Its been awhile since I wrote anything to about tone.
I have observed the following developments in the Philippines:
-More and More effects coming up and more and more made in Asia for cost savings.
-Smaller is now better from anybody's point of view.
-Modeling and Digital seem to represent flexibility in Tone OR a cheaper alternative to collect them all.
-Local DIY.
-Almost Non-existent Made in USA or MIJ gear.
-Smaller Venues to perform in.
On Modelling:
I recently read an article on line that sings praise to the Roland Blues Cube. It was an article written by someone who has given up tube amps for the convenience of the new Blues Cube.
When I tested one in Perfect Pitch, I liked it but I did not pull the trigger because it was NOT made in USA or Europe. I am very biased because when it comes to amps, Roland has a lower standard to meet price point requirements. So after reading the article, I decided to let go of my bias and to go off to try it again.
But after plugging into my tube amps, I realized that the Blues Cube would never sound as good as the genuine article. In fact, I decided to debunk each advantage of so called Modellers in combo format.
1. Sounds as Good as a Tube amp - Nope. For example, can you believe that an AC30 emulation will sound the same in a 1X12 Roland combo? Thats crap. Part of the sound of the AC30 comes from 2 Celestion Blues. Also, my Soldano SLO100 was deprived of an FX loop as per recommendation of Mike Soldano to be more punchy. So, if you have a Soldano SLO100 emulation, which specific model of the SLO would that be? My Diezel Herbert has six power tubes which can be changed to different power tubes type. What digital emulation will reflect the different combinations of power tubes possible? Does this mean we have to model each configuration with a modeller? It will never sound as good because with a tube amp you are hearing the interface of the amp with a guitar speaker that was meant to move air and NOT an emulation designed to sound its best on an UNCOLORED PA system.
2. Ligther than a Tube Amp - This sounds sensible until you realize that most journalists associate wattage with weight. In fact, the rated power of the Blues Cube combo as 60 watts maybe only just as LOUD as a 12 or 15 watt tube amp which means that people should compare the weight of an ac15 or a deluxe at 12 watts to a roland blues cube. I am willing to bet you that they are very similar in weight. Why? Because Solid State and Class D amps need a large and heavy heat sink to operate at the loudness levels of tube amps. By the way, tube amps do not have heat sinks -- those that have fans are high power tube amps that contained in real tight rack spaces and narrow heads.
3. More reliable because there are no tubes - Unfortunately, when that COSM chip (or whatever its called in its numerous iterations) goes down, it is one heck of a replacement. Tube amps by nature are designed to withstand heat (or at least the good ones are -- sorry to say you cannot find them in any of our local stores). This affinity to heat makes them more reliable specially when driven hard or opened up. Why the heck would you want that? Simple ... because the FCKN drummer is too loud. So what happens when you punish Blues Cube? It starts to heat up and when it cannot take a build up of heat on a sustained basis, it will go down.
4. High Tech and more flexible with presets - The funny thing is that the media will always compare the latest modeller to a vintage vox, vintage plexi, fender tweed, fender black face, tricked out boutique marshall etc. They fail to compare to today's 3 channel boutique wonders like the Diezel Herbert, Bogner Ecstasy and Friedman Bill Kelliher. These 3 channel amps are so a long way along the Mesa Mark series and Marshall 30th anniversary because all their channels sound great and each have a unique timbre that none of Modellers seems to be able to copy. Conversely, being high tech also means that these modelers have their 15 minutes of fame. First there was Line 6, then there was Axe-Fx. It was followed by Kemper. With the mentioned tube amps, you can actually have them customized further or reverted to another version of the circuit if your taste changes. With the great sounding voicings available and volume knob responsiveness of the these boutique 3 channel monsters, you simply can live without the amp models in digital. Try modding the latest Line 6, Axe-fx or Kemper because sooner or later, digital becomes obsolete real fast because of the speed of COSM development.
5. Offers N to infinite amp and speaker cabinet emulations - actually for most people who don't own the actual amps, they want to convince themselves they are plugging in those amps. I, however, did not care about which amp the blues cube was modelling because the settings really don't sound like the real thing but rather I tried to focus on finding a unique voice and response in the Blues Cube. It was sufficiently good at that but not something that would replace a good boutique tube amp on any level.
On effects:
I noticed how everybody seems to be selling a lot of their effects specially after the honeymoon is over. I have been an amp guy my whole life. I started out with a tube amp as a teenager and only acquired effects later on -- maybe a DOD Hard Rock Distortion before I got my Mesa Studio 22 combo in 1989. I have continued to acquire guitar amps at a ratio of 1:1 to my electric guitars. In fact, I think of my amps as different boost, overdrive and distortion pedals. That being said, as of my latest count I have around 72 fx pedals of the boutique variety which are rarely used. You know why I can keep them and not flip them? Because it goes back to the amps I own. They are so varied that any of my 72 fx pedals will find a match. That's it -- that's the secret to avoid the effects merry go round.
1) If you love effects pedals that go in front of the guitar amp, the first thing you should do is get 4-6 boutique non master volume tube amps: one fender tweed platform, one fender black face platform, one marshall plexi platform, one vox platform, one early jcm platform.
2) Assign your effect to the amp platform your chosen effect is MOST compatible with. Forget about being flexible. If the chosen effect can sound good on more than one platform, consider that a bonus OR maybe just buy another one for that other amp platform.
3) If you love modulation and time based effects that go after the preamp, just get the newly released Komet Ambicab. Looks promising and I hope to order it soon. Pricey but Komet quality and service is top notch. They are in it for the passion first.
On local effects:
1) There are a lot of copy cats and rarely a unique locally designed effect. I suggest you stick to the real thing because of better parts sourcing and consistency.
2) If you analyze the development of the real good sounding effects, they were tested on a specific or group of specific tube amps of vintage and boutique quality. Unfortunately, most of the local designers don't even have that standard quality of tube amplifiers to design from. Siguro Behringer at minimum lang ang affordable para sa kanila, but real men don't use behringer and the other china made mass market US brands. Come on, guys, name a china made amp that has made headlines and is considered a standard on the level of the classic amps or even on the level of the Dual Rectifier? In fact, most china made cost reduction amps barely last two or three years before a new china made MORE cost reduced version shows up. Worse they now get bundled in a box with a guitar and a tuner/strap.
On why tone is starting to matter more now:
1) As the venue gets smaller, only the technically endowed musicians get to be heard. Lets face it, hindi tayo pang Tawag ng Tanghalan or DJ na nakabit sa PA -- guitarists (unless you are posing and have the looks of Taylor Swift) are not that popular anymore because of the mass market Pinoys who don't know any better and suck up love songs to death as if it were the only thing that mattered. What was Eddie Valen theatrics is now considered as standard when required. So given that everybody who performs is now on that minimum level of technical playing, better tone will be the determinant as translated into how many of the audience can take your punishing guitar.
2) Songs are simpler now. The guitarist is now more part of the whole than a solo piece highlight which basically means you have to be ready to offer different timbres that don't sound like the other guy's multifx. For example I love Franco, and I love the song writing but guitar is not the center piece. In fact, the only challenge I see for the 2nd guitarist in his band is NOT too sound like Franco's guitar.
3) In this case of metal, locally made songs seem to be better but the guitar sound is getting worse. As I said before, metal or whatever its called today, is the most difficult to get to sound right on guitar. And unfortunately, the guy with the most money gets the better metal sound in spades.
