Are new amps really needed?

A

AlexGuitar

Inspired
I've been scrolling the forums, and I've noticed a tendency for many users to constantly be speculating about new amp models. However, many of the requests seem somewhat redundant. This lead me to wonder whether some of my "dream additions" might be closely related to already existing models.

My personal wish list is as follows: Tone King Amps, Dumble Steel String Singer, and a Vox AC-50. Are there models in the Axe that closely approximate these that I don't know about? If so, please let me know!
 
AlexGuitar said:
I've been scrolling the forums, and I've noticed a tendency for many users to constantly be speculating about new amp models. However, many of the requests seem somewhat redundant. This lead me to wonder whether some of my "dream additions" might be closely related to already existing models.

My personal wish list is as follows: Tone King Amps, Dumble Steel String Singer, and a Vox AC-50. Are there models in the Axe that closely approximate these that I don't know about? If so, please let me know!
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yes and no , there are not specific models of those amps . but many users can tweak other models to get close , If you know enough about the amp topology, you can actually build a custom amp to replicate models not in the axe by say selecting a Fender Vibroverb and swapping that tone stack to an AC 30 and tweak a few things from there. I think Axe change has a few ToneKing matched presets , Brett Kingman has a great preset called Rumbles that does the Dumble thing very well IMO,

http://axechange.fractalaudio.com/detail.php?preset=9954
 
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There's several I'd love to see just because it would make replicating them easier than tweaking by ear. But are they "needed"? I think that's a solid no. In fact, I think things could be scaled way back to generic platforms, tweaked from there, and the vast majority of people would still be perfectly fine.
 
That's such a loaded question. I like @VegasGuitar 's response above. I don't believe there is any "reasonable" tone that can't be attained with the current arsenal, but we guitarists like to obsess over tone. It's never ending.
 
I'll follow up to my previous post to state that I believe most of our obsession is for purely personal fulfillment. I have to laugh sometimes because, guess what? 90% or more of folks will never care about your awesome guitar tone...they don't even notice. Most people when listening to a song perceive it in it's totality; they're not honed in to any one instrument.

That doesn't mean tone doesn't matter. It can do wonders for inspiration, motivation, and making a connection to your guitar.
 
Nope..One amp is enough. One guitar is enough.

More is funner!

Thankfully I don't have to find space to store all the amps!
 
@yek is kindly maintaining a Wish Master List here: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/master-wish-list.167942/
It has around 1,800 entries (last update August 2022). Amps are not included, but I guess that it would be impractical because Excel has a limited number of rows, and Yek probably has a finite amount of patience and time :D


I guess that new amps are not added based on our cravings, but on what interesting amps Cliff can actually get on his hands. Want another amp modeled? You got better chances if you send it to Cliff, together with the schematic and a Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet 2011
 
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On the one hand, I look at it from the perspective of are there sounds I want but which I'm not able to get from any of the current models? There are a lot of circuits already represented, and others that can be dialed in from those.

When people ask about new amps, the first thing that comes into mind is whether there's an existing model that's already similar and can be tweaked to match the characteristics of the requested amp. I don't know that people want new amps so much as maybe needing a hand in getting a similar amp's sound from one of the existing models, and maybe some laymen-friendly explanations of some of the more advanced parameters.

It is pretty cool when they do add new amps. I've yet to scratch the surface of what we already have though, especially once you factor in all the options for tailoring the sounds.
 
AlexGuitar said:
I've been scrolling the forums, and I've noticed a tendency for many users to constantly be speculating about new amp models. However, many of the requests seem somewhat redundant. This lead me to wonder whether some of my "dream additions" might be closely related to already existing models.
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You would be correct on all points.

Today's tube amps are derivatives of amps initially built in the 40s and 50s, that have had numerous tweaks made to them; Many famous amps that are currently made are just that, applied tweaks to the original circuits.

Fractal models the basic circuits for various amps and then gives us ways to make the same tweaks, so, though a particular brand might not be represented in the amplifier picker, knowing what was the basis, and what changes were made to that circuit can get us into the ballpark. Then it's a matter of making additional adjustments.

Yek's amplifier guides are very helpful, as is searching the internet for the target amplifier schematics because often there'll be associated threads discussing what changes can be made. Match those changes to the options in the modeler and you can get even closer. If a particular mod can't be found or figured out, asking in the forum can often lead to what parameter needs to be changed, or Cliff will comment to clarify or will turn around and add that to the model.

People asking for a specific model often haven't tried using the tools at hand. The modeler is like a great big toolbox and we can get down to the component level, if we try.

AlexGuitar said:
My personal wish list is as follows: Tone King Amps, Dumble Steel String Singer, and a Vox AC-50. Are there models in the Axe that closely approximate these that I don't know about? If so, please let me know!
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I have a Tone King Imperial Mk II and have the rhythm side model sounding very close because it's basically a Blackface Deluxe. The Lead channel is harder because it starts out sounding like a Tweed Deluxe but as the mid-bite is increased the gain changes dramatically, and slides into a Bassman or JTM-45 sound. You can find the preset by searching the forum.

I also have a Mesa Lonestar Special, which is basically a Lone Star Classic with different power tubes and a 1x12 cabinet. Adjusting the Cab to a Mesa 1x12 and changing the tubes in the power-amp results in a pretty good facsimile, good enough that I probably wouldn't be able to tell.

I suspect that the Dumble Steel String Singer would be a similar situation, as would the Vox AC-50.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
People asking for a specific model often haven't tried using the tools at hand. The modeler is like a great big toolbox and we can get down to the component level, if we try.
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I agree with the spirit of this, but I feel like a decent number of us using Fractal devices may not understand amp circuitry enough to know how to take Amp A to Amp Z.

The tools are there, sure, but if you don't have the right knowledge set to use them then it may not be as "infinite" as it is for some.

I know this is all learnable, but it's such a big topic it's hard to know where to start sometimes. It also seems like a lot of learning to just, say, make a Benson Chimera from some sort of Fender.
 
Wouldn't cry about an amp model that has the Sgt. Pepper guitar tone. Those UL730 Voxes they used had an interesting mid bite to them that the tube ones don't get....
 
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