Funny, I am in business for long time and it is always a wave. In the 80s was a time everyone had EMGs and a huge rack with tons of effects. It went over with grunge. 2015 I had a lot player with Kempers, 3 years later they went on tour with old Marshalls 4x12 and tube amps... and the game goes on and on...
Me too, everybody have the same 5150 into v30's mesa oversized cab with the same overdrive or tc boost... No bass but a lot of quacky mids. It's ok, many people like that. I'm more a Guy that i love High output pickups into solid state brutality tone with moderate mids. Before someone says to me " mids are the Heart of guitar sound " i know, i just put lesser mid than you. But it's More the result of speaker combinaison with the setting. Guys they are a tons of cab than the v30 to experiment the result is More character to me. with IR technology you Can try a lot of stuffs. Recently i felt in love with Jensen Nighthawk Don't get me wrong, i love the evh 5153 El34 but with different speakers than v30 and not set as quacky mids sound. Again, nothing against that, if some love it cool, but it's not for me.
I don’t HATE it, but scooping mids makes a guitar seemingly collapse in volume, especially in a full band mix. As long as it doesn’t sound boxy or like bees in a jar, I love a good midrange focus. Just pair it with a lot of presence and a ten band EQ to take out a bit of the boxy midrange in the 500 - 1KHz range.
I totally agree. Beyond that, I also expect EMG's to have a resurgence of popularity. The feedback on the new Jackson USA Soloist SL2MG coming with the classic 81/85 set has been overwhelmingly positive.
People over think thus stuff. Just find a good sound that suits your playing and don't worry about fashion or style. Amps are guitars are just a means to an end, the great players make it work and everyone else follows!
And here i am playing over 100 gigs a year across the US still rocking EMGs, 2 100 watt EVH heads in stereo and 2 4x12 cabs hahaha. People always brag that i sound more powerful and i agree when its compared to people with modulars. I do use a helix for all my effects
That's probably the way most people should gig use a real amp for distortion and have all your pedals on a modeler that way you don't have to bring a bunch of pedals with you to every gig and also if your amp dies during your set you can just change your modeler to a preset that has an amp model and cab.
A lot of bands have all that shit on stage and the cabs are just empty boxes. All that aside, the audience can’t hear your rig unless it’s mic’d up and you’ve got a good sound guy. Modelers are a great alternative and a LOT more reliable, but you still have reliance on a good sound guy. Also, never heard of dead reckoning.🤷♂️
It must be nice to play venues where you have the room to use a rig that size. But the weddings that have been paying me between $600-800 a pop are not appropriate and some of the venues actually have a db threshold and a 4-12 can with a 100 watt head will hit those thresholds the second I click off the standby. So 30 watts it is and those high paying brides don’t know any different.
As much as I personally understand the financial restrictions of bringing big cabs and stacks on the road nowadays, people disregard just how effective they were as stage props. Their inconvenience stands as a monolith to the fact that we know pursuing our art is irrational but we have to do it anyways. Contributes to the whole "rock" aesthetic. Venue shows where you can't see anything behind the musicians' backs, or it just being some banners in the case of metal bands, just doesn't look as cool. Even if I know it's not the case irl, I want my rock/metal/punk musicians to feel somewhat larger than life when they're onstage, not just preoccupied with their own comfort and convenience.
Sorry, but I've been playing for 39 years and I heard all the same stuff back in the late 70's and 80's that everything from the 60's was dying out as well. Analog vs digital was the war back then and analog is still here. What really happens is it all just gets incorporated. Mixing gear is where many new ideas come from.
That's the other thing: while the modeler might still be able to fire up a lot of modeler makers produce computer software that they stop developing when they stop selling the modeler and then using and programming that device is much harder. My Mesa preamp has been bombproof for the three decades I've had it.
@@zxexrxox they were saying that in the 80's too. Yet here we are. Every proclaimed modeler lover is turned to quivering rubber legs of joy the first time they plug into a plexi or a twin reverb.
@@xxsouthxxsidexxroyxx Eventually people will stop making vacuum tubes or they'll become so expensive it'll be the same price as a new 20w head nowadays, although I don't think that'll happen for at least another 50 years. I will say tube amps generally sound better live but for recordings there's not much difference and you can get a similar sound from a modeler by using a power amp and a cab.
