[Red Sun]

Well I was tracking a few guitars today(or tried to) and got pissed off at the mad rattling coming from my amp(obviously the louder the volume more rattle). I do accredit a bit to fret buzz(but slightly and mostly because of heavy hitting. This made me think back of my old amps and think "IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN WITH COMBOS?"

This amp is in great condition but it has traveled a lot. I a case and with care but roadies will be roadies so i guess it has taken it bumps.

I intend to switch preamp tubes just to see (and also test sonic possibilities) and check all screws and components.

any other suggestions? Ideas?


Now to the next topic. Is this something that all combos go through dude to vibrations of playing? (I do play larger venues and loud volumes so I guess this account for a bit)

Do heads have this issue? Ive only owned a jcm900-4100 which i didnt use much and I have a TT which I only use in the studio. Now I imagine that by being isolated (head/cab) this would eliminate extraneous noises? Any observations. Im actually thinking about selling my supergoldtone. I love this amp but cant deal with the fact that i cant use it for recording dude to the damn rattle. Im contemplating selling and buying a Orange Rockerverb and a 2x12 and maybe get a couple low wattage mini heads for different tones. I dont want to quit combos but damn! My amp before the SuperGoldtone, A gibson 15rv had the same problem. Cant remember if this happened with my 2 blues juniors.

Whats your take? Head or combo?


By the way I like 50w and under with 30 being just perfect!

[wolfman63]

Hey Red, tube amps can sure be a pain. Pity they sound so good. When she's good she's very good....but when she's bad, SHE'S GREAT!" I have taken every tube amp that I've loved the tone and performance of ,and built a head cab for it. Tubes last a lot longer as well as everything else. Combo amps are really convenient, but in my opioion designed to fail. Just put yourself in the place of the tubes etc. All that heat, vibration from howling speakers, and as you mentioned loading and un-loading. In addition to it's own cab, it don't hurt to install an equipment fan to lower the heat.
All my life I've run into the little noise that just wont go away - but only in tube combos. To figure......

[Red Sun]

So you actually turned your combos into head versions? Great!
Wolman, Thanks for the reply.

This just sucks cause ive been on tour this past year and was taking some time off to do some new tracks and this amp(one of my favs) is ****ing up. As an engineer extraneous noise pisses me off. As a guitarist even more jeje.

Now Im thinking ether I need to get 2 of each amp or Im going to have to sacrifice some of my tone for live.

Now heres the deal I was about to buy a deluxe reverb for my cleans but I am not taking more amps on the road if they are going to suck in the studio. I might get an Orange head, hopefully that wont suffer as much.

I am also considering buying some NOS tubes(mullard or telefunken) for the studio and reissues for the road.
Do you have some pics of your converted amps? I would love to see that.

[wolfman63]

Hey Red, Yeah, I make the head cab out of yellow pine 1x12's. Use the masurements and hardware from the combo cab. So far they have all worked out fine. I don't have pix but maybe someday when my grand daughter returns my camera. I am thinking of building my next one - speaker cab and amp - like the old Ampeg Port-a-
Flex bass amp, and kill two birds at the same time. The head will lift out of the speaker box, flip over, and set on top. No vibration from the speakers, and well protected when being transported.
I bought one of the Vox Night Train "class A" amp heads and love it. Great clean and distorted. Only 15 watts, but the strongest 15 I've ever heard. You should try one. I'm also pretty impressed with the Egonator 20 watt head. I play the Vox thru a 4x12 cab loaded with a pair of Celestion Blues and a pair of Greenbacks. Great tone and sounds big as a house. I also have a 2x12 cab open back loaded with Naylors. Great if you can find them, (not made anymore.)
I'm not a real fan of the new Marshall amps, one nite they were great the next I couldn't beat a good sound out of them. Was told by a buddy that the only way to get the good sound out of one is to power it with 220. Never been able to give that a try.
You didn't mention what kind of guitar - single coil or humbuckers?

[Red Sun]

Haha your are going to have to call your grand daughter to borrow your camera from her for a bit. Lol.

Nice idea for you next build! Ive actually been looking for one of those ampegs. You must be very handy. If I try to build something like that it will come apart in seconds(lol).

I have been very curious of the night train. I love low wattage amps. Currently I have the Tiny Terror and next in line is the Egnater. Im really not to big on Marshall amps. I mean I miss my 900 a bit but I rarely used it. The Bad Cat little cat rocks as well.
So the clean on the vox is great? Would consider it to be similar to an AC30 at just lower output?

