Talk me out of getting back into amps

bigfoamfinger

bigfoamfinger

Inspired
Currently running 2x 12 inch RCF speakers. Sounds amazing but you know how this goes. I miss the AITR. Close to switching to a Fryette 2902 and going stereo with 412s. I primarily play at home and it’s totally overkill, but I love loud guitars.

Lately though I’ve been getting the itch to go back to a BE100 or a Wizard and analog board (keeping my III though, not giving up on fractal)

Deep down I know that the difference between tube amps and Axe + Fryette is minimal, but I’m still drawn back to the turning of knobs and the novelty of it for some reason.

I’ve gone back and forth several times over the years. I can never make up my mind and don’t have the money to just “get it all”
 
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I run my tube amps into the xload and then go xload into my axe fx III. It sounds great. The BE100 is a great amp to want to get. As long as you only get 2 or 3 really good amps you should be ok. Running them through the axe also makes recording super easy, for me at least.
 
If I had the room I'd have a Black Cat Jet Black, Headfirst Alta 100 & Two Rock TS1 against the wall...that being said how much room and money would I need to have 328 amps, over 2000 cabs (not including the packs I've bought for less than a dozen golf balls), and all the effects in my Turbo(s)? Imagine the cabling!
 
Gotta admit, there's a little voice that wants me to get a small tube amp to jam with friends. Thing is, I'd want at least a 3 channel combo amp, which I'm not sure exists besides Mesa, and those are expensive and heavy and way more power than i need.

Maybe i should investigate.
Maybe.
 
Who am I to talk you out of something that might be a whole lot of fun? Guess who has a mountain of amps. Cliff. Seems to me that he combined passion and ingenuity and now we all have these little black boxes. So if a badass tube amp will light a fire in you, causing you to play your guitar and feel great, you should probably do it.
 
If you miss AITR the just get good FRFR. With proper volume it will blow your trousers and still you have flexibility of different amp/cab configurations. I am playing bass, we are rehearsing with IEM, but I also have my GK amp with cab just for feeling the air moving - just quiet enough to not to harm drum mic's. More than happy for that setup.
 
bigfoamfinger said:
Currently running 2x 12 inch RCF speakers. Sounds amazing but you know how this goes. I miss the AITR.
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Replace the cab block with a filter for hi/lo cut and a GEQ after to dial to taste.
I went through the same thing, and after the switch it was night and day.
IRs are great for recorded, album-ready tones, but if you want to move air with "that" feel you only get ITR, gotta' ditch the baked-in mics.
...plus you'll save a ton of DSP. I can send some settings to get started with if you want.

As for the rest, those are killer amps, and simplicity is attractive. Gotta' do what works for you.
 
I’ve found I get closer to AITR by using dynacabs with a single ribbon mic at max distance rather than close mic’d IRs. For stereo, I use a second ribbon at same distance but a different position (works better with cab packs where you have more mic placement options).
 
Dave Merrill said:
Gotta admit, there's a little voice that wants me to get a small tube amp to jam with friends. Thing is, I'd want at least a 3 channel combo amp, which I'm not sure exists besides Mesa, and those are expensive and heavy and way more power than i need.
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I'm gonna have to be an enabler.

Doooooitttttttttttttttt!!!!
 
Dave Merrill said:
Gotta admit, there's a little voice that wants me to get a small tube amp to jam with friends. Thing is, I'd want at least a 3 channel combo amp, which I'm not sure exists besides Mesa, and those are expensive and heavy and way more power than i need.

Maybe i should investigate.
Maybe.
Click to expand...
I LOVE this little fella for a fast grab and go…

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/best-tube-amp-shootout-under-1000.197257/post-2449604


It doesn't do channel switching, but its larger sibling, the Falcon Grande does. The Falcon is a loud ~12 watts with 10" speaker; I've had drummers complaining about how loud it is.



The Falcon and Falcon Grande will get into a heavily overdriven Bassman sound or clean up depending on the gain, your guitar's output and how hard you're hitting it.

If you look for one search for used models. Bartel left the company in 2017 IIRC, and the design changed a bit several years later. My Falcon is from 2010-ish.
 
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