my luthier had one in the shop with lipstick pickups in s-config, really nice
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Was just “ok” on this but I enjoy that he lugged the space echo out in the woods.
I want the small boss-sized space echo reissue/sim, or the big one, or the old big (worse?) one that surely has dropped in price now that the new ones are out? Maybe just 5 danelectro cool cats stacked for half the price of any of that
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wowow
how’s the neck feel?
uncannily smooth. and thin, but it feels more substantial than the specs would suggest. I got the “slim c” but it feels closer to a D shape, there’s a decent shoulder to it.
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this guy rules, like guitar mythbusters
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does anyone here gig or jam with a lightweight guitar amp?
i took the little yamaha to the local jazz jam session this past wknd. it really didn’t hold up to the volume (85-90db - drums uprightbass keys, +a few horns). i cranked up to max on all dials and i could still barely hear it, leaving aside any hope of tone. i could mike it up but rather than try to make the practice amp work for gigs i’m kind of inclined to just finally buy a proper gigging amp.
i asked the house bandleader and he sent me some suggestions via local guitarists he knows. here’s the two options the guy sent over
- Henriksen The Bud
- Quilter MicroPro Mach 2 - this one is kind of high end but there are cheaper Quilter combo amps that look good e.g. Aviator Cub – pretty tempting for the price
apparently all the NYC jazz guitar pros really prioritize tiny amps with loud clean tone because they’re taking public transit everywhere and jazz gigs don’t pay enough for roadies lol. some other options I was thinking about:
- Pedal amp + powered speaker cabinet. my guitar teacher uses a Quilter Superblock thru a Toob, the Superblock is the part that’s actually in my budget. Quilter makes some other heads, and a pretty affordable cabinet
- my friend is pretty high on the Roland JC-22 but I wonder whether it’ll be loud enough. He seems to think so. other roland option might be a Cube, they get pretty loud for a small amp.
i think my priorities are 1) loud with decent clean headroom 2) small+lightweight (<25lbs) / convenient 3) relatively affordable. I say that knowing that it’s kind of a “pick two” situation. and uh, ideally a versatile Fender-y clean sound? Altho I don’t mind the Roland sound that much. For this next week I’m gonna try and borrow my friend’s Fender Champ, give myself time to think on it.
My friend got me a Pyle Vamp for the express reason that it’s supposed to be a small combo amp that can keep up with playing with a drummer, but I’ve only gotten to put that to the test once, and I’ve never been one to value a clean tone. I did play a show with it, but it was a weird one off thing that was like guitar and trombone over a drum track that was playing on a sped up tape or something.
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Fender tonemaster deluxe? Right around 25lbs, I have a friend who uses one in a large-ish free improv group, sounds great in it. A pro jr / blues jr could also work if you want tubes, or one of the small supro amps.
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I really like Roland’s Acoustic Chorus series, though it looks like most of that is getting phased out. I like it for outdoors though mostly. I think if you go with the JC-22 it will be loud enough. People I know swear by the Orange Crush series but I’ve not tried them.
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If you like your sound maybe you can mod in a speaker out instead of using those two little ones. Idk how loud everyone is or if 20w would cut it clean but I imagine the tiny speakers must be your volume bottleneck currently? Then you could just bring a cab with you when you need it, maybe borrow one depending on the space? It probably helps your amp has cab sim already, you could maybe plug right into a powered FRFR speaker with your headphone out. But probably
for all I know.
i guess direct in may be possible, but i’ll be playing with everybody else doing either acoustic instruments or their own amps, so i guess i’d have to make arrangements ahead of time
if I can plug into a PA then I guess I can plug into a powered speaker… I have a roland KC-100 that’s supposed to be pretty flat, I’ll have to look up whether that will work. (oh apparently it’s not FRFR) it is pretty heavy tho, so that might put me in the market for something like a Toob.
@SLUGGER the tone master deluxe will def get loud enough and that’s the sound i like, just trying to optimize based on price and dimensions (the housing is pretty large, it’s a small room down a set of narrow stairs). why i’m wondering about a quilter aviator cub (around 600 new, decently smaller)
@extrabastardformula 've heard the oranges are good for that classic rock gain sound but less about their clean tones
i dunno, there’s some options, but it’s sounding more like i’ll have to buy something to do it right and not janky. the options are pretty straightforward too it just takes time to figure out any big money purchase.
I’ll be honest, my mention of “FRFR” is just restating a best practice I’ve gathered not the gospel! Its designed for mixing multiple instruments/vox so there can’t be too much coloration yeah? I have a Roland CM-30 (kinda a hybrid of a cube and a studio monitor?) that has a small speaker and thus probably isn’t too much louder than the yamaha but has a handle and stuff and similar ins/outs as your kc-100. Anyway it sounds fine with any amount of amp sim (when I play guitar through it I go thru a tech21 vt bass which is an ampeg-in-a-box but sounds quite good to me). (Also the Roland is handy but mostly just sits around, u can borrow/buy if you like, i got it b stock for like $150). Point is you probably get decent sounds from just your American Sound and your kc100 yeah? Get a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter and see if the Yamaha->kc100 rips like it might? A 12" speaker does a whole lot. I understand your tone quest tho. If I was in your shoes and had a lil $$$ I would fantasize about clipping out the tweeter and replacing the speaker with some lightweight neodymium guy. Then I’d research… then forget all about it and let time drift on. Listen to these folks who gig and record and can play their instruments and just get a sick lil tube combo. Good luck!
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My old KC-80 was good with c. 2010 all-software amp sim so +1 for that
to be really practical you should just get a marshall 2203 and 4x12 now in anticipation of your fusion shredding phase a few years down the road
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will need to buy some ill fitting polo shirts too!
thanks for the suggestions all, i’ll think about em, i gotta admit getting a quilter combo is mighty tempting tho
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sometimes you go to a gear sale looking for an amp and end up buying a cheapo acoustic guitar. $75 orangewood Dana spruce mini (23.5" scale / parlour size)
very nice, lightweight, little, nice projection when using a heavy pick. hoping this turns into a good daily practice tool and road trip guitar. gives me some incentive to get rid of the two acoustics i have. (a carlo robelli and a passed-down 1960 hofner 4550 - both received for free and way too big for me.)
the hofner is a funny story, i don’t know if i’ve mentioned this on here, but my mom is a singer who hangs out with a bunch of indian musicians… apparently one of them owes her money lol. it sounds like they had a friendly agreement to take the guitar and consider the matter closed, or something like that.
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