What Amp does Griff used?

[Al Holloway]

Agree with all that has been said above. I have the THR10c. You should be able to get a better rock sound from the standard than the c but find the c using the mini amp model is good enough for the course excersises. As a last coment the THR is at my holiday house. I have a Blackstar ID:60 at home. The Blackstar has an infinite better range of sounds. However everytime I switch it on I'm fiddling to get it "right". With the yamaha I just switch on and play. Do you want to fiddle or play?

cheers

Al.

 

[kestrou]

Thanks Guys,

I have quite a few pedals ( reverb, delay, chorus/flanger, overdrive, distortion, compressor). If I just want a good tone small amp without built-in effects and instead just use my own pedals for effects, which small amp would be good for me? is it better to use pedals to get effect comparing to using built-in effects? Thanks

This doesn't have to be either/or...

Like your built-in? Then use them.

Pedals are more flexible as you can easily swap them out.

Kevin

 

[Scotty R]

In case this was missed when it came out...
Griff sent an email and did a blog post about his rig and tones for CRGU.
Here's the link:
http://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blo...utm_content=2017-03-22_crgu-gear&utm_term=all

 

[OG_Blues]

Thanks Guys,

I have quite a few pedals ( reverb, delay, chorus/flanger, overdrive, distortion, compressor). If I just want a good tone small amp without built-in effects and instead just use my own pedals for effects, which small amp would be good for me? is it better to use pedals to get effect comparing to using built-in effects? Thanks

Good questions, but what is "right" for one person is not always right for the next, so ultimately you have to decide what is right for you.
As far as pedals vs. built in or multi-effects, keep in mind that with built in effects, you usually have to develop presets or patches that combine the effects in a way that doesn't then allow on the fly changes - unless the particular amp also offers a pedal that allows on the fly changes (like the Boss Katana). Even then, you probably won't have as much flexibility as with external individual pedals. What is best for you is determined by the level of flexibility that you require. If you are doing live performances of a broad variety of songs or music styles, individual pedals may be the best answer, but that can also be cumbersome to haul around. If you can be satisfied with a handful of presets that meet your needs, internal effects may be the answer.
Since you already seem to have a set of pedals that meets your needs, I think your concept of using them with a small amp is a good approach. I would recommend that you choose one that has a built in effects loop though, as some effects behave (sound) better in an effects loop than in front of the amp. One possibility would be the aforementioned Quilter 101 head if you are not familiar with it. They are an excellent sounding amp that does a pretty good job of tube amp emulation and dynamic response, is very small, light weight (2#), and has an effects loop and multiple amp emulations. Power output is continuously adjustable from nothing to 50 watts (100 watts for 2 of the amp sims), headphone jack and output jacks for both 4 and 8 ohm speakers. Mine sounds awesome connected to a 12" Cannabis Rex speaker, and as I said before, seems to be a super match up with a Les Paul. It works with pedals on the input and/or in the effects loop very well. A really good setup for anything from low volume home practice to a gig setting - it will get very loud. I really love it, but honestly do not use it as much since I got my Katana - primarily because, for my use, all I need are a handful of presets that I have dialed into the Katana and I'm good to go. If the Quilter interests you, I would sell it to fund my '59 Tweed Deluxe amp build in progress which is a whole different story.
I like the approach of a separate head and speaker, as it provides the flexibility to try different speakers or use different sized speakers as the occasion calls for.
There are many other good ways to skin the cat of course. The new amps in pedal form that are now showing up may also be an option for you - there are quite a few of them now. Do you have a budget in mind?
Tom

 

[roudan]

Good questions, but what is "right" for one person is not always right for the next, so ultimately you have to decide what is right for you.
As far as pedals vs. built in or multi-effects, keep in mind that with built in effects, you usually have to develop presets or patches that combine the effects in a way that doesn't then allow on the fly changes - unless the particular amp also offers a pedal that allows on the fly changes (like the Boss Katana). Even then, you probably won't have as much flexibility as with external individual pedals. What is best for you is determined by the level of flexibility that you require. If you are doing live performances of a broad variety of songs or music styles, individual pedals may be the best answer, but that can also be cumbersome to haul around. If you can be satisfied with a handful of presets that meet your needs, internal effects may be the answer.
Since you already seem to have a set of pedals that meets your needs, I think your concept of using them with a small amp is a good approach. I would recommend that you choose one that has a built in effects loop though, as some effects behave (sound) better in an effects loop than in front of the amp. One possibility would be the aforementioned Quilter 101 head if you are not familiar with it. They are an excellent sounding amp that does a pretty good job of tube amp emulation and dynamic response, is very small, light weight (2#), and has an effects loop and multiple amp emulations. Power output is continuously adjustable from nothing to 50 watts (100 watts for 2 of the amp sims), headphone jack and output jacks for both 4 and 8 ohm speakers. Mine sounds awesome connected to a 12" Cannabis Rex speaker, and as I said before, seems to be a super match up with a Les Paul. It works with pedals on the input and/or in the effects loop very well. A really good setup for anything from low volume home practice to a gig setting - it will get very loud. I really love it, but honestly do not use it as much since I got my Katana - primarily because, for my use, all I need are a handful of presets that I have dialed into the Katana and I'm good to go. If the Quilter interests you, I would sell it to fund my '59 Tweed Deluxe amp build in progress which is a whole different story.
I like the approach of a separate head and speaker, as it provides the flexibility to try different speakers or use different sized speakers as the occasion calls for.
There are many other good ways to skin the cat of course. The new amps in pedal form that are now showing up may also be an option for you - there are quite a few of them now. Do you have a budget in mind?
Tom

