Looking for a QUIET clean guitar amp for recording...

benjitheblender · Post by **benjitheblender** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:21 am

Hey all.

I've been working on a lot of music lately that requires really clean, quiet guitar parts. I have a solid collection of small Fender amps, an Ampeg Gemini, a Victoria, etc. They all sound great, but aren't quiet by any means.

I'm wondering if I need a solid state guitar amp for stuff like this? I've never bought one, so I wouldn't know, but I just don't own a tube amp that's quiet enough for my needs. Going direct, while sometimes cool, is not what I'm looking for in this case either.

A good reference point would be "15 Steps" on in rainbows by Radiohead.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

b

linus · Post by **linus** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:05 pm

Try plugging in direct. Can't get any quieter than that. And as long as you set the gain correctly it will be mighty clean.

comfortstarr · Post by **comfortstarr** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:33 pm

Maybe one of the Tech21 trademark amps?

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:54 pm

Those roland JC series and cube series amps are clean and can be used for good effect. My current guitarist uses a roland thingy and it sounds pretty good. People use them as a clean slate for their effects pedals. Adrian Belew used/uses a JC-120 I believe.

I'm pretty sure my guitarist has one of these Roland Cube 60's:

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:56 pm

Vox Pathfinder. Cheap, clean, good sounding and quiet if you don't turn it up.

Boogdish · Post by **Boogdish** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 3:55 pm

Find a tech that's worth their salt and have one of your tube amps overhauled so that it's quiet enough for your purposes. For the price of getting an ok amp you could probably make one of your good amps into a really great amp.

acjetnut · Post by **acjetnut** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:36 pm

Boogdish wrote:Find a tech that's worth their salt and have one of your tube amps overhauled so that it's quiet enough for your purposes. For the price of getting an ok amp you could probably make one of your good amps into a really great amp.

Sounds like you have some caps that need replacing. As quoted above, a good tech should be able to make a tube amp quiet. Will never be totally quiet, but a good recording chain will minimize noise.

weatherbox · Post by **weatherbox** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:39 pm

For really defined clean guitars I go direct. Requires a non-anemic DI of course. Super clean DIs meant for reamping or totally uncolored signal are sorta boring I think for this. Usually use a telefunken type tube unit here.

I don't have my speakers here so I can't play that song, but think I remembered the guitar sounded like a hollowbody through an amp that's got a little saturation/natural breakup to it? May be thinking of the wrong one...

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:25 pm

I agree with the other's on spending money to have one of your tube amps overhauled.

However, when I want clean and really quiet I go to my Vox Cambridge Twin 30 (it has Reverb & Tremelo). You'll have to find one used though, they don't make them any more but they're affordable. Someone recommended a Vox Pathfinder and they're pretty sweet too IMO. A lot of the modern Vox solid states and hybrids are pretty cool for quiet recording IMO and are generally receptive to humbuckers (where my tube amps seem to shed more tone-love on my single coils). My Strat with Noiseless Bill Lawrence pups sounds fantastic for clean stuff through Vox amps though.

My Vox also gets along really well with any dynamic mic I put in front of it (especially EV's) and condensers as well. I use a modified 990 all the time with the Vox and get pretty sweet YES-type tones (ala Steve Howe). Now if I could only play like Steve Howe I'd be a little happier.

I'd like to add that for clean bell-like sounds I think the Fender Princeton Chorus is underrated. It has 2 x 10 Fender Blue Specials made by Eminence, that tight Fender bottom, chimey hi's, spring reverb, sweet Fender chorus, and isn't too loud to use for recording. They're also very affordable, made in the 90's, and while there aren't too many on the market they're not so rare that you can't find 2 or 3 on the web when you're looking for one. This amp really sounds amazing when you use a clean tube guitar pre before hitting the amp. Just a little clean 12AX7 pre is all you need to get amazing tones.

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:12 am

I know people slag on 'em all the time, but I've used a SansAmp classic (before they were labelled as classic) for over a decade, for exactly this purpose.

Current setup includes a Maxon CP101 pedal compressor in front (it tends to clip fairly easily) and a Groove Tubes Ditto Box.

All I know is that I get a great tone that gets compliments.

Recycled_Brains · Post by **Recycled_Brains** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:20 am

A Roland Jazz Chorus (forget model #) might be worth looking into.

They're about as clean as it gets, in my experience. Even when you lay into them, they stay clean. Great reverb and stereo chorus.

Plus, if you set it up right, it's instant "Enter Sandman".

lysander · Post by **lysander** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:50 am

Since your reference point is Radiohead, you might look at one of those cheap Fender solid state amps, like the Frontman. I think there was a picture from those sessions where they used that very amp.

But a tube amp should not make a lot of noise either, unless it needs work -- in which case fixing the Gemini would be my choice!

lionaudio · Post by **lionaudio** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:59 pm

+1 on the Roland JaZZ Chorus.. solid state.. pristine.. kind of hard to find but they are probably exactly what you are looking for

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 8:52 pm

lionaudio wrote:+1 on the Roland JaZZ Chorus.. solid state.. pristine.. kind of hard to find but they are probably exactly what you are looking for

Not only are they quiet, they get hell of fucking loud. I auditioned for a band once where both guitarists played through JC-120's - I believe that's 120 watts through 2 12" speakers - holy hell. It was so loud that even if I'd liked the music they were playing I wouldn't have been in the band with them.

That's kindof why I recommended the Cube 60, or even the Cube 30. They're available now, and you're not paying for that ungodly volume that you'll never probably need in the studio.

Recycled_Brains · Post by **Recycled_Brains** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:30 am

Snarl 12/8 wrote:
lionaudio wrote:+1 on the Roland JaZZ Chorus.. solid state.. pristine.. kind of hard to find but they are probably exactly what you are looking for
Not only are they quiet, they get hell of fucking loud. I auditioned for a band once where both guitarists played through JC-120's - I believe that's 120 watts through 2 12" speakers - holy hell. It was so loud that even if I'd liked the music they were playing I wouldn't have been in the band with them.

That's kindof why I recommended the Cube 60, or even the Cube 30. They're available now, and you're not paying for that ungodly volume that you'll never probably need in the studio.

I recorded a group where the guitarist had a 2x10 combo. version of the Jazz Chorus. Not sure what the wattage was. He played quietly through a big hollow body guitar, and it sounded really good.

Just because they can get loud, doesn't mean you have to crank them.

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Looking for a QUIET clean guitar amp for recording...

Looking for a QUIET clean guitar amp for recording...

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