Just some advice please if you will.
I currently have a DS40 Head & Cab. I love the clean sound, I love the edge of breakup and I love the gain sounds. It’s just great. But it’s one channel. And I really find it a hassle having to fiddle with the controls trying to find the different tones between songs.
I’m in a rock covers band. If we play a Beatles song I’ve got to switch to the low gain and EQ. Then the next song it’s Creep, so I’ve got to go to the high gain, check it’s the right amount of gain, EQ (the EQ is very sensitive to the gain settings on this amp) and then I’ve got to check the boost settings on my pedal etc. To me this is a bit of a hassle. I also feel that rolling off the volume means I don’t get the great clean tones so if I want great cleans I need to use pedals for the overdriven tones, and that’s why you buy the amp! So I don’t feel like I can get the best out of the amp.
I like classic tones, to more modern tones. Think Beatles, Stones to Led Zeppelin for cleans and gain to Punk rock. I had run Runt and found it too bright.
A Small Box Custom has 3 channels and is available locally.
Would this amp amp suit me more? Not too bright. Good clean tones, good all round sounds for what I want?
Thanks all.
Comments
Can't see it being that much easier to manage.
@DanR most amps I’ve used have shared EQ or have been amps like a DDRI or a Bassman where I have to compromise on the EQ when adding pedals etc. I think you can compromise on that to be honest and get a good balance.
It has a clean channel, Drive channel (Plexi-ish) and a Hot Rod boost of this channel, and a master solo boost. Might be worth a look on Youtube to see what you think.
As the mini toggle just changes the amount of gain available so it's an eq compromise that works across the different amounts of gain.
The Friedmans i've had have all cleaned up nicely!
The cleans especially are very different , the gains also - you can get them in the same ballpark but there are still distinct differences in tone and feel.
I spent hours and hours switching between the two rigs trying to decide which I liked better and eventually sold the smallbox rig and kept the DS rig.
Fwiw I think Pablo is spot on in his appraisal of both amps . mine was the standard 2 channel smallbox 50 head though and I also had the issue that Danr points out regarding the shared eq.
I'd keep the Shirley on the edge of breakup and use your guitar volume for cleaner tones and boost it for more gain.
Pablos description is spot on. DS has so much low end, SB has so much mids. I can get the SB to sound similar to the DS with mid completely off and bass maxed, but the feel is still a lot tighter and more immediate on the SB.
Both combos are so practical, light and portable. I have considered getting a custom DS with similar channel setup to the SB 3ch version, but have held off so far as the standard DS takes pedals so well and works so well with the guitar volume knob. I have grown to really like it’s simplicity. All you need is a reverb in the loop and a good boost and your volume knob you are done for blues/rock.
What i I can tell you is that the input gain controls are a fantastic feature. They are separate from the gain control.
I’ve never had an amp with that on it before. If you set it to say, 9 O clock and you have a Strat or a LP, nothing too high gain, wherever you put the channel gain knob it’ll always be in classic rock territory. From edge of breakup at the beginning of the gain sweep to Led Zep overdriven sounds at the top end.
Turn it it up to say 12 O clock and turn up the gain and you’re getting into hard rock stuff, suitable for punk rock etc. And then if you go further with the input gain you get a whole sweep of metal sounds from classic to modern, all depending on pickups of course.
I wish there was a way to save presets on an amp like this. The versatility is remarkable.
Compared to the DS tone wise, I really need to check it out at practice like I said, but the DS is killer tone, simple useage. This has three channels and a wealth of tones.
I’ll probably keep the DS40 too, but I much prefer a two/three channel amp. So if the tones are up to scratch this is probably exactly what I’ve been looking for.
I’ll keep you updated.
I think Carol Ann amps are awesome amps that just haven't taken off here in the UK. I've had nearly all the high gainers and they're up there with the best
HNA