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View Full Version : Help..how to use a 1CH tube amp most versatile?



Jimi75
December 18th, 2006, 05:52 AM
Hey folks, I really need some advise from the amp experts here.
Some years ago my set up consisted of a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Tube Screamer 808. The amp setting was pretty clean, the drive came from the pedal. That was okay at that time when I played only Stevie Ray stuff, but now I am looking for more....

How do you use your 1ch tube amp? I tried out the Marshall 1987x and the THD Univalve which are both excellent amps - Problem - both sound great clean and also cranked up!

Which way would you go? Set the amp clean and do the rest with pedals (the tc electronics double distortion would be a choice...)? Set the amp cranked up and work with the guitars volume knob? Please do not suggest to buy two amps, nor to buy a 2ch amp.

For your info, I play Strats and Les Pauls, the sound I am looking for is something like Joe Bonamassa/Jimi/.

Thanks for taking your time.....damn it's so long that I owend a tube amp.

Regards
Jimi75

Plank_Spanker
December 18th, 2006, 06:57 AM
I set the amp's volume to where I get it growling with the guitar's volume run up. When I need clean, I roll back the guitar's volume a bit and / or go easy on pick attack.

"How much" will vary greatly depending on the guitar and the amp.

Spudman
December 18th, 2006, 07:14 AM
I kind of do like Spanky.

I set my amp to almost the break up point. It's still kind of clean but if you push it at all it will break. Then I use pedals for the rest. If you run a non-switchable tube amp well into it's own distortion then there is almost no way to get it clean again.

Starting with the amp clean you get: CLEAN - CRUNCH - OVERDRIVEN CRAZY GAIN all with pedals. 3 channels with one amp essentially. I've found this to be the most versatile. If you don't need to be versatile then just crank the amp and you'll have YOUR signature sound the whole set or whole night.

Tinky-Winky
December 18th, 2006, 08:12 AM
When you say jimi I take it you mean jimi hendrix. His sounds were almost always based on using a fuzz pedal to drive the amp into distortion, and without a fuzz pedal it is impossible to get that sound. Therefore, I'd definitely recommend using a (fuzz) pedal to get that distorted sound, especially since rolling off your guitar volume cleans up the fuzz.

Robert
December 18th, 2006, 08:38 AM
Same here - nice clean amp to start with - dirty it up with as many pedals as you need.