• From: England
  • Registered: 2011-04-24
  • Posts: 2

Topic: looking for a good set up.

Guys-

I'm 17 and have been playing guitar for 11 years now. In this time I've been playing first a Yamaha Pacifica through a Marshall MG 15 CDR, and now a Schecter Diamond Series 2006 30th Anniversary through either the Marshall or a Line 6 Spider IV 120. I'm now at the stage where I was to get some slightly more professional gear as the Marshall is too small to handle anything bigger than my bedroom and the Line 6 just isn't a good amp, tonally lacking and to complex for my liking (I much prefer just the simple volume, reverb and tone). I know very little about amplification, FX-loops, pedal boards and how to get a good set up that'll last me my playing years and get the sound I'm looking for.

The tone that Joe manages to get from his combination of amps and foot pedals is where I would like to be at but I'm influenced by other artists such as Clapton and Knopfler and I would like to be able to create a little diversity in my tones. At the moment I find that it is hard to play straight chords through my Marshall without getting an awful mash of sound and would like to know how to achieve a clear overdriven sound through any amp (I understand that this would obviously fluctuate between amps).

I would be extremely grateful of any suggestions of equipment I should take a look at and research. I am mainly looking at switching to a cab and a head possibly having two cabs and two heads joined as Joe Does, however I don't understand how this set up needs to be, well, set up!

Any help would be much appreciated,
Thanks,

Malcolm Thorne

email: m-thorne@live.com

  • sted
  • sted
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  • Registered: 2011-03-20
  • Posts: 333

Re: looking for a good set up.

Hi mate,

I agree with your statement about those amps you've got mate, those spiders are really quite bad!

It really depends what you're looking for in your tone, Ive used Marshall, Fender, Mesa Boogie, peavey combos and heads all for different kinds of things really, I currently use a Matchless amp that I'm very happy with.
If you're after a classic blues/rock kind of sound then a better spec Marshall is a good way to go, a 50w JVM head is a great amp full of classic Marshall tone and should have plenty of head room for decent clean tones too.
If you absolutely need crystalline headroom then Fender has a great range of amps for not much money, the Hot Rod Deluxe is an absolute stalwart in the club/pup gigging world and will give you those spanking cleans, they also take pedals really well so they are really flexible platforms for many different tones, the new ones even have a much nicer drive channel than the old models too.
If you prefer the heavier side of things then Peavey produce some of the worlds class leading production amplifiers for high gain territory, the JSX, 5150 etc are all used worldwide by respected artists.

Its all horses for courses though, application, budget, playing style, intended venues all should come into play when choosing an amp but you really need to decide what you want out of your set up and what the "Sound in your head"  before splashing out on expensive gear that you may not be entirely happy with.

As for running two head set ups there are various means, Joe's uses his 4x12's wired into two seperate 2x12's and then has an amp into each side, hence four amps. If you wanted one cab and just needed to switch amps into one cab then something like the Radial Headbone will do the trick for you, though you cant run them together in this way, its one amp or the other.  smile

  • From: England
  • Registered: 2011-04-24
  • Posts: 2

Re: looking for a good set up.

Sted-

Thanks a lot for the advice.
With the Marshall JVM, what exactly is the difference between the JVM" and JVM4 as it's confused me....? tongue however they do look the business.
I'm not so much looking for the clean sounds, however I would want the amp to clean up slightly without sounding dull, something that old Marshall's had a tendency for so I will look into the Fenders also.

What Matchless do you use out of interest?

On the 4x12's, how would you wire them? (I appreciate if you do not know, I wouldn't know where to start)

Malcolm

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: looking for a good set up.

I'm 17 and I'm trying to do the same as you here...I was thinking a JCM2000 DSL50/100 is a good place to start (what Joe uses in BCC). The 100 model will give you more clean headroom however. As for cabs, you can't go wrong with a 1960A or B

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: looking for a good set up.

Hey guys, I think the main thing to consider is where are you going be playing at?  If your going to just gig at a coffee house or something I highly suggest you skip the half stacks.  A good combo is really all a starting gigging musician needs.  If you don't need head room go for a lower wattage amp 15 to 20 watts will get you loud enough to cut through the drummer even without a mic in a room.  If you need some headroom go for a 40 to 50 watt amp.  Most of the amps suggested to you already have 2 or more channels so you can dial in gain settings for clean, mild, to wild.  Personally I play a 15 watt Fender Blues Jr with a single 12 inch speaker with a drummer that is very heavy handed.  I've had no problem filling up a small room with that bad boy, we played at a gym once and I mic'd then.  Bottom line is if you want to have an amp sound like its going to blow up you've got to turn it up to do it, most people can't play a half stack wide up like Joe B, due to sound limitations.  Your going to save your back as well.  Try walking up a flight of stairs with a stack to think about.  I have a duffle back full of cords and things on my back, amp in one hand and guitar in the other.   One trip in and 5 minutes later I'm ready to play.  I'm only 29 now but after years of playing out I can tell you your back thanks you when you don't lug around 100 lbs worth gear every night.  Save the half stack for when your roadie has to set it up.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: looking for a good set up.

