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Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
https://www.stickist.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7678		 Page 1 of 3
Author:  Luc [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
For quite a while, I've been using a Line 6 Spider IV 30-watt amp for my melody side. It was available, it was inexpensive, and did ok. It never seemed to give me really brilliant highs, but it sounded fairly good with the Stickup.
With the Railboard's R-Block, it's falling short. I can't get the wonderful brilliance of that pickup to come out of the Spider, even with the high/treble knob cranked to 11. So, I'm looking for suggestions for a combo amp that sounds good but doesn't cost a small fortune. (If I had the budget, I'd consider a Twin...)
Or should I consider a preamp? All I've been doing (when I'm not playing through my mixer and listening through headphones) is going straight into the bass and guitar amps, and I've always been thrilled with the bass sound.
Please...discuss and advise. Thanks in advance!
Author:  Marty6126 [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
Yes, I understand. I have a Line6 Spider IV 75 that sounds fine with my electric guitar, but really falls short with the Stick -- so far short that I'd rather use headphones than play through the Line 6 amp. I'm probably going to give it away to my nephew.

Check out the BA330 from Rolland. I bought one a little over a year ago after taking my Stick to the local music store and trying everything. After a year and a bit, I still love it! It has two very nice mic pre-amp inputs in the back which sound great with my ACTV2 pickups. The sound is very clear and even and is ideal for playing out because it is fairly light weight and can be battery operated.
Author:  earthgene [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 2:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
I ponied up and picked up a pair of EV ZLX powered speakers.

I am running two channels for the melody side, one for the bass side along with my vocals and the Eigenharp via the Mac book Pro. This is all coupled in a very inexpensive Alto 6 channel mixer which I anticipate having to upgrade very soon.
Author:  greg [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
If you want more of a "guitar sound" I heartily recommend the Fender Deluxe Reverb. It's almost as bright as amps with a tweeter, but has an enveloping open-back tone, and nice bass response.

It even has two channels for use as a quiet practice amp for both sides.

But it is not cheap.... :o
Author:  Captain Strings [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
Along the lines of Greg's Deluxe and things around that size, I have a Peavey Classic 30 and they can be had for around $350 used which is much less that a Fender Deluxe, even a used re-issue. The Classic 30 has - you guessed it - 30 watts thru a 12" speaker and is very popular for good reason: cheap, good, uses fat sounding EL34 tubes and widely available new and used. Another amp around that size you can pick up even cheaper is a Yamaha G-100 1-12. Discontinued for years now but still real easy to find. I found one on consignment in a local music store for $125. These are solid state 100 watts thru 1-12" speaker and have a gobs of EQ, EFX sends, etc. They were incredibly popular among jazz fusion,funk & rock guitar players in the 80s. Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Thom Rotella and the other heavy hitter L.A. studio guys back in the day used them. Tone to the bone those things. I replaced the stock speaker with a Selenium speaker (imported from Brazil - similar to an EV SRO) so it would have more clean bottom end for the C6 neck on my pedal steel. I can tell you my Yamaha sounds great for Stick. You can really get that glassy edge on the low notes without sounding shrill on the high notes. It has plenty enough clean headroom to play both hands thru in a coffehouse or winebar level solo or duo gig and certainly way good enough for right hand on a full band rock gig as long as you had a second amp for left hand.
Author:  Luc [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
Cool guys, all very good food for thought. Aside: tonight I started trying to record takes (audio and video) of "that tune." (By the way, Greg, thanks for the dedication Saturday night!) My camera's battery died before I got "the take", though. I'll try again tomorrow!
Author:  Tim de Martino [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
I can heartily second that recommendation of the Roland BA-330. It's just a fantastic all round amp/PA. It's easily the most useful piece of music equipment I've ever bought, especially now that I'm starting to busk. Playing mp3s while working in the backyard is gold!

I can also second the Yamaha G series, I was using a G-50II 112 as my loungeroom practice combo until I got the Roland. Not so great for bass but a nice warm tone for treble, a parametric eq and plenty of volume. I found that it does need to be driven a bit to get a nice tone, i.e. above bedroom levels.

I also found the Genz Benz Shuttle to be a good all round amp if you watch the eq - it can get a bit brittle but otherwise nice size, flexible, loud and not too pricey. Good with a 112 cab with a tweeter.

So much choice out there, it's easy to have too much information!
Author:  Markussz [ Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
My vote is for Fender Twin Reverb. It has two channels, regular and vibrato. I use the StepAbout for the front-end preamp now. That way I can keep the volume on the amp low....less hum that way. Not a cheap amp, but very bright.
Author:  Per Boysen [ Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
Luc wrote:
(If I had the budget, I'd consider a Twin...)
What a pity, I was about to suggest "go Fender" after having read your sonic wishes. But isn't there some new inexpensive modern Fender combos?

During a long time as a guitar player I have shared rehearsal spaces and gear with other bands and also shared gear on stages and for my Stratocaster the Fender combos always deliver that shimmering top. One especially great sounding Fender combo I used a while was called something like Tremolux or Super Tremolo Reverb.... not sure about the exact name but the model had only two small speaker cones, maybe even 10" cones. Myself I owned a Gallien-Keuger with 2x10" and it sounded gorgeous even though it did not rely on tube technology. So it seems smaller speakers than the usual 12" might be good lead for looking around.

On the AxeFxII I've had for more than a year now the Fender modelling tends to sound best and I use that for both melody and bass side when I want that smooth top brilliance sound. So it is obviously a Fender thing - not slagging Marshall, that's just another color (that I like too, my Roland Cube Street for example does a good Marshall inspired tone for the melody side, the musical and singing sonic quality tone... quite far from Fenderland)
Author:  rclere [ Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Starting the Search for a Melody Side Amp
I am running into a LIne 6 POD hd500x and then into2 QSC-K12 powered monitors for melody and some bass, the bass side going into a GK MB210… The amp modeling is really great… you have those choices, cabinet choices and microphones as well. when I am using just the Qsc's, it is light and portable and sounds amazing.
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