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• The gear's sound |
These are my own impressions of the sound produced by my equipment (Washburn WI-64 + Randall RG75, no additional effects so far..I think I'll never get any distortion pedal 'cause the amp is enough..maybe I'll need Dunlop Cry-Baby and Equalizer in the future). Therefore, they are subject to change from time to time, "'cause experience makes you wise" ((c) Guns N'Roses). Also, I really hope there'll be some additions because of the same reasons.
I will not tell about my guitar much - 'cause there's almost nothing to adjust. I mean, I don't like how the volume knobs works on my guitar - they start to cut the volume very abruptly and there's only a small region where you can really control the volume. Maybe it's just my guitar's fault. And I don't have enough experience to say something about VCC work. I don't like it. I can feel its effect only on the neck pickup, and I don't like it too much. Again, maybe it's just my guitar's problem, and maybe the reason is my lack of experience.
One more problem. I have a lot of fret buzz. There are two possible reasons. First, maybe it's me who makes all this buzz. You know, I'm pretty new to guitar playing. And the second reason is the guitar itself. Well, it's rather possible that guitar makes some buzz when it's new. And (shame on me!) I'm too lazy to take it to some guitar tech... I think I'll have some free time during summer to make that.
So, to the amp. First, about clean channel. To be honest, it's my first amp so I can't compare it to something else. But my opinion about its clean channel is that it's cool. I like it. Before I got this combo, I didn't like clean sound at all. And now I even try to play some 'electric' stuff using clean channel. It gives a good impression on the amp's power and potential abilities - you can feel its strength somehow.
Let's go further. Now it's time to say some words about 'Gain 1' mode. It's good for some rock. Guns N'Roses? Well, I thought this channel is perfect for the sound, but now I'm in doubts. You see, Slash's sound is more powerful, it shows more energy. And this channel is a bit softer. So, maybe for some solos, like in 'Estranged' and 'Ain't it fun'...But sometimes I use 'Gain 2' for it. Also, I don't like the 'Gain 1' level to be over 4 - 4.5. I don't know if it's true, but I feel like the sound starts to crackle a bit over that level...again, I'm not sure. Slightly above 4 it gives soft sound that I like.
'Gain 2'...Well, it gives great variety of sound. It's good both for solos (with neck pickup) and rhythm. You can make it sound like MetallicA's Load/Reload("The Memory Remains" rhythm for example), Pantera ("Five Minutes Alone"), Slayer. Or you can make it more 'sharp', like earlier MetallicA. As I already mentioned, I also play some Slash's solos on the channel, 'cause it gives more power, it's more aggressive. And there's a lack of all that stuff on 'Gain 1'.
You see, there's a wide range of sounds you can beat out of the monster. And taking in account its volume, it's a great thing. I can't make it too loud while playing, and I think I'm missing some greater sound the amp is capable of.
Just experiment with it. It's good if you like only one really heavy sound - 'cause you don't have to tune the sound (you know, one for MetallicA, one for GN'R, one for something else - it's rather tiring, although very interesting, too). Then you just have to make the sound you want and enjoy the amp. But if you like different bands, you are lucky, too. You don't have to look for some effect pedals just to obtain 'one special sound'. Almost everything is in this box - just be patient and pay it some attention. "Just a little patience"...
(Early 2002 - just after buying an amp)
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