Gear with its own personality

[la bam]

Hi all, just for a bit of fun... 

 

We all know and have had basses (and some may have had guitars) that have their own mojo. They're supposed to be the same as all the other exact make and model, but they not. They just sound better. Play better. Have their own quirks. 

 

And for those reasons it's hard to part with certain instruments - buy an exact same one of the shelf just won't be the same. 

 

But what about Amps and pedals? Anyone had an amp or pedal (or even a cab) that was just irreplacable? That couldn't be replicated or bettered with an exact same model? 

[Lozz196]

I had two V2 Tech21 Para Drivers, one I just preferred, it seemed to be more alive and have more sparkle to the sound than the other one so I used that one for live work and the other for home use.
 

Similarly with my Ashdown ABM600s, had two, both great but the first one just seemed to have more about it but I couldn’t say exactly what it was.

[Doctor J]

Two amps. Guitar amps, though. The first, we stumbled across in the mid-90's. My mate Big Al was looking for an amp and we came across an Ampeg guitar amp, a 2x12 combo, in a shop. Neither of us had heard of an Ampeg guitar amp but tried it out anyway. Within seconds, we knew there was some kind of witchcraft going on and Big Al told me to stand guard over it while he legged it to try to find an ATM to get the cash. Years later, after he had stopped playing, I bought it from him for 50 quid more than his asking price and still have it to this day. When I was gigging as a guitarist, I used it at a couple of gigs. Combos are not the done thing in the world of Metal. One sound engineer was particularly sniffy when he saw me lugging all 35+kg of it in. "Don't worry" I told him, "it's nice." When it was soundcheck time he spoke to me through the montor, very mockingly "Well... let's hear this nice amp then."

 

After the gig he came up and asked me what the model number was so he could try to get one himself 😆 I've never seen another one.

The second was the head I bought to save me getting a hernia from carrying the Ampeg. I bought a Fryette Deliverance, based on a few sound samples but mostly because it had sacrificed features for pure, delicious tonal goodness, and a switch which offered you a simple choice. More or less? I always want more. I gigged for a few years with it, always getting compliments from lads carting the obvious Mesa Rectifiers, Peavey 5150s and Marshalls around. When that band split, I figured my guitarist gigging days were behind me and would have no use for an excruciatingly loud 60W amp, so I put it up for sale. The guitarist in a band we had done a few gigs with over the years offered me asking price and I was happy for him to have it. A few years later, I got a call from the singer of that band. They had split up a while before and he was putting that band back together but without that guitarist and wanted to know if I would be interested. Life is more interesting when you say yes, so that's what I did. Shortly afterwards, we were offered a gig supporting COC. I would need an amp. I checked the local ads but nothing really appealed. The week before the COC gig what should I see but an ad for the Fryette. Yer man would never have sold it to me, things being sa they were, so I had to ask a friend of mine to buy it on my behalf. I used it for the next couple of years with that band before I quit gigging for good after I used it at Bloodstock. I see it as providence that I got it back, so have invested in a power soak and still have it at home, using it for recording these days.

[Downunderwonder]

My really sweet vintage gear there might be ten working ones left in the whole country, might be less? I get that from buying stuff I never saw before, never saw for sale for before, and never seen another for sale or otherwise since. No idea if they have any particular mojo of their own as I never heard another. Most likely they are very reluctantly let go of in general for a reason, and similarly hoarded with few public outings.

[ossyrocks]

Full disclosure. My name is Rob and I used to be a guitarist. I also used to buy and sell amps, and have probably owned 100’s of them. I now have just one, a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb which a got in trade from a dealer in Texas in 1992. It was only a 27 year old amp then, and it’s now 58 years old and I’ve owned it most of its life. I have done hundreds of gigs with it, and many friends and acquaintances have tried to buy it off me. I have owned maybe a dozen of this model, and almost every other vintage Fender combo ever made, but none came close to sounding as good as this one. I will never sell it, despite me not having used it in anger since 2015. 
 

Rob.

[Downunderwonder]

7 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

was only a 27 year old amp then, and it’s now 58 years old and I’ve owned it most of its life.

Bass players are supposed to be better at maths than that.

[Rich]

My Wal Pro 2E sounds like nothing else. Other than another Pro 2E, perhaps. All my other basses sound a bit generic to a greater or lesser extent, due to their standard pickups, eqs, etc. The Wal, though, is on its own. Idiosyncratic and characterful. It doesn't get a lot of (i.e. any) gig action these days, as its soaring value means I'm wary of taking it out. Maybe this year I'll give it a whirl. 

