sustain at low volume:badger vs fargen

[jonnyss]

i want to get sustain at bedroom volume as i practice so as not to drive my wife crazy. i see from the fargen miniplex II demo videos that the amp does great sustain at very low volume. can the suhr badger 18 do this as well?

[grunge782]

Sustain has a lot to do with things beyond the amp like the guitar, setup, pickups, playing technique... etc...

That said, speaking as a Fargen MKII owner setting the power scaling and master has a big affect on the amount of sustain, so I can at least confirm that like in the demo's it does well at low volumes for this.

I wish I could comment on the Badger from personal experience, but I'm sure it sustains very well since it features a powerscaling control too.

That all being said, I can still get great sustain from a modeler (properly dialed in) at low volumes so I think it depends what kind of tone+sustain you are going for.

[troykennedy]

The Badger 18 and Fargen are completely different animals. Yes, the 18 will sustain. But it is a very different vibe. The Badger 30 would be a closer match. Think Fargen for classic rock Marshal sounds. Think Badger 30 for more modern vibe. Badger18 is more cross between a vox a Marshall 18 with a little plexi thrown in.

[jonnyss]

thanks. i understand that many factors contribute to sustain. i understand that the fargen and badger sound different. just trying to hear from someone who owns a badger 18 whether you can easily (ie without adding lots of pedals) get good sustain at low volume.

[troykennedy]

Right. I currently have the 18 and the 30 as well as having recently owned the Fargen. If you wind the 18 out it will sustain pretty well without pedals at pretty much any volume.

[motis1953]

Carr Mercury if you've got the bread. They even market it towards grumpy guitar wives.

[jonnyss]

thanks all. just ordered a used badger 18

[bobbtoz]

I still own one of the 1st Badger 18 off the line. Ive played many different OD pedals in front of this amp. I would highly recommend the Barber Direct Drive or Barber Super Sport. This combination sounds great at any volume, but this is how I get great tone for practicing at super low volume.