Thinking of going low gain

braintheory said:
I’ve had 2 Divided By 13’s and tried a few others too. What he’s describing is just part of their sound. I don’t think they’re bad amps, I actually liked some things about them, but for the price range they’re in there are plenty of overall better amps out there IME. I’d say similar for Bad Cat, Cornford and Morgan. I don’t like Morgan’s at all. They kind of are to Vox’s what Friedman is too Marshall, but even more so. Cornford’s are pretty good actually, but not what I’d use as a pedal platform or ideal clean amp
Click to expand...

Big agree on morgans.

For that kind of money there are way, way, WAY better options

I would grab a bad cat, matchless, tophat, victoria, alessandro, etc depending on what type of circuit you're looking for, and you'd get a lot more for the money.

Morgans aren't terrible by any means, but the build quality and QC is sus and i've heard some gross things about his business practices. I would avoid like the plague, especially when there are so many great builders for those types of amps out there.
 
Oh, wasn't aware there was so much negative news about Divided by 13 and Morgan. I have seen maybe one or two threads, but I really haven't dug that deep into either company. Caveat emptor.

Another good clean pedal platform would be a Fender Princeton, if you don't need too many watts, or at least I've heard that.
 
It's really hard to get a good read on a cleaner amp until you genuinely play a style suited for it. Definitely learn a few licks with your fingers if you don't know any already. Crank the amps and ride your volume, check all the harmonics and tap them out too. Play from feather light to chugg-norris-hard and listen to how it responds. Built-in reverb is a pedal you're not plugging into, bonus points for trem.

Lots of good suggestions so far. It took me a long time to figure out what everyone saw in the ac30, but I can't live without it now - greenbacks too, purists! I'm thrilled with the Gretsch executive I just got, which is a blackface twin style circuit. Octal pre-amps are really cool. Dr z has a few models, the 50th Anniversary Vox has ef86. I really dig Friedman Dirty Shirley. Orange rockerverb mki was really nice too with the 6v6, if you can find one.
 
Al Chapo said:
It's really hard to get a good read on a cleaner amp until you genuinely play a style suited for it. Definitely learn a few licks with your fingers if you don't know any already. Crank the amps and ride your volume, check all the harmonics and tap them out too. Play from feather light to chugg-norris-hard and listen to how it responds. Built-in reverb is a pedal you're not plugging into, bonus points for trem.

Lots of good suggestions so far. It took me a long time to figure out what everyone saw in the ac30, but I can't live without it now - greenbacks too, purists! I'm thrilled with the Gretsch executive I just got, which is a blackface twin style circuit. Octal pre-amps are really cool. Dr z has a few models, the 50th Anniversary Vox has ef86. I really dig Friedman Dirty Shirley. Orange rockerverb mki was really nice too with the 6v6, if you can find one.
Click to expand...
I am very interested in dirty shirley and have been flirting with it all morning
 
Also, i started guitar playing acoustic and singing, but then i learned a tool song on a line 6 and was wanting a better distortion sound....here we are.
 
Smash said:
I am very interested in dirty shirley and have been flirting with it all morning
Click to expand...
I'd have one if the Gretsch didn't pop up lol. They're killer amps, and they have good gain built in. If you're not playing clean or pedals, it still has good use too.
Smash said:
Also, i started guitar playing acoustic and singing, but then i learned a tool song on a line 6 and was wanting a better distortion sound....here we are.
Click to expand...
It's the same rabbit hole in another direction. Before you know it, you'll be on tgp asking if your Benson complements your Collings.
 
Al Chapo said:
I'd have one if the Gretsch didn't pop up lol. They're killer amps, and they have good gain built in. If you're not playing clean or pedals, it still has good use too.

It's the same rabbit hole in another direction. Before you know it, you'll be on tgp asking if your Benson complements your Collings.
Click to expand...
Yeah. For me, i always hated clean amps because i never thought it competed with the natural sound of an acoustic. So i dont know how far I can go down this road
 
Smash said:
Yeah. For me, i always hated clean amps because i never thought it competed with the natural sound of an acoustic. So i dont know how far I can go down this road
Click to expand...

It's a different road than acoustics, for sure.

Especially with a vox or hiwatt, there is a huge synergy with the effects that you use with the clean amp

As in, because a hiwatts headroom is so huge, delays have this cavernous space to them that just isn't there with a gainy amp

Or with an AC30 or Matchless, there's this chime that everyone talks about - it makes chords sparkle in a way that no other type of amp does
 
Smash said:
Yeah. For me, i always hated clean amps because i never thought it competed with the natural sound of an acoustic. So i dont know how far I can go down this road
Click to expand...
With classical guitar being my main thing I sometimes felt that way too, but I go for clean sounds that are something so different than what acoustic guitars do
 
I think that really what i am searching for isnt the clean as much as the crunch it can go to. That said, im not into the spanky clean. I could make it work, but i would just drown it with delay and other effects to make it sound better.
 
nightlight said:
Oh, wasn't aware there was so much negative news about Divided by 13 and Morgan. I have seen maybe one or two threads, but I really haven't dug that deep into either company. Caveat emptor.

