Is This the Price Tag or the Amp Speaking?
I am growing weary of the sound of my Peavey Classic 30w. First it was the feedback caused by poor grounding in the spring reverb. Then came the well-known problem of tube rattle (this is so well known that an eBay manufacturer sells a fix for this issue). The amp has never been quiet; there is an audible hum in the background. I ordered a new set of tubes from Bob over at Eurotubes. This gave me one of the best sounding amp distortions for any amp in this price range- creamy like Santana, over the edge with my AnalogMan Tube Screamer- but did not correct the noisiness. On the flip side it does have a nice warm tone and that overdriven distortion. I have a love-hate relationship with the Peavey ever since receiving it as a gift for Christmas. Not to sound unappreciative of a gift, but I would like to upgrade to something that I completely love.
Now this is my issue- guitar is an equipment related activity. How well you play and sound relies partially on the quality of your equipment. The same is also true of bike racing: you could be the next Lance Armstrong, but will likely suck if you are riding a Huffy in place of that $$$ Cannondale or Trek. This is also true of stock car racing, golf, scuba diving, etc. This is opposed another activity that doesn’t depend on having decent equipment, such as singing, basketball, or running.
Considering that improvements in tone stretch as far as your wallet, I like to consider myself a budget boutique guitarist. You get what you pay for, but I am only willing to spend so much. My discerning question is, “Am I really going to get my monies worth?” Do I really need a $600 Epihone Sheraton II when the $300 Ibanez Artcore sounds just as decent? In turn, does a $3000 Gibson ES-335 sound five times better than the Epihone, or ten times better than the Ibanez? Will I appreciate every last bit of the $300 Maxon Analog Delay, or the $100 SIB! Mr. Echo fit my needs. I don’t have money to burn, and I am only an amateur hobbyist. Plus it isn’t likely that I will recoup $$$ playing gigs anytime soon.
Case in point: the other day I was testing amps at my local Guitar Center. Line 6 modeling amps violate my analog ideal. Fenders are too bright and common sounding. Marshal amps just aren't my style. Solid state doesn’t offer the response, dynamics, or characteristics that I am looking for. I came across a Budda combo amp, and decided to give it a try (despite the $1300 price tag). Because of what appeared to be a rectifier tube, it had crunchy distortion, but didn’t offer anything else tonally.
I unplugged and was about to walk away when I saw a Hughes and Kettner Puretone sitting side by side with the Budda. It had the same price tag, and despite the cost I plugged and played. LET ME TELL YOU, it sounded like heaven- just pure and clean. I could hear the full tonal range, ringing out every note clear as a bell. Move over Johnny B Good! The growl feature gave it some bite (more like a mild overdrive). The best I can describe the sound was warm and glassy at the same time. Although it was only 25w, this amp could move air! Is the difference between A/B and pure class “A” amps? Dunno. It appeared to have an attenuator built into this combo unit. Handy.
I've heard the phrase mentioned here tons of times, but this amp, "spoke to me."
Then reality (a.k.a. the price tag) set in- $1299 for a used 25w combo (retails new at $1900). Ungh. I had to ask myself if this was the price tag or the amp speaking. I went back to Guitar Center today, and played it again. Simply said, the amp is beautiful. It has everything that I need, and nothing that I don’t. It is tough to swallow that I could never comfortably afford this amp. Even selling my Peavey for $300, and maybe scrounging up another $100 through eBay, I fall short at least by $1000. That is a significant amount of cash! Consider it one sixth of what I paid for my ’95 Volkswagen, or little less than the price of a graduate course. Plus with a baby in the near future, Caroline and I need to scrimp and save every last bit of income. Sigh.
Then, in response to my financial frustrations, I imagine an episode of Leave it to Beaver that goes something like this: Beaver has his eyes set on an expensive DIY go-kart kit. He begs and pleads his parents for the money. They refuse at fist, but proposition him with upping his allowance if he agrees to take on added work. The poor kid saves over the course of the summer, doing hard and heavy labor. Five cents here, a quarter there…all until he has save enough cash. Then comes the day, but then he realizes that the go-kart was a passing fad, not worth all the extra work it took to afford that luxury. Rather he gives the money to charity, treats his family to ice cream or something equally as campy. Gee, swell.