And fishmans suck ass!! I love EMGs and the fact that they’re still American made. In my personal experience, the use of a standard ground wire immediately antiquate fishmans. EMGs have a self-contained grounding unit and are a lot quieter in terms of noise.
In the local Hardcore scene I still see pretty much every band using a 4x12 cab, most small venues and DIY spaces have shitty PA's and don't usually mic up amps so you gotta move some air, the 6505/4x12 cab combo is still alive and well. If you show up and try to go direct with your modeler it's gonna sound bad. Some people even use 6x12' cabs
NAILED IT! You need 100 watt amp and a 4X12 to play a packed basement gig. All those bodies up close to the "stage" absorb all the volume from a guitar. So you need a loud guitar.
I've been in the music scene longer than UA-cam has been around. Everything goes circular, technology can change things, but old becomes new anyway. There are confusions in your video: first off, are we talking live or studio? Most musicians do not know the differences are monumental. The differences between a studio ready guitar versus a live guitar, studio ready amp versus a live amp, drums and piano also need to be addressed for studio versus live. Second, what a good tone is, varies from song to song, player to player and feel. Third, musicians and bands are on different levels of musicianship and creativity, your "useless" gear might be another's source of inspiration. I think putting music and musicians in terms of "do's and don'ts" is limiting to music and musicians. Don't be afraid to experiment, don't be reserved about "comfort" zones. If you want to emulate another band, using similar gear helps but remember you'd be amazed how much change music has made simply because somebody didn't know how to do something and tried.
I think we're literally talking about fashion. I've been playing bass since the 90s and will continue to with very little regard to what the kids are playing.
Genuine question, what is the difference between guitars ready for studio and for live? I’ve never actually played in a real studio, what would I have to do to adapt if I did?
I move here 10 years ago and not long ago I found out they are 30-40 minutes up the highway from me. I plan on checking out their factory store next time I have a job up there. I walked into Ruby Tubes 6months ago and paid less than half what music stores sell tubes for, plus they are nice people and they love my dog. I knew Mesa was in Petaluma, but never made it there, now Gibson fired Randall and they're gonna ruin the brand.
Imho amp wattage has always been a bit of a dick measuring contest. Ive got a 60 watt 2x10 combo amp ive used at small gigs, and a 20 watt amp mini head that shakes my house 🤷
Most people think that wattage and perceived volume is a linear progression. It is always funny explaining that, no, 50 watts is NOT half the volume of 100 watts. The volume difference between a 50 and 100 watt amp is typically 4-5 dBs.
Jake addressed this in the episode with the discussion on headroom. A 100 watt amp has much more headroom to handle dynamics than a comparable 20 watt head from the same manufacturer. It's not always about volume and one-upmanship.
As i noticed in the past years: It depends more on which amp your'e using or better which one with which speakers your'e using! 5w 1x6 combo...yeah, that wouldn't shake the house, but my 5w Epiphone Valve Junior on an 2x12 or 4x12 with celestion Vintage 30 or something like that, could make your ears bleed and the house shaking... :D
As a man now screaming through his 30s, my back thanks me every gig for not hoofing a 4x12 up the stairs at a gig because the lift is broken. I love my 2x12. But what I've found on wattage and massive cabs is that sound engineers are really appreciative of it. Massive heads only really start cooking at higher volumes anyway, I once took a little LC-15 to a gig with my HK Tube-Factor in front. Created a massive wall of guitar, which may have been a little much for a pop gig! With the mids - man, I spent some of the 00's in the Aussie death metal scene. Nary a mid was heard. EMGs are kinda fun, but I've gone back to mid-output pickups after something Ola said - he likes the amp to do the work with a cleaner signal, and I wholeheartedly agree with that! The Retro 70s in some of the HB models are super smooth and full of life - something I always thought the 81/85/80s had an issue with.
EMGs will make a comeback. I got really into Fishmans and passive pickups but recently installed an EMG 81/81 set in a guitar after not having EMGs for years, and immediately remembered that these are the best metal pickups ever.
