Dual use amps for acoustic/electric and electric guitars

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I was able to get a good deal through my local dealer on the Quilter M2 8. I'll be going in Monday night to pick it up. Looking forward to playing through it! I'm ditching the big pedal board from Line 6. I don't want anything that requires an iPad to control. I purchased a used Zoom G3X with the expression pedal. I'll be able to use patched, but I intend to use it as 3 stomp boxes, plus a cry baby. I'm debating whether to invest in the Quilter foot switch too.

If all goes well, it will serve as a small PA too.


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Hi MartinGitdave

did you listen to this:


Cuki

[AcouStickistNS]

That was interesting Cuki, I answered 100% correct. Looks like I can recognize the sound of my Quilter. The very first demo was the one I could pick it out from the other three. Never tried a Deluxe Reverb, but I know a couple of guys that have them, so the other amp I know nothing about. The remaining demos all sounded close to me, only the first gave away the Quilter for me.

Doesn't fully show the capability of the Quilter, but I get the vid is about amp comparison. There's a lot of different amp sounds. I don't have an extension can but would not hesitate to buy one if I should need one. What I haven't picked up yet is Quilter's foot switch. The amp does have a great clean tone to it.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Hi MartinGitdave



did you listen to this:





Cuki

Yes, I saw that. In fact, that video was sort of what pushed me to pick it up. I thought it sounded better than the software.

As far as the real deal, it's hard to beat a tube amp. When we play live, that's probably what I'll plug into. For home, rehearsal, and small gigs, I think this quilter will do the trick. It's tiny and sounds good at low volume, unlike the real tube amp.

Incidentally, you should watch that guy's other videos. He can really play. And, as a pro, his gig amp is the Quilter M2 8. Its incredible the tone he gets for all different styles from the Quilter and a Mexican Telecaster.

Check out the video of his playing a Japanese Stratocaster with Jazz pickups through the Quilter.

https://youtu.be/eOT726pC494

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[martingitdave]

Cuki,

Did you have an unfavorable impression of this Quilter amp?

Incidentally, I played the new Boss Katana amps yesterday. It too sounds very good. However, it felt very cheaply made.

Also, I located a speaker which I think would work out well for my modeling situation. If the Quilter amp doesn't work as expected, I'll get one of these reasonably priced monitors. I tried one at Sam Ash and it sounded really good, especially considering the price. It's small, has a 10"/1" coaxial design, 400 watt RMS class D amp, and is reasonably light too. I'm fond of the shape too. It seems to fit my eye.



http://www.samsontech.com/samson/pro...s/rsx/rsxm10a/



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[CASD57]

I reversed A and C, B I got right

I thought A-C was really close, thats why I thought B was the SS

For me it was a 50/50 choice

For an amp I need three things
Vocal
Electric
Acoustic

for it to be the perfect amp...(If the tone is good...
I think the only amp that does that is the Fender Acousisonic 150}

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I reversed A and C, B I got right

I thought A-C was really close, thats why I thought B was the SS

For me it was a 50/50 choice

For an amp I need three things
Vocal
Electric
Acoustic

for it to be the perfect amp...(If the tone is good...
I think the only amp that does that is the Fender Acousisonic 150}

I was able to pick out the tube amp and the digital and analog were interchangeable. I've decided to go the digital route and get a speaker and a new Zoom G3XN.


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[CASD57]

I ran a DigiTech Rp200 through a Beringer F1320 powered monitor and sounded great, with a good mixer with effects and you'd be set for both guitars and vocals

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[martingitdave]

UPDATE:

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I made a decision. I figured I'm not playing enough electric guitar to warrant a full tube amp setup and new electric guitar.

I'll keep using my Variax electric guitar. While it is no American Fender, it's actually the nicest electric guitar I've ever owned.

I purchased a portable 8" PA speaker and the new Zoom G3XN modeling pedal. That should be good enough. I'm giving the Firehawk FX to my grateful brother. He has the time and patience to fiddle with the one million presets and iPad bits.