[Paul S]

48 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

Bass players are supposed to be better at maths than that.

 

Works out fine for me.  Made in 1965, in 1992 it was 27 years old.  It is now 2023, so 31 years later which is more than half its life. 

 

Maybe the time difference between NZ and UK is the problem.

[ossyrocks]

5 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

Works out fine for me.  Made in 1965, in 1992 it was 27 years old.  It is now 2023, so 31 years later which is more than half its life. 

 

Maybe the time difference between NZ and UK is the problem.

I was also made in 1965, so I'm fairly sure I'm right.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

14 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Two amps. Guitar amps, though. The first, we stumbled across in the mid-90's. My mate Big Al was looking for an amp and we came across an Ampeg guitar amp, a 2x12 combo, in a shop. Neither of us had heard of an Ampeg guitar amp but tried it out anyway. Within seconds, we knew there was some kind of witchcraft going on and Big Al told me to stand guard over it while he legged it to try to find an ATM to get the cash. Years later, after he had stopped playing, I bought it from him for 50 quid more than his asking price and still have it to this day. When I was gigging as a guitarist, I used it at a couple of gigs. Combos are not the done thing in the world of Metal. One sound engineer was particularly sniffy when he saw me lugging all 35+kg of it in. "Don't worry" I told him, "it's nice." When it was soundcheck time he spoke to me through the montor, very mockingly "Well... let's hear this nice amp then."

 

After the gig he came up and asked me what the model number was so he could try to get one himself 😆 I've never seen another one.

The second was the head I bought to save me getting a hernia from carrying the Ampeg. I bought a Fryette Deliverance, based on a few sound samples but mostly because it had sacrificed features for pure, delicious tonal goodness, and a switch which offered you a simple choice. More or less? I always want more. I gigged for a few years with it, always getting compliments from lads carting the obvious Mesa Rectifiers, Peavey 5150s and Marshalls around. When that band split, I figured my guitarist gigging days were behind me and would have no use for an excruciatingly loud 60W amp, so I put it up for sale. The guitarist in a band we had done a few gigs with over the years offered me asking price and I was happy for him to have it. A few years later, I got a call from the singer of that band. They had split up a while before and he was putting that band back together but without that guitarist and wanted to know if I would be interested. Life is more interesting when you say yes, so that's what I did. Shortly afterwards, we were offered a gig supporting COC. I would need an amp. I checked the local ads but nothing really appealed. The week before the COC gig what should I see but an ad for the Fryette. Yer man would never have sold it to me, things being sa they were, so I had to ask a friend of mine to buy it on my behalf. I used it for the next couple of years with that band before I quit gigging for good after I used it at Bloodstock. I see it as providence that I got it back, so have invested in a power soak and still have it at home, using it for recording these days.

COC? Fantastic! What was the band?

 

Also, forgive me if I missed something but why couldn't you buy the Fryette amp back yourself?

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, ossyrocks said:

I was also made in 1965, so I'm fairly sure I'm right.

Same here

[casapete]

15 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Guitar amps, though. The first, we stumbled across in the mid-90's. My mate Big Al was looking for an amp and we came across an Ampeg guitar amp, a 2x12 combo, in a shop

Sounds like the Ampeg combo I had in the late70’s. If it was a valve 2x12 job it would most likely to

have been the same as mine, an Ampeg VT22. 100 very loud watts, clean sounding up to a glorious

sweet spot where it was sheer perfection. Mine had 2x12 inch Altecs fitted ( a factory fitted option)

and weighed a ton. No wonder The Stones, The Faces and other bands used them for years.

[Skybone]

15 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Two amps. Guitar amps, though. The first, we stumbled across in the mid-90's. My mate Big Al was looking for an amp and we came across an Ampeg guitar amp, a 2x12 combo, in a shop. Neither of us had heard of an Ampeg guitar amp but tried it out anyway. Within seconds, we knew there was some kind of witchcraft going on and Big Al told me to stand guard over it while he legged it to try to find an ATM to get the cash. Years later, after he had stopped playing, I bought it from him for 50 quid more than his asking price and still have it to this day. When I was gigging as a guitarist, I used it at a couple of gigs. Combos are not the done thing in the world of Metal. One sound engineer was particularly sniffy when he saw me lugging all 35+kg of it in. "Don't worry" I told him, "it's nice." When it was soundcheck time he spoke to me through the montor, very mockingly "Well... let's hear this nice amp then."