Smart video! I like the way you got right to the point and didn’t get distracted or start blabbing about irrelevant stuff. I wish all UA-camrs were as interesting and disciplined as you are!
There is one big advantage to the reduced use of 100 watt heads... they've become very reasonably priced on the used market. Example: Marshal JVM-410's are now hitting the $1000-$1200 range (based on the Reverb offers I've been receiving). Picked up a mint unit that sounds amazing in my home studio. For years, this was (and is) my grail amp.
This. At least for small to medium club sized gigs. It seems counterintuitive but having a real amp that can push air is more important in a 100 person room than it is in an arena.
@@AlexhPDX agreed. by the time you’re in an arena the audience wants to watch the show and hear the record. The PA doesn’t care where your signal came from. There’s a thousand reasons some people prefer big tube amps and real speakers , and they’re not all apocryphal Boomer-stitions either. I’m not shitting on modelers. I’m blown away by the technology and the possibilities. There are still a few things the old 20th century warhorses do better. That’s why people emulate them
@@EvanDanderI agree modelers have come a long way and I still will prob use them in smaller gigs just for ease of changing tones for a song but you are right
The electric guitar is 1940s technology. We use magnets to transfer the vibration of strings to a useful voltage. We plug into amplifiers using 1/4" cables which were used by telegraph and telephone operator switching boards. We use tubes even though transistors are more efficient, tiny and lightweight. We use inefficient, overweight speaker technology even though far superior designs exist. Every time we try and take a step forward, most users are staunchly opposed to progress and hold us back. We are partially paralyzed by tradition because it's the way we've always done things. It's the way our heroes and influences did it and we want to do that too. But we also do it because it still works and most often works better than the shiny new thing does. EMGs were dead, and then they're back. Died again, back again. Died once more, back once more. Things evolve. We get tired of hearing and seeing the same thing over and over, but we all keep following the trends because that's what we do until someone comes along and says, "I'm not going to do what everyone else is doing, I'm going to do what everyone else already did" and then we all follow them and make that the new trend yet again. Nothing dies in music if it's marketable. If EMG goes bankrupt tomorrow, another company or entrepreneur will look at it and say, "That product can still sell" and down the road you'll see EMGs again and we'll all argue about how the original ones were better. Every product that has a following will always have infinite lives. It will always come back around again. People have been trying to bury Guitar Center alive for 30 years. No, it isn't what it used to be and never will but it fills a massive hole in an established market: products to make music with. But uh oh, here comes AI! No human will ever make music again! Guitar Center is dying! Nope, they'll just sell you music AI instead while still calling it Guitar Center. How many businesses have been around for more than 100 years? Is there a 118+ guy running it? Of course not, but the name is established and they still do business. So, in your limited perspective (and that's not an insult, all of our perpectives are limited to some degree), these products are dying. They're not. It's just low tide for them. It'll swing back. Name one product in the music industry that sold well and was trendy that died withour ever coming back in any form. In my lifetime, it's the Firebird X... a futuristic guitar with automatic tuners and a USB output jack. Well, we all plug into USB at some point, even if we're miking up a 1957 Strat into a 1963 Vox AC30 the mic goes into an interface. "I record to tape" congrats, you're still flying it into a DAW at some point. And we will have automatic "robo" tuners again at some point. It'll swing back around again, it always does.
Great video, I agree with all your points. For the last 15 or so years I was always trying to keep my rig small (because I'm lazy XD) but not compromise sound. I still have 2 small Amp Heads and 2x 1x12 cabs I intend to keep, in the last few years though modellers now sound so good and are so convenient. Do you think effects pedals (or at least larger boards with lots of them) are in the decline in favour or modellers? Since going the modelling route, mine got smaller and smaller, that could just be me though
I sold all 13 of my pedals and working on selling all my tube amps (3 left to go). I switched to modelers and FRFR speaker wedges last year. Bought a Spark Mini practice amp. Modelers are so freaking good it’s crazy. I can get any tone I want and I have like 60+ pedals at my fingertips now. The best part is when the digital effect are rip offs of real pedals so you already know how to set the thing the way you like.
