Question:
I don't like the way my question's gonna sound, because it's a silly phrasing, but it's the best I can think of. I like classic rock and a lot of contemporary Christian, as well as such bands as Nickelback and all that. I want a Gibson SG and a Fender Telecaster. Would the HRD serve me well with those guitars and my music taste? If not, what probably would? Just for the sake of easiness, let's say I have a $600 budget for an amp.
Answer:
I always felt like the HRDlx was a pretty versatile amp. when I had mine, I could get a pretty decent tonal range out of it. I always felt the drive channel were a little on the thin side, but that with a little boost on the input it started to sound great. I used the J-side of my Visual Sound Jekyll and Hyde with the gain all the way down to boost the drive channel. This really thickened up the tone. I'd imagine you could get a similar result with an EQ pedal, though the hotter output of an SG might be fine for it.
Now, in addition to the HRDlx, I'd also check out the Peavey Classics and the Traynor YCVs. The Classic 30 and 50 have a pretty good tonal range...it sounds a bit different (more naturally midrangey to my ears) but it's a good different.
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Okay, I'll see if I can do that some time. I'm also curious if a Fender Tele has hot enough p'ups to get some good gain from it? I've been watching some of the Hillsong United concert DVDs, and I really liked what one of the guitarists was doing with his tele. It didn't have a really fat tone, which I'd like, but it had really good higher-pitched stuff. More "solo"ish of a tone, I suppose. I'd really like an amp with a decently fat tone (More classic-rock-ish), but a good high-pitched tone .
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Originally Posted by DaGeek Okay, I'll see if I can do that some time. I'm also curious if a Fender Tele has hot enough p'ups to get some good gain from it? I've been watching some of the Hillsong United concert DVDs, and I really liked what one of the guitarists was doing with his tele. It didn't have a really fat tone, which I'd like, but it had really good higher-pitched stuff. More "solo"ish of a tone, I suppose. I'd really like an amp with a decently fat tone (More classic-rock-ish), but a good high-pitched tone . I honestly don't have a ton of experience with traditional Telecasters. If you have the opportunity, you should try both of the guitars you were looking at with the amp in question.
The high end sparkle...the Telecaster "twang" that you've noted would probably really come through the clean channel of an HRDlx. I'd imagine that on the drive channel, if you rolled back the tone on the guitar, you could get a decently fat tone.
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Originally Posted by thesteve I honestly don't have a ton of experience with traditional Telecasters. If you have the opportunity, you should try both of the guitars you were looking at with the amp in question.
The high end sparkle...the Telecaster "twang" that you've noted would probably really come through the clean channel of an HRDlx. I'd imagine that on the drive channel, if you rolled back the tone on the guitar, you could get a decently fat tone.
I guess trying out the guitars with the amp is the only real way to answer the question, but I can't ever seem to find a way that I can do that! I can't seem to find a way to get to the only music store that has what I want, lol, because it's a decent way away... Sadly... Bleh. It'd take a miracle for me to find what I want, and then a second miracle for me to get it, ha
Answer:
Originally Posted by DaGeek I don't like the way my question's gonna sound, because it's a silly phrasing, but it's the best I can think of. I like classic rock and a lot of contemporary Christian, as well as such bands as Nickelback and all that. I want a Gibson SG and a Fender Telecaster. Would the HRD serve me well with those guitars and my music taste? If not, what probably would? Just for the sake of easiness, let's say I have a $600 budget for an amp. That amp will suit you fine. You might wanna get an overdrive pedal.
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Originally Posted by thomaspg70 That amp will suit you fine. You might wanna get an overdrive pedal. Something I never really tried that might solve the "wimpy" OD channel (at least to fatten it up a little) would be to run the guitar volume at 75%-80% (according to how sensitive the pot is) when playing clean, and whenever you switch to the drive channel roll it up to 100% to get some extra "oomph" in there.
of course, there's a dedicated volume on the amp, but doing the guitar volume thing will allow you to hit the front end a little harder.
Answer:
Originally Posted by thomaspg70 That amp will suit you fine. You might wanna get an overdrive pedal.
I've always been curious... What does that do? If it's good, why not just get the Epi Valve Jr. thingy that's only got a volume control, and, in additon, but a reverb and overdrive pedal?
Originally Posted by thesteve Something I never really tried that might solve the "wimpy" OD channel (at least to fatten it up a little) would be to run the guitar volume at 75%-80% (according to how sensitive the pot is) when playing clean, and whenever you switch to the drive channel roll it up to 100% to get some extra "oomph" in there.
of course, there's a dedicated volume on the amp, but doing the guitar volume thing will allow you to hit the front end a little harder.
Sounds like a good plan to me. I need to drop by that music store again
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I just found the Hot Rod's drive channel utterly useless. Not like it's totally horrid, it just doesn't work for my style which is modern rock, sorta like Nickelback tones.
Peavey Classics... decent, may need an overdrive to bring that extra push to the drive channel, but I really like high gain amps for modern rock.
That said, if you like to use pedal tones for your overdrives when playing higher gain music, the Hot Rod would do pretty well in that category.
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Originally Posted by DaGeek I've always been curious... What does that do? If it's good, why not just get the Epi Valve Jr. thingy that's only got a volume control, and, in additon, but a reverb and overdrive pedal?
Sounds like a good plan to me. I need to drop by that music store again Over Drive pedals are more suited for a little drive in your tone. There good for soft rock and rock. Distortion pedals are way different that overdrive pedals. Distortions are suited for metal.
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I think distortion pedals are more different from one another than they are from overdrives.
Overdrive is just a general term for what usually is low gain distortion, and higher amounts of clipping are referred to as distortion.
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I bought my HRD for one reason: to get a punchy, tube response from my Line 6 Pod xtl. Would I run an amp modeler through a hand-made expensive Orange. No way! But, the HRD does punch up the digital and the digital is the only way to get modern, smooth/butter/compressed distortions, out of the Fender . . . pretty much like a MESA Treadplate or something. YES, simulated will NEVER be as good as the real thing, but tubes infront do help.
Now, I don't have experience running an analog overdrive or distortion pedal, but am looking into those. I would definitly say you would need a couple of pedals infront of it. Depending on your needs, the POD xtl isn't a bad way to go with this amp (and a small room setting -- the beauty is I can get a simulated saturated sound without having the HRD cranked which is impossible to do in my current setting . . .)
By itself, the HRD sounds more vintage, with a lot of mids in its distortion; definitly not like the modern scooped sound. Coming from straight digital and SS marshalls, the HRD was amazing and full! Then I got the Orange and the rest is history . . .
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Apparently, a tube change and a speaker swap will do wonders for the amp, assuming that you're willing to go used, and can put the extra toward the above..
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Why doesn;'t fender make more heads. Ahh, if they would I would soo get a hrdx head or a twin reverb head. I just like heads because you can use different cabs with them and easy to move.
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Originally Posted by spyrotheleo Why doesn;'t fender make more heads. Ahh, if they would I would soo get a hrdx head or a twin reverb head. I just like heads because you can use different cabs with them and easy to move. they did make head versions of the twin reverb in the silverface era. It was the Dual Showman Reverb.