Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Covering sounds from the Stooges, Pistols, Dead Kennedys, to Nirvana, Melvins, Mudhoney and more:

What's the best amp to use with my 320's hi-gains (and other vintage-style guitars) to get these kinds of sounds in a live application? In other words, what's the dirt on all the dirt? Stack? Combo? Stompbox recommendations?

Thanks in advance

Hi Kira, it's heretic time!

I use an old and cheap Line6 modelling amp (effectively the same as the original pod) and find I can get some really nasty grungy sounds using quite a few of the amp models with an appropriate twist of the "drive" knob. I'm stuck on Blackface at the moment, which from memory is a Blackface Fender Deluxe emulation. I also like the Tweed Bassman emulation and the Marshall and Vox AC15 emulations as well to decent effect, but the Blackface just seems to be nastier.

My other guitar stuff is Mesa Boogie (a V-twin pedal/preamp and a Mk II 1x15 combo) and whilst they can get really dirty, they sound a bit "hi-fi"/refined. More Santana than Nirvana...

A lot of folk look down on emulators ("there's nothing like the sound of a real tube amp" - and that''s a fair statement), but dollar-for-dollar they are a great solution and provide a heap of flexibility.

I'm doing nearly the same now with Behringer stuff but I wonder: the modeling amps give one access to a lot of sounds at a good price, but I always thought they were just for recording. Can they really cut it outside the studio?

Mine is 60 watts which flips up to 120 with an extension cabinet, but they are solid-state watts and so not as loud as a good tube amp. I've used it live with a floorboard controller (optional extra) and it has worked very well. Setting it up to have a number of switchable presets takes a little time, but is worth it. I have six main settings - clean, clean with reverb, dirty, dirty with reverb, screaming nasty horrible dirty, and weird spaced-out delay, but I am just a simple man playing a limited genre of stuff. I could programme at least 16 different settings should I so desire. The latest amps have XLR outs so you can plug right into the Front of House as required. They are also relatively light - the main reason I got mine - the Boogie combo is a back-breaker!

If you're looking for more of a tried and tested conventional beast, the mid-size Fender tube amps (ie deluxe and variations thereon) have great word of mouth and are pretty good value. A guy I play with just lobbed a Deluxe in to compliment his Marshall combo and he adores it.

Evan, I am with you on using the Line6 stuff for that sound. I dial in the "Black Panel" amp, crank up the Drive and you have it. The good thing with the POD is you can go straight into an amp or connect it directly to the front of house.

They are nifty little things if you are looking for some flexibility. They can sound absolutely terrible so it may take a little bit of time to dial in a sound that you like. They are good if you want to travel light and they "agree" with your weapon of choice.

I dunno, but John Niederbrach of the Untold Fables got a great garage punk sound with the following Rick/Fender setup and that Silvertone cabinet. Not sure what he used to get that buzzsaw distortion-I think it's a Vox tone Bender, judging from memory and the box on the floor in front of him, but it kicks butt!
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How large a venue are you thinking of, Kira? I second the Deluxe Reverb RI comment, if you are in a smaller club, or can get the amp miked into the house mains; DRRIs can sound great clean, and can dirty up really well with the right tubes installed. An early silver face DR, if the cost is in the cards is a better choice, but they tend to get pricey.

I had a DRRI for a couple of years and then upgraded to a "Custom" Vibrolux Reverb, which has more punch, but a different kind of "Fendery" sound; this amp is not all that well suited for a Ric, but works well with a Tele or a Gretsch.

JR

Yes, what size venue or situation are you looking to play? How big of an amp can you carry around? There are many variables, but if you are doing home studio/coffee house or a little larger size gigs, the line 6 stuff is extremely versatile in dialing in those bands. I get a perfect Steve Jones out of my POD with my Les Paul Custom, nail the Ramones, and use a Strat for the East Bay Ray tone, as well as that wicked echoplex he uses. I don't know if you have a bunch of guitars for the really specific nuances, but the Line 6 stuff gets you in the ballpark, and is easy to use and transport.

If you have any specific questions regarding this type of music and how to get the sounds, please feel free to PM me.

Oh, and what lovely little girls in your avatar!

RIP Ron Ashton as well, played some Stooges in his honor, he will be missed.

Sorry I got sidetracked for a moment.

I've actually been thinking a lot about it. The core of the Line 6 or the Behringer is the multi-fx processor. In the old days we used to just chain a lot of stompboxes together; it's about the same thing. Then we'd have a solid tube or SS amp behind that, voila. Combine those and you have a modeling amp. Centralized, well, centralized for failure, as they say. I'm a big believer in modular thinking, so I'll probably not use a modeling amp for long hard hours, but rather pick out a handful of sturdy, replaceable stomps and plug into a big rugged Fender amp with 4 x 12 speakers for gigs we have to set up our own stage: outdoor neighborhood spaces or local auditoriums, decent-sized halls. I'd like to get together on shows rather than try to squeeze into bars. Been there, done that, got the beer stains on my t-shirt.

I know I want a POG and a couple other goodies, but the choice of a 100 watt workhorse remains to be made.

Thanks for your patience.

BTW Mike you can see the inspiration for my avatar here and many other runners-up, too:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=386120&start=60

Many of those old punky sounds were from Solid State amps which were used because the distorted sound was anything but pleasing.
An old (but powerful) SS amp with an old SS distortion pedal (somthing like a mxr distortion+) could get you closer than you think!
Ever heard the distortion channel from a Roland JC120? Its really quite horrible, but it works in context....
Eden.

This is great, you guys are so cool for sharing

My band partner has reminded me that all of his wealth of seventies' gear is at my disposal. There is a Fender Bassman head, an Orange head, a Fender combo amp of some kind, some cabs. I will make a detailed list and tell you what I've got to work with.

kiramdear wrote: I know I want a POG and a couple other goodies

I've got a POG, and I love it. A must have, for me at least. I like to do leads high up on the neck while having only the sub octave turned on on the POG. Makes for a creepy, fluid sort of sound.

As for grunge: Run a treble booster into a Fuzz Face, Tone Bender or other fuzz pedal and you've got it.

Thanks, Wes.

Anybody heard of a Sansamp? Kurt Cobain used one for distortion, as well as an MXR D2 and a small stone.

kiramdear wrote:Thanks, Wes.

Anybody heard of a Sansamp? Kurt Cobain used one for distortion, as well as an MXR D2 and a small stone.

Kira, just fyi...he barely used the sansamp during the In Utero live tour only, and even then it was a minimal part of his effects rig. In the early days he used a Boss (or Roland as he called em) DS-1, and then mid '92 switched to a DS-2 until the end. And he vehemently detested phasers, but effectively used the Small Clone chorus pedal on virtually every song pre 1993.