April 11th, 2007 - feature
The Amp Poll
As part of my recent quest for a quality amplifier, I've become even more acutely aware of
GEAR LUST OR GEAR LOST? Reading about tone is like taking pictures of food.
the huge amount of energy expended by players everywhere in the process of demoing, analyzing, rating, discussing, and ultimately investing in expensive equipment that suits their tonal preferences. But as vast a resource as the internet can be, let's face it -- without sound samples, and some normalized way of comparing them all, reading about gear is ultimately more addictive than useful.
With that in mind, I've put together a compendium of field recordings from my amp shopping expedition at Ultrasound Rehearsal, organized by amplifier and gain level. All you have to do is listen to them, and click on the shiny buttons. Specifically, your job is to rate the sounds, in order, from favorite (1) to least-favorite (7). That's right -- no ties allowed. In the non-MTV Cribs world that most of us inhabit, bringing home two or three boutique tubalicious lovelies is simply not an option, so you'll just have to pick a winner.
Note that there are eight amps in total and yet only seven in each section. That's because the Chieftain didn't do a high-gain sound, and because I simply forgot to do clean on the Hot Cat 30 and crunch on the Topaz. So sue me. However if you like those amps, all the more reason to get out and play one -- you won't be sorry. For the rest, I've done all the dirty work, now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain. I'll publish the results in a future site update. Good luck!
With that in mind, I've put together a compendium of field recordings from my amp shopping expedition at Ultrasound Rehearsal, organized by amplifier and gain level. All you have to do is listen to them, and click on the shiny buttons. Specifically, your job is to rate the sounds, in order, from favorite (1) to least-favorite (7). That's right -- no ties allowed. In the non-MTV Cribs world that most of us inhabit, bringing home two or three boutique tubalicious lovelies is simply not an option, so you'll just have to pick a winner.
Note that there are eight amps in total and yet only seven in each section. That's because the Chieftain didn't do a high-gain sound, and because I simply forgot to do clean on the Hot Cat 30 and crunch on the Topaz. So sue me. However if you like those amps, all the more reason to get out and play one -- you won't be sorry. For the rest, I've done all the dirty work, now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain. I'll publish the results in a future site update. Good luck!