Amplifiers

It looks like I missed my self-imposed Friday deadline due to another case of writer’s block.  I had already written about Marshall amplifiers, and in so doing, also addressed the issues of tube vs. solid state, distortion, and the birth of the Marshall stack.   Moreover, until recently, I was only using Marshalls.

A few basic points I’ll address which apply to all amplifiers.  Most guitarists – and bassists – can acknowledge and recognize that a large percentage of their sound comes not from their instruments but from the amps they play through.  A $2000 Gibson Les Paul Custom isn’t going to sound nearly as good through a $100 solid state amp it will through a Marshall tube combo or half stack – or any of the competing amps of comparable quality.  And an amp cranked up loud enough will make single coil pickups, ostensibly thinner and less substantial than humbuckers, still sound thick and nasty, which is why Stratocasters and Telecasters, plus Gibson’s P90s, aren’t nearly as rare among guitarists playing hard rock and heavy metal, or even doom, as you might imagine. 

Getting back to the larger topic…

Recently I picked up a Laney combo – L20T-112.   Laney is famous for being the amp brand favored by Tony Iommi, the guitarist for Black Sabbath.  It's a 20 watt, 1x12" combo with delicious distortion and remarkably strong reverb.  The Dual Reverb doesn't seem to have much at all, despite its name.

Fender Twin Reverb.   Probably Fender's most famous amplifier, with a strong, distinctive reverb sound.  Originally 85 watts, then 135 watts - which was far too loud - and so they went back to 85 watts again.  It's a tube amp with 2 12" speakers.  The list of Twin Reverb players is like a who's who of famous guitarists.   Fortunately, Fender still sells them.  The original blackface (pre-CBS) '65 reissue is $1700 new, the subsequent CBS silverface '68 reissue is $1400 new, and now there's a solid state modeling version, the Tone Master (looks exactly like the '65) for $1000, supposedly half the weight of  real tube Twin Reverb.  With one exception, all the Twin Reverbs I've seen around were Tone Masters, though the local used guitar store has a vintage '66 blackface listed for....$3000.  The '65 reissue is probably the best deal, though I'm not in the position to add any more equipment to my existing arsenal.

Mesa-Boogie.   Randall Smith founded this company in 1969, with Santana as one of his first customers.  He hot-rodded Fender amps for more gain and distortion.   Some of the cooler combos have wicker grilles.  My first exposure to Black Sabbath was indirect, through Ozzy Osbourne's live album Speak of the Devil, intended to satisfy father-in-law Don Arden's contractual demand for a live album just days after Randy Rhoads died.  Brad Gillis, the replacement guitarist, blazed through Sabbath classics like "War Pigs" with a rich, full distortion:  Mesa Boogie Mark II's.  Unfortunately, these amps are extremely expensive, even 1x12" combos go for $2000.   Were I to collect amps, I'd add a Mesa Boogie to my collection.

Hiwatt.   Tube amps, I've seen Justin Hayward (Moody Blues, Isle of Wight) and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) playing them, and the local used guitar shop has a few, along with Mesa Boogies and a whole room just for Marshalls.  Created in England in the early 60s by David Reeves.  However, I can't say I have much familiarity with these.   The company is still in operation today.

Orange.  The favorite amps for stoner rock bands, including Matt Pike & Sleep, with Wishbone Ash being the earliest band to be prominent users.  I have a small practice amp, not even a 1x12" combo.  

Ampeg.  Bass amp manufacturer, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones being one of the first to use them, and Al Cisneros of Sleep also being a more contemporary fan.   Not being a bassist, I can't comment too much except to say they're a popular brand.   Lemmy still preferred Marshalls.

Sunn.  An amp company which spawned the name of the droniest stoner rock band ever;  SunnO))) (Amps Left On Accidentally Record New Sunn O))) Album (thehardtimes.net)).  I can't say I have much experience with these amps.  I know Randy Holden of Blue Cheer is featured with them on the cover of his solo album Population II, switching from the Marshall stacks which were ubiquitous with him and Leigh Stephens back in the day.  

