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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    StefB said:
    Reverb that isn’t foot-switchable. 

    Every Fender Hot Rod range ever, I’m looking at you. 
    Switching reverb on and off? What is this witchcraft you speak of?
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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    100 watts of valve power.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    StefB said:
    Reverb that isn’t foot-switchable. 

    Every Fender Hot Rod range ever, I’m looking at you. 

    I have never switched reverb in my life.
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    reverb
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    Lebarque said:
    100 watts of valve power.
    I want that. Not quite so keen on carrying it...

    monquixote said:

    I have never switched reverb in my life. 
    Nor me - except to turn on a separate unit for more reverb.

    "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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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26451
    Switchable effects loops - zero use, as far as I'm concerned, because the only useful use case for an effects loop is time-based effects, which always work better with trails. Just cutting them off sounds...unnatural.

    How about high-gain single-channel amps? Might be able to get a decent gain sound out of it, but then there's nowhere to go for a solo unless you want to stomp twice just to get the right volume and gain, and then adding extra delay/reverb is another stomp etc.

    Footswitchable gain boost. Pointless - it's no good as an extra channel for leads, because you'll just disappear in the mix without a volume boost. That relegates it to a "more" switch, which is always going to be better with an actual pedal designed for it, which is what everybody actually does. Then you're stuck with an amp footswitch which is bigger than it needs to be and is just taking up too much space on your board.

    Line-level loops. They're just annoying in modern amps. I get that, in the bad old days, it was done for the extra signal-to-noise ratio, but modern external gear is reasonably well-designed and doesn't suffer from noise problems. All this does is reduce your choice of pedals for the loop to a few select manufacturers/models, and rack gear.

    Damn. It's bedtime, and now I'm grumpy. Thanks a bunch, @monquixote .
    <space for hire>
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  • NickLNickL Frets: 150
    Volume pots with the wrong taper that go straight from off to deafening between 1 and 2. Yes Fender, you again.
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    The physical cab emulation switch on the mk2 katanas. Wtf does it do? 

    On the mk1 the cab emulation was only selectable via your pc, and only effected the headphone/rec out and maybe usb. But not the physical sound through the speakers. 

    On the mk2 they added a physical switch and so I therefore presumed it would change the sound even when playing through a cab and its speakers (ie not rec out or usb). But i’ll be damned if I can hear any difference at all!
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9444
    Knobs on the rear of the amp...
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26747
    +1 on fixed-level gain boosts. My BadCat has one which sounds great both on and off, but the chances of it being the right amount of boost for any given scenario is probably about 2%

    Also... parallel 50/50 mix FX loops. I'm looking at you, Laney. 


    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • Knobs on the rear of the amp...
    Or on the top.
    Trading feedback | FS: Nothing right now
    JM build | Pedalboard plans
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  • Toe_KneeToe_Knee Frets: 47
    edited April 2021
    Haha according to this thread people will hate the recording preamp I'm currently building.

    Single channel high gain (but can be dialed back for clean)

    Controls on the back for power & to set the output impedence. & the guitar dry di out (these are necessary due to already having 15 pots on the front of a 1u rack)

    To add to the thread for me for things i hate on amps. Loops that aren't line level & the lack of a slave output.. 
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  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    Greatape said:
    There's a special place in hell for the 70/80..
    There may well be - but the Rivera Clubster 45 I used to own and gig had one, and it sounded great in that. Never heard one in anything else, though.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    Knobs on the rear of the amp...
    Or on the top.
    This. There’s been an almost universal trend back to this regressive design recently.

    The right place for the controls is at the top of the front, preferably angled back slightly, ie like a blackface Fender.

    On top makes them difficult to get at when the amp is raised up or tilted back, and more prone to dust/debris/drinks getting into the jacks.

    But regressive design choices seems to be a real problem in the guitar world now...

    "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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  • JayGeeJayGee Frets: 1254
    Mains input sockets and footswitch sockets obscured by stupid bits of wood and/or metal making it impossible to plug/unplug anything unless you either have 12” prehensile digits or undo multiple screws to remove the offending stupid bit of wood or metal.

    Extra points if you combine this with inadequate strain relief so that it’s possible for the (now effectively captive) footswitch and mains leads to come disconnected in use or in transit requiring you to partially dismantle your amp on stage.

