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Ok so my theory goes, that a Bassman or equivalent is a really true representation of what your guitar sounds like. I can't say I've plugged both my guitars into one yet, or had enough time to really mess about with one yet, but this is my first impressions. thoughts?
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06-26-2012 08:56 PM
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An electric guitar doesn't "really sound like" anything without the amp, and a Fender tube amp of any stripe will not approach that mythically pure tone even if it did exist. The amplifier is called the "other half of rock and roll" for a reason. Replace rock and roll with the genre of your choice and it's still true.
A Fender Bassman accentuates certain frequencies and attenuates others in a lovely, musically desirable way. It may be an ideal partner with which to audition electric guitars. But I'd steer you away from thinking that it's offering a "true representation" of your electric instrument, which is incomplete without the amp in the first place.
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interesting answer. I find it gives a tone neutral sound. Seems to favor neither bass or treble and provides clarity like no other amp I've tried. I know any addition will def color your tone to some degree. Perhaps a PA...
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How do you know what your guitar really sounds like??? Have you played through an amp know to be colorless, run guitar with DI into a recorder. If you get a chance try playing through something like a Acoustic Image or similar colorless amp. Fender amps and other classic amps are loved for the color they give a guitar.
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I have actually. Headphones, can't remember how I powered the signal. This was my Jazzmaster I tried it on
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You can get the "true" tone of the guitar as sent out the jack by turning your tone controls on a guitar amp to:
bass, treble: zero
middle: 10 (or 11 on amps designed for metal)
If you do this, then you'll realize how terrible magnetic pickups naturally sound. This is no different than the equalization necessary for phono cartridges and why they need a special pre-amp.
And as stated in Line 6 documentation, these are the recommended settings if you need to use a guitar amp as a PA substitute. This web site has a lot of useful info and this page in particular talks about this subject:
GM Arts - Guitar Amplifiers
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I think the Bassman should scoop mids considerably as Fenders usually do, one of the reasons being to compensate for the natural sound of pickups.
But amps with a Baxandall EQ like Polytone, Amperg, etc.. have a flat frequency response with the controls flat (no mid scopp) and lots of people like them.
(anyone correct me if I am wrong please)
I agree the "true tone of a guitar" is something hard to define. It's always the guitar / amp (and reverb for me) combination. But if you like the Bassman so much then you must buy one!
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the least tone coloring amp that I have ever met are AER amps (I have experience with a Compact XL but I assume that they are all similar). To me archtop guitars sound terrible through these amps but acoustic guitars sound fine (if they have a proper pickup system). Amps like Fenders or Polytones color the sound strongly - but to me its a good thing. I agree that the amp is a very important part of the actual sound (maybe even more important than the guitar itself :-)).
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+1.
Originally Posted by FrankLearns
I have an AI head which works well with my Redstone speaker cab, but I need to put my Sansamp Paradriver DI in front of it to color the sound. Without that coloring the tone is dull and lifelss - but no doubt "true", whatever that is.
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Wouldn't the main difference between a Poly and an AER / AI the eq section / speaker design? I guess that used with the same speaker and with controls flat they would yeld similar results but my knowledge on this is not enough to be sure of what I am saying.
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Which Bassman..? I presume you mean the '59 combo type..? I use a Bassman Export 50 head, into a Bassman 2 x 15, but I wouldn't say that it represents the 'true' (..?) sound of any of my guitars.
I would agree with those suggesting that the 'real' sound of any electric is in combination with the amp/speakers. It's possible to go 'pure' and DI into a desk or such, but few would prefer the result over an amp (more so after a while; 'pure' sounds can get quite boring, or even tiresome, over time...). An fine academic question, but, imho, having limited practical application.
(...but then again, what would I know; I'm a drummer..!)
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If that's what you hear in your head as the representative jazz guitar sound, then it is the jazz guitar sound to you.
I heard an old Gibson EH-150 the other day; man, oh, man. Does anyone make a modern amp that comes close to the tone of the Gibson EH-150 amp? That's my jazz guitar sound for now.
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Ever hear a recording of your own voice and think, "do I really sound like that?" I wonder if guitars think the same thing.
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My Yamaha thought it was a Gibson the first time it heard a recording of itself. Buckwheat has fishing reel called a Bassman. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 06-27-2012 at 11:40 AM.
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Thats a good one! Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
I have always felt that the amp and speaker and or speakers you use are the most important factors (all things being equal pick-up wise) in getting the sound you want.
If you go to a music store and plug your guitar into ten diff. amps, your going to really like a couple, find three more that will do the job, and find some that need help to get the sound (tone) you are looking for.
One of my amps is good for Blues, Rock, or Jazz. It is my fav. for all occasions and all my electric guitars. It is my old tweed Fender Blues De ville.
I use my Reverend Hell bound 40/60 head with a Carvin 12" bottom which holds my old JBL speaker for some jazz gigs.
Anyway, what I am getting at here is we are talking about electric guitars...if you want to know what it sounds like "naturally" take out the pick-up. Or just don't plug it in, strum it a few times, and there you have it!
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Usually Bassmans ( but wich one? 'cause there are a lotta differents siblings outta there) were good for Blues,because they had "the grit"....other than a Twin instead,wich was better suited for not coloring too much,apart from the usual Fender mid scoop;usually SS amps have a more linear response,expecially if they are thought out and "tuned" for guitar work,so in Jazz use,they may have the edge,personally my axes play quite well trough my Jam 150 Plus from SR ( wich was meant for acoustics...) both tha PM 100,as well as the CS 336......I do not think AER can do worse,since I have tried a couple,and they were really good, with semis and Hollows :-)
By the way I own both a Twin from the 80's and an Egnater Rebel 20 head,so I can compare them everyday.
P.S.
I tried a couple days ago a DV Mark DV40 (6L6 version) combo,both 1x12" and 2x12"......WOW!!! Sweetest thing I've heard from ages.....clean all the way,and nearly "perfect"...probably a GAS attack on the way!!! :-)Last edited by peterpanico; 07-01-2012 at 04:53 AM.
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