+1

Jlowther wrote:

I'm 17 and I'm trying to do the same as you here...I was thinking a JCM2000 DSL50/100 is a good place to start (what Joe uses in BCC). The 100 model will give you more clean headroom however. As for cabs, you can't go wrong with a 1960A or B

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • Registered: 2010-08-25
  • Posts: 24

Re: looking for a good set up.

I would choose a marshall dsl50 head and 2x12 cab. I have one of these as well as a fender blues junior and blackstar ht 40.
All of these amps are good, i gig every weekend and the fender is alot easier to carry, but the marshall is without a doubt the best sounding amp for my use which is classic rock. The idea was to have amps for small, medium and large venues (thats how i justified that one) but i am now in the process of selling the others and keeping the marshall for every venue.

8 Reply by helrazr84 (edited by helrazr84 2011-04-24 17:44:05)

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: looking for a good set up.

If you're looking for a single amp approach with a cabinet and you want to get something good then the Marshall DSL is a great choice.  The beauty of having 2 modes on this amp allows you to use the higher gain mode if you want to get a lot of crunch with not a lot of volume and the Green channel is killer with a TS 808 in front.  DSL's give you a good amount of flexibility with tones and are simple enough to dial in.  Here in the U.S. you can find them with little to no effort as they are widely available.  A 2x12 cab is a great match for them too.  They have reverb and a lot of distortion so no OD pedal is necessarily needed.  A matchless is going to be super expensive so unless you are looking to drop some decent coin..you know.

The DSL has an FX loop also so if you find another reverb pedal you like you can use it in the loop along with a nice delay and you're in business.  These amps are loud and of course not as mobile as a smaller fender combo but if you're really looking to go all out and get good stuff, they are a great option.

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Re: looking for a good set up.

Malcolm Thorne wrote:

Sted-

Thanks a lot for the advice.
With the Marshall JVM, what exactly is the difference between the JVM" and JVM4 as it's confused me....? tongue however they do look the business.
I'm not so much looking for the clean sounds, however I would want the amp to clean up slightly without sounding dull, something that old Marshall's had a tendency for so I will look into the Fenders also.

What Matchless do you use out of interest?

On the 4x12's, how would you wire them? (I appreciate if you do not know, I wouldn't know where to start)

Malcolm

The JVM's come in two or four channel heads and combos, obviously the four channel units have a great deal of felxibility but the other guitar player in the band uses a 50w JVM 2 channel head and he doesnt struggle with getting good useable tones and decent headroom. I'm a big believer in simplicity these days, I had a Mesa Mark V for a while and that hting was just ridiculous the amount of bells and whistles it had, it could take ages to dial in a sound! My current amp is the Matchless Independence which is a three channel 35w class A amp head.

As for wiring cabs have a look at this site mate, its really good for wiring schematics:

http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/4x12wiring.html

Theres just tonnes of amp manufacturers out there mate, some have truly excellent features on them so dont just restrict yourself to a certain few, try as many as possible before making a decision.

  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-02-11
  • Posts: 453

Re: looking for a good set up.

i would pick up a DSL head. check out stratpaulsguys demo on youtube and see what a DSL and a few pedals can do. That's what i would have if I didn't have my 2553 head.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: looking for a good set up.

I got away without using a head for a decade. I went to a 55watt combo with 1x12. It was great for big and small gigs... and practice. For bigger gigs, or for warming up the sound, I plugged it into a 4x12 extension cab. Best of both worlds! you just don't have the look of a head, but who cares?

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: looking for a good set up.

Eric Clapton doesn't seem to miss his half stack Soldano's and the full stack marshalls.  All he is using is a Custom shop Fender Twin 40 watts Cranked.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: looking for a good set up.

AD3THREE wrote:

Eric Clapton doesn't seem to miss his half stack Soldano's and the full stack marshalls.  All he is using is a Custom shop Fender Twin 40 watts Cranked.

+1

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • Registered: 2010-03-20
  • Posts: 536

Re: looking for a good set up.

AD makes the key point- where are you playing and what are you playing?

Personally, I'd never go for one big stack when I can run two smaller combos in stereo and get a bigger sound. If you're playing 200 people pubs, you could do so adequately with a Class 5 and a Blues Jnr in stereo.

And, I would always have a tweed as my base sound and do everything around it.

If you want the best sounding combo ever made (my opinion) get a Tweed 57 Twin RI. THat's what I have, run in stereo with a Marshall 2554 (Silver Jube) combo. Massive tone, massive sound and IMO, much better than any new fizzy Marshall stack.

Also, think how you're going to run you pedals and which ones- a Twin has no loop so needs to be run clean with pedals shaping the gain. The Marshall does have a loop, so I delay that in the loop now.

"Who wants an orange whip? Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips...."

JB LP Goldtop No. 290- Aged...rather like me.
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: looking for a good set up.

A small tube amp with "your sound" and investing in a good mic for the amp can go anywhere in the world, and will save your back!

Just have to find an amp that has the tone you want. Mic's and PA can do the rest.



(this coming from a guy who just went to a 100 watt head with 2x12 EVMs) wink
But I can get away with using my 15 watt Blues JR mic'd for most applications.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool