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Topic: So you buy a $2500 amp |
Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 31 Jan 2018 9:02 pm |
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Then turn it down on stage and run your sound through a stage vocal monitor so you can hear it. Could anything go wrong with this concept?
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 4:53 am
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| I have enjoyed my $300 amps and my $2,500 amps! If the $2,500 amp is super quiet, has LED lighting, a built in dobro effect, awesome EQ controls, is super light, has a world class DI interface, headphone output, built in power supply, built in rack effects, remote control (the list goes on), then you might even forget about the cost and just enjoy all the features. Either way, either amp is a winner! |
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Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 5:20 am
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| Amen to that Greg. I have a liking for high end gear and once I've bought something I don't agonize over what I paid for it. There are so many less worthy, or even self-destructive ways to spend. If I bought it, I had the cash at the time. Will I lose money if I sell it? Of course, but in the meantime I'm having lots of pleasure out of it. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 6:20 am Re: So you buy a $2500 amp
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| Larry Behm wrote: |
| Then turn it down on stage and run your sound through a stage vocal monitor so you can hear it. Could anything go wrong with this concept? |
You can enjoy the satisfaction of being thrifty and feeling smarter than everybody else by playing through an unresponsive , one dimensional sounding cheap amp or deal with the shame of using a glorious sounding amp that directly responds to every nuance of your technique.
After that it is all about signal path. That is something we are not always in control of.
_________________
Bob |
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Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 7:24 am Re: So you buy a $2500 amp
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| Bob Hoffnar wrote: |
....or deal with the shame of using a glorious sounding amp that directly responds to every nuance of your technique.
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Most of the "nuances" in my technique are unintentional at best (who doesn't love a happy accident??), undesired at worst, so I'll go with the subpar amp.  |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 7:38 am
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| I think the point Larry is trying to make, is that although we spend a lot of money on our amplifiers, speaker and volume pedal, often some idiot sound man wants you go direct into the PA and use the stage monitors to hear yourself . He is essentially asking you to go through speaker/ cab that you would never select for steel guitar - which are designed for the human voice - thus, bypassing your $2500 amp. |
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Dave Diehl
From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 8:00 am
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| I was going to comment but Tony said it better than I could have. |
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Bill Moran
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 9:40 am
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Turn your amp way down in your monitor mix and use the amp for your guitar monitor. A stage monitor will be eq.ed for everything from vocals down. The sound you hear will normally suck.
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Bill |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 9:48 am
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You can buy some great sounding vintage Fender and Peavey amps and you don't need to spend no stinking $2,500!  |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 10:23 am
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We used to have to fill the room with our amp on stage. Volumes were pretty ridiculous and many of us have hearing loss as a result. At most all professional level gigs today your amp doesn't have to do that, and you should not try to do that. Everyone wants lower stage volume.
But your amp is still critically important to your overall sound. If it sounds marginal, then what gets boasted into the PA will also be marginal. If you are using a wonderful sounding amp, and the PA and sound engineer are reasonably decent, the audience will hear that same wonderful tone that you are hearing.
PS: I don't have my steel coming back to me through the monitor nearest to me. I just rely on the amp's volume as my personal stage monitor.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 1:28 pm
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| I say don’t dwell on the price and enjoy the amp that inspires you. |
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Murray McDowall
From:
Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 3:12 pm
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My sentiments exactly Steve!
I have 2 Amps, a PV Session 500 and a Telonics TCA-500C.
I injured my shoulder loading one, now recovered after a $2.5k operation and thoroughly enjoying the other!
Cheers, Murray.
_________________
'99 Zum D-10 9x8,
'64 L Series "P" Bass,
Peavey Session 500,
Telonics TCA-500C & FP-100D pedal.
Steelers Choice Sidekick & Backrest. |
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2018 4:33 pm
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Get what works for you and don't adjust your sound based on what you read on forums....:/
| Steve Spitz wrote: |
| I say don’t dwell on the price and enjoy the amp that inspires you. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 1:25 am
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I think the point here is we buy an amp, any amp, we practice , dial in our settings, we boast about how good it sounds.
Then we go to a gig, someone hangs a mic over your amp, probably not more than a $100 mic, sends your audio to a Solid State Mackie or something and the audio signal comes out of an unknown 12 or 15 " wedge with a mid range horn. They set the EQ for the monitor system which is multiple instruments crammed into one speaker. You are the only one hearing your dialed in sweet tone from your amp.
Then someone says you are too loud so you turn down your amp and the monitor send stays the same.
