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Guitar Amp
Topic Started: Monday Oct 25 2010, 10:00 AM (785 Views)
Zar Mulix
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New Guy
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I utterly despise most Line 6's. I don't know exactly why, but I can recognize one from the moment I enter Guitar Center (probably because they have a shit ton of them) and always remember how "fake" they sound. Now I realize that's very subjective and I guess I'm only talking about the Spider Series but I just don't think they have a great sound. I don't know, it's your money anyways lol.
I actually have a small crush on Fender cleans, but I find their distortion to be tinny and too old school for the type of music I play, so if you're going anything heavier than AC/DC, I would look into effects. And yes, all Fenders.
Just to go off on a little tangent, I agree with Mike? about the pickups. I'm not the biggest fan of EMG's either. I get it, they're active, they're high output, they have a crazy tone for distortion - and not much else. If you're looking for high output I'd look into Dimarzio Tone Zones or something. I personally have the Duncan JB's in my neck and a Jazz in my bridge and they're ok. They're pretty versatile although I don't feel they're suited for metal as well as other pickups (semi obvious but whatever). They work well for me though because if I feel I need more power I just crank up my F-50 and blow my eardrums out.

You might want to consider used for an amp. Good amps tend to hold their value well, but if someone is looking to get rid of theirs because they got a new one or got bored of their amp and its sound - that's something you should jump on.
I'm also not a fan of the cheaper Marshalls either, and I'm sure you've heard all the bad rep about the MG series. Back in the day when I was teaching myself to play guitar in Guitar Center (didn't have an electric or an amp) I still remember not being quite happy with these Marshalls. Again my opinion, but this isn't something I'd make up or lie about.
At this point I've realized I've grown to hate a lot of cheaper amps in general. In your situation I'd try out what some people have been saying (cheap Randalls, cheap Crates and hope to find something you like or think you can manipulate to your liking). I'd probably just get a cheap Fender amp and get myself a good overdrive pedal.
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Necrotrophic
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change molds name back in 2011
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the jazz pickups are not good for metal at all. i have that schecter c-1 classic and im pretty sure it had the jazz pickups and it just didnt work out for me.

the jbs are very heavy sounding, but it also depends on your guitar 24 fret guitars tend to be a little better for metal, and i had a set neck with mohagany. so it was pretty much built for metal (the guitar im talking about is the esp ltd ec-1000 amber sunburst)

i primarily played through a marshall mode four half stack. its a pretty heavy amp, but i used my guitar in several amps and it was always very good.

Btw Schecter fucking sucks. I felt pretty bad about buying that thing and pretty much immediately selling it because i couldnt return it.

im with you on line6, i think it sounds very fake and processed but some people really like them. i was never much for effects outside of distortion, reverb, delay and maybe synth
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-SG-
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I agree with you on the Fender amps. My first guitar amp was a Fender 60R IIRC. I really liked the clean tone but hated the dirty. Visa versa with Marshall I liked its distortion but hated the clean. The clean always sounded to dry to me. One of my friends had a Crate GFX65, and I remember it being an OK amp.

The Line 6 sounded good enough for me. I checked the local ads for amps and didn't see anything I liked so that's why I opted for it. The local store had some small Marshalls, Peaveys, and others and I didn't really like any of em. Like I said this isn't really a serious effort. If I end up playing a lot then I'll spend the $$ for a good setup, but I just don't see that happening.
Oscar Gamble
 
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Necrotrophic
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change molds name back in 2011
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I like crate amps because you get a good black metal tone with them