Vox.  Most famous amp is the AC30, played by the Beatles, the Stones, and Queen's Brian May.  They also make guitars and effects (e.g. wah-wah pedal); even drums.  They're now owned by Korg. 

We think of stacks as being the loudest, but a relatively small combo, with a single 12” speaker, can be extremely loud in a small, indoor location – and in a live situation, miked up to the club’s P.A. system.   Moreover, my experience has been that my tube amps, sitting in one place for years at a time, don’t need much maintenance, i.e. changing and biasing the tubes, and this minimal maintenance doesn’t rise to the level of being inconvenient – at least not to me.  

Fender Stratocaster (Revisited)

 

Here was a topic I covered back in 2006, when my blog was on Myspace.  The earlier blog entries such as that one didn’t make the transition to Blogger, so I’ll redo it. 

Just this last Tuesday, I took my Gibson SG to the guitar shop in Falls Church, Virginia, Action Music, for a setup (restring, intonation, etc.) and saw they had various Stratocasters and a Twin Reverb amp.  A week or so before, I’d visited Fox Music – within walking distance, down Lee Highway, of Action Music – and saw they also had several Stratocasters – brand new (!) – as well as a Twin Reverb.  

Before I go on about Stratocasters, I’ll comment briefly on the Twin Reverb.  I’m a Marshall guy, with a 2554 Jubilee 25/50 watt combo (1x12”) and a Dual Reverb (4100) 100 watt head, 1960AV 4x12” cabinet half stack.  I love the rich, full distortion sound.   But for an amp with “reverb” in its name, the Dual Reverb (JCM900) has an extremely weak reverb sound, practically nonexistent.  A few years ago I tried out the Fender amp at Guitar Center, out of pure curiosity, and the reverb was incredible.  If there’s an amp that makes a clean sound good, it’s that one.  They started out at 85 watts, Fender boosted it to 130 watts, and then dropped it back down to 85.  If I ever wind up with another $1000 to spare, I might well buy one.  Not today.

To make matters even more interesting, marginally so, I put off finishing up the blog until after I’d done what I had to on Friday, which included a trip to Fairfax County’s courthouse.  I swung by the Fairfax location of Guitar Center, now re-opened, as it’s listed as the only Northern Virginia authorized Rickenbacker dealer.  Sure enough, high up in the rafters is a 4003 bass, and off to the side is a used Ritchie Blackmore signature Stratocaster: white, black pickups, scalloped rosewood fretboard and large headstock – for $949.  Of all the signature models, his is my favorite.  But I prefer my own Stratocaster, modified over the years (2000 to present) to my own specifications.

History.   Up until the 1930s, there were no electric guitars, only acoustic.  In the ‘30s, pickups – the electromagnetic device which captures the strings’ sound so they can be amplified - were invented, and slapped on acoustic guitars.  However, two men, Les Paul and Leo Fender, realized that a guitar with pickups doesn’t need an acoustic chamber and can, in fact, be simply a solid plank of wood.  Les Paul developed his own model, brought it to Gibson, but they laughed at him.  Leo Fender, oddly enough not a musician himself, developed the Telecaster (originally called the Broadcaster) and his invention, the first solid body electric guitar, introduced in 1948, was a hit.  Gibson realized their mistake and brought back Les Paul, who gave them the guitar which bears his name, in 1952.  In 1954, Fender upped the game with an improved model, the Stratocaster.

Initially the Stratocaster had three single coil pickups, a tremelo/vibrato bar, and was available in two color sunburst with a maple neck (to my eyes, a pale yellow).  By the late 50s, solid colors (e.g. black) became available; in 1959 the rosewood (dark brown) fretboard was introduced.   By 1965, Fender was in bad health and sold his company to CBS, the TV network.  That company enlarged the headstock, a design which lasted from 1966 to 1981.  Since then the standard headstock has been small, with various reissue models available.  The Strat also became available with double coil pickups (aka humbuckers), which are usually associated with Gibsons. 