I ended up getting the Mackie DLM8 powered speaker. I demoed about 8 different wedge and PA speaker models this past weekend, and liked the tone and features of this one best.

I can use the speaker with the acoustic guitar and a mic for small gigs. I can also use the little speaker as a monitor while using the JBL Eon One with, or without, my XR12 mixer. I'm pleased with the decision to get this little speaker.

Out of all the guitar amp options discussed in my OP, I think the Quilter Labs Mach II amps are the best solid state alternative. They are not digital, and don't use modeling. They use analog, solid state, circuitry. They behave a lot like tube amps. I suspect in the near future, I will end up with the 8" or 10" version of that amp.

In the distant future I foresee getting a vintage Fender Stratocaster reissue and a Deluxe Reverb. Luckily, that gives me a few years to work on my electric guitar chops.

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[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

UPDATE:

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I made a decision. I figured I'm not playing enough electric guitar to warrant a full tube amp setup and new electric guitar.

I'll keep using my Variax electric guitar. While it is no American Fender, it's actually the nicest electric guitar I've ever owned.

I purchased a portable 8" PA speaker and the new Zoom G3XN modeling pedal. That should be good enough. I'm giving the Firehawk FX to my grateful brother. He has the time and patience to fiddle with the one million presets and iPad bits.

I ended up getting the Mackie DLM8 powered speaker. I demoed about 8 different wedge and PA speaker models this past weekend, and liked the tone and features of this one best.

I can use the speaker with the acoustic guitar and a mic for small gigs. I can also use the little speaker as a monitor while using the JBL Eon One with, or without, my XR12 mixer. I'm pleased with the decision to get this little speaker.

Out of all the guitar amp options discussed in my OP, I think the Quilter Labs Mach II amps are the best solid state alternative. They are not digital, and don't use modeling. They use analog, solid state, circuitry. They behave a lot like tube amps. I suspect in the near future, I will end up with the 8" or 10" version of that amp.

In the distant future I foresee getting a vintage Fender Stratocaster reissue and a Deluxe Reverb. Luckily, that gives me a few years to work on my electric guitar chops.

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I wonder what "near future" and "distant future" mean...

Since you have a great "return" policy in America wasn't it easier to test all three?

Two scenarios:
1) You order all three with 3 weeks return policy. You test them side by side. You write a great comparison review for the AGF members' delight. (I like your reviews)
2) You do what you planed. You keep the DLM8 until you realize you don't like how it reacts to your playing. You sell it and buy a Quilter ("near future"). Then Fender release a limited edition of Deluxe Reverb that is so nice looking that you're melting, moreover the speaker uses a vintage-modern approach that mimic the aging of the paper cone by torrefaction in moisture controlled environnement. Your engineering side speaks, you sell that outdated quilter and buy the new Fender ("distant future"). Each time you loose 30% of value by selling and you never get the answer which one is best for your need.

Devilishly,
Cuki

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

I wonder what "near future" and "distant future" mean...

Since you have a great "return" policy in America wasn't it easier to test all three?

Two scenarios:
1) You order all three with 3 weeks return policy. You test them side by side. You write a great comparison review for the AGF members' delight. (I like your reviews)
2) You do what you planed. You keep the DLM8 until you realize you don't like how it reacts to your playing. You sell it and buy a Quilter ("near future"). Then Fender release a limited edition of Deluxe Reverb that is so nice looking that you're melting, moreover the speaker uses a vintage-modern approach that mimic the aging of the paper cone by torrefaction in moisture controlled environnement. Your engineering side speaks, you sell that outdated quilter and buy the new Fender ("distant future"). Each time you loose 30% of value by selling and you never get the answer which one is best for your need.

Devilishly,
Cuki

Wow! It's like you can read my mind. You're wrong about one thing. I'd loose 50% each time! :-).

I have this sheepish guilt when I return things, so I try to avoid it. But, actually I found out that Sam Ash is now carrying all of these products. I don't go there very often because their acoustic room is less appealing. But, their electric guitar and PA selection is very nice. So, I went to my local Sam Ash store Saturday while my wife and kids were out. They didn't have everything, but enough that I could test a number of options. The pro sound salesman is a working musician.

