Amps It’s so cute!

[Griff]

I do like my little Yamaha (THR10C I believe) for practice... and I know several pro players that use them for stuff like that.

What I think most people forget about is the listening environment and, most importantly, the volume. If you were to mic a little THR10 and run it through some big speakers, and make it loud, it has plenty of low end, as Philip Sayce demonstrates in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8q09xG1gxw

On the other hand, if I run my 100 watt Marshall through a power soak so that it's the same volume through the 4x12 as the Yamaha, there's no low end in my Marshall either. If I crank it up you'll feel the low end like a fist to the chest.

The Fletcher-Munson curves are alive and well, and they will trick you time and time again... I learned that while starting to profile my amps with the Kemper.

When I first started, I kept them at normal, sane volumes and profiled them. Later, when I'd run the profile at gig volumes it was woofy and dark. It took me many tries to find the volume that was going to be necessary to profile at so that what I was hearing was accurate to what I would hear on the gig.

And, at the same time, that volume has no bearing on what the amp sounds like at low volume in the studio, so in some cases I have "gig" profiles, and "studio" profiles for myself.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

Be careful! "CUTE" is a four letter word!

Tom

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

I think I've gone senile. But ... if a really stupid person goes senile, how do you know?

 

[Al Holloway]

If you were to mic a little THR10 and run it through some big speakers, and make it loud, it has plenty of low end

I was watching an after match band play at Twickenham a couple of years ago. They sounded excelent. I then noticed the guitar player was using a mic'd THR10. Nothing wrong with that sound. That was also the gig I noticed the sound man standing next to me running the front of house on a wireless enabled Ipad. All changed from massive 24 track desks and Marshal stacks I grew up on.

cheers

Al.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

What I think most people forget about is the listening environment and, most importantly, the volume. If you were to mic a little THR10 and run it through some big speakers, and make it loud, it has plenty of low end, as Philip Sayce demonstrates in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8q09xG1gxw
The Fletcher-Munson curves are alive and well, and they will trick you time and time again...

Well, so much for "no THR10 bass".

 

[CapnDenny1]

Anything can have bass if you get close enough. Most headphones have plenty of bass, some too much. But try to use headphones to listen to music across the room. It's not just the F-M curves. They have to do with volume level

Most of the demo's of the THR they have the mic right next to the speaker. That's great if you plan to carry it around like a boom box.

There is a fundamental problem with doing bass, in a room, not next to the speaker, with a small speaker. It can be done, but you need a speaker that can travel a long way. That's what they do in small sub-woofers. The cone of the speaker and it's suspension is designed to be able to travel extremely long distances. The problem is trying to make that linear, so it sounds right. In a sub that's easier because of the limited frequency response in a sub.

You can publish all the videos you want. My ears tell me when I play through this little toy of an amp from 4 -6 feet away, there is no bass. The amazing thing about this amp is not that. But the fact that there is as much as there is, and how nice it actually sounds. It's not un-bearable. I might even keep it?

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Another way to look at it is that there is nothing wrong with the amp, but plenty wrong with your ears. If there is plenty of bass there when mic'd up, then there is plenty of bass there for the mic to pick up in the first place, but your ears just can't hear it.

 

[Al Holloway]

I play through this little toy of an amp from 4 -6 feet away

So there is the issue. I play mine behind my laptop. Never more than 2-3 feet away and it sounds fine.

cheers

Al.

 

[CapnDenny1]

Yes, as long as I put my ear next to the speaker, I would hear what the mic hears.

RR, and your not stubborn either, you don’t care what I say!

;-)

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Yes, as long as I put my ear next to the speaker, I would hear what the mic hears.
RR, and your not stubborn either, you don’t care what I say!
;-)

I will defer to Griff's post on this one and call it 'nuff said.

 

[CapnDenny1]

Yep, peace.

 

[TwoNotesSolo]

Wow, I'd never seen that pic of Jerry with a Mac and a Steinberger. A bygone era...

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Yep, peace.

PEACE!

 

[CapnDenny1]

and the Yamaha g5 amp.

 

[Iheartbacon]

I got away with that because they're both white. No way I could sneak a THR10C into the house. It's a different color and would be a dead giveaway.

Come on, a little creativity can solve that issue! For example, mention to your wife how the paint on the old 5 is looking grungy and that you might want to paint it black. Make a bit of commotion carrying around the amp, drop cloth and a can of spray paint. Have a beverage or two, kill time reading guitar forums etc. and then come back inside with your "freshly painted" THR10C and proudly tell her how nice the new finish came out.

 

[Griff]

Anything can have bass if you get close enough. Most headphones have plenty of bass, some too much. But try to use headphones to listen to music across the room. It's not just the F-M curves. They have to do with volume level

Most of the demo's of the THR they have the mic right next to the speaker. That's great if you plan to carry it around like a boom box.

There is a fundamental problem with doing bass, in a room, not next to the speaker, with a small speaker. It can be done, but you need a speaker that can travel a long way. That's what they do in small sub-woofers. The cone of the speaker and it's suspension is designed to be able to travel extremely long distances. The problem is trying to make that linear, so it sounds right. In a sub that's easier because of the limited frequency response in a sub.

You can publish all the videos you want. My ears tell me when I play through this little toy of an amp from 4 -6 feet away, there is no bass. The amazing thing about this amp is not that. But the fact that there is as much as there is, and how nice it actually sounds. It's not un-bearable. I might even keep it?

I'd agree with you in that environment, it might not be the best choice for sounding full. On my desk, 2 feet away, it's fine I guess. In that environment I'm not looking for amazing tone - just to be able to hear if I'm playing the right notes or not

Best practice amp I ever had was an old Peavey solid state amp - can't even remember the model now, but it had a single 10" speaker in it and everyone at the store I taught at was impressed by that little amp. Wish I could find another one... something from about the early to mid 1990s I believe. If I could find another one, it would be dirt cheap and I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[Grateful_Ed]

Come on, a little creativity can solve that issue! For example, mention to your wife how the paint on the old 5 is looking grungy and that you might want to paint it black. Make a bit of commotion carrying around the amp, drop cloth and a can of spray paint. Have a beverage or two, kill time reading guitar forums etc. and then come back inside with your "freshly painted" THR10C and proudly tell her how nice the new finish came out.

That ain't a bad idea. I have 40 years under my belt painting cars, motorcycles, boats and a few odds and ends, her by my side the whole time. She would not be at all surprised that it came out looking like a factory finish. She might start bitchin' 'bout the damn cabinets again tho if I start pretending to paint in the garage again...