So an interesting thing occurred to me the other day. I went to try out the new 20w JCM 800 in Cardiff and it struck me how unusual it is for me to play a real amp in a normal way nowadays, and almost how unlistenable the whole experience was for me. I've just become too accustomed to playing the digital way, with a mic'ed cab using an Impulse Response or Kemper profile.
I started writing this post and realised it was going to drag on, so put my thoughts down in a blog post - I don't earn money from this, it's purely for personal musings, so sorry if this competes with any rules for taking people off site.
I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this. Could it be the way we all experience things in future? Is it a good or bad thing? Anyone else feel the same or am I the only weirdo who can't hack amps in their raw form?!
Comments
The way I see it all my favourite tones are on albums which have been mic'd up in a good sounding room, so it makes sense that I'd prefer the modelled stuff. I've not used modelling in a band situation yet though. I imagine it's the aforementioned fizz and harshness that gives the real amp presence and power in a mix.
PS - crank that JCM800 up through a Greenback 2x12 or 4x12 to hear it at its best the situation you tried it in sounds like everything was working against it sounding good. the combo is ok if you want a small package though, imo it still sounds like an 800. Try a Studio Jubilee as well!
It's only us musicians who are generally familiar with the immediacy of a loud, in-your-face guitar amplifier.
I tend to play either unplugged or via a Pignose at home, so I mostly only hear my own amp via mics and monitoring, but when I do get a chance to turn it up it still fills me with joy.
Two important points though: always go to a guitar shop with YOUR guitar. Prepare your testing repertoire beforehand: I use a clean song that perfectly represents all that I want from an amp, and choose a song suitable for the style amp.
@lukedlb good point mate, I should probably clear that up on the article. Thanks for reading it and for the feedback.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Most of my favourite guitar sounds are on studio albums - mic'd, processed etc
So often I prefer that approach with my Helix.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
The only thing I would have against offsite rambling is a hesitation to return to that site for an update. Would any further comments or updates belong to the blog or be mirrored on the forum? Best to post on forum a to the point version of your blog.
soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
Guitar + amp IS the instrument, and although you can fake various bits of it the very existence of this thread proves it's just not the same thing at all.
I must agree.
Let me be clear though, I love playing through amplifiers. I prefer it to my Kemper, I think. And that's why I'm going back to amps. Perhaps my initial blog post didn't convey that. It's just that I like what the correct cab and mic combinations do to the sound. As is alluded to above, in @p90fool's earlier post...it stands to reason, because that is how we've always consumed music on records. I mention this in my post too.
Since potching around with my Torpedo CAB (yes, digital, I admit), I've learned so much about what microphones do to the resulting sound, killer combo for my tastes is a Neumann and and SM57.
This is probably obvious for most of you, but for me, it's a bit of a revelation recently. None more so than since I played the amp in the shop.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
I don't know if it's some super subtle compression or what but the immediacy of the response just feels better playing through a real amp.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
My main focus is on recording, so the Kemper saves me loads of time. It's also more responsive compared to other modellers such as Amplitube, etc., so I think I have the right balance.