He sort of guided me through the process, which was helpful. In fact, he purposely withheld his own preference until we were done. He uses the 12" or 15" FRFR wedge with his modeling pedal.

We narrowed the speaker selection to just the small speaker 8" and 10" coaxial design. It sounded more "coherent." The 12" wedge monitor was also great, but a little too heavy for my needs. Surprisingly, the Samson 10" powered wedge for $300 sounded just as good and looked very cool.

But, he didn't have stock and it was back ordered. He didn't want to sell the floor models. The Mackie was also backordered. So, I ended up ordering from Sweetwater. I'll have to go back and buy something else another day. Likely the Quilter, or the Fender rig, if they will price match.

As far as near and future are concerned, I have made a deal with myself. If I end up playing rhythm electric guitar onstage more than once or twice a year, I'll invest in the Quilter. If I I really work on my lead guitar chops, and learn the to play the blues the way I want to, I'll treat myself the a proper Fender rig. I'm even considering taking guitar lessons for the first time to learn the blues licks from a serious player.

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[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Wow! It's like you can read my mind. You're wrong about one thing. I'd loose 50% each time! :-).

I have this sheepish guilt when I return things, so I try to avoid it. But, actually I found out that Sam Ash is now carrying all of these products. I don't go there very often because their acoustic room is less appealing. But, their electric guitar and PA selection is very nice. So, I went to my local Sam Ash store Saturday while my wife and kids were out. They didn't have everything, but enough that I could test a number of options. The pro sound salesman is a working musician.

He sort of guided me through the process, which was helpful. In fact, he purposely withheld his own preference until we were done. He uses the 12" or 15" FRFR wedge with his modeling pedal.

We narrowed the speaker selection to just the small speaker 8" and 10" coaxial design. It sounded more "coherent." The 12" wedge monitor was also great, but a little too heavy for my needs. Surprisingly, the Samson 10" powered wedge for $300 sounded just as good and looked very cool.

But, he didn't have stock and it was back ordered. He didn't want to sell the floor models. The Mackie was also backordered. So, I ended up ordering from Sweetwater. I'll have to go back and buy something else another day.


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Did you try the Quilter, the Deluxe Reverb and the FRFR speaker+modeling side by side?

Cuki

[martingitdave]

I tried the Quilter at Chicago music exchange Monday after work. That's how I decided to just to do the FRFR. The Quilter was really good, but I didn't think the modeling was that far off, and I'd get more use from FRFR. I did not care for the acoustic and mic through the Quilter nearly as much. It would work in a pinch. But, the FRFR is a better investment for me today.


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[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I tried the Quilter at Chicago music exchange Monday after work. That's how I decided to just to do the FRFR. The Quilter was really good, but I didn't think the modeling was that far off, and I'd get more use from FRFR. I did not care for the acoustic and mic through the Quilter nearly as much. It would work in a pinch. But, the FRFR is a better investment for me today.


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Great! I would probably have make the same choice. Are you sure about the Zoom?

Cuki

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Great! I would probably have make the same choice. Are you sure about the Zoom?



Cuki

No, I'm not sure about the Zoom at all. It was small, well made, cheap and had good reviews. I didn't want to spend $1000 on one because I'd rather spend that on a future amp. I expect it to sound no worse than the Firehawk FX. The advantage to the Zoom design is that it can be setup to mimic a standard pedal board without extensive preset fiddling. Fingers crossed.


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[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I tried the Quilter at Chicago music exchange Monday after work. That's how I decided to just to do the FRFR. The Quilter was really good, but I didn't think the modeling was that far off, and I'd get more use from FRFR. I did not care for the acoustic and mic through the Quilter nearly as much. It would work in a pinch. But, the FRFR is a better investment for me today.


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Did you consider TC helicon Play Electric?
* Vocal channel + Fx
* Various Electric amps and acoustic amp
* Semi-Parametric mid
* Electric FX
* Looper

an it seems smaller than the Firehawk

Cuki