My speaker of choice is Vintage 30's but intend to get a green back soon for a wider pallet of tone. Would you say that a 1x12 cab is easy or complicated?

As far as guitars right now for live I mostly use a Les Paul Studio(01) with stock pick ups(soon to change, maybe jaja) a 335 with 57's and a 52 Tele AVRI (stock).

For the studio I add my American deluxe strat and a Les Paul DC faded TV yellow w/ P90's

[wolfman63]

My grandfther was a carpenter, so all my life I have done woodworking as a hobby. Just use a factory made speaker cab, if you've never built one. It can be time consuming, and a lot of the expense is in the tools.
Greenbacks are great speakers, and Peavey Sheffield's work well also. With the Night Train, just about everything sounds pretty good. Cleans are great, and have that Vox "sparkle". And,surprisingly there is a lot of clean headroom for an amp rated at 15 watts.. Distortion goes from nice blues saturation to absolute howling, singing, blistering classic rock. I compared it to the Tiny Terror before I bought the NT. Really, my only complaint is that there is no FX loop. But I don't use that many effects, just a bit of "slap-back" delay.
I play everything from 50's rockabilly to blues, funk, and things I don't really know how to classify. I have Les Paul's with stock pickups, Pearly Gates, P90's, P94's, as well as Strat's and Tele's. My favorite's tho, are my Epi 335's, one Dot, and one Sheraton. Both of which are completely factory stock. I love my Gibsons and Fenders, but I seem to wind up gigging with the Epi's the most.
About your DC, do you ever notice when bending strings high on the neck, that the sustain drops off using the neck pup? I had a Custom Shop LP DC and got rid of it for that reason. It had HB's tho, maybe that don't happen with P90's. Just curious.

[Red Sun]

Well quite honestly the only complain I have with the DC is the same I have with all flat body guitars. The height that the neck is set it makes the strings no mater how you set them a little higher in the upper frets. I have my guitar top wrapped, the bridge is all the way down and still the upper frets are pretty high. I mean don't get me wrong I love its tone and its a sweet guitar but its definitely not my main ax. Its not the all around. As far a the tone goes I can't really here a decrease in sustain with the neck P90 in the upper frets( I played it last night just to confirm).

The only complain I have with both the TT and NT is the no FX loop as well. I usually don't use a lot of FX ether except a bit of rotary here and there and sometimes some delays. I play mostly through 1 channel amps and color my sound with pedals though the point of owning a Tiny Terror is pretty much crank its for the sweet OD. Thats the reason why Egnater is winning the race in who's next in line. Though I will get a NT as well(GEAR ADDICTION). I mostly play blues,funk, and rock but I also tour with artist Pop/rock so I have my rig and the one for playing with different people.

I will surely buy a cab as my wood work is not the best(well i really couldn't say cause i haven't done much) I lean more towards the electrical side of things

[wolfman63]

"GEAR ADDICTION"is the perfect name for it. You better get into a program soon or by the time you reach my age, you'll need a warehouse to keep it all in. The only advice I can give you on that is this; ....if you get a piece of gear that you really love, under no circumstances let it get away! Over the years I have let some really great stuff go that I kick myself for daily. You'll need a warehouse. Like me you are a confirmed "GEAR JUNKEY". So much good stuff. so little time...........

[Red Sun]

I know man. I have owned over 25 guitars and few of them have been my keepers. Il never get rid of the ones I own now. The only one I feel might not make it is my DC. I like it a lot(both look and tone) but its not the most comfortable guitar. I like to think of guitars as what is appropriate for the song and I keep this for that but the want for a new LP or a Firebird(with out having money to buy one) sometimes makes me think of selling or trading it. But its such a cool looking guitar with a peculiar sound that its hard to make up my mind. As far as pedals and amps none of the things I have will ever leave my power.

I already need a new house for all of the stuff(that and my astronomy gear). Maybe il move into a warehouse. LOL

Is there a Gear Junky help line? hahaha

[wolfman63]

Ha! Tell you what Red, next time you get the hots to buy something , post me and I'll talk you out of it.........or maybe not. Us Junkys gotta hang together. Right now, I own twenty-seven great electric guitars, seventeen amps, a dozen or so mics, a Bose 902/MB4 Panaray speaker system, two QSC power amps, two Peavey Power amps, a Yamaha sixteen channel mixer, An Antares Pitch correcter, a JBL speaker system with eighteen inch subs, two sets of led stage lights, and enough wire to wrap around the state of Texas twice and still have enough left over to hog tie Rosy O'Donnel.AND a wife who puts up with my habit. Life is good.