In Search: Part 2

Having tried an amplifier that had everything I wanted and more in the Two-Rock, it was time for me to return to Earth to find a more practical solution. I thought more about it, and reminded myself that what I was initially interested in was the sound of Fender's mid-60s amplifers, known as "blackface" models. So what better to do than to go back to the source, and again try to find a vintage piece that I liked and could afford.

Since I had exhausted my list of usual shops, I was left with one place that I thought might reasonably have something I would like. This store truly defines the hole-in-the-wall label: a narrow, cluttered space with gear stacked in ways that actually disguise pieces from view. Here, it really is a search. I had been to the shop numerous times before, where they often would have some intriguing guitars, or an amp or two of interest. On this day however, the stars seemed to have been aligned in my favor. I walked in and looked down, and there I saw a literal pile of Fender blackfaces. A Deluxe Reverb, a Princeton, and a Princeton Reverb sat among some later silverface amps and reissues. A happy surprise indeed.

I plugged in a few of these, but I still wasn't hearing what I wanted. I took another look around, and then I got more curious, and started looking behind amps that concealed others against the wall. It was then that I spotted the faceplate of a blackface Super Reverb. After pulling it out and playing through it for a while, I was convinced enough to place it on hold for a day and return with some pedals. The next day, I was still impressed, and to my good fortune, the store was having a small sale that put the amp within reach. It's been a joy to play since, and I can clearly see why these Fender amps have become the foundation upon which so many boutique makers have built. Just the right features doing just the right things and going strong 40 years on. I look forward to using it in the studio on a couple of projects this summer, and maybe getting the volume past 3 . Here's to the search.

In Search: Part 1

Sometimes knowing what you want is far worse than the alternative. A case in point would be my search for a guitar amplifier, which quite thankfully came to an end last week. For years now I've bought, sold, and borrowed amps in an attempt to find that one that would best suit my taste and needs. The problem was that for the majority of those years, I didn't really know what I was looking for. I'd plug in briefly, strum something, and decide that it would do for the time being. Without fail, further exploration would reveal something unpleasant about the tone or character of the amp, and out it would go. Over the course of the last few months, I finally sold off everything but a Fender Blues Junior, and set about finding the amp for me.

I began with a rather general premise, which held that a Fender blackface-era type amp with a mid-power wattage rating would get me close to the sound I wanted. In addition, I was hoping for a full range (treble, middle, and bass) EQ, and reverb. So I set out to find an amp, with my first stop being my favorite local guitar shop. There I did not find any vintage pieces that fit the bill, but there were a few boutique makers with amps built on the promise of blackface-type circuits. Disregarding price tags, I took one home for what the shop calls a "test drive". This was the Carr Rambler, which is a very nice point-to-point wired amplifier with everything I was looking for, in addition to tremolo. The model the shop had was a 1x12 combo, which also made it a practical choice for transport. I got it home, lined it up next to the Blues Junior, and for hours, I couldn't quite find anything that would justify the expense. The amp went back to the shop, and I to the drawing board.

Not having been wowed, my next tactic (borrowed from high-end home audio) involved trying something so out of my league that there would have to be a notable difference. So a few weeks later I found myself in a private room at another boutique, facing down a Two-Rock Custom Reverb head atop their matching 2x12 cabinet. I plugged in my Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Nashville Model, and indeed, I was amazed. The amp far exceeded my needs in the bells-and-whistles department, and sat well out of reach financially. Regardless, I couldn't help but to stay for well over an hour, marvelling at the lush reverb, and the wonderful, warm gain on the second channel. It left me very briefly considering ways to obtain one, but I instead decided it would be best to chalk it up to a fun experience. And so I found myself asking a question so many musicians do, which is; "How do I get the sound of insanely expensive item X, for far less"? More on that to come.