Tone difference between amps (n00b)

[cloy26]

So, I see a lot of guys can hear a distingishable difference between ENGLs, Rectifiers, 5150s, Bogners, etc. Well, I cannot. I can hear the difference between a marshall and everything else, but I cannot tell a difference in the shootouts between a 5150 and a rectifier. I have played a few rectifiers and I could tell the differences when I played them in person, but I cannot through the shootouts. Guys are saying, "O well that sounds like a 5150 on the new so and so album." Well, I fail at that.

What are some characteristics of each amp? What makes a 5150 differ from a rectifier which differs from a savage? (well, I can pick out the ENGLs a little better.) I know a lot of it comes with time and experience and just playing different amps, but what do I look for in a tone test? I know people often refer to mesas and having a "spongy" characteristic....

Sorry for being a completely fool.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

One day after listening to enough albums and clips you just "know." It's like the force. When it's time to use it you know,.

 

[cloy26]

thank you, jedi master.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

thank you, jedi master.

To be serious though, 5150's have a smoother tone to them and have a special midrange to them that makes them cool. The distortion is really grindey too.

Marcus says Recto's have a "bark" to them that makes them have more low end and a bit buzzier top end I guess.

I don't know dude, it's like anything else just gotta listen your balls off and connect sounds classical conditioning style.

 

[cloy26]

Yep I understand that it is going to take time and a good ear, but was just wondering if there were characteristics I could look for to help me on my way. I mean, obviously it is going to be skewed by all of our perceptions and vocabulary. A bark to one is a bite to another. (bad analogy, I know.)

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Bark is like Dead Heart in a Dead World, or the Apostasy. It has this "gargle angry" sound to it. It's also a bit darker.

5150 Peanutbutter smooth is like Parkway Drive. It has this buzzyness to it. It's sounds "gray" to me. Not "black" like the recto. There's no other way to really describe it for me.

 

[Metaltastic]

Word to all of CK's accounts

 

[cloy26]

Thank you so much for putting it into words.

Would you describe a recto to have more of a throaty sound? or am I off the mark?

and what about the ENGLs and Bogners and Deizels? lol. sorry if I am being too demanding here.

 

[ahjteam]

Well, you can dial very similiar tone from many higain amps if you want to, but there is usually something in the character of certain models that you really like. For example when fews years ago I started checking what guitar amplifiers were on albums I like, I noticed that I liked albums with Mesa Rectifiers alot myself, and when lolzgreg did a blindtest with 6 clips to me a few weeks back, I liked all the Recto clips in the test. Pure accident, didn't know what amps even were in the test. But I like many other amplifiers too, especially Marshall, Engl and Peavey, but for example there is this really awful sounding fizz in Framus' that I don't like. Atleast from all the albums they are used I haven't liked them, like my favourite metalband's (Nicole) latest album.

 

[cloy26]

I can def tell masrhall apart. Or at least I think I can. It seems really mid-driven... Not so "dark" (I know I am using the wrong terminology here lol) as a peavey. I own a marshall and peavey and I think that's why I can tell them apart... Also, aren't laney's essentially marshalls?

 

[Proggm]

Technically speaking, modern high gain amplifiers share a lot of characteristics. Since Soldano launched the SLO100 and X88R into the market, most engineers based on this designs to develop their own high gain amps. The recto, the 5150 and the SLO100 are almost identical if you look their schematics.

Nevertheless, it is possible to sonically distinguish these amplifiers. The slight differences between them make each one special, so to speak.

 

[ahjteam]

btw, if you have noticed, thomann website has reamped sampleclips on some amplifiers. The clips sound awful, but you can tell the difference easily.

Here are some examples for ya:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_valve_king_head.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_powerball_e645.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/marshall_jvm410h.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/blackstar_ht5_head.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_fireball_e625_gitarrentopteil.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_invader_100.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/marshall_mhz15_haze.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_savage_120_e610.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_6505_gitarrentopteil.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/marshall_jvm205h.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_screamer50_e335_gitarrentopteil.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_e325_thunder_head_topteil.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_blackmore_signature_e650_topteil.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/engl_e670_el34_special_edition_head.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/mesa_boogie_single_rectifer.htm

 

[cloy26]

holy amazingly informative gold.

lol@the rectifier tone.

 

[mick thompson]

IMHO a 5150/6505 has a very kind of... unsaturated tone compared to a mesa - the mesa's just seem to add this crisp full range tone - its hard to explain, all i can say is go try out both in a music shop and you'll hear what i mean - both are amazing amps

 

[cloy26]

No, I can see what you are saying. I've played through a dual rectifier on a few occasions and I could def see a difference. I can't describe it in words, but there was a huge difference there.

 

[colonel kurtz]

FWIW, 1/2 of the time that people say they think they hear some amp or another on an album, they're wrong as fuck

the other 1/2 of the time, it's a 5150

 

[cloy26]

when I listened to those samples ahjteam posted, all the engls sounded the same... terrible. lol. I mean I def heard a diff between the 6505 and the engl and marshalls, but that could have just been me *thinking* i hear a diff. haha.

Those marshalls and the one I have always seems to have a muddy character to it... anyone else feel the same? or is that just me not setting it up right? haha

 

[Trevoire520]

5150 Peanutbutter smooth is like Parkway Drive. It has this buzzyness to it. It's sounds "gray" to me. Not "black" like the recto. There's no other way to really describe it for me.

I know exactly what you mean, I have always thought of a 5150 sounding grey and a Recto black. I can't explain my reasoning at all though. Lol. It's weird.

I'm deffo a fan of the Recto tone, just a shame they cost daft money over here to the point that it'll be a long time before I can ever own one.

 

[kev]

I've given up on amplifiers & their "characterisitcs" for the time being. I used to think I could tell the difference between hi gain tube amps with ease, but it's come around now that they can all be dialed in so similarly i've stopped caring. I used to class the "rectifier" tone as what I heard on the black album, and then I realised that it was the huge amount of tracking that made that records GT. Basically, unless I am in desperate need of a special characteristic then i'm not worried at all. There are so many variables involved, that by the time a completed mix has come round, any decent amp or model of that amp could have been in there. I guess what i'm trying to say is that you've got overdrives/distortion boxes/cabinet types/speaker types/microphone types/room types/eq types all there to be used and abused and they detract pretty majorly from original sound of the particular amplifier.

There are die hards out there of course, and my ears aren't particularly developed yet either, but from a completed mix perspective 90% of listeners arent going to feel the difference either.

 

[Keessi]

FWIW, 1/2 of the time that people say they think they hear some amp or another on an album, they're wrong as fuck

the other 1/2 of the time, it's a 5150

ahahahha this is so true it hurts!