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Chapter 15: Choosing Your Amp and Effects
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Many established companies, such as Fender and Marshall, make new versions
of the classic amps that made the sounds that put Jimi Hendrix, Pete
Townshend, and Eric Clapton on the map back in the day.
The following categories present the two choices you have if you want to
sound like they did back in the day.
Vintage amps
As with guitars, many musicians argue that the classic amps of yore have never
been equaled by modern attempts as far as sound quality and workmanship.
The best vintage amps are hard to beat. Some of these include the Marshall
“plexi” series (for the Plexiglas faceplate that appeared on the control panel)
and the Fender Bassman, Twin, and Deluxe Reverb amps.
Although vintage amps are often best used in recording, where the environment
is controlled, when you play a live gig, newer technology is generally
more robust than vintage technology.
Reissue amps
Amp manufacturers, recognizing the appeal of vintage amps, often create
reissues — amps that in many ways resemble their original, vintage counterparts
from previous decades. If this interests you, look for amps that have
“reissue” in the title or somewhere in the amp’s description. Often these are
quite faithful to the original specs, but do use a rubber coated power cord
instead of a cloth-insulated one. Trust me — this is a good thing.
The Fender Vibrolux is an example of a reissue amp. It’s made with modern
materials and current manufacturing standards, but it’s faithful to the look
and feel of a vintage amp. Reissue amps try to capture the best of both worlds:
modern manufacturing methods and original circuit design, look, and feel.
Dialing in an Amp Sound
When you find an amp you want to try out, there are certain procedures you
should follow to test it. Whether you’re in a music store or in the privacy of
your own home, you need to know how to test an amp for the first time (so
you don’t blow it out).
Amps have different controls and front-panel arrangements, but the following
steps apply to any amp when you plug in for the first time to create your
sound:
TEAM LinG