@@sebastianmedina1234 Agreed man. Unless I was after a very specific sound / effect, I can't see myself going back to a board full of pedals over a modeller now. They do everything n are so much more convenient n practical. Whilst I do think an amp n cab with a modeller as the controller can be decent, at this point its just more stuff to carry when you need not most of the time
I get not needing a 4x12 full stack now, but I'll never play a silent stage with direct out modeling. I will always have at least a 1x12 tube amp on stage. Direct out, mic it, whatever. That's the sound guy's problem. I find my tone, he fills the venue with sound. The feeling of pushed air on stage can never be replaced
I see a lot of people saying they won't give up their 4x12's. That's fine, but how often are you gigging and in what size venues? Are you stilling "turning up to get your sound"? If so that's gotta be pretty loud and a lot of venues just won't allow it anymore.
^^^This. I'm only in a weekend warrior cover band playing bars, and I can certainly say those small venues have become very strict about noise levels. I run a Fractal now and get a great and controlled sound without the weight or bleeding ears. I'm in my 50s and don't need to prove anything. That guy in the back with his arms crossed and disapproving look can suck it. He's watching and I'm on stage getting paid.
i like what you said about 4x12, more spread = a lil less required volume. but with a 1x12 or 2x12, you may have to crank it, which really makes them more uni-directional; smashing the folks right in front of it.. ive been doing the 2x12, and its like REQUIRED to have kick-bag legs; shoot it at the ceiling and let it disperse more (a la 4x12!)
I wonder if the fall of 4x12’s is also being accelerated by the increasing quality of the digital modelling things like Kempler - I remember watching a few rig rundowns a while back and a bunch of guitar players live are running into those kind of things straight to the PA system and they have dummy cabs on stage, same thing with the effects with the exception of a Wah pedal
*You cannot beat the air movement and tone of a tube amp (a decent one) pushing a 4x12 cab. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 Great video! I use modelers to record with the DI out. But band practice and just practicing at home, I prefer my trusted EVH 5150 iii or JVM pushing an Orange 4x12 with V30 speakers. 🏆🎵 Times are changing and love seeing guitarists complain of the weight of a true Les Paul too.*
I think a lot of this is fair and brings up good points most of us forget about. Like the point about mids - yeah, use that to boost but do everyone a favor and come back down in the mix when your finished noodling around. It sounds so much better overall. I used to kill everyone with mids. And our practice recordings were hell to deal with.
😅😅 Dude just noticed that right now when popular trendy bands are starting to bring back stacks and 4x12s on stage with that US emo / nu metal / blink revival + turnstile hype (after 20 years of seing only fender vox roland combos on stage). Some people you wonder where theyve been living for the last couple years.. seriously
In Chicago, most clubs have their own cabs, people either use what's there or plug in their own amp. Maybe not in other cities but you rarely have to carry in cabs any more. The clubs get them cheap (an SVT cab can be had now for like $400 and last forever) and it REallY speeds up load in/out and the monitoring since mikes never move. Times Change! For me, it's KEMPER Stage 100%. I hand the FOH my stereo XLR and I'm running right away. Live it's perfect.
Funny - I've just recently found myself gravitating from standard humbuckers to DiMarzio Super Distortion and Gibson T500 and Dirty Fingers. I still hate "always on" overdrive and distortion pedals. Solo only.
@@bandolierboy1908 Yes, the name sells the pickup short, but if you're going to market a pickup in 1974, there was no better name. The silly thing does EVERYTHING, and does it well!
I go to many many shows every year. EMG pickups is still very popular, 4x12 is still the standard and lastly I see tube amps on stage and in studio all the time! Depends on what music you listen to and what band.