Thanks Tom for your very helpful explanation. I appreciate it.

Yes, I spent a lot of money two months ago buying 7 new TC electronic pedals. That is why I like to use these pedals instead of selling it off one by one very slowly at half price. It would be very exhausted. So I just feel better to use the pedals I bought instead of regretting the purchase.

Yes, I am interested in your Quilter 101 head. I think it has 2w, 102,25w? How much do you want to sell? Also for a 12" Cannabis Rex, I assume only need one? and do you have a recommendation for a decent price CAB? Just want to figure out the total cost.Thanks

 

[Al Holloway]

I like the approach of a separate head and speaker

I agree with this myself. However be aware that some of the newer modelling amps put full range speakers in the combos so any backing tracks will play better. Also the amp may be voiced to take account of the full range speaker and not sound as good through a traditional speaker. So try before you buy.

cheers

Al.

 

[OG_Blues]

I agree with this myself. However be aware that some of the newer modelling amps put full range speakers in the combos so any backing tracks will play better. Also the amp may be voiced to take account of the full range speaker and not sound as good through a traditional speaker. So try before you buy.

cheers

Al.

Very good point Al, and this is very true. I'm glad you pointed this out.
I personally never use my guitar amp for playing backing tracks for this very reason - I prefer to get the guitar sound that I want as the primary (or only) purpose of the guitar amp.
Different speakers will exhibit noticeably different characteristics with different amps, so that can be one of the difficulties in selecting a speaker / head combination - trying a lot of different ones can be difficult if not impossible.
Tom

 

[OG_Blues]

Thanks Tom for your very helpful explanation. I appreciate it.

Yes, I spent a lot of money two months ago buying 7 new TC electronic pedals. That is why I like to use these pedals instead of selling it off one by one very slowly at half price. It would be very exhausted. So I just feel better to use the pedals I bought instead of regretting the purchase.

Yes, I am interested in your Quilter 101 head. I think it has 2w, 102,25w? How much do you want to sell? Also for a 12" Cannabis Rex, I assume only need one? and do you have a recommendation for a decent price CAB? Just want to figure out the total cost.Thanks

The power output control on the Quilter 101 is marked at 0, 2w, 10w, 25w, and 50w, however, it is continuously adjustable throughout that range - those are not preset volume/wattage settings. With an efficient speaker like the Rex, even at 10w it is getting pretty darn loud. Speaker efficiency plays a big part. Also, those wattages are doubled when the amp voicing is either Jazz or Surf modes, so max wattage is 100w. Be prepared for ear damage at that point. One Rex is perfectly adequate for most situations, although it rated for 50w max, so one may not be adequate if you are cranking up that power knob for stadium level volume. If I were to add a second speaker, it would probably be a smaller one (either 8" or 10") with a different voicing. That approach "rounds out" the sonic palette and provides additional flexibility.
The speaker cabinet I am using is a Fender cabinet that was originally made for the Fender Champ X2 head - I bought it used as an empty cabinet, and it works fine. The PO had cut an opening in the back, so it is now a partial open back cab. Anything that approximate size should be good for the Rex. I'd watch CL for empty speaker enclosures - they show up pretty regularly here.
I'll PM you with more info.
Tom

 

[JeffR]

I just bought the Boss Katana 50w amp and I really like it. Although I haven't had a chance to play it too much. I like that it has a 12" speaker which is hard to find for an amp that is only $200. It has a great clean sound and I am playing with the Blues setting more and still playing with the settings. I am trying to down load the software but the boss site keeps saying there is a problem with downloading it. I also really like the 2.5w, 25w, and 50w settings. I play in the spare room we have and I don't play loud anymore.