That is where I am now. On one had I know I could afford it at great sacrifice to other people and things (that absolutely hold higher priority in my life). That money could be better spend on tons of other things. But at the same time, why can’t I work hard toward this goal if it is something that I really want? It is the American ideal that if you work hard enough, you might just get what you are aiming for. Frustrating, eh? Hughes and Kettner or not, the days of the Peavey are limited. My second (and more affordable) option is the beautiful Wine Red Traynor 40w amp. I can practically pay for this amp now based on what I would may eBaying my Peavey. Maybe I just need to accept my middle class station in life. Hey, being a school teacher has many rewards, money just isn’t one of them. But who am I to complain?
Now this is my issue- guitar is an equipment related activity. How well you play and sound relies partially on the quality of your equipment. The same is also true of bike racing: you could be the next Lance Armstrong, but will likely suck if you are riding a Huffy in place of that $$$ Cannondale or Trek. This is also true of stock car racing, golf, scuba diving, etc. This is opposed another activity that doesn’t depend on having decent equipment, such as singing, basketball, or running.
Considering that improvements in tone stretch as far as your wallet, I like to consider myself a budget boutique guitarist. You get what you pay for, but I am only willing to spend so much. My discerning question is, “Am I really going to get my monies worth?” Do I really need a $600 Epihone Sheraton II when the $300 Ibanez Artcore sounds just as decent? In turn, does a $3000 Gibson ES-335 sound five times better than the Epihone, or ten times better than the Ibanez? Will I appreciate every last bit of the $300 Maxon Analog Delay, or the $100 SIB! Mr. Echo fit my needs. I don’t have money to burn, and I am only an amateur hobbyist. Plus it isn’t likely that I will recoup $$$ playing gigs anytime soon.
Case in point: the other day I was testing amps at my local Guitar Center. Line 6 modeling amps violate my analog ideal. Fenders are too bright and common sounding. Marshal amps just aren't my style. Solid state doesn’t offer the response, dynamics, or characteristics that I am looking for. I came across a Budda combo amp, and decided to give it a try (despite the $1300 price tag). Because of what appeared to be a rectifier tube, it had crunchy distortion, but didn’t offer anything else tonally.
I unplugged and was about to walk away when I saw a Hughes and Kettner Puretone sitting side by side with the Budda. It had the same price tag, and despite the cost I plugged and played. LET ME TELL YOU, it sounded like heaven- just pure and clean. I could hear the full tonal range, ringing out every note clear as a bell. Move over Johnny B Good! The growl feature gave it some bite (more like a mild overdrive). The best I can describe the sound was warm and glassy at the same time. Although it was only 25w, this amp could move air! Is the difference between A/B and pure class “A” amps? Dunno. It appeared to have an attenuator built into this combo unit. Handy.
I've heard the phrase mentioned here tons of times, but this amp, "spoke to me."
Then reality (a.k.a. the price tag) set in- $1299 for a used 25w combo (retails new at $1900). Ungh. I had to ask myself if this was the price tag or the amp speaking. I went back to Guitar Center today, and played it again. Simply said, the amp is beautiful. It has everything that I need, and nothing that I don’t. It is tough to swallow that I could never comfortably afford this amp. Even selling my Peavey for $300, and maybe scrounging up another $100 through eBay, I fall short at least by $1000. That is a significant amount of cash! Consider it one sixth of what I paid for my ’95 Volkswagen, or little less than the price of a graduate course. Plus with a baby in the near future, Caroline and I need to scrimp and save every last bit of income. Sigh.
Then, in response to my financial frustrations, I imagine an episode of Leave it to Beaver that goes something like this: Beaver has his eyes set on an expensive DIY go-kart kit. He begs and pleads his parents for the money. They refuse at fist, but proposition him with upping his allowance if he agrees to take on added work. The poor kid saves over the course of the summer, doing hard and heavy labor. Five cents here, a quarter there…all until he has save enough cash. Then comes the day, but then he realizes that the go-kart was a passing fad, not worth all the extra work it took to afford that luxury. Rather he gives the money to charity, treats his family to ice cream or something equally as campy. Gee, swell.
That is where I am now. On one had I know I could afford it at great sacrifice to other people and things (that absolutely hold higher priority in my life). That money could be better spend on tons of other things. But at the same time, why can’t I work hard toward this goal if it is something that I really want? It is the American ideal that if you work hard enough, you might just get what you are aiming for. Frustrating, eh? Hughes and Kettner or not, the days of the Peavey are limited. My second (and more affordable) option is the beautiful Wine Red Traynor 40w amp. I can practically pay for this amp now based on what I would may eBaying my Peavey. Maybe I just need to accept my middle class station in life. Hey, being a school teacher has many rewards, money just isn’t one of them. But who am I to complain?
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home