Single vs. Double Coil.  Single coil pickups are thinner, more of a twangier sound, whereas double coil pickups have a thicker, meatier sound.  However, overdriven sufficiently, even an otherwise insubstantial single coil bridge pickup will sound almost as nasty as a humbucker.  Jimmy Page likes to remind people that the classic sunburst Les Paul he’s so often associated with, wasn’t on his agenda until Led Zeppelin II, and the first Led Zeppelin album, including “Dazed and Confused”, was recorded on the Telecaster he was using in the Yardbirds. 

Famous Players.   Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Dave Murray, Don Felder, Uli Roth, Yngwie Malmsteen, among many others.  Hendrix took right handed Stratocasters, flipped them over, and played them left handed (although there were lefthanded Stratocasters by then). 

Vs. Telecaster.  I never liked the Telecaster and have never even played one.  The lack of an upper horn, the headstock shape, etc., it still looks like Leo’s first practice attempt at a solid body electric guitar, which is what it was. 

Vs. Gibson.  As noted below, most of my guitars are Gibsons, which is Fender’s main US competitor.  Fender can and does put double coils on Strats, and Gibson has its own single coil pickup, the P90, which went on Les Pauls before the humbucker came out, and continues to feature on Specials and Juniors.  I like both companies’ guitars, and see no reason why anyone’s collection has to be exclusively Fenders or Gibsons absent budget constraints or an arbitrary preference.   

My Strats.  By now I’ve had several of my own.  I have 5 guitars: 4 Gibsons (Firebird, Explorer, SG, and Les Paul) and one Strat.  I’m not inclined to acquire more than one of any model, but rather pick what I consider the best version of that model, and the Stratocaster is yet another example.  So my progression was as follows…

1.         Applause Stratocaster Copy.  In September 1985, following my brother’s cue, I started learning to play guitar: first song I learned was “Saints & Sinners”, by Whitesnake.  And almost immediately I fixated on the Stratocaster.  But US made versions were expensive, and I had only just learned to play.  So I worked at the Visa Section of the US Embassy in Paris over Christmas holiday 1985-86 – under the guidance of a French guy, Bernard, who turned me onto Hawkwind - and in January 1986 I bought this.  Cherry sunburst with a maple neck.  Not great sounding, and the only “Strat” I ever had with a maple neck, but I was happy for awhile.

** Copies.  I may as well address this issue here.  The Stratocaster may well be the most copied guitar in the world.  In addition to faithful copies like my Applause, companies such as Ibanez, Jackson, and even Gibson have produced Strat-shaped guitars by the thousands.  Our own first guitar was an Ibanez Roadstar II, black with three single coil pickups.  I’d just as soon have a real Stratocaster, even if it was made in Mexico and not ‘Merica (California).  As Fender’s quality control went up and down over the years, some feel that there are many copies which exceed Fender’s quality.  Maybe, maybe not.  That being the case, I’ve never owned a Squier, which is Fender’s budget brand. 

2.         Fender Stratocaster (made in Japan).  By fall 1986 I was at college, University of Maryland, College Park.  My parents agreed to buy me this for Christmas 1986.  It was a Fender Stratocaster, made in Japan, black, rosewood fretboard, small headstock with standard logo.  It had a locking tremelo.  I liked it, and considered it a major improvement over the copy.  Eventually, though, I wanted a US made model.

3.         Fender Stratocaster, ’62 Vintage Reissue (made in the US).  I gave my Jap Strat and my Strat copy to my guitar teacher, Joel, who sold them for me, in June 1990.  I used the money to buy this, a US-made reissue model:  black, rosewood fretboard, three single coil pickups, small headstock with “spaghetti” (pre-CBS) logo.  Very nice, much better than the Jap Strat.  I made no modifications to this.  By January 1990 I had purchased my first Marshall, the 1x12” tube combo, 2554 Jubilee edition, so I had a nice combination – in addition to the Gibson SG ’62 reissue I’d bought in May 1989. 

