Amps where the incessant twiddling of control knobs and settings nearly drove you mad ?

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TelejesterTelejester Frets: 743
THE amp i owned which had me twiddling more knobs and settings rather than enjoying the bloody thing was a mk1 boogie reissue combo. Its not the knob feast that an amp like the mk4 is with all its push pulls and knobs for this that and the other but that mk1 drove me insane.

The funny thing is how from day to day without touching any settings it would sound different and so the twiddling and adjusting routine would start all over again. The mk1 got sold and i dont miss it one bit, id rather just plug in and play.

Any amps get on your tits with the need for seemingly never ending adjustments and settings changes ?
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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    edited May 2017
    I've always steered clear of amps with lots of knobs for exactly this reason. Tweed Deluxe-style is perfect for me at the moment. Perfectly voiced. Volume, tone, done.
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    The simpler the lay-out, the happier I am.
    Don't want to spend all my time twiddling dials and switches.
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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    Fender Mustang 3 has 99 preset amp models and they all sounded horrible to me. Spent forever trying to get a reasonable sound by twiddling. 

    Now using a Yerasov GTA 15 which has volume + tone and sounds great on any setting. 

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  • guitarfishbayguitarfishbay Frets: 7953
    I can't think of any to be honest.

    I prefer having bass/mid/treble to a single tone, plus having presence is usually useful too.

    Having multiple voicing options can be useful too, once you've found your favourite setting you can just leave it until you want something different.
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Anything by Mesa requires lots of fiddling.

    I have one of their simpler amps (a Lonestar Special) but there are still far more options than many other makers' products. 

    In an ideal world, I'd like a Deluxe Reverb Reissue to cover the clean stuff, and something equally simple to handle drive tones.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    Almost anything digital. It seems to be a characteristic of them for me - no matter how well you think you've got it dialled in, if you change what you're doing slightly it then sounds wrong and the process starts again. I really want to like them, but every one I've tried so far does it - with one exception, the Yamaha THR100HD.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    I dont ever get this, its like guys who tweak on stage, why do you need to do that?


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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    ICBM said:
    Almost anything digital. It seems to be a characteristic of them for me - no matter how well you think you've got it dialled in, if you change what you're doing slightly it then sounds wrong and the process starts again. I really want to like them, but every one I've tried so far does it - with one exception, the Yamaha THR100HD.
    My big problem with that was the dynamics or lack off
    It sounds good on it's on but in a band it sounds like it has a severe brick wall limiter over it
    if you turn it up it's deafening
    very hard to get it just right
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  • vizviz Frets: 10643
    I turn everything to 7 apart from reverb which I turn to 6. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • olafgartenolafgarten Frets: 1648
    timmysoft said:
    I dont ever get this, its like guys who tweak on stage, why do you need to do that?



    I don't get this either, when I saw Fleetwood Mac, Lindsay Buckingham kept adjusting, sometimes mid song, it sounded fine to me at the start. 
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  • TelejesterTelejester Frets: 743
    edited May 2017
    Thing about the mk1 boogie was you adjust one thing just a little and the whole amp sounds off which leads to more adjusting, all in all it was a major frustration for me.I shudder to think what mk4 ownership must be like.
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    Thing about the mk1 boogie was you adjust one thing just a little and the whole amp sounds off which leads to more adjusting, all in all it was a major frustration for me.I shudder to think what mk4 ownership must be like.
    I haven't touched the controls on my amp for at least three weeks, i turn it on and play, rather than spending time tweaking and forgetting what actually sounded good. 


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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
    edited May 2017
    Fuengi said:
    Fender Mustang 3 has 99 preset amp models and they all sounded horrible to me. Spent forever trying to get a reasonable sound by twiddling. 

    Now using a Yerasov GTA 15 which has volume + tone and sounds great on any setting. 

    ^ It seems to be a thing with solid-state amps that the manufacturers feel the need to include a hundred amp models (most of which you will never use), lots of effects (which never seem to sound as good as a half-decent pedal), and then to parameterise those effects into submission. Then add USB connections for adding patches, changing firmware, etc. I'd rather the manufacturers simply spent their budget on simply building a decent quality no-nonsense, ready-to-go amp.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • TelejesterTelejester Frets: 743
    edited May 2017
    HAL9000 said:
    Fuengi said:
    Fender Mustang 3 has 99 preset amp models and they all sounded horrible to me. Spent forever trying to get a reasonable sound by twiddling. 

    Now using a Yerasov GTA 15 which has volume + tone and sounds great on any setting. 

    ^ It seems to be a thing with solid-state amps that the manufacturers feel the need to a hundred amp models (most of which you will never use), lots of effects (which never seem to sound as good as a half-decent pedal), and then to parameterise those effects into submission. Then add USB connections for adding patches, changing firmware, etc. I'd rather the manufacturers simply spent their budget on simply building a decent quality no-nonsense, ready-to-go amp.
    Amen to that.

    I spent about 45 mins in dawsons with mustang 3  tediously scrolling thru endless presets of shite trying to find something i liked, didnt find anything. The plug in and play ideology is where its at, if only all amp companies realised this.
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  • professorbenprofessorben Frets: 5105
    timmysoft said:
    Thing about the mk1 boogie was you adjust one thing just a little and the whole amp sounds off which leads to more adjusting, all in all it was a major frustration for me.I shudder to think what mk4 ownership must be like.
    I haven't touched the controls on my amp for at least three weeks, i turn it on and play, rather than spending time tweaking and forgetting what actually sounded good. 


    Yep, any adjusting I needed to do was during the first few rehearsals at volume.

    now I'm done, it's the best sound from my amps current set up, I won't even change the volume, it's set against the drum kit and that's that.
    " Why does it smell of bum?" Mrs Professorben.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26748
    For me it's anything with a Vox-style tone layout (bass, treble, cut). Took me ages to dial in my Badcat and work out how to make it sound its best. Ideally I'd have a single tone knob or TMB layout on everything, not cut, no presence, no scoop. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • jacksparrowjacksparrow Frets: 673
    Got a mate with a line 6 amp and i guarantee every time you get a decent sound out of it, he is over fiddling with knobs on the amp and before you know it your sounding shit.
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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    edited May 2017
    Like others have said digital stuff has too many options for me and my mind works in a way where I just keep thinking "ooh what if I try this with this?" - I even have it with my Laney to a certain extent, a/b'ing whether I prefer the built in gain boost or tubescreamer etc. It's just annoying but guess it's just how I am!

    I really want to try a THR100 as it doesnt seem to have this to the extent that other digital stuff does, plus no menus.
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    I normally set my amps the way I like and do any fine adjustments with an EQ pedal. And then you've got the EQ on your effects pedals for further tweaking, it's never ending.
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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    Orange Tiny Terror.

    No. I'm not joking.

    Trying to find the sweet spot... play some chords, oh there it is! Play some riffs... try to find the sweet spot again.. etc... etc...
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