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The title just about says it all. I lost all my guitars and amps in a house fire. It's indescribably heartbreaking. I had guitars and amps that, while not necessarily terribly expensive, were limited issue and therefore very hard to replace. It's like losing friends. My very first guitar, a 1977 Sigma classical (made in Japan, I think) is utterly irreplaceable for its sentimental value.
That's the sad part. The good part is that I have great insurance, and I will very soon be getting money to start over. However, it's going to be a year before we can move back into our house and the place we're renting has very limited space. My minimum instruments are a Tele, a 335, a Fender PJ bass and (if I can get another one) an Ibanez SRD900F Fretless. I play blues, jazz, and church worship music, with a little classic rock on the side just for fun.
I only have room for one amp for both guitar and bass. It has to be portable for gigging blues/jazz, but not for church (I play through their system, which is pretty good.)
Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
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05-22-2024 02:42 PM
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Sorry for your loss.
All the best to you and everyone involved
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Ouch. That sucks big time.
Maybe you can get by on a keyboard amp or bass amp, with a modeling rack as the front end for guitar work. I suggest this because a guitar amp won't have the bottom end for bass but a bass amp (or cab) often does well as a guitar rig. I have a pair of 2x10 GK bass cabs that (at 17lbs each) are part of my "lightweight stereo guitar rig."
If you are a "tubes only for me" person (as I pretty much am) then apologies for the scandalous suggestion...!
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Wow - I'm truly sorry to hear that. It sounds like you're resiliant enough to move forward from it, which is wonderful. I don't know your budget, so it's had to suggest an amp. But if it's attainable, you might want to consider a Quilter 202 in a Block Dock 12HD cab. The speaker is a Celestion BN12-300S, which is excellent for guitar and will handle your bass well enough. I have a Block Dock with an OD202 in it, and the available power is remarkable - using the clean channel, it's a 22 pound Twin. The Tone Block 202 head is identical in power and very similar in clean tone to the OD202. Either one will handle guitar, bass or keyboard very well, but the OD 202 will also pretend it's a Boogie Mk 1 or 2 if that's in your wheelhouse.
A less costly choice that's also a fine sounding combo for bass or guitar is one of the current small class D heads (TC Electronics BAM200, Warwick Gnome, Trace-Elliot Elf etc) and a good 8" (Revsound RS8) or 10" (Toob 10 or Raezer's Edge Bass 10) cab. You'd have to add a pedal if you need reverb or O/D. And if you're just looking for a quick and dirty substitute until you can reassemble your arsenal, the Fender Rumble 40 bass amp is inexpensive and more than just decent.
May you be back in your home again as soon as possible with minimal permanent damage!Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 05-23-2024 at 06:04 AM.
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G2, where are u located? Maybe one of us could help out.
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I'm kind of open to anything. I had even thought about a Boss NEXTONE, but on listening to videos, the sound is better than other solid state, but still no match for a Twin Reverb or Blues Jr. I've kind of been leaning toward a bass cab with two headers, one bass and one guitar, but I've never tried anything like that, so I don't know what it would sound like. My budget is around $3k. That's about 80% of what I lost, which is what I expect from the insurance.
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I'm in Sierra Vista, AZ. A little town in the mountains about 2 miles north of the Mexican border and 1/4 mile from the end of the Earth.
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So, I'm kind of thinking about a Rumble 115 or Ampeg PF-115 cab (I've heard some really good jazz players swear by a 1x15 rig) coupled with something like an Ampeg PF 20-T or Fender Rumble 800 bass head and a Fender Super-Sonic 22 (or similar) for the guitars.
I've never tried anything like this, but I assume all I have to do is switch between heads into the same cab with an AB box, as long as the impedance matches up.
Mainly, I want to get a great clean, warm jazz tone out of my 335. Everything else I can pretty much get with the knobs. Maybe get a good EQ and a dirt pedal for screwing around. These should come in around $3k after tax, which is about the end of my budget.
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You don't by any chance play bass in a band called Fuzz Evil or work with him?
Originally Posted by G2Brew
Asking for a friend
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Ha! No, but I've heard of them. I have friends in another local band, haven't had the pleasure of meeting the Fuzz Evil guys. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
You don't by any chance play bass in a band called Fuzz Evil or work with him?
Asking for a friend
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Sorry to hear about your house and belongings. At least you are alive though!
My recommendations is a dual showman head and separate bass and guitar cabs. Works pretty well for both unless you need a ton of bass power. A bassman head might also be worth considering though the better ones are a little short on power. The showman head makes the weight manageable.
Truthfully I am in a fire danger area in the summers and I think about this sort of thing often, and it's one reason of several why I mostly use fairly easy to replace gear. Mid tier semi hollow ES copy and a Twin. I got plenty tied up in that but it's maybe 3k or 4k absolute max to replace my main player guitar and amp.
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I sent you a PM. Originally Posted by G2Brew
Sometimes my band plays in Sierra Vista.
