Help on a new tokai strat

[mirrorboy]

Guys, the man has a Fender & he likes it. Why are you trying to get him to buy a Marshall?

:roll:

You started it

There's Fenders and Fenders :wink:

 

[DrJzT]

thanks guys. Basically I bought the TSL combo and cab at a time when I wasnt in a band. I wasnt sure what musical direction i was going in. And i figured "more knobs, more tonal choices". Whilst i liked the overdriven sounds that the marshall produced, the clean channel to my ears sounded bland, it had no sparkle or depth to it. I figured that probably 90% of the people who buy a marshall are more interested in the dirty sounds anyway. And after the reverb broke on the amp, and then finding out that nobody in the south west of england would touch a dsl or tsl with a barge pole. I had to take the 3 hour drive to milton keynes to get it fixed at the factory

The guys at marshall are super friendly, but still i wasnt gigging with the thing every night, wasnt chucked in the back of a van or anything. So to pay that much money for something and have to go back to the factory to get it fixed, didnt really fill me with confidence in the product.

JohnA: Or a JTM-45 which addmitedy is based on a Fender Bassman but still has a sound of it's own. It's horses for courses though, and there are styles of music that will always sound better (more authentic) with a little combo with a spring reverb. Not many though, 99% of the time a Marshall is better

Well i'd politely disagree with this point :wink: Basically if i was playing in a classic rock or 80s metal band then id go for a marshall again. But with the ES130 and the music i play and listen to. A 100w marshall combo and extension cab set up, was overkill. Even playing with three saxophones, a trumpet, a cornet, a percussionist, a drummer and a bassist. The marshall was TOO loud.
96% im just after a good clean sound. So i figured why not just go for an amp that does that one thing, very well? Im starting to get into the train of thought that "less is more". I think thats a very good mantra. The less knobs, switches, pots, pedals, cables and cab's the less chance of something going wrong 8) Of course the less is more is a good one to drill in for guitar playing.

 

[JohnA]

Just to bang on about Marshalls and annoy everyone a bit more :wink:

The JTM-45 really does do cleans very nicely in fact that's definitely where it excells IMO, and at 30W it's managable at smaller gigs. Here's my last band with me playing through a JTM-45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcyKwBMwmao

 

[Anonymous]

Here's my last band with me playing through a JTM-45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcyKwBMwmao

Very Mark Knopfler. You need a red Strat to complete the image John. :wink:

 

[JohnA]

Here's my last band with me playing through a JTM-45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcyKwBMwmao

Very Mark Knopfler. You need a red Strat to complete the image John. :wink:

You'll get a red nose to complete your's :evil: :wink:

 

[DrJzT]

nice sound! I guess i've never really thought about a marshall for a clean sound. Even it is based on a bassman. You get so used to people going on about the famous marshall grunt. Well suffice to say, the clean channel on the TSL was pretty bland. Obviously sheds loads of head room but just no body to it imho. I've yet to try a vintage modern or a jvm (whatever the new four channel thing is). Im quite happy getting my driven sounds from pedals these days.

I mean my friends dual rectifier has a lovely clean channel, but it has more switches and pots than than the USS Enterprise :lol:

Dont get me wrong, i used to have a MAMMOTH pedal board. But im starting to think a) can i be fussed to honk it all around. b) for me i wasnt so much concentrating on my playing as i was, wondering if i had all the right pedals lined up. Im still into my little boxes of sin, but trying to focus more on my guitar playing.

 

[JohnA]

The Vintage Modern's are nice too, the JVM, I agree, has far too many knobs!!

I just wanted to get my point across that you do get Marshalls with great clean sounds, but they are far from the only choice, just go for whatever suites your budget, style or back, I really want to try a Blues Deluxe, Stratman raves about them, and they are supposed to be based on a Bassman too, all in a friendly 1x12 format

 

[Anonymous]

I really want to try a Blues Deluxe, Stratman raves about them, and they are supposed to be based on a Bassman too, all in a friendly 1x12 format

No, I rave about my Vibroverb. The BD is good, but the VV is better. :wink:

 

[JohnA]

We're getting more & more off-topic, but how woud you compare the two? I haven't played that many Fender amps, but I expect the blues deluxe to have that full, rich, sound that I associate with a Bassman, I have played a blackface deluxe reverb and to my ears that sounded very thin by comparison.

Taking my clean sound from the above clip as a baseline, where would you place the VV and the BD?

 

[Anonymous]

Taking my clean sound from the above clip as a baseline, where would you place the VV and the BD?

Much better - they're Fenders, not Marshalls. :wink:

 

[JohnA]

Taking my clean sound from the above clip as a baseline, where would you place the VV and the BD?

Much better - they're Fenders, not Marshalls. :wink:

Big help!! :wink:

 

[DrJzT]

Ha ha, well ive not played a VV yet. I tried out a hot rod deluxe just before i bought the TSL. And it sounded pretty crappy to my ears. I then had to use one for a recording session and again wasnt bowled over by it. I tried the BD out and was knocked over by it. I wasnt sure if it was a gimmick, thinking the BD was just HRD with tweed and rebadged as a BD. But its like chalk and cheese. Mines a mexican reissue, i cant see it being drastically different to a USA model. I mean ive played some US Gibsons recently and some of those were shocking in terms of build quality. Specifically a SG Special faded. I really wanted to like that guitar, as i wanted one similar to Zappas.
So the country of manufacture doesnt bother me so much.

I have been thinking about a blues deville, but that looks like a monster to cart around, and again 60w imho is still way too powerful.

 

[Anonymous]

I tried the BD out and was knocked over by it. I wasnt sure if it was a gimmick, thinking the BD was just HRD with tweed and rebadged as a BD. But its like chalk and cheese. Mines a mexican reissue, i cant see it being drastically different to a USA model.

The BD was introduced in the early 90s, some people said the gain didn't go high enough, so they dropped it & brought out the HRD. Lots of people think they lost too much of the best tone of the BD just to get that extra gain stage, or whatever it is. So they re-introduced the BD. Smart move, it's a very handy little amp, it's all I had for 15 years.

To answer John's earlier question, the VV is less flexible - no mid control, no master volume, no channel switching, but it's just pure classic Fender with perfect deep reverb & it comes alive above 6 or 7 on the volume control. It's roughly as loud as the BD, maybe the BD has a touch more all-out volume? On 10 my VV makes the nicest noise I've ever made in my life. Despite me. That's how good it is.

But the BD is nearly as good at what the VV does but it's more flexible. And cheaper & easier to get as they only made the VVRIs for a few years. .

The VV is cooler though. 8)