So fun story! A few years ago, on our local marketplace came up a Marshall 4x12 1960A slanted cab…for a screaming deal. It looked to be 80’s…so I grab the truck and head on over. It was rough, it had been gigged for what looked like for years. I never even put an amp through it, I just gave the guy cash and loaded it up. So cut to later that day, I decide to open the back up and take a look, ya know see what speakers are in it, if they have been changed…anything like that. So when I open it up, I notice a date written in white chalk, or wire marker pen, and the date on it states May 25th, 1989. No to most people that means nothing….but to me May 25th, 1989 is my birthday, year too. This cab was loaded with speakers and finished in England on my birthday! How incredible! And btw it rips! I love to run my Marshall Class 5 or my Origin 20 head. Both sound insane through it. I will never never never ever sell it. It was literally built for me on the very day I was born! ❤ I love it! And always will. I’ll leave it to my kids after I’m gone, they can sell it or do whatever they want with it. Maybe they should throw in down in the hole with me? What y’all think? 😂
You gave me my money's worth in this video by discussing the value of cabinets on stage. I recently started using an effects processor for everything I do at home or at open mics but of course those are small spaces where crowd noise isn't really a factor.
Remember to keep your older equipment. Streaming services of video and music give us experiences that we enjoy. But we can still enjoy our hard copy formats. It would suck if we go broke and end up with regret to teach us that we don’t need to keep paying for a cd/dvd that we already have in our possession.
As a quad cortex, Helix, and kemper owner, I still prefer playing my 100w archon thru my Mesa 4x12. I honestly almost regret going down the digital modeler/profiler rabbit hole. They all sound great but option paralysis is real! I just feel more creative and want to write more when I’m jamming thru an actual amp that provides some feel and feedback.
@@notsure1135 I get that but those 5 sounds are always evolving with new product firmware updates and more amp models and effects becoming available. Don’t get me wrong, I love all three and the endless options are great to have, but sometimes when I sit down to write a song, I tend to get stuck trying to find a tone or effect up front and then hours later, I’m still menu scrolling
@@ande047 Write with an acoustic? I'm thinking of getting a qc (currently playing through a Blackstar/ 4x12 and Marshall JCM800/ 4x12). What would you say is the best out of the qc, helix, kemper?
@@lolatu8255 If you like effects, the helix is the way to go. If I had to choose one, I’d go QC. The quality of the amps just sounds better, and the capturing seems to sound better than the capturing on the Kemper. Neural DSP seems to be doing a lot better of a job nowadays with system updates, bug fixes, and adding more amps and effects to their library than when the QC first came out and people were frustrated with the lack of all of that.
I put an invader bridge in a guitar 40 years ago. I loved it. Paired with a Pro Co Rat into a silver face Fender Twin Reverb, it had a great sound. I got a lot of compliments on my tone.
I don’t wanna fight, I’m enjoying your comments! Put those overdrives up front and I’ll agree with you! Haha 😊 Thanks for all the comments and sticking around here!
Yea drives in front and delay next to last then verb always sounds better last to me. If u haven’t tried it u should check it out. Hell, if u like it the way y got em, Rock on.
4x12 cabs won't ever go out of fashion for two reasons: biggest/widest projection and cool factor. 100w heads have always been too much volume wise but they sound bigger and have more headroom. Emg's are a classic and they work well for what they are/do...even a jcm800 can be seen as obsolete (especially for metal) but it's a classic and will always have its place.
EMGS were super popular because they were so hot, but they were a specific sound. You can put EMG's on a show box and it'll sound like EMG's. I think people got tired of that a while ago. $x 12 cabs are just notnecessary. It's more than you need in a small club and in stadiums you're gloing through a P.A. anyway. The same goes for super powerful heads. Scooped mids were popular in the 90's. Having sparkling highs and solid lows while losing harsh mids seemed very appealing. But it's interesting that on the First BOSTON album form the 70's , which still has some of the greatest guitar sounds of all time -- those guitars are VERY mid-range-y. High output pups aren't necessary with high output amps and they don't record as well as pups with less gain.
Cool insight from your side man. I do record predominantly with modelling these days, but I love my 4x12 😊 I love invaders too. Got 1 in my SG and PRS.
I like headroom too. I think it does really help a high gain tone sound big and retain clarity. I use a 120W Peavey and I like playing my PRS through it that came with active EMGs. I fully intended to swap those pickups out for something else but once I plugged into the Peavey and hit a few down-tuned chugs, I decided to keep them.
NAWW we’ll take 6 4x12s down here in the Republic of Texas. And the 6 big ass cabs are all loaded with speakers and WATTS following through them. And that 3 100 watt heads. Oh Yeah over doing it the Southern way.