I believe this is the point and I fully get it ! 
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 4:59 am
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| With the Telonics DI interface you do have a bit better shot at getting a good send to the PA system while still maintaining some local control of your sound. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 6:38 am
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Having an available line feed is the best defence against the mic-danglers.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 9:25 am
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Peavey made this unit some years ago:
You put it after the amp and before the speaker.
You can hear what you sound like and another signal goes to the mixing board.
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2018 9:48 am
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I agree with Tony and Dave above and see that I totally missed the point of the OP.
Erv, the Telonics DI interface has a modeler built into it and would just be a marketing gimmick if it didn't work so well and sound so good compared to any other DI interface I've ever used on stage or for recording. Much more effective than any EDI box IMHO. |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 4:27 am
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I’m happy with cheap amps as well as expensive boutique amps......They both serve a purpose.....
A cheap amp allows me to have something to play through cheaply,and it can get banged around going from home to practice,or anywhere else without worrying.....I can sound good through a cheap amp.....
An expensive boutique amp INSPIRES me .....It forces me to play better.... It rewards me with great tone and better translates what I am trying to say musically....It makes me want to play more.....
A good band that is mixed properly sounds better than a great band that is too loud and mixed poorly.... It took me a long time to figure this out.... I think I speak for a lot of us here...... Jim |
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mtulbert
From:
Plano, Texas 75023
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 5:10 am
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I use either a Sarno Revelation or a Boss Katana Amp for gigs. Both have direct outputs on the amps and they sound terrific through our PA system. With the Katana I just use the amp to monitor what I am doing. With the Rev I use my own wedge where I can set the level and the tone I want to hear. Both work well for me.
FWIW if you have a sound guy that knows what he is doing, you can hang a reasonably priced mic in front of the amp and get great results.
Here is a youtube video of my group which I recorded and had the video done professionally. The steel is through the Rev as discussed, the lead guitar goes through a mic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5wYeUGZlZg&list=RDMMe5wYeUGZlZg
_________________
Mark T
Infinity D-10 Justice SD-10 Judge Revelation Octal Preamp, Fractal AXE III, Fender FRFR 12 |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 5:49 am
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this thread is NOT ABOUT the amp we may use or how much it costs, just throwing that out there.
It's about what happens to your sound AFTER it leaves your real expensive or real cheap amp. The amp has nothing to do with it ! 
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Dave Diehl
From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 7:30 am
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| I don't know this first hand but have always heard that Buddy E would not let his amp be miked because he didn't want them messing with his tone. That says it all for me. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 8:59 am
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| Dave Diehl wrote: |
| I don't know this first hand but have always heard that Buddy E would not let his amp be miked because he didn't want them messing with his tone. That says it all for me. |
Thats curious as I am thinking that at St Louis, all the amps were mic'd, there would be no way for people on the sides to hear any music if they weren't , let alone the back of the hall.
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Chris Tarrow
From:
Maplewood, NJ
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Posted 3 Feb 2018 9:23 am
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1) tell the sound guy no steel in your monitor if that’s what you want, Unless you are so s loud that you’re ruining the show it’s a reasonable request. Or turn the amp so it’s not shooting straight off the stage, I used to tour with a closed back cabinet facing me, I was a sound guys dream.
2) your sound on stage effects the way you play, so get a rig that makes you happy on stage (and it may cost $100) and forget the rest!
3) fwiw most of the great concerts most of us have seen in the last 50 years were dominated by cheap dynamic mics. Even in the studio I have seen an sm58 preferred over expensive tube mics. |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2018 9:39 am
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Another vote for monitoring with the steel amp instead of thru the PA with a floor monitor (or in-ears).
| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
Peavey made this unit some years ago:
You put it after the amp and before the speaker.
You can hear what you sound like and another signal goes to the mixing board.
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Erv, wish I could have found one of those. I got this passive box, 50 bucks It supports speaker-signal ==> balanced XLR out. Works OK with a quiet amp (LTD-400). I have not compared it A/B to using a mic.
Session-400/LTD-400 have a rear panel "Booster" jack. Schematic shows a resistive voltage-divider in parallel with the speaker-out.
The Katana has a line-out with speaker cabinet emulation that can be adjusted with the Boss Tone Studio app. Too bad it doesn't have XLR line-out, but the little DI box converts the unbalanced signal to "normal" low-Z XLR.
I think you can enjoy your steel amp's unique character with a signal to the house sound system, and more than one way to get there. |
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