 

After the gig he came up and asked me what the model number was so he could try to get one himself 😆 I've never seen another one.

The second was the head I bought to save me getting a hernia from carrying the Ampeg. I bought a Fryette Deliverance, based on a few sound samples but mostly because it had sacrificed features for pure, delicious tonal goodness, and a switch which offered you a simple choice. More or less? I always want more. I gigged for a few years with it, always getting compliments from lads carting the obvious Mesa Rectifiers, Peavey 5150s and Marshalls around. When that band split, I figured my guitarist gigging days were behind me and would have no use for an excruciatingly loud 60W amp, so I put it up for sale. The guitarist in a band we had done a few gigs with over the years offered me asking price and I was happy for him to have it. A few years later, I got a call from the singer of that band. They had split up a while before and he was putting that band back together but without that guitarist and wanted to know if I would be interested. Life is more interesting when you say yes, so that's what I did. Shortly afterwards, we were offered a gig supporting COC. I would need an amp. I checked the local ads but nothing really appealed. The week before the COC gig what should I see but an ad for the Fryette. Yer man would never have sold it to me, things being sa they were, so I had to ask a friend of mine to buy it on my behalf. I used it for the next couple of years with that band before I quit gigging for good after I used it at Bloodstock. I see it as providence that I got it back, so have invested in a power soak and still have it at home, using it for recording these days.

 

The Ampeg VL-503. I had one those, mine was a 2x12 combo that came with casters because it weighed an absolute ton. I part-ex-ed it for a single channel JCM 800 2x12 combo (4211?). Though THE best guitar amp I had was a Matamp 1224 MkII, which was sounded fabulous.

 

Pedals-wise, along with the Matamp, I had a few D*A*M pedals, the Sonic Titan and the Red Rooster, which were both superb sounding pedals.

 

Bass-wise, obviously my current Ric (in the avatar) is probably one of the best I've heard. It's far from A1 nick, but it's fabulous.

[casapete]

4 hours ago, Skybone said:

The Ampeg VL-503. I had one those, mine was a 2x12 combo that came with casters because it weighed an absolute ton

IIRC the VL-503 was a 1x12 combo? Had a hefty speaker, maybe a Celestion or something I think. 
 

[Doctor J]

It's an Ampeg VH-140C. Imagine a JC120 with a gain channel designed for the perfect, and I mean perfect Death Metal tone, at probably four times the weight. Pure solid-state insanity. Amazing thing, but still has the stereo chorus clean channel for some bizarre reason.

[Skybone]

2 hours ago, casapete said:

IIRC the VL-503 was a 1x12 combo? Had a hefty speaker, maybe a Celestion or something I think. 
 

 

Maybe it's my mind playing tricks on me. I think the speaker was an Electro Voice/EV or something like that, but definitely had a HUGE magnet, and more preamp valves than it had any right to have. Built in Attenuator as well.

 

 

[tauzero]

10 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Bass players are supposed to be better at maths than that.

 

27 x 2 = 54, and 58 > 54, so he's owned it more than half of its life.

[Downunderwonder]

Since when did a little over half become 'most'?

[Doctor J]

[tauzero]

49 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

Since when did a little over half become 'most'?

 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/most

[Downunderwonder]

adverb,superlative of much, with more as comparative.

in or to the greatest extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form superlative phrases having the same force and effect as the superlative degree formed by the termination -est):most rapid; most wisely.

 

More of it's life was spent with....

[ossyrocks]

2 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

adverb,superlative of much, with more as comparative.

in or to the greatest extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form superlative phrases having the same force and effect as the superlative degree formed by the termination -est):most rapid; most wisely.

 

More of it's life was spent with....

 

[tauzero]

50 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

adverb,superlative of much, with more as comparative.

in or to the greatest extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form superlative phrases having the same force and effect as the superlative degree formed by the termination -est):most rapid; most wisely.

 

More of it's life was spent with....

 

"More of it's life was spent with..." is, for one thing, a misplaced apostrophe, and for another, if you were merely to substitute "more" for "most", as you appear to be suggesting, it would be a comparative with nothing to compare against. 3/10, must try harder.

[mr4stringz]

1 hour ago, Downunderwonder said:

adverb,superlative of much, with more as comparative.

in or to the greatest extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form superlative phrases having the same force and effect as the superlative degree formed by the termination -est):most rapid; most wisely.

It has to be said…

 

PARKLIFE

[JoeEvans]

Ah, the internet. When you're gagging for an argument and you really don't care what it's about...