Can I ask what do mean by silent stages? I have severe tinnitus / hyperacusis (loud noises literally painful … like an instant horrible ear ache) and my playing out days have been over for 6+ years now. Is there a way to play out without having sound on stage ? I’ve been out of the loop.
Touring with Conan converted me into hauling around 2 4x12s. I also play in a black/doom band so there's that ahaha. With that being said, I prefer the fuller sound, and feel if that makes sense.
I was using 2 x 12" for years as it was much handier to get around to gigs. I played stereo so brought one for either side of the stage. Just the fact there were two meant you could still throw or in a taxi in the back seat and one in the boot meant a non driver like me could get around with them. Mids? Never scooped, probably been accused of too much mids though.
I will never give up my 100 watt twin 12 Jansen. New Zealand made with tons of head room and 2 channels with different preamp tubes for earlier break up on one. It is heavy but 70s tech always is.
I recently bought a midi-programmable 2x12 combo (100W H&K switchblade) which gives the versatility of digital (can have up to 128 profiles saved controllable with the footswitch, same channel cranked to different sounds over and over and there's 4 channels to choose from with fender cleans, vox crunch, marshall high gain and soldano ultra high gain) and I just plant to swap speakers in it (to lightweight BN12-300S) and then buy another 2x12 for it (matching speakers, but a compact closed cab instead of semi open) and also get a CaptorX for attention and the ability to load IRs to go straight into the line in a venue) and that's gonna be a perfect setup that is all analogue with its ease of use and just sounding good, but also having all the versatility and portability of a modeller+FRFR setup.
I actually really miss having a high output passive pickup in my stable. The good ones definitely have their own things going on that you can't get with lower output pickups, or actives. The Fishmans come close, but they seem to be aiming more at the JB with the Classics, and the Duncan Distortion with the Moderns. You aren't getting the low mid growl of Invader, the ripping aggression of the X2N, or shrieking harmonics of the Evolution.
If you say reverb is a loop only effect i agree, but if an amp has a build in reverb tank with real springs does it go before or after the preamp/distortion...?🤔
5150 II into a 4x12 (gt-12-75) and a 2x12 (vm-30s) Boss noise suppressor ,boss 7 band EQ and a JHS attenuator at the end of the loop. If you have a high gain amp and cabs get yourself a JHS attenuator. It will change your life. I basically rarely touch the volume on my amp. When i need to turn down i just use the attenuator knob on the pedal board. You keep all the gain/tone/touch . I have played my big rig while my family was sleeping before and did not wake them up. Even When I jam with a full band it still doesn’t go pass 3:00 (5:00 means it’s wide open)
I still love cranking up my 4x12, but it honestly has not moved out of my little home recording room in at least 7-8 years. All the local venues around here are pretty adamant about silent stages now. Kinda sucks. I remember when metal was about your amplifier blowing your hair back on stage.
1. EMG's I only tried once and they're definitely not my cup of tea. Give me old school passive pickups any day. 2. 4x12's just don't make much sense these days unless you're in a bigger band. Smaller gigs, vertical 2x12's just make much more sense and they still look cool. 3. Scooped mids is something I just never got. 4. I think higher wattage amps are coming back because after the trend of lunchbox amps, people are realising their benefits in terms of tone. And I also noticed how on my MT15's lower wattage setting, the sound turns to mush really quickly as i turn up the gain compared to the full power setting. A JCM800 studio for example sounds really shrill if you don't crank up the master volume which is what they're designed to do. So I practically dime it and regulate the volume with an attenuator. That way I can reap the benefits of pushing the tubes without pissing my neighbours off. 5. I actually prefer high output pickups for the reason you mentioned. I prefer to get a high gain sound by pushing the input with the pickups and maybe a pedal for a solo boost. I find that you get less electronic hum and noise that way and retain note definition. The PRS Tremonti Treble and Bare Knuckle Pickup Alnico Nailbomb are great high output pickups for boosting the mids and not too harsh sounding.
Also, 10ish years ago you had that whole movement "emgs and active pickups sound bad get passive ones" which turned into "those fishman fluence ones are not bad for actives".
