Why aren't pros using their amps?
I'm kinda glad to see this topic here - I was just discussing some things with some folks this past weekend regarding the way I've always used my gear.
I recalled walking into the studio the first or second time and the engineer wanted to know what all I ran thru my amp... I'll never forget his shock when I sat down my Peavey Ultra-60 head and my Ibanez RG-560 and said, "I plug the guitar into the amp and the speaker into the amp and that's it..."
He claimed that everyone else he'd worked with used some sort of stomp box in front of their amp.
Maybe it comes from never having known or been shown how you're "supposed" to set up a half-stack, but it just feels RIGHT to me to have the guitar, a decent cable, and the amp. Anything else before the amp always feels like it's *******
tone away.
I used that Ultra-60 head for a few years but finally got the itch to hear more gain out of it. I never considered plugging an overdrive pedal into it -- instead I had an amp guy do a few modifications and put some different tubes in it, but it still wasn't what I wanted.
Then I sat down at a 5150 head w/ the 5150 slant cabinet. (See my other posts for WHY I feel this combination works)
My first thought upon turning it on and hitting an open E chord was, "Are they sure Eddie Van Halen uses this amp?"
First off, it sounds nothing like a Marshall, which is worth super bonus points in my book. Second, it has more gain than anything I've ever played through. Sure, it's noisy as hell and hisses like a nest of snakes, but there's no need for any sort of booster pedal in front of this amp.
I know there are people who feel the 5150 is "all gain and no tone" but I feel otherwise. For the longest time, I wanted to join the Mesa Boogie camp, but I've come to realize that while they definitely sound good, they are becoming to the late '90's rock/metal sound what the Les Paul/Marshall combo was to the 70's.
I, personally, love the tone I get out of my 5150 (and I know I'm not the only one...)
And while I might run stuff in the loop -- after the preamp -- there's nothing but guitar in front of the input.