just like toasters, and ovens.
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Coke Von Cola
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Some kinda somethin
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HA
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Zar Mulix
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H8sMikeMoore
Wednesday Oct 27 2010, 08:08 PM
Btw Schecter fucking sucks. I felt pretty bad about buying that thing and pretty much immediately selling it because i couldnt return it.
I'm pretty satisfied with my Schecter C-1 Classic. I mean for less than $700 I get a neck through, decent pickups, inlays that look fancier than they actually are, a decent bridge and a nice look. I'm a huge fan of the necks by the way - thin enough to be able to shred on but meaty enough to have a good feel (reminds me of PRS's). I set it up, sanded down the neck polish a little because I kept getting stuck on it and really don't see anything wrong with it (although I do intend to fix the tone knob and it's toggle like characteristics).
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XBL GT: Zar Mulix
I'm not the best, but I'm above average
and that's pretty damned good
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MP Games: Modern Warfare 2, Forza 2, COD4, Halo 3, GOW2, GTA4, Halo Wars, NFS: Shift, Madden 09, Team Fortress 2, UnderTow, Magic: The Gathering
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Necrotrophic
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change molds name back in 2011
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perhaps mine had wiring issues because no matter what all i got was feedback. i actually played it at a show once on short notice and i had to turn the volume down anytime i wasnt actively playing
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Zar Mulix
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If you mean microphonic feedback then there was probably something wrong with the wiring. If you mean "hum" then it's probably because the internal cavity wasn't shielded well enough (or at all). I guess the quality varies, but I'm pretty sure my cavity isn't shielded at all (unless the paint is conductive which is done sometimes). However I don't have huge issues with hum and I've had my amp pretty loud. In the future I'll probably get some copper foil and shield the cavity myself.
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XBL GT: Zar Mulix
I'm not the best, but I'm above average
and that's pretty damned good
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MP Games: Modern Warfare 2, Forza 2, COD4, Halo 3, GOW2, GTA4, Halo Wars, NFS: Shift, Madden 09, Team Fortress 2, UnderTow, Magic: The Gathering
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-SG-
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So I got everything and played for a little bit. The SG sound reflects it's price. It's muddy no matter what I do. I assume better pickups will help out with that.

The Line 6 seems decent, and I get the feeling that the guitar is holding it back.
Oscar Gamble
 
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Zar Mulix
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I played with very cheap equipment for a while so I sadly know the ins and outs of that experience. I feel your pain. Just a note: are you using good cables? I always notice a HUGE difference when switching between different quality cables and it seems like right now you need all the help you can get.
However a good setup can do wonders. I recommend adjusting the pickup height as well - it may not be at its optimal location therefore the muddiness. You can also look into removing your pickup covers (assuming you have them) but I think that requires resoldering so I've never tinkered with it. Supposedly increases clarity and brightness.
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XBL GT: Zar Mulix
I'm not the best, but I'm above average
and that's pretty damned good
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MP Games: Modern Warfare 2, Forza 2, COD4, Halo 3, GOW2, GTA4, Halo Wars, NFS: Shift, Madden 09, Team Fortress 2, UnderTow, Magic: The Gathering
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Necrotrophic
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change molds name back in 2011
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unfortunately with amps, unless youre willing to spend at least 1k for a head alone you're not going to get decent sound in my opinion.

You could probably get a good combo for around 1k, too.

I dont think guitars or amps have to cost this much but they know musicians are suckers and fall for the "the more expensive the better it is" mentality.
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-SG-
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lol @ cheap equipment. This is the situation I always end up in. I'll start off not wanting to spend a whole lot on something, so I'll settle for the cheap version of whatever it is and figure that'll do. I almost always get fed up with the low end quality and end up buying high end stuff.

Now that you mention cables... I've always used Monster cables, so quality is not(shouldn't be) an issue; however the Monster cable I am using is made for being used with bass(it touts itself as maximum punch ultra low frequency). I wonder if that could have an impact?

The pickups do not have covers on em, they are the same low end pickups that come with the SG Special. The bridge pickup seems a bit high, higher than I would imagine normal being. I'll have to play around with it.
Oscar Gamble
 
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-SG-
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H8sMikeMoore
Thursday Oct 28 2010, 10:23 PM
unfortunately with amps, unless youre willing to spend at least 1k for a head alone you're not going to get decent sound in my opinion.

You could probably get a good combo for around 1k, too.

