Switching to Epis

[Emetry]

I'm really considering switching from my CRATEs to Epis, but have no clue where to start. I've got an SG-400 and what I assume is a LesPaulJrSpecial, and the sound from the crates never really completes what I'm looking for out of them. What I'm really looking for is an amp that grants a warmer lower end.

Any suggestions?

[m-theory]

Any suggestions?

 

Sure. Try sharing what specific amps you're currently using that aren't giving you what you want, and what exactly you mean by "warmer lower end."

[Emetry]

Sure.

One is a XK50, which is admittedly a keyboard amp, but i'm predominantly a keyboardist, so it's what I've got, and it sounds just fine.

The other is a smaller MXB10. Entry level really.

 

As far as sound, I just don't feel that I'm getting a good midrange. The bass and higher tones really make the mids sound muddled. I've adjusted settings to try to bring them out, but still, it just don't have the same tone that I've had in some Fender or Epi amps.

[m-theory]

One is a XK50, which is admittedly a keyboard amp, but i'm predominantly a keyboardist, so it's what I've got, and it sounds just fine.

 

Plugging a guitar into a keyboard amp would be akin to plugging it into a PA. Of course, neither is going to sound optimal with guitar, as you're learning.

 

The other is a smaller MXB10.

 

This is a bass amp. See above comments.

 

I'd say that pretty much any GUITAR amp you can find, INCLUDING those made by Crate, will sound better than what you're currently using.

 

it just don't have the same tone that I've had in some Fender or Epi amps.

I hope you're not trying to compare guitar amps to keyboard and bass amps. Of course those aren't going to sound the same...they're not voiced or eq'd the same.

 

Get a guitar amp.

[TWANG]

you're not going to like your keys through a guitar amp either so.. stop this double duty immediately.

 

when I first started a friend of mine ran his Farfisa through a fender twin.

promplty blew the speakers.

so he upgraded to JBLS..

they lasted a while longer. *G*

 

Most of his playing was just ten fingers at a time chords.. and he always cranked it.

what a waste.

 

Also... the vjr isn't going to give you much cleans at gig volume.. so you might want to look at something at least 18 watts for guitar

crate, blackheart, fender, etc.

 

Keys get along fine with solid state.. but guitars reallly will like tubes much better.

 

TWANG

[Emetry]

I feel kinda stupid now. You'd think that I would have picked this up somewhere, but honestly, I'd never had anything but keyboards, so I've been sorta clueless. Thanks to both of you!

[cGil]

Aww now, it just takes the right amp and the right speakers! I've run my guitar (through a guitar preamp) into a "keyboard" tube power amp for years and gotten exceptionally good tone. The amp in question is a Peavey Classic 50/50. That amp's not about overdriven power tubes (four el84's per channel), so it has gobs of clean, musical, wide bandwidth headroom with 40 to 20kHz response. Through guitar amp speakers, it really doesn't sound much different from a couple of my VJr's using Hammond OT's with a 100 to 15KHz frequency response, except for being loud enough to sterilize everything within 100 yards, that is.

 

But Hammond also makes single ended HiFi OT's! So a simple OT swap and a few essential mods like a cap job and a C3/NFB switch would make VJr's good for guitars, keyboards, bass, and even tube stereos by simply using the right speaker for the job! Think about it!

 

If you're worried about the tone, here's something else to consider. The Heyboer OT's used in a lot of 18watt projects are clones of the Radio Spares OT's that Marshall used in the original 18watters. Those were HiFi OT's as well! And the Greenback wasn't originally a "guitar" speaker, either; come to think of it. They simply lacked a tweeter and crossover network when they migrated to guitar amps.

 

Gil...