Including next Thursday night in the park.
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I'm no amp expert and I haven't used a wide variety of equipment.
But, bandwidth is cheap, so here's something.
I'd guess that a 10" or 12" powered speaker with enough watts could handle bass. I guess it might depend on how loud you need to play. You might need a bigger powered speaker. I don't know.
I can get my guitar sound out of an original Mackie SRM350 (which is now in version 3, I think, but I have the oldest one -- it's 10") and a Yamaha mixer MGU10XU. The mixer even has a bunch of FX (I use one of the reverbs).
This is my loudest rig. It's: 335-type (Comins GCS-1) > Boss ME70 (adding reverb only on my clean setting) > Yamaha mixer > SRM350.
I can also get the sound I want if I insert my DV Mark Little Jazz between the ME80 and the mixer -- which allows me to use it as a monitor, if need be. The LJ alone won't do it, because the output signal isn't strong enough.
The mixer is needed to bring the signal up to the level the old SRM350 wants to see. I think that the newer version of the SRM350 has some additional preamplification so maybe the mixer wouldn't be necessary.
The powered speaker and mixer would total under $1000 even with a pole. For blues guitar, you'd probably want some more outboard gear. A few hundred more maybe?
Advantages of this approach: you shouldn't ever need more power for guitar. I don't know about bass. You have plenty of control. Add a mic and you've got a PA. And, the one speaker should handle guitar and bass. You can even plug your 335 and your Tele into the mixer and not be swapping cables.
Disadvantages: Maybe a little heavy. Multiple pieces to carry and set up.
Only 3 band EQ. You have to be careful with your volume. It's easy to play too loud. Don't ask me how I know this.
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rpjazzguitar: good stuff. You've given me more to think about (which I appreciate!)!
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That must be emotionally and practically very stressing, sorry for your loss.
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Very sorry for your loss, but yes you have to keep it in perspective. You're alive and healthy.
We had a fire at our house while I was away at college. The house was totaled. There were some things able to be salvaged though. The first guitar I ever played, some Japanese 3/4 size no-name, is still around--in storage at my sister's.
My first real guitar, a Japanese model--possibly Teisco or Kawai--disappeared somewhere along the way. My mom might have given it away. I really regret not having it.
My advice would be a Tele (the best you can afford) and a Fender Rumble 100 combo, with a reverb pedal. That is a great amp, and very lightweight. You can get a Fender Squier Jazz bass for pretty cheap, and IMO they are quite good.
My Fishman Artist acoustic amp will handle guitar and bass (has a tweeter), but not gonna give the low bass sound like the Rumble.
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That's horrible, I feel for you. Insurance: You hate paying for something you hope you'll never need, but you're glad you did when you do. I'm glad you had yours.
I see the people this past week whose homes have been destroyed by tornadoes my heart bleeds, and I can't imagine how the hell they cope.
(Not to get political, but what annoys me is when people who scream about taxes want help from the gov't.)Last edited by Woody Sound; 05-27-2024 at 01:30 PM.
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You have my sympathy for whatever it may be worth, I wish there was something productive I could do to assist.
As a firefighter I am all too aware of the impact fires can have on the victims, even more so in my role as a fire investigator. Sometimes being a musician as well has helped when I have been dealing with those who have lost instruments and memories. Among the more difficult jobs are those where the resident tells me "I just could not afford the insurance!"
I am also an emergency responder with Red Cross and that training helps, as does still having contacts in the local music scene who will sometimes reach out with assistance when I let them know what has happened.
For those in OZ we have;
About Support Act - Support Act
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Support Act
another organisation that we support as a family.
Best Wishes
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Oh man, that sucks. I have often wondered what I would do in that situation. I have said I would run back in to save my #1, but I probably wouldn't. As long as my wife and dogs were safe, I am eternally grateful.
I guess I would have to look at the silver lining- you get to start anew. I can say I would certainly have a different collection than I do now, if I started buy today as opposed to 40 years ago. And I would have LESS stuff. I'd know what NOT to buy this time around.
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Very sorry for your losses. Here in Colorado wildfires are always sort of in the back of my mind. To the point where I've done the occasional evacuation drill to see exactly what I can get in the car with about 15 minutes notice. Part of my emergency gear is a Mono double guitar gig bag that will allow me to get a couple of my axes and an HX Stomp out of harm's way.
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Yes, it will be very different. I'm going to stick with a few really beloved guitars and 2-3 amps. I know what I like to play, I know what people pay me to play, and they're mostly the same thing, so I don't have to have 12 different guitars just because they have unique voices sitting around not being played. In the end I'll have my two basses, ES-335, Tele, and Martin. My GPC-18E is discontinued, but it would be hard to replace anyway. I went to every guitar shop in phoenix and played dozens of guitars before I chose that one. It spoke to me. Ah well, there are lots of wonderful guitars in the world, and another will speak to me in time. Originally Posted by ruger9
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