Amp/axe ratio

[duhvoodooman***]

Geez, I let a kit sit for a few months one time, and the FretNet clergy won't let me forget it!

How long do the parts need to age before the amp is officially "vintage"??

[piebaldpython***]

Whoa.......DVM......nice kit!!! So.....uh.......what amp gets de-commissioned?

Getting quite envious of your amph-age (as in the # of boutique amps you have; not the age of them; lolol)

[kidsmoke*]

Well, going strictly electric, I'm 1:1. three electric guitars, three amps. Planning to put one of the amps and a cab up for sale. I'm in simplifying mode. I feel like I only need more than one of anything so if something fails, I still be able to leave the house with a rig, even if it's not my chosen one. This is really just an effort to make me focus on PLAYING the guitar, rather that fiddling with tones. The latter is fun, and entertaining, but mostly it's just EXPENSIVE.

for the record, not to blow smoke up anyones butt...but I've been playing my 535 through my DVM Klone, through my DVM Champlifier, and have been turning heads some gigging pros...or rather the rig has. At an event there was a guitarist in the house who was asked to sit in, he was unprepared. I set him up as described above. No other pedals, no 'verb, no tuner, nothing. A semi through a drive into the champ. The look on the guitarist face was fantastic as he started digging in, then after the show 4 different people went to him, and were then redirected to me to ask about the gear. I had to shrug and say, "i gotta guy....". If I were a rep...no doubt I'd have closed on a few items that day.

for DVM - since he knows the items:

the p'ups are Sheptone tributes, which are PAF humbuckers, so the output on both is in the high 7's low 8's. I set the Champ about 5-6, and on the Klone volume at 11PM, Tone at Midnight, and both gains at 9pm. Nirvana, my friend.

So my aim is to use this one guitar, and a simple amp without any tone control at all. A simple drive pedal. And learn how to get as many sounds as I can from it using the tone and volume knobs of the guitar and the amp. Call it a roots immersion if you will. I do like to throw the reverb pedal and a tremolo on there when necessary, but I'm diggin the bare bones approach.

I still do grab the tele or the RS2, (similar to a LPjr, but not really) if I think a song needs something, but by and large...simplicity is winning out.

[Eric***]

And learn how to get as many sounds as I can from it using the tone and volume knobs of the guitar and the amp.

I went down this path a while ago and it has worked well for me. I don't think it would work real well if you use a ton of effects, but for someone like me I've enjoyed the simplicity of just learning the ins and outs of one guitar. Makes it a much more personal experience, if that makes sense.

[NWBasser]

I recently sold my H&K because I haven't been playing very much guitar lately and the little Mustang I works for what I do well enough.

I still have two bass amps and a preamp pedal. I tried selling my Ampeg PF500, but didn't get any buyers.

If anything, I'd like to sell the PF500 and maybe get a GK micro head to cover the bright, grindy, modern tone that my Aguilar won't do.

My basses though cover certain roles like fretless, 5-string, acoustic, jazz, and precision (sounds - not actual models). In actuality, I could probably do everything on my jazz bass (G&L JB) well enough to get by.

[Eric***]

I recently sold my H&K because I haven't been playing very much guitar lately and the little Mustang I works for what I do well enough.

I still have two bass amps and a preamp pedal. I tried selling my Ampeg PF500, but didn't get any buyers.

If anything, I'd like to sell the PF500 and maybe get a GK micro head to cover the bright, grindy, modern tone that my Aguilar won't do.

My basses though cover certain roles like fretless, 5-string, acoustic, jazz, and precision (sounds - not actual models). In actuality, I could probably do everything on my jazz bass (G&L JB) well enough to get by.

I could probably stand to sell my Jet City amph and similarly get by with the Mustang I; I really like that little amp. I already have my Ibanez bass and Zoom G3 up for sale on CL.

In some ways, I feel kind of lucky to have very low standards (no pun intended) when it comes to bass tone. I generally know what I'm looking for but I'm way far away from being picky, so I just plug away with one bass and one amp. I know from guitar that an attitude like that is kind of rare for me, so I'm embracing it while I can.

[guitarhack]

I've downsized due to combining households with very little space, so I'm at 2:1.

[marnold***]

I'm at 3:2. More accurately, it's 2:1 for guitar and 1:1 for bass.

On a related note, Heid Music in Green Bay is now a Jet City dealer. They have most of their amphs and pedals. I'm going to have to take my Jackson down there one of these days and try their 100W aka SLO head. I also want to try the lower gain version of the 20H.

[Eric***]

I'm at 3:2. More accurately, it's 2:1 for guitar and 1:1 for bass.

That's a good point. I hadn't thought about this relative to bass.

On a related note, Heid Music in Green Bay is now a Jet City dealer. They have most of their amphs and pedals. I'm going to have to take my Jackson down there one of these days and try their 100W aka SLO head. I also want to try the lower gain version of the 20H.

There's a lower-gain version of the 20H? Interesting.

[marnold***]

There's a lower-gain version of the 20H? Interesting.

Yep. I believe it's called the 20HV. It even has tweed styling.

[Eric***]

I still have two bass amps and a preamp pedal. I tried selling my Ampeg PF500, but didn't get any buyers.

If anything, I'd like to sell the PF500 and maybe get a GK micro head to cover the bright, grindy, modern tone that my Aguilar won't do.

Why are you selling the PF500? Just don't play it very much? I was very interested in those at one point and occasionally still feel like I could use a little more grit or fullness in my bass tone. Once I start considering that sort of stuff though, it's a long and rough road that lies ahead.

[NWBasser]

Why are you selling the PF500? Just don't play it very much? I was very interested in those at one point and occasionally still feel like I could use a little more grit or fullness in my bass tone. Once I start considering that sort of stuff though, it's a long and rough road that lies ahead.

Eric, being as lazy as I am, I keep the PF500 hooked up to a cab in my practice room and leave the Aggie in my amp case for band practices and rehearsals. I've found that the Aguilar does the whole vintage bass tone better than the PF500 which means that I see no use in having two vintage-voiced bass amps. But, I have no compelling reason to sell it and may just keep it. I'm starting to like the idea of keeping minimal gear though.

If you want grit and fullness, I'd think that Sansamp would give you all that?

[Eric***]

Eric, being as lazy as I am, I keep the PF500 hooked up to a cab in my practice room and leave the Aggie in my amp case for band practices and rehearsals. I've found that the Aguilar does the whole vintage bass tone better than the PF500 which means that I see no use in having two vintage-voiced bass amps. But, I have no compelling reason to sell it and may just keep it. I'm starting to like the idea of keeping minimal gear though.

Makes sense. I do something similar with a practice amp and I keep cabs at the band rehearsal spot and in the basement for church practices, but since I only have one head I bring that back and forth. However, if I had another head I'm 90% sure I would do it the same way as you.

If you want grit and fullness, I'd think that Sansamp would give you all that?

Well, now we arrive upon my level of laziness -- I don't want to bother with batteries and extra cables and messing with levels, so I only use the Sansamp at church for DI purposes, even though I always keep it in my bass case. Basically, I'm just avoiding carrying and hooking up another 1/4" cable. Do I win the laziness olympics?

What are the GK micro series; is that like the MB500? I have a friend from where I used to live who recently bought that and an Ampeg 410HLF as his setup. Are the micro heads GK's answer to all of the lightweight class D bass heads that abound these days?

[duhvoodooman***]

Got my new kit last Friday!

Progress: http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/21485