# How do you like to play your amp?



## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

I am curious, since by far the majority of the music stores I've been in when I ask for their "cleanest" amp, I get blank stares.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

You get blank stares because your question is quite vague. How loud are you going to be playing? Do you like a glassy fender clean or more of a punchy vox clean? You looking for a twang or warm? Are you going to be cranking it and trying to keep up with a drummer? 

Clean is a term that needs to be defined....knowing what you are looking for is something you need to share with people in the store.


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## Guest (May 26, 2008)

And even with Fender there are degrees of clean: the Twin clean (clean, little compression, all the way up to 10), the Deluxe clean (clean but with compression as the volume gets higher and into dirty), etc.

I don't expect anything other than blank stares from music store staff these days.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

i dont ask about amps in stores lol. i did, back when i was trying to find amp #2, things went well . i've learned a lot in the 4 or 5 years since buying that amp about tone and what goes into getting good tone.

I used to play clean more then i do now, and i still enjoy slowing down and playing clean.. but im also workin on my metal riffage hehe


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Maybe you're asking at the wrong stores? I find with stores like Long and McQ, Steves Music etc, you have to have a very specific idea of what you want. Maybe its based on how their commision is structured? I prefer stores like Lauzon Music in Ottawa, where the staff will take the time to listen to you and provide suggestion based on what you say.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

I agree with Archer, even a "clean" tube channel gets dirty when clipping. Maybe asking for tube amps with lots of headroom is better, since those amps will remain clean even at high volumes.


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## peter benn (Mar 29, 2007)

Or practically (my 2 cents, I know):

Just thrust up on stage with somebody else's gear? Either accept their basic tone or not. You've probably been thinking about this all night, so go with your gut.

His (her) tone's OK? Go into their board, take the jack, whatever. Turn your guitar's vol and tone to 5 and check it out. Add your guitar back in to taste.

Don't like host's tone at all? Go into their unused amp channel, usually the non-reverb side (in a Fender world). Turn everything to 5 and turn the bright switch off. Start your guitar at 7 to 8 and adjust to taste. This works in ten seconds, and earns maximum bonus points with host for not screwing his settings. Audience wins with real tonal variety, almost like a different
amp.

Need a neutral amp reference in strange guitar store? Is there a Champ?


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

I do some research before I would go shopping on the internet with reviews , discussions...etc. I feel it's better to be in the know about amps that are out there , what they have to offer and the good and bad about them . Most stores don't have much interest in what's best for you , it's better to have a good idea what amps interest you ( and ones to avoid ) before you even walk in a store to avoid being lead the wrong way and avoiding the BS .


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Guess I was a wee vague here :wink:



bagpipe said:


> Maybe you're asking at the wrong stores? I find with stores like Long and McQ, Steves Music etc, you have to have a very specific idea of what you want.


Yeah, that's the places and Tom Lee.

When I mention Jazz, they have to think for a moment, then say oh, yeah! But they really can't dial in a mellow tone until I do it 

Cheers!


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> Maybe you're asking at the wrong stores? I find with stores like Long and McQ, Steves Music etc, you have to have a very specific idea of what you want. Maybe its based on how their commision is structured? I prefer stores like Lauzon Music in Ottawa, where the staff will take the time to listen to you and provide suggestion based on what you say.



L&M people dot get commission that it why they are so complacent


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Both. 

I never trust what store staff have to say about the sound of amps because opinions can be anywhere on any issue, so I trust my ears. So much depends on the room, guitar, player, and so on, that generalizations are meaningless to me. I'm not sure I always agree with myself!

Peace, Mooh.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I like stores where they bring me what I ask for and leave me alone to form my own impressions.

A commissioned sales peson hovering over me does NOT motivate me to buy.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I like stores where they bring me what I ask for and leave me alone to form my own impressions.
> 
> A commissioned sales peson hovering over me does NOT motivate me to buy.


Auch, x2 on that! :rockon:


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Milkman, agreed. 

And usually if a product passes muster in the shop I want to try it at home with a no quibble return option. Music stores are most often crappy places to judge an instrument, no matter how hard they try to create a playing environment.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Robboman (Oct 14, 2006)

Mooh said:


> Milkman, agreed.
> 
> And usually if a product passes muster in the shop I want to try it at home with a no quibble return option. Music stores are most often crappy places to judge an instrument, no matter how hard they try to create a playing environment.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


Definitley agree with both of you guys.

I can somewhat judge an instrument in a store, but not an amp. It's virtually pointless for me to even plug into an amp in a store for two reasons, 1) I need to crank it for extended periods, and 2) I need to hear it in the mix with the band, in a few different rooms, to really hear what it can do.


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

I want everything... LOL

Clean, Slightly breaking up, mid gain and high gain.


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## dan_ (Feb 5, 2008)

I'm with the pack on this one...a little bit of everything.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

There're a lot of players who concentrate on one or two tones too much, especially younger ones. There's a lot of tones between squeeky clean and dirty filthy. My opinion obviously. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I'm a single channel amp kind of guy. What I try to do is set the amp up so that it can give me the raunchiest grit I need with the bridge pup engaged and guitar volume on full and my boost pedal on (usually somewhat more than SRV and somewhat less than ZZtop) and then I can turn my guitar volume down and use the pickup selector to give me varying degrees of clean and dirty.


