Avoiding G.A.S Part 2: The Modern Style Guitar Amp

October 8, 1998

A "modern" style guitar amplifier is one that features "cascading preamp" type distortion. In other words, distortion is created by multiple preamp tubes "driving" or overloading the final preamp section before the signal is sent to the power tubes. This differs from a "vintage" style amp where the distortion is generated by cranking the amp, often necessitating inappropriate volume levels.

The advantage of a modern design is that you can have liquid distortion at reasonable volumes. Since the power tubes remain clean, you can also place effects after the preamp (in the effects loop), so you can add delays, chorus, etc. to your natural tube distortion sound.

Other features of modern designs are channel switching, "speaker emulated" recording outputs, and gobs of clean headroom in relatively small (albeit heavy) packages. All in all, these features combine to give you a very powerful, versatile unit without the need to tote many outboard devices.

One disadvantage of these units is that it's often difficult to properly mix your clean and dirty sounds on stage. This is because there are typically separate volume and EQ controls for the clean and dirty channels. Another disadvantage, especially on the more expensive units, is that there are so many knobs, EQ settings, and tonal options that the amp can sound like complete garbage if you don't know what you are doing. Fortunately many companies publish "sample settings" to give you a starting point. Regardless, if a "plug in and play" vibe is what you want, look elsewhere.

The primary disadvantage of these units, however, is that they sometimes lead to terrible cases of G.A.S. (I should know, I've owned at least five myself). The reason being is that they are often "one-trick ponies" in that they typically have a clean sound (of varying quality), one distinctive dirty sound and sometimes a "boost" for lead. This is a recipe for disaster among fickle guitar players cuz... well... guitar players are fickle.

This happens all the time: You go to a store, you plug into one of these high-tech beauties and it absolutely blows your mind. A sales guy might even feed your ego by walking over and telling you how cool you sound through it. So you go home, grab your 6-month-old high-tech beauty, trade it in (at a loss), bring the new one home and notice that it doesn't sound quite as awesome now that you got it home. You feel buyer's remorse, miss your old amp, not feel satisfied with the new one and in six months start the cycle all over again.

The reality of the above situation is that both your old amp and new amp sounded just fine. It's just that they sounded different. But when you only have one or two sounds to work with, your psyche can sometimes get the better of you and trick you into thinking what you have is bad or that something better is out there.

The way to avoid this problem is, quite simply, make damn sure you LOVE the sound of whatever model you buy. It's better to spend the extra $$$ for the one you really want than to get one you can "afford" and then have to spend money to upgrade later. And once you get the amp you want, COMMIT to it and treat the amp like it's as much a part of your sound as... well... your fingers.

In the interest of not oversimplifying the situation, let's offer some practical suggestions:

First off, ask the salesman if you can try the amp out at home before you buy it. Better yet, if you are in a band, take it to a rehearsal or a gig. See how it cuts through drums and bass. Get feedback from your bandmates and/or sound guy on how they think it sounds. If the salesman gives you a hard time about trying it out, argue that the amp is a substantial investment and you are thus entitled a trial period. If they still have a problem, take your business elsewhere.

Secondly, familiarize yourself with what type of sounds the amp is designed to create. Mesa Boogies, with the exception of the Dual Rectifiers, are based on a Fender type circuit. They create thick, and dark lead tones that tend to work well with Strat and Tele-type guitars. Soldano, on the other hand, is based on a Marshall circuit. They have more bite and match up well with a Les Paul. Some Rivera models offer Marshall and Fender channels. Better yet, both channels are designed to do clean and dirty sounds, though typically you'll use the Fender for clean and the Marshall for dirty. Other amps that kick ass are Bogner, Naylor, and the Tech 21 "Trademark 60" Combo. If you are on a budget, the low-priced king of tube amps (at least here in Nashville) is the Peavey "Classic" series. The solid-state Roland Blues Cubes are also worth looking into. If you have a fat wallet and a strong back, my absolute favorite of this genre is the Mesa Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb... don't confuse it with the Mesa Solo Head which lacks reverb and trem.

Third, look for features that would make it useful on stage and in the studio. Is the effects loop compatible with both "line level" and "instrument level" effects units? Can the footswitch engage the effects loop, as well as change channels, engage the boost, and perhaps the EQ? Is the amp powerful, yet sound good at bedroom levels? More importantly, is it portable enough? Construction plays an important role as well. An amp that uses "military grade" printed circuit boards is going to last longer than and amp that uses lesser-quality components.

Finally, the amp should have character, yet be transparent enough to allow the character of the ax to show through. This is because if you decide to go the rout of the modern-style guitar amp, you're still settling on two or three sounds. The best way to keep the amp sounding fresh is to have a couple of guitars to play through it.

In conclusion, if you can avoid the pitfall of being fickle, a modern-style guitar amp can offer you thick, all-tube distortion and a versatile, feature-filled, compact package. If you are the type to change your mind every six months, however, your pocketbook would fare better by using pedals.

Next time, we'll take a look at the guitar rack system.

Brett Ratner is a contributor to Guitar Player, Musician, Electronic Musician and Music & Computers. He also spent two years as the Creative Writer for www.gibson.com. Currently, Brett plays sessions and performs regularly around Nashville with the band Katoorah Jayne.