Do you know immediately if an amp is right for you?

[beckstriad]

Or are you someone that likes to play with lots of different settings and controls before you decide if you're going to keep an amp or not?

I tend to be in the former camp, but would like to see what everyone else thinks.

 

[Marrowoflife]

It's got to hit me right away without too much fiddling around.

 

[Serious Poo]

I'll know if it's in the ballpark pretty quickly, but I may take a while before I get it dialed in just right.

 

[KingsXJJ]

Usually takes about 5 minutes for me. Half an hour tops if it’s a close call.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yes. Though there are some things beyond initial tone that take a little longer to pick up on.

 

[Pedro58]

As long as I understand how the EQ works. Folks used to TMB need some time with Vox tone stacks. Or those with blackface experience can feel befuddled with a tweed circuit that has the interactivity of two volumes and a tone. And so on... But I won't fool with Mesa/Boogie stuff. Too many knobs.

 

[WeedArson]

Sometimes. But mostly I know right away if an amp is wrong for me.

 

[PhilC]

No. I have a purpose for an amp - cleans, edge of breakup, crunch. Something like that. Then I have to hear it in context with a number of mixes. That'll involve finding what cab mates with the amp to best realize the voice I'm trying to pull out. Mic. Etc. That takes time. Sitting in a room playing by myself is fun, but masturbatory. That's fun but not really music. Just wanking off. I don't get a lot out of it until I hear an amp in a mix. In fact, I generally try to make buy/sell decisions based on listening to what a mic hears, not what an amp sounds like in a room. I'm looking for amps to make music with, though. Not to sit in a room and play by myself with. I may have a very different assortment of amps if I do that. If that's what I wanted then I probably could make a quick decision. Although I'd probably pick amps that don't work in the context of anything other than solo guitar, which isn't too much of a genre with electric guitar.

 

[NorCal_Val]

Yes.
I’ve been playing long enough to know right then if I dig an amp.

 

[Vondragonnoggin]

If I hear some demos that really grab me and sound great, then I’ve heard it’s potential. If I buy it, it’s up to me to make it sound as good as the reason I bought it.

So yeah, I know if I’ll dig an amp right when I play it because I’ve researched it’s potential. It helps to listen to clips of it by itself and in a mix.

 

[56Tweed]

For some amps, I really need to live with them a bit especially if it differs from what I have been playing. I need to give my ears a chance to adjust and try things with different guitars.

With that said, many of my favorites were love at first note.

 

[Killcrop]

I can usually tell in about 1 minute. But I have made some mistakes in the past. But only a couple

 

[bigben55]

For a brand new amp in the store, no. You gotta be able to "hear past" the stiff, unbroken in speaker. And in a store, I'm probably playing a blah tele off the rack with no pedals. It's wiser to give it a week of banging on it at home thru the rest of your gear before REALLY making a decision.

Of course by then you already shelled out money for it. This is where YouTube videos, internet research, etc really help today's buyers. The 1990s weren't like that. Everything, including trading/selling an amp you didn't like, was more work.

 

[tonedover]

former.
well at least i know immediately if its NOT for me....
typically amps stay with me quite a while if they make it past the first 2 days

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

I've only ever played 1 amp that was for me. Luckily, it was the one I bought used without playing it first. Otherwise, I've liked and gotten a good tone from other amps in stores, but only ever 1 good tone per amp. I get lots of good times from my amp.

That said, no guitar store I've walked into has had high gain amps available to test. The only boogie I've seen in a store was a California Tweed. And no, a Marshall origin doesn't count as a high gain amp.

 

[GAT]

Pretty much know within a few minutes. But, I'll come back in a day and try again if I'm not bonding. Sometimes, an amp will not really work right away, but I'll find that my "core" tone changes with a great new amp that has it's own thing and I'll bond with it.

 

[Rod]

The biggest deal with amps is finding the right speaker. Fortunately, all my amps these days work great with M55 and M75 Scumbacks

 

[244300]

I'll know if it's in the ballpark pretty quickly, but I may take a while before I get it dialed in just right.

I can usually tell in about 1 minute. But I have made some mistakes in the past. But only a couple

/thread

 

[Muddy100]

Yep....within minutes....but I am simple. And maybe I have bad taste.
Seriously though...I tend to know what I'm after, and I passed over amps in the past that I covet now...because of what I am hunting for at the time.

 

[Wyatt Martin]

It has to come fairly quick for me to drop the cash and carry it out of the store. If I can't find a sound I like "as is" my thoughts don't immediately go to "I can probably improve this with new speakers or tubes etc" anymore.

The 2 times I blindly ordered an amp without playing one first didn't work out very well for me.