All amps sounds the same?

[6Bass101]

I don’t know whether all amps sound the same, but I will say that I can get a sound I like out of any amp that has at least basic EQ adjustment (3 band ideally, but I could make it work with a 2 band). I will admit that I’m not super picky with tone, though. I can also appreciate a variety of tones and realize each have their uses.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I really appreciated that video - and @seamonkey comments..

All those amps sounded exactly the same in shoot out

 

[ClusterFlux]

I don't think it's judgy...

Take an amp with a Fender tonestack architecture and compare with an amp using a Baxandall 3 band architecture. It would take a lot of work to get one to sound like the other, and depending on the deign choices it may likely be impossible. I say this as an amp designer, not a video influencer.

In the video, Jim did get 3 very different guitar amps to sound nearly identical. It did take a lot of research and work, and extreme EQ settings. But...

Jim isn't trying to prove that "all amp heads sound the same."

He's trying to determine why they don't all sound the same.

His point is that 4 components that are frequently and vehemently proclaimed to make the most difference for guitar amp heads -- bias type, rectifier type, preamp tube type and power amp tube types -- are not what makes one amp different from one another. He found equipment where he could easily isolate those specific functions and keep every other parameter the same, and found that it made little or no difference.

After further testing, he concluded that what makes the biggest differences are:
• The sequence of EQ and gain/distortion stages
• How the EQ dials are configured

As a result, he was able to very closely match the sound of 3 very different guitar tube amp heads, by:
• Varying the order of EQ and gain stages
• Varying the EQ settings
• Using the same cabs as the original
• Using solid-state boost pedals instead of tubes for the gain stages

Seems pretty solid....

 

[TyBo]

This is the same guy who did a video showing that string type doesn't really matter. Alrighty then.

 

[fishdreams]

This Summer I took 3 Amp setups and 3 different cabs to a recording project in an acoustically resonant space, both close miked and room miked. (Big Old wooden barn with very high ceilings).

Setup process was playing the same bass through each combination and ending up with 1 amp and 1 cab with a sound profile that fit the music for this whole project. And yes, i sounded 'like myself' all the time, and with some work (compression, heavy attack) could have sounded same through each setup, but what is the point in that? Because that kind of sound wouldn't have worked for that music.

 

[Discount Bassy]

All amps sound the same. Same with all basses...and strings. Tone does not exist. Come to think of it, guitars and basses are pretty much the same as well.

 

[ClusterFlux]

Why doesn't he just save a lot of money and get a Peavey Bandit instead then? I mean, it sounds the same as all these other amps, right?

That isn't what he is saying.

He's trying to figure out why guitar amp heads sound different from one another, and in the process eliminated certain prevalent myths.

 

[Guitalia]

So the same guy that says sound only comes from strings and pickups and not from wood also wants to say that all amps sound the same as well? Not that suprised. I could have saved a lot of money by buying some good pickups and strings [and] put them on a 2 x 6.

That's basically what Les Paul did for his first electric guitar designs. He then added "wings" (cut from a hollowbody guitar) to make what he called "the Log" more comfortable to play and used the result to cut a series of hit records.

 

[Jefenator]

All click bait works the same.

 

[banjackal]

I'm just sitting here wondering how many of the people complaining and accusing the dude of being wrong actually watched the video.

 

[andare]

I've seen his video about guitar tone. Very cool but anybody who has every played an electric guitar knows the acoustic quality of the instrument can be heard through the amp and it's influenced by the bridge, tailpiece, neck and fret material.
It's always the sum of all parts.

Not to mention the difference between a recorded tone and the actual tone in the room.

 

[dieggsy]

I've heard some players get crappy sounds from good amps.

Ah, must've heard me play somewhere.

 

[el murdoque]

One thing about that video that kind of bummed me was that Egnater amp. I played with a guitarist who was using that exact same head. He was not the most musical person and did not possess the best pair of ears, plus he did not want to mess around with gear, so he asked me to set a good sound for him. I educated myself on that particular head and gave it a spin. I distinctly remember the power tubes giving the amp two different characters. Turning that knob that did next to nothing in the video did a lot more in my real world scenario.
There was enough change with our setup that I'd be confident to be able to spot it in an A/B/X blind test.

 

[agedhorse]

In the video, Jim did get 3 very different guitar amps to sound nearly identical. It did take a lot of research and work, and extreme EQ settings. But...

Jim isn't trying to prove that "all amp heads sound the same."

He's trying to determine why they don't all sound the same.

His point is that 4 components that are frequently and vehemently proclaimed to make the most difference for guitar amp heads -- bias type, rectifier type, preamp tube type and power amp tube types -- are not what makes one amp different from one another. He found equipment where he could easily isolate those specific functions and keep every other parameter the same, and found that it made little or no difference.

After further testing, he concluded that what makes the biggest differences are:
• The sequence of EQ and gain/distortion stages
• How the EQ dials are configured

As a result, he was able to very closely match the sound of 3 very different guitar tube amp heads, by:
• Varying the order of EQ and gain stages
• Varying the EQ settings
• Using the same cabs as the original
• Using solid-state boost pedals instead of tubes for the gain stages

Seems pretty solid....

Yes, but these differences are exactly what make different amps sound and feel fundamentally different.

 

[Bassamatic]

At one point, I put three of my amps on a spectrum analyzer to find out why they sounded different. I found very different "voicing" from one amp to another. The differences were even greater when I measured with the cabinets. I wonder if ANY amps are truly flat.

 

[elkkid2]

Except that in many cases, it's not possible to adjust the amp for "flat response".

This is a guy taking a semi-valid "theory" and then extrapolating to a false conclusion. This is especially true when you take the generation of harmonics and texture into account.

Agreed!

 

[Matthew Morter]

Honestly ya’ll I think the sound differences are WAAAYYYYYY bigger on bass than guitar. Guitar tone differences can be nuances that only a trained ear can notice. ESPECIALLY WITH HIGH GAIN like he is doing here, I hear mostly fairly distorted tones, not pure clean tones. But with a bass, that is purely clean, no gain, the tonal differences slap you in the face and call you sally whether you like it or not.

 

[Matthew Morter]

Anyone who's been playing a long time knows that each one of us has, almost at a DNA level, a tone from the back of our mind we need to sound like. THAT's what's going on.

Put me in one of those rooms with all those different rigs with a bass and a cable, give me about five minutes on each one, and owing to some differences in the amp topology and the difference in cabs, I'm gonna sound like me on each one as I work through them.

You will too.

That’s what I’m talking about!

 

[Matthew Morter]

And I actually really like that dudes videos lol. Especially the one on cabs

 

[Nebadon2000]

At one point, I put three of my amps on a spectrum analyzer to find out why they sounded different. I found very different "voicing" from one amp to another. The differences were even greater when I measured with the cabinets. I wonder if ANY amps are truly flat.

My Guess is with all controls neutral and no added voicing or filters is Tone/Sound designer intended in General and preamp can be used to tweek tone or adjust for environment, Cabinet, Bass and technique etc.

Actually Flat may not sound to good for Bass or Guitar

Also with measurements many don't Give Frequency Response +/- db under bench conditions let alone with dynamic input as opposed to test tones both amps and cab's.

Power specs can be sketchy also on how rated.

Good thing we have ears huh?