how to tune an amp to a specific guitar and player?

[Joost]

I've read several times that amps (like signature two rocks) are tuned to the individual player and guitar. I would expect that would start with the proper input impedance to the pickups you use most often.

What tips would you have to tune an amp specifically for one guitar and player?

[tubeswell]

Let the player pick whichever amp you happen to make (cheaper) , or make someone an amp and spend a few months tinkering with it backwards and forwards.

[Reeltarded]

You have to have the guy standing there. He is going to say some of these terms:

Gainy
Sparkle
Sizzle
Squat
Grunt
Hair
Forward
Punch
Hollow
Sing

He might want more gain, but less hair.

You have to know how to get these in, or out of the circuit, and he isn't going to mean exactly what he's saying anyhow.

Good luck.

[selloutrr]

don't forget...

Can you make it sound more like "insert favorite band, artist, or instrument"?

If you are voicing for an instrument. I guess you could tweak for the impedance but keep in mind if the volume gets rolled back on the guitar it's a wash. Possibly tweaking for an active / passive electronics system.

Otherwise. It's probably minimal a resistor value or cap change.
Overall more or or less highs, bass, distortion. most of it can be adjusted with a tube swap if you have the amp in the ball park.

[rp]

Terrific reply.

...and he isn't going to mean exactly what he's saying anyhow.

I just build for me and I don't even know what I mean!

[Ken Moon]

To me it's just a matter of finding out how shot the buyer's ears are

If he thinks a 2204 or Express sounds "smooth", no need to remove the bright cap or tweak any coupling caps/grid stoppers.

If he says "jeez, man, that's way too bright" I know he wears ear plugs when he gigs, and still has some hearing left (or maybe he's just young) - in that case, I may do a few things to make it less bright.

The important part of the process...

- I heard one builder call it Tone Tailoring

...is to spend at least 20 quality minutes tweaking the customer's ego

[Reeltarded]

I stopped chasing tone a long time ago, and now I chase particular amps.

Honestly, my fingers adapt to what my ears don't hear, so the big mods are in technique. Not fun to the technical point of tweaking, but it doesn't negate what we all talk about here either.

You guys are the best. This place only makes sense.

[M Fowler]

My customers play through about 10 to 12 amps I have and then start saying things like:

I like the low end bass on this amp but want more foot switchable gain like that amp has, etc.

I have gotten to the point it will be only custom amps from now on, I have a whole shop full of builts they like but they want custom features.

Mark

[Firestorm]

Besides things like gain and phase inverter balance/imbalance, one the simplest tweakable parameters I've seen is to make the slope resistor in an FVM tonestack variable. You can make it a front panel control (like the "Sweep" control Mike Holland used) or make it an internal adjustment to make it a "secret" setting for each guitar/player.

[harryk]

I have built some 90 tube amps for guitar and bass players and learned also something in that process. One key question is to ask what kind of music customer plays. Second question is how loud his band plays. Only after that I start to make some serious proposals. Making one offer to a potential customer takes time which means money and costs. The longest offering process with one customer took 11 months and some 50 emails for a deal worth of 2500 USD.

I also try to manufacture my amps such a way that making any minor modifiaction to an amp takes maximum an hour. When customer can decide certain things in advance himself, there is not too much need for customizing amp later.

[Bob S]

Dont forget to turn it around and ask which kind of speaker they prefer...

[M Fowler]

Been lucky in that respect the last two guys are running the same as me 412 with vin 30's.

Mark

[Picker]

Terrific reply.

...and he isn't going to mean exactly what he's saying anyhow.

I just build for me and I don't even know what I mean!

This has to be my absolute favorite post of the week

[Alexo]

+1 to Mark...

Best case, a player comes over and runs through a dozen amps, picks the one that really gets his juices flowing, and then usually wants a couple features from this amp and a couple from that.

If he isn't local, you have to attempt the same via clips or his preconceived notions of what tubes sound like what, and the odds of success in building his dream amp start to drop. You can talk about it all day, but in the end, there's no substitute for actually plugging in... too bad I live in the middle of nowhere! Last guy in had to drive 2 hours to get here.

[PaisleyTube]

- knowing the player, his "touch"
- all other gear being used
- (hands on) knowledge about different power-amps, power-supplies, phase-inverters, gainstages, tone-stacks, tweaking low-end, midrange-content, gain-scheduling, dynamic behaviour of certain stages, components
- there are no rules
- listen with your ears, not with your eyes