Source
r/Guitar•
IsotopesRule

[QUESTION] Amp for recording: which is best?

QUESTION

I'm looking to record an EP with my drummer friend. I have a Fender Telecaster Deluxe and a DS-2 Turbo Distortion Pedal, and a Marshall 15W amp that I don't really like because of all the background fuzz. We have sort of a Royal Blood/White Stripes/Nirvana thing going. On my last EP I used a Vox Tube amp, I've also looked at a Fender Twin, but I'm planning on renting something for this weekend.

What type of amp would be best for recording that type of grunge/blues rock sound?

And

In general, what is your favourite recording amp and why?

Posted Feb 2, 2016, 4:09 PM UTC

114
Beer-WarriorWhammy Pedal•

Kurt Cobain loved recording with Fender Twins.

5
IsotopesRuleOP•

I'm sort of leaning this way for that reason. I'm not trying to sound exactly like Nirvana, but if it worked for them I'm okay with it. I want a nice heavy yet crisp distortion.

1
Beer-WarriorWhammy Pedal•

Keep in mind that Kurt ran a lot of distortion pedals. The Twin on its own won't really distort that easily or cleanly. That was why he liked the amp though, because it made his pedals sound warm and full.

3
IsotopesRuleOP•

Well I have the same DS-2 Turbo Distortion he used, and that Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus pedal, so my set up should be almost the same minus his Tech 21 Sans Amp OD/Distortion and the Poly Chorus Flanger. I'm thinking I should use the same amp. I don't have a Jaguar which will most likely be the difference.

1
Beer-WarriorWhammy Pedal•

Did he use a Jaguar on recordings? I seem to remember him using a strat with a humbucker for a lot of stuff. And Fender Mustangs quite a bit. Either way, rock on!

2
marmalade_cream•

Also Bassmans. Butch Vig said he doubled a lot of Kurt's parts on Nevermind with a DS-1 or similar gnarly distortion into an old Bassman.

 

Super fat, takes pedals well, and has great clean tone. Not a bad choice for an all around recording amp IMO

1
BurtsEarwax•

That's a really tough question, due to the fact that there are sooo many variables.

Every amp is different, and they all react differently in different cabs. Certain guitars sound good in certain amps/cabs that don't sound so hot with others. Then you mix in your pedal, which changes a lot. Then you have to think about what mic is being used, the way it's mic-ed (centered or off-axis, etc), the pre-amp, etc.

Having said all that, the best recording amp for me personally is the one that I can tweak for hours on end within my own DAW... an amp simulator.

If you're going to an actual studio, most of the times they'll have a selection of amps/cabs setup so you don't have to rent anything. They also have suggestions on good setups, so you don't have to spend all your time/money on getting everything perfect.

But if you are doing this in your own home studio type setup, then I highly recommend starting with some amp simulators. Granted, you'll need to get familiar with them and tweak for a while until you like the sound you're getting, but it's a whole heck of a lot less complicated and cumbersome than renting gear, finding a tone, mic-ing it well, etc.

Hope this helps some, and please be sure to post what you end up with after your session. We'd love to hear it! :)

3
IsotopesRuleOP•

Yeah I'm recording in a home studio set up, so I'm just trying to look for a quality good for all purposes kind of amp. I liked how the Vox worked with my guitar last time, but the pedal is new.

I also have a Boss GT-100, but I haven't used it much, and I kind of like the idea of just having a simple Guitar+DS-2+Amp setup to keep it raw. The GT-100 has all kinds of amp effects, but to be honest I'm a little intimidated by it because of all the options and I don't know if I would ever use it in a live show.

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BurtsEarwax•

what kind of mic do you plan on using and what are you running it into for recording?

1
IsotopesRuleOP•

No idea unfortunately, I'm going to a place that was recommended by my friend and this guy runs it out of his basement but I haven't been there yet. I really don't know anything about the process of recording, I've always just kind of found ball park settings on my amp that I kind of like and go from there, real simple. I just know that my amp has crappy tone, so I wanted some options for amps that can take the heavy distortion of my pedal, while maintaining decent tone. I think I'm leaning towards a Fender Twin.

2
BurtsEarwax•

Gotcha. If I were you, I would definitely try to get whatever amp your going with before the actual day of recording. Find a place where you can crank the amp and experiment with those tones. Have all this done like the day before recording day comes. The last thing you want is to be in "experiment" mode while everyone else is waiting on you to lay down tracks.

If the guy who owns the studio knows what he's doing, he'll have some decent mic options and will hopefully be able to recreate the sound you came up with fairly accurately. Feel free to ask him to hear your tone through some nice monitors though to hear what the recorded tone sounds like before actually recording tracks.

Hope it all works out for ya!

2
cram96•

This is super subjective. Anything could work. You might prefer the sound from a cheap practice amp over a mesa boogie. It just depends on your ear. Try everything and move the mic around and try different mics. As far as distortion goes, less is more imho. Too much background fuzz? Try a noise suppressor or less distortion. The way it sounds in the room and the way it sounds in the mix are completely different things.

2