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I'm posting this in a Jazz forum because I figure you guys will be more into clean sounds than some other forums that then praise certain hardware because they prefer them with overdrive and distortion and you don't realise that necessarily when getting their reviews of amps.
Currently I have a Tube blackface 65 Deluxe Reverb RI and a Hot Rod Deville 212 with Cannabis Rex Speakers that I put in to tame the shrill top end. I play very clean thumbpicking stuff like Chet Atkins and Merle Travis mostly... Yeah sometimes I play blues too - that's what I used to do before I learnt to Thumbpick. I also play bit of chordal finger style jazz or perhaps solo guitar arrangements is a better way to put it at any rate. One thing about Thumbpicking - we generally like a bit of a driven thump to our bass notes.
I mostly practice with Roland Cubes like the 40 and 80GX because I have tinnitus and the tube amps aggravate it because let's face it they are loud and hard to get in the satisfying tone zone unless they get to a certain volume. The Solid state Rolands are perfect in that sense because they sound adequate at any volume....
None of that doesn't mean I don't prefer the sound of a tube amp... so the idea of an attenuator on a solid state tonemaster twin has me curious because I'd love some tone at low volume like my Rolands but with a more authentic luscious Fender sound...
So assuming a Tonemaster Twin can do that and be a practice amp in my fairly large music carpeted music room (it's about the size of two decent bedrooms)... which tonemaster twin would be the best for this style of music? I think maybe the blackface one... but then I don't like shrill piercing highs... so maybe I'm wrong... maybe the blonde... I really like the Cannabis rex speakers in my HR Deville 212 but it's so loud I rarely use it... so sad about that. It's an awesome amp. I think the blackface has Jensens and the Blonde has Celestions. I've heard that the some people think the Celestions are more rock orientated, mid focussed and preferred by people who like pedals and dirt... Not sure how they would be for thumbpicking and whether that's irrelevant.
Also what about the 4 Speaker Tone master Super Reverb? I had discounted that because I figured it'd break up a bit like a Deluxe Reverb and sound a bit "dirty" but I don't actually know much about them.
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04-12-2024 07:42 PM
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I’d personally buy one of the new Standels if you’re angling for a Chet or Merle tone. Owen (current Standel Co. owner) is building some really nice amps at a reasonable price point.
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Yes I know Chet used to use a Standel but I doubt they even sell them in Australia - not to mention the voltage issues.
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Not a big fan of the the tone masters but the speaker the Jensen Neos are supposed to be imitating in the blackface are something I'm not a big fan of so I'd probably go with the blonde. The neo creambacks are known as the warmer speaker so it'd probably fit a Chet guy a little better. Good luck on your decision and welcome to the Jazz Guitar Forum.
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The Chet tone I'm thinking of isn't exactly what I call a clean tone, even if the distortion doesn't come from the amp or filters. Or not all; there's a concurrent thread titled "nylon-stringed electrics" where someone claims that using an acoustic amp (for singers) avoids that piezo quacky sound.
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Chet played a Nylon later on in life... In the beginning he used a Gretsch 6120, 6122 and a Super Chet (and various other experimental ones) and later a Gibson. He also used a weird resonator called a Del Vecchio. He did play pretty clean.
Originally Posted by RJVB
The acoustic amp for the nylon guitar is a Boss Acoustic Singer Pro. It's basically just like a Fishman or an AER. It does have a seperate channel with a harmoniser for a singer but the amp itself is just an acoustic guitar amp. It has an acoustic resonance feature designed to smooth out piezos.
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Went out on a motorbike ride today and by fluke I ended up near a guitar store that happened to have the Blonde and the Black Tone master Twin.
Tried both on 22W and on full. I found the black model with the Jensens to be clearer in the bass frequencies and a with a clearer treble. The Celestions sounded mid heavy to me. I put the bass/mid/treble controls basically at 12 O'clock. Eq'ing might have made some difference but I figure 12" is the starting point at least for a comparison. Reverb was on something like 3... Volume maybe 4. Whatever I set it the same on both amps.
Slightly surprising because the blonde one costs more - but that's maybe what blues/rock guys want. I just like a good clean tone with a clear bass, mid and treble across the frequencies.
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Careful about hopping off that motorbike to do a hi-fi assessment...wind noise can be insidious, even with a full face helmet and ear plugs. Originally Posted by MrAstro
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Well yes... including how loud the pipes are... I think I mentioned my tinnitus... I do wear ear plugs these days. Originally Posted by texasdw
Do you disagree with my assessment though? Or are you just making the observation that my hearing may have been fatigued... I suppose it could have been but the Jensens sounded clearer in the bass and treble to me.
I do believe that it's fairly well known Jensens are often more scooped in the mids so in comparison that might have given me the impression the Celestions were more mid focussed.
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If your own pipes are so much in your face you have to protect your hearing you must either be using the reverse too often or worry about your lungs too O:^) Originally Posted by MrAstro
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Today’s outing was on my Harley. So it sounds like a typical Harley… but before you stereotype me I also own a BMW S1000r which is the polar opposite of a Harley… Very few motorcycles have a reverse lol there are a couple of very heavy ones that do though… I wear earplugs because the wind and engine noise can damage your hearing over long periods. I’ve been riding bikes for three and a half decades now. I’m not that young. Originally Posted by RJVB
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Neither give the sound I prefer - I'm a Guzzista though I had to sell mine a few years back. I agree about wind noise (helmet certification should include the hearing protection provided; there is technology beyond the usual impact-protection foam that can keep noise levels down without impairing your hearing). I wore ear plugs despite having a windshield that kept most of the wind pressure off my head, mostly to decrease fatigue during long or highway rides.
But engine noise? I doubt any bike in stock/certified state reaches sound pressures that are damaging to the hearing of rider at the pipe(s), let alone the engine, certainly not outside. Or maybe when you start playing with the rev limiter on a 4il... My own bike was certified at 97dB I think (my mind says 87dB but that seems really low). I can get (almost) that much sound out of my guitars... and I recall I only really heard my own engine when riding through narrow streets or tunnels. I do miss that sound sometimes...
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Not many people have stock harley pipes man :-) Originally Posted by RJVB
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Aftermarket accessories are subject to the same certification regulations
(My bike had an Agostini pipe.)
But frankly, on a normal bike and even on normal HDs the exhaust sound is behind you, and you're riding away from it (hence my earlier quip about the reverse).
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Glad I don't live in the EU - even if the EU's draconian regulations have been sent to test us in other parts of the world. Originally Posted by RJVB
Aftermarket accessories are subject to the same certification regulations
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[QUOTE=MrAstro;1330391]Well yes... including how loud the pipes are... I think I mentioned my tinnitus... I do wear ear plugs these days.
Do you disagree with my assessment though?
No, no opinion on the question at hand, but as a Chet picker myself, and curious about these new tube amps, I'm interested in the topic. Plus, I am a long distance rider, currently on a Harley Ultra Limited. But the bike doesn't really matter. I have ridden BMW, Kawasaki, Honda. Doesn't matter. It's the wind that'll get you. Plenty of tinnitus here too...
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Trust me the feeling is mutual, and regulations and their enforcement on this not so draconian that townships or even regions don't try to put up periodic bans on motorcycling on their scenic routes because of the noise pollution they cause. And after having lived (with MC!) for a few years in a place that gets its share of sunday riders (plus the local squid) I can only agree with that. Originally Posted by MrAstro
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No noise restrictions of any kind here, it's great. You can run a straight pipe with no hassles. I love to watch the motorcycles go by. Loud is good. Louder is better. Originally Posted by RJVB
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