Did you keep any amps, and do you play them?

S

spufuz

Inspired
Yesterday, i spent some time in the "studio" we have at where we rehearse.
Playing around with some presets and then loaded up at JTM45 model and put a BB preamp in front of it.
Some delay and reverb and with a SG Standard, and i sounded great! Creamy tone with a lot of body.

And just before i went home i noticed my old rig in the corner. My SF Twin Reverb from -75 with a pedalboard. (Fulldrive 2, BB preamp, Dynacomp etc. etc.)
Plugged it in and cranked it up. Played a few minutes. Turned it off. Unplugged it and put it back.

And i said something like "So, is this what i played before?"
Dont get me wrong, the Twin and the predalboard sounds really good, but i wasnt really turned on by it anymore. :roll

My next thought was why i even bother to keep the stuff. I strongly consider selling it all.

Have you been in the same situation?
 
I keep my Pre-CBS Princeton and my 70's twin mostly for comparison, and for guests. However, it's also interesting to compare levels of buzz and hum in them. I am currently experiencing a lot of 60 cycle hum with my II, but not with my amp, and not with my Ultra.
 
I have one left. Its a clone of a Marshall 18 wt but with a 36 wt output stage. It actually sounds really good and I wouldn't get any decent money for it if I tried to sell so I'll keep it around for old times sake.

Just got rid of a Mesa Blue Angel. Traded it in with another guitar on an acoustic guitar.
 
New user here - so far, I still like to hear the air moving and the amp interacting with the guitar so I'm using a combination of full range monitors and an amp. I will probably only record/keep the axe fully processed sound because I can't beat it with other means (micing the amp, etc), but I find it more pleasing to monitor in this way while recording/playing.
 
I kept one of mine- a tuxedo 64 Bassman. It'd be pretty tough to replace, it sounds great, and it looks really good in the music room. That being said, I honestly haven't turned it on in a while- my Axe gets all the play time these days. I always said I would never be a collector, but it appears to a small extent, that I am.
 
Everytime i think of buying some amp... I just play something trough the Axe... Then i don´t need to buy anything..

But i would like a Carol-Ann and maybe a Mark V.. Just for the looks. :D

And i would like to try a real CA amp...
 
im keeping my Splawn modded marshall plexi til the end of time. One of the best sounding marshall heads i've heard and i could never part with it. the friedman and spawn amps in the axe sounds very similar and
 
I still have my Baron Custom Amps B60. I play the Axe 80% of the time but yeah I still play it.
 
The Axe won and all the amps and pedals had to walk the plank. I did not have any vintage amps though. Those can be worth a bundle for your kids.
 
I've kept my 22w super sonic and Pro jr around and use them for gigs when I'm too lazy to take the Axe Rig to shows, but I always feel like something is missing. LOL.
 
Ive had my JCM900 100w Dual Reverb for 20yrs and its a part of me now, it has the EL34s so it sounds killer to me, every single person ive talked to and review ive ever read hates the JCM900 and say how unreliable they are and transistor sounding, but the way I have it dialed in with a Les Paul it just punches you in the chest and sounds killer! I still gig with it all the time and have only ever needed to replace the tubes in it as part of the up keep.

I did sell all my other little studio amps because the axe has replaced them all but the JCM will stay with me for ever haha

Im just about to replace one of my 1960a quads with FRFR speakers and start gigging with the axe as my main rig.
 
I have Blues Jr III, that I got, when I went up to Flagstaff AZ to see my Son at NAU. It's under my desk, with dust all over it. I'll keep it for the memory, Or plug my AXE FX into into it for fun, when I'm board.
 
I still have my entire amp collection. Including a few I never ever play even before the AxeFx. But I keep them in storage when I'm not using them. I break them out one at a time as needed.
 
I had Bad Cat Black Cat 30 and Cornford Carerra and previously Mesa boogie Triaxis with 20/20 power amp previously 50/50 with MB 2x12 speaker
Can safely say that my current rig of AXE II with Atomic 50/50 power amp and 2 passive Atomic reactor cabs simply sounds a lot better and the variety of tones is stunning. Currently waiting to try the next swathe of CLR offerings The current Cleans i use are Super Reverb and Vox AC 15. Absolutely lush sparkly but not harsh reactive tones that react to volume control and overdrives like the real Amp. Two Rock to die for, you can do a whole set on this riding the volume of your guitar. Use the Brit Silver and Spawn amps for crunch and Peavey 6160 for lead. Unprecidented control over so many tones. This stuff is the best kit I have ever heard or played

As Taylor Swift said "Never ever ever getting back together" with tube amps

James
 
I kept my Badger 18watt. Power scaling gives it feel and dynamics without having to crank, it's light, small, easy to store, nicely balanced, musical, classic vibe, effects loop, and it just looks cool.
 
What owning the Axe II has taught me is that I have a better idea of what all the real amps sound like and how to tweak/match them to speakers and guitars. My Tom Anderson Drop top sounds great and better than it ever did with my Bad Cat. If i were to go back to an amp it would prob be a Vox AC15. With a Drive Pedal and good Digital Delay I could get most tones I'll ever need. But... I don't need to

James
 
I decided to keep just one: my Bogner Shiva 20th. I love that amp! It does not get much use, but I like to use it every now and then. If I was forced to sell some gear, the amp would be gone long before my Axe-FX II.
 
Nope all amps gone. My last was a Mesa Mark IIB. Hated to see it go, but have never looked back or regretted it.
 
I kept my amps and I play them regulary, I use(d) Axe only for recording, because it is easier. For live playing I dont like Axe (Ultra/II) because of the feeling and complexity by trying to find a (my) good tone - but my son (he is 18 now) likes the Axe for silent playing (and I do not like silent playing :)
And I must admit, I tried to like the Axe for about two years now, every few months I took some days to playing with it, but ... I like the amps much better. I did not touch the Axe II the last 4 months for sure ...

My amps:
Rehearsalroom Hardrock Band (Deep Purple, Gotthard, Gary Moore - Style)
Custom Audio PT-100 + Mesa 4x12 (Scumback M75 + V30) + TC Flashback X4 (sometimes + Eventide Pitchfactor + Analogman Chorus + Morley Volume/Wah + Polytune)
Rehearsalroom (softer :) Hardrock Band + Pop-Rock-Coverband (From Pearl Jam over U2 to Rolling Stones)
Koch Twintone II + Koch 2x12 Vertical (V30) + Strymon Timeline (sometimes BB Preamp + Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus + Polytune)

At home:
For Knopfler, Robert Cray, everything to mid crunch :) Tone King Imperial + Okko Diablo + TC Flashback
For the rest: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 + TC Flashback + Corona Chorus + Mooer Phaser + Fulltone OCD ...
 
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