I dont think guitars or amps have to cost this much but they know musicians are suckers and fall for the "the more expensive the better it is" mentality.
Yeah that's always the story. My bass amp is a Peavey BAM210, which was around $1200 new amp is a pretty good amp.
Oscar Gamble
 
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Zar Mulix
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I really think you should cruise Craigslist or something in your area to pick up a used amp. I got my Mesa F-50 in mint condition (documentation, slip covers, footswitch included too) for $600. It's been discontinued so I don't know what it would be worth but I think it used to sell for about $1200-$1400. And this being I didn't even feel like haggling or anything because I wasn't the only one trying to buy it at the time. Assuming you get at least 50% off, you can take whatever you spent on the Line 6 and put it towards a better amp. I agree that good equipment is $1000 and up pretty much, but you get the best you can right? Or you can probably even find the Line 6 you bought used and use the money you save towards that pickup replacement. I don't know about your area but when I was looking on Craigslist I found a lot of Line 6's being sold.
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XBL GT: Zar Mulix
I'm not the best, but I'm above average
and that's pretty damned good
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MP Games: Modern Warfare 2, Forza 2, COD4, Halo 3, GOW2, GTA4, Halo Wars, NFS: Shift, Madden 09, Team Fortress 2, UnderTow, Magic: The Gathering
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famicommander
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Wipe that face off your head, bitch.
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Using Monster Cables is ridiculous.

I'm not a musician, but I am an audiophile and I know quite a bit about cables. Take a read:
http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/quality-instrument-cable-why-it-matters-and-how-to-make-your-own/
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Basically, just make sure all of your cables are well-shielded and not damaged. Throw a cable away the instant you notice corrosion, check regularly for snags that could damage the internals of the cable, avoid putting stress on the connectors, etc.

Just make sure you're using a proper length cable for your instrument that's well-shielded.

Anytime anyone tries to sell you a Monster Cable of any kind, they're ripping you off. Period. Anyone who knows anything about cables knows that everything Monster sells is grossly overpriced.

If you can, make your own cables. If not, buy some cheap ones. Just make sure they're durable and well-shielded.

Cables are the one area of the world where price does NOT mean quality. You'll see cables with weak shielding for 300 dollars and cables with great shielding for 20. Just use your head and you'll be find.

The high-end cable market exists because of idiots. Whether you're talking audio cables, video cables, whatever. It's a bunch of morons believing bullshit that companies like Monster spit out. People believe it because they need some way to justify the stupid money they spent on the cables.

Jimi fucking Hendrix used cheap as shit cables for his whole career.
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-SG-
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A quick scan of Craigslist doesn't turn up much, but I'll keep an eye on it.

I think for the time being I'll get some better pickups and a proper Monster cable and see what that does. I'll also keep an eye on Craigslist and the Bulletin board, to see if I can find a good deal.
Oscar Gamble
 
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famicommander
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Wipe that face off your head, bitch.
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SgSpecial180
Thursday Oct 28 2010, 11:34 PM
A quick scan of Craigslist doesn't turn up much, but I'll keep an eye on it.

I think for the time being I'll get some better pickups and a proper Monster cable and see what that does. I'll also keep an eye on Craigslist and the Bulletin board, to see if I can find a good deal.
See above.

Do NOT buy a Monster Cable. Ever.

You have no clue how high the mark up is on those. No fucking clue.
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-SG-
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@ Fami

I am well aware of how over priced Monster cables are. They are still great cables. I never have paid full retail for a Monster cable - one of my former roommates was the manager of a local guitar shop and always gave me cables at cost, which was something less than 50% of retail. I think it was like $15 for a 12ft cable, which is a great deal.

I started out using cheap cables, but they ALWAYS ended up falling apart. The ends would fall off, or the cable would get bent or frayed and I would end up with a lot of noise. I bought my Monster bass cable and it has survived countless gigs and years of play without any fault whatsoever. To this day it works like a champ and sounds great.

Oscar Gamble
 
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do"
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-SG-
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famicommander
Thursday Oct 28 2010, 11:40 PM
You have no clue how high the mark up is on those. No fucking clue.
That's a pretty stupid statement without letting me respond first.
Oscar Gamble
 
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-SG-
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Well Fami enlightened me to the evils of the company that is Monster. I had no idea that they were that fucked up.

Regardless my Monster cable has been a great cable, though now I feel dirty for liking it... like it was used to strangle jews in WWII or something...
Oscar Gamble
 
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