. I think some guys just find they play better on some amps vs others, so they say it feels good to play. They feel like they're not fighting the amp to play how they want to
 
RaceU4her said:
the feel is pretty much what separates amps for me, i can get most anything to sound decent but its gotta have the right bounce.
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The wizard MTL2 6l has the best bounce. Like a vht on steroids . Fun to play and so easy. If you like bounce you have try one
 
Techdeth said:
The wizard MTL2 6l has the best bounce. Like a vht on steroids . Fun to play and so easy. If you like bounce you have try one
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Disagree big time. If you've had a C+ with GEQ, that amp (any version) will have the best bounce. I've had a Wiz MTL and MC100, and while they do have great touch sensitivity(feel) they aren't even in the same ballpark as a GEQ C+. The C+ is the 'bounciest' amp out there, at least in the hard rock/metal category.
Feel is always the amp, not the guitar. Take the same guitar and play a vintage Marshall, or a Wizard, SLO, C+, vintage Fender, early Recto or Friedman and then play a Suhr PT100. The Suhr just feels very flat in comparison. A Splawn QR I played had the same response.
Not saying the Suhr/Splawn sounded bad, they sound just fine but the feel on those amps are nonexistent in comparison to the previous amps I mentioned.

Another way I've heard it put, it "feels like your fingers are attached to the strings at all times".....
 
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