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## sliberty (May 17, 2008)

+1 for using guitar volume pot. It might be the most useful "effect" I own.

Amp cranked and gritty. Cleans come from turning down the guitar.


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## SinCron (Mar 2, 2006)

I like to play dirtier than a wh***'s c*** and beautiful booming cleans (NO TREBLE HEAVY TWANG!). I like a 5150'ish sound with lots of tight bass and mids and the Carvin V3 clean sound.


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## Bob Rock (Mar 11, 2006)

I like my girl dirty, but once and a while I like to clean her up kjdr


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## F.M.G. (Jun 9, 2008)

A nice clean tone with some gain to give it a bit of bite. :smile:


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## Stratocaster (Feb 2, 2006)

Dirty of course!


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## a Pack of Wolves (Sep 5, 2007)

my main amp has been a jazz chorus for years because i'm a 'big on effects' guy and i like that the amp is fairly uncolored (unless you use the chorus,vibrato,'verb or distortion...i never use that horrid distortion)

the amp also lets the plain tone of yer guitar shine through,which can be good or bad (depending on the guitar)

------------------------------------------------

i don't know why music stores aren't setup for you to actually try gear at the volume you'd play it at
like by having little closed in sound rooms

i've seen them at the odd place but not often


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

a Pack of Wolves said:


> i don't know why music stores aren't setup for you to actually try gear at the volume you'd play it at
> like by having little closed in sound rooms
> 
> i've seen them at the odd place but not often


All the little guys have them here in the Fraser Valley stores. Square footage isn't as costly as in the city I guess is the logic *shrug*

Cheers!


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

Geek said:


> All the little guys have them here in the Fraser Valley stores. Square footage isn't as costly as in the city I guess is the logic *shrug*
> 
> Cheers!


There's like one little practice room in the Long & McQuade in Calgary. It really helped me find my first guitar. There was a guy in there last time I was there about a week ago and he was wailing away on a few different amps.

A salesman made a comment to me when I walked by that he wished the guy would shut up. It made me pretty mad. The guy was obviously not trying to show off like I hear at some stores out in the open. He genuinely wanted to try out some amps, and he was trying to do it at a decent level in a room where he hoped he wasn't disturbing people. That's what he should be doing.

I don't know; maybe that was just the salesman's way of trying to apologize to me for the noise in that part of the store.

But Ya, they should have lots of sound-proof rooms and let people shake the building with the amps.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

L&M in Coquitlam has a big practise room too. Maybe it's a trait with them?


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## Perkinsfan (Oct 17, 2007)

I do a little of both.
I used work on only the distortion, but lately I'm getting a real kick out of trying for the cleanest tone I can.It helps with the TWaNg on some of the country tunes I play on my Tele.
Eric


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## sproul07 (Jun 23, 2007)

I use a 100w JCM 800 with a 4/12 and then use fuzzes and overdrives for my dirt needs. Personally I find the best way to craft a good guitar tone is to start with a good, pure clean tone and build on top of that with pedals. Thats my preference anyway. I just find the spectrum of tones is much bigger and broader that way.


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## wnpgguy (Dec 21, 2007)

Archer said:


> L&M people dot get commission that it why they are so complacent


 I don't think I have ever had a good experience there. You either get the "comic book store guy" who knows (or thinks he knows) everything and is a complete dick or the guy who will just sell you whatever he thinks works when really he doesnt have any idea what your talking about.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

wnpgguy said:


> I don't think I have ever had a good experience there. You either get the "comic book store guy" who knows (or thinks he knows) everything and is a complete dick or the guy who will just sell you whatever he thinks works when really he doesnt have any idea what your talking about.


I second that for sure. I have stopped going to L&M when I head into the 'Peg. Last time I was in there I just about busted the one guy in the mouth, his whole attitude sucked and when he started to talk to me like I was in Kindergarden that finished it right there.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

wnpgguy said:


> I don't think I have ever had a good experience there. You either get the "comic book store guy" who knows (or thinks he knows) everything and is a complete dick or the guy who will just sell you whatever he thinks works when really he doesnt have any idea what your talking about.


L&M is an awesome store if you know what you are talking about and know what you want. Don't depend on the sales guys to tell you anything. I never have. I already know pretty much what I want to try out or buy before I go there. The internet is a wonderful tool for research.
L&M has let me take very expensive guitars and amps out to try for up to 2 weeks. I have up to 30 days to return something for a full refund for no reason. Try that at your mom&pop shop. 
A few years back I bought an HD28 Martin that I had for about 6 months when the finish started to lift. It had to be sent to back to the factory which took me 8 months to get back. The Cambridge L&M where I bought it lent me a used HD35 Martin to use for the whole 8 months free of charge. That wasn't something they had to do. That was them going way above and beyond to show me that they cared about the frustration of being with out my $3,000 guitar I just bought.
I've dealt with many smaller mom&pop shops over the years where its more personable. Sometimes the staff is more knowledgeable sometimes not knowledgeable at all. But one thing is for sure. L&M can afford to provide way better customer service and they do.


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