    Yes, I’m looking at you Mesa Engineering. It’s probably the one thing I’d actually change on my Express 5:25 combo...
    Don't ask me, I just play the damned thing...
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12641
    A lack of corner protectors... they were fitted for a reason previously. 


    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • StefBStefB Frets: 2331
    StefB said:
    Reverb that isn’t foot-switchable. 

    Every Fender Hot Rod range ever, I’m looking at you. 

    I have never switched reverb in my life.
    ICBM said:
    monquixote said:

    I have never switched reverb in my life. 
    Nor me - except to turn on a separate unit for more reverb.
    So during the course of a typical gig do you fellas use the same sound all evening or are you forever backwards and forwards to the amp altering the reverb pot?

    If I set a nice reverb level that works well with the clean channel it is invariably too washy and undefined with any level of gain then added on top.

    I play in a function band and, exaggerating to illustrate the point, wouldn't want the reverb level I'd use on La Bamba on Enter Sandman or All The Small Things.  How do you address this?

    Every major amp manufacturer other than Fender must be wasting their time including reverb switching in their designs if I'm the only person that ever uses it.
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  • GassageGassage Frets: 30825
    The problem is that amp builders try and be too broad in appeal to hit a broader client base.

    Hence, you then will focus on the one thing you don't like about an amp rather than the 5 things you like.

    A really good example of this is the Blues Junior v the Pro Junior. One tries to cover all the ground possible, one is a raw and focused one trick pony. However, the proof that the makers will cite is the BJ sells about 10 times more than the PJ, despite the love that serious players have for the pro and the hatred they have of the BJ

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    JayGee said:
    Mains input sockets and footswitch sockets obscured by stupid bits of wood and/or metal making it impossible to plug/unplug anything unless you either have 12” prehensile digits or undo multiple screws to remove the offending stupid bit of wood or metal.

    Extra points if you combine this with inadequate strain relief so that it’s possible for the (now effectively captive) footswitch and mains leads to come disconnected in use or in transit requiring you to partially dismantle your amp on stage.

    Yes, I’m looking at you Mesa Engineering. It’s probably the one thing I’d actually change on my Express 5:25 combo...
    Tie a knot in the cable above the clip on the side of the cabinet so the cable can’t be pulled out.

    StefB said:

    So during the course of a typical gig do you fellas use the same sound all evening or are you forever backwards and forwards to the amp altering the reverb pot?

    If I set a nice reverb level that works well with the clean channel it is invariably too washy and undefined with any level of gain then added on top.

    I play in a function band and, exaggerating to illustrate the point, wouldn't want the reverb level I'd use on La Bamba on Enter Sandman or All The Small Things.  How do you address this?

    Every major amp manufacturer other than Fender must be wasting their time including reverb switching in their designs if I'm the only person that ever uses it.
    I use a background reverb setting on everything, never turn it off - so for me, a reverb switch on the footswitch is an annoying waste of space and something I can hit by accident when I will never want to.

    If I want a deeper reverb I use an external unit to add more.

    (Ditto for FX loop footswitches.)

    "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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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    StefB said:
    StefB said:
    Reverb that isn’t foot-switchable. 

    Every Fender Hot Rod range ever, I’m looking at you. 

    I have never switched reverb in my life.
    ICBM said:
    monquixote said:

    I have never switched reverb in my life. 
    Nor me - except to turn on a separate unit for more reverb.
    So during the course of a typical gig do you fellas use the same sound all evening or are you forever backwards and forwards to the amp altering the reverb pot?

    If I set a nice reverb level that works well with the clean channel it is invariably too washy and undefined with any level of gain then added on top.

    I play in a function band and, exaggerating to illustrate the point, wouldn't want the reverb level I'd use on La Bamba on Enter Sandman or All The Small Things.  How do you address this?

    Every major amp manufacturer other than Fender must be wasting their time including reverb switching in their designs if I'm the only person that ever uses it.

    I use a very small amount of ambience which works with moderate drive or clean. A lot of the bands I've played with are funk / R&B so lots of splashy reverb is equally annoying on cleans.

    When I've played heavier music it's never been with an amp with built in reverb anyway or a Marshall where they have 2 reverb pots which is a nicer solution.
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