4.         Fender Stratocaster, Fat Strat Deluxe (made in Mexico).  My current model.  By summer 1999 I’d fallen in love with the larger, CBS-style headstock, and saw this at the Ozzfest:  black, black pickguard, humbucker in the bridge position, rosewood fretboard, and the large headstock.  By January 2000 I succeeded in trading in my Vintage Reissue model for this – at Guitar Center in Seven Corners - and have been happy ever since.  I replaced the stock humbucker with a DiMarzio Tone Zone zebra coil (one black, one, white), replaced the stock tuners with locking tuners – just pull the string through and it catches, and stays in tune better than stock tuner – and the standard Fender tremelo with a Super Vee Blade Runner.  Pepper Keenan, in DOWN, can be seen playing what looks like one in the live video, “Diary of a Mad Band”.   Humbuckers on a Strat?  Yep, some of us like it that way, especially through a Marshall….

Pickups

By this I mean the kind that go in electric guitars, not pickup trucks.   I’m also ignoring bass guitar pickups and acoustic pickups.

Anyone who has ever strummed an electric guitar when it wasn’t plugged in knows you need an amplifier to make noise.  Anyone who has ever played a Stratocaster AND a Les Paul can probably tell the difference between a single coil and a double coil pickup.

Single Coils.   These were the first and featured on Fender Telecasters (2) and Stratocasters (3).  Gibson’s P90 and Soapbar pickups are also single coils.  They have a very bright and twangy sound – as a baseline.  But Jimmy Page reminds you that Led Zeppelin I, including “Dazed and Confused” and “How Many More Times” was recorded on his Telecaster, not the Les Paul he acquired by the time LZ II came around.   Even so, even with a Marshall 1x12” tube amp, I still didn’t like the single coil in my ’62 Vintage Stratocaster, and traded the guitar in for a Fat Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position.

Double Coils.  Most famously done by Gibson and its “PAF” “humbuckers” from 1957 onward.  The Firebird pickup is a variation of the “mini-humbucker” later released on the late 60s Les Paul Deluxes.  Double coils have a noticeably chunkier, meatier sound, even when clean.

Active vs. Passive.  Most pickups are passive, but some – EMGs are the most popular – use a 9 volt battery to supercharge them to active status.  I’ve found the EMG81s in my Gibson Explorer to be warm and thick sounding, even more so than most humbuckers.   EMGs have gotten much more popular in recent years, probably due to James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett (Metallica) installing them in all their guitars, including their signature models from ESP and Gibson. 

Ceramic vs. AlNiCo.  Here’s where it starts getting esoteric.   Recently I joined the Gibson Firebird group on Facebook, and the issue came up that Gibson currently equips its Firebirds with ceramic magnet pickups, whereas the original 1960s models had Alnico magnets in the pickups.  There’s a Johnny Winter signature Firebird pickup which has Alnico magnets.  As you can imagine, the purists scoff at ceramics, while the rest of us wonder, “what’s the difference?”  I watched a Youtube video someone posted of a Firebird being played, before and after, re: a swap to Alnico magnets.  Verdict?  To my ears, a VERY small difference, barely noticeable.   

Bottom line, if the word “ALNICO” makes you hard or wet, by all means indulge yourself.  Eric Johnson claims he can tell the difference in sound in pedals depending on what brand of 9 volt battery you put in.  Is he right?  Who knows.  Do what you want.

So what’s in my guitars?

Gibson SG Standard (ebony, small pickguard).  Stock Gibson humbuckers.   I had Iommi models in my prior SG ’62, but to be honest I never heard much of a difference.

Gibson Explorer (ebony).  EMG81s.

Gibson Les Paul (Black Cherry Pearl).  Stock Gibson humbucker in the neck position, but bridge switched out to a Gibson 500T (black & crème zebra coils).   This is the hottest pickup Gibson makes, and it blazes through the Marshalls.  Gibson used to put this in the Les Paul Classic, which is how I found about it, but not anymore.  Fortunately it’s still available as an aftermarket pickup.

Gibson Firebird (2013 reissue)(ebony).  Stock Firebird pickups, ceramic model.  I’m not sold on the Alnicos.

Fender Stratocaster (Fat Strat).  This has a S-S-H format (humbucker in the bridge position).  I replaced the Fender humbucker with a DiMarzio Tone Zone zebra coil (black & white).  I also replaced the tuners (vintage) with locking tuners – just insert the string, turn the knob, and it locks – and a V-Runner Tremelo, which ups the sustain a bit.