Another good clean pedal platform would be a Fender Princeton, if you don't need too many watts, or at least I've heard that.
Click to expand...
Maybe it depends a bit on what pedals you’re using in front of them. The Princeton and other lower wattage Fender’s certainly have great tone full of character, but as a pedal platforms I’ve much preferred amps with more headroom/wattage. That’s a huge part of why those guys love Hiwatt’s along with high powered speakers like crescendo’s accompanying them. On its own I find the Hiwatt clean bland for my taste (but huge and punchy), but it makes it also a great somewhat blank canvas for most pedals to be very agreeable in how they work with it
 
Smash said:
I think that really what i am searching for isnt the clean as much as the crunch it can go to. That said, im not into the spanky clean. I could make it work, but i would just drown it with delay and other effects to make it sound better.
Click to expand...
If that’s what you’re looking for I’d recommend very different amps than mentioned before. If you don’t want spanky cleans stay the hell away from fenders or Strats lol. Actually though most of these EL84 amps mentioned (especially the Jamison) get killer crunch once they overdrive and of course we know plexi’s do as well as we know that the sky is blue, but not all of them have equally good cleans
 
braintheory said:
Maybe it depends a bit on what pedals you’re using in front of them. The Princeton and other lower wattage Fender’s certainly have great tone full of character, but as a pedal platforms I’ve much preferred amps with more headroom/wattage. That’s a huge part of why those guys love Hiwatt’s along with high powered speakers like crescendo’s accompanying them. On its own I find the Hiwatt clean bland for my taste (but huge and punchy), but it makes it also a great somewhat blank canvas for most pedals to be very agreeable in how they work with it
Click to expand...

I (and many others) don't run the hiwatt as "clean" - you crank up the preamp into the stereotypical "Edge of breakup" area, and then use picking dynamics or your volume control for clean clean

Otherwise it's going to be like playing unplugged basically - too sterile

The whole point is that the breakup comes on so slowly, and theres so much headroom, that theres a wider range of expressiveness at this "Edge" compared to other cleanish amps
 
braintheory said:
If that’s what you’re looking for I’d recommend very different amps than mentioned before. If you don’t want spanky cleans stay the hell away from fenders or Strats lol. Actually though most of these EL84 amps mentioned (especially the Jamison) get killer crunch once they overdrive and of course we know plexi’s do as well as we know that the sky is blue, but not all of them have equally good cleans
Click to expand...
Yes. This is kind of my thought process. This thread has made me realize i am looking more towards a jtm45ish amp. @DanTravis62 do you think i could handle a mojotone 45 build? The thing is cheap as hell
 
DanTravis62 said:
I (and many others) don't run the hiwatt as "clean" - you crank up the preamp into the stereotypical "Edge of breakup" area, and then use picking dynamics or your volume control for clean clean

Otherwise it's going to be like playing unplugged basically - too sterile

The whole point is that the breakup comes on so slowly, and theres so much headroom, that theres a wider range of expressiveness at this "Edge" compared to other cleanish amps
Click to expand...
I love the hiwatt clean also. Maybe i like sterile, but it sounds so full and beautiful
 
Smash said:
Yes. This is kind of my thought process. This thread has made me realize i am looking more towards a jtm45ish amp. @DanTravis62 do you think i could handle a mojotone 45 build? The thing is cheap as hell
Click to expand...

As long as you took your time with it, yes

I view your iron skills around the same level as mine, and I was fine with my hiwatt build as long as i took my time

A normal jtm45 circuit is going to be way lower gain than a dirty shirley, just so you know though
 
braintheory said:
If that’s what you’re looking for I’d recommend very different amps than mentioned before. If you don’t want spanky cleans stay the hell away from fenders or Strats lol. Actually though most of these EL84 amps mentioned (especially the Jamison) get killer crunch once they overdrive and of course we know plexi’s do as well as we know that the sky is blue, but not all of them have equally good cleans
Click to expand...
I hate strats
 
Smash said:
I saw a dr 50 watt build on there, but that is pretty complex
Click to expand...

Yeah it wasn't too bad, but it's a hair more involved than a standard bassman/marshall type tone stack

I think either one would be a good clean amp to dip your toes in, altho obviously very different sounds
 
DanTravis62 said:
Yeah it wasn't too bad, but it's a hair more involved than a standard bassman/marshall type tone stack

I think either one would be a good clean amp to dip your toes in, altho obviously very different sounds
Click to expand...
Man. The hiwatt sound is sex. And building one way cheaper. But it seems hard. My build would not be as clean as yours
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top