I have 1 by 12 and 2 by 12 . I have a Marshall 18 watt clone head . Marshall make them as a combo with a single green back . I tried a few months ago it through a 4 by 12 cab . It sounded massive. Had a 50 watt plexi in the room. They sounded almost identical .so I am looking at getting a 4 by 12
I used to own a jackson wth emgs and a pull knob that gave the pickups a ridiculous boost. The previous owner was the former player of the band ministry. They played high gain metal but he used a jcm800... It makes sense on that context but i always found myself wishing it were a coil split because i literally never used the boost. It was just too ridiculous for use in anything other than metal
@@josephhutchins8 that would be cool but unfortunately I sold that guitar a while back. But it was cool to own a guitar Louis svitek used to use with ministry During his run with them. I think he also used it with mindfunk as well as the case was covered with mindfunk stickers too
Headphones, but then you can't bang your head. Seriously, trying to match some hard hitting drummers has given me a permanent ear ringing. May have been worth it. I know telling the drummer to play quieter doesn't work lol!
Just because how the speakers are pushing air together, a 4x12 is much more directional than a 1x12. Also another reason for the 4x12 when they were introduced
A 100w Marshall JCM 800 2203KK, two Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabs, Les Paul with 81/85's, and nothing in between is all I need, and it rips!!! The way metal was meant too be. I'm Loud n Proud, and I won't get rid of any of it.
My EMG 81/60 sets (back when I'd have to wait for a 60 to be made...) aren't going anywhere in any of my guitars. However I've been trying to sell my Marshall jcm900 1960A 4x12 for a couple years reasonably priced and I bought it new in 1999....nobody wants to lug them around anymore myself included. That's been all the feedback I've been getting trying to move it on.
That sounds like a seriously cool guitar! Definitely the kinda thing I’d play. That’s weird, I’ve always found them to last ages. Thanks for the comment!
My battery lasted well over 6 months (with daily use). Don't keep the amp cable connected to your guitar. That keeps the pickups powered and the battery running.
EMG made their entrance in the early to mid 80s by the likes of Luke. Commonly used in Valley Arts style Super Strats. The 81,SA,SA set up being the most popular because they were great in the studio and live by cutting through the keyboard midrange. Got my first set of SA's for a Strat in 1985. Used them for 15 years.
@@JakeLeighGuitar I don't use a load box. I had a 5150iii that I used the Line Out with. I currently have a Mesa combo that I use the Slave Out with. Unfortunately it won't be silent recording. But from videos I've seen, the Suhr load box has the most accurate eq curve of a real speaker.
@@taylolz thanks! Yeah I’ve been trying to decide between giving the Suhr or the Fractal one a try. Glad you’re getting good results from the line outs/slave outs.
In the 90s, for about 2 weeks, Marshall lent us a Marshall 20- the Nigel Tufnel Marshall that went to 20!!! It had two 4x12 cabs and stood about 6 feet tall. The previous band had used a sharpie to mark the sweet spot settings. So much fun to push so much air. Makes me smile to think about it.
I play 100 watt amps (Dual Recs, Matamp GT1 or Suhr PT100) on 4x12 cabs and own multiple of them. I play fullstacks and if I have to at least one 412 Mesa OS cab. Les Paul Customs with Dimarzio pickups or some guitars with EMGs. And I still see many of these rigs on stages. On the other hand, yes .... digital modellers and silent stages are huge. Thats why I cut back on visiting concerts. Killed the fun for me. I dont care if its the same sound than on the album. I want a real living show and interaction between guitar and amp.
I moved out of the U.S. about 14 years ago. Fortunately, i have got to make a living playing in countries that some people would call 3rd word, but for me, i dig it. Everything you checked off is still alive and well from South American to South Asia. I imagine mostly because of laws and how cheap it is to move around these countries. When i first came back to the U.S. about 2018. Everything you checked off is pretty much true. I borrowed a 5150 from a friend and went to the venue, and they won't let me use it. I had to buy a power amp and a pre amp pedal to play at most venues. Things have really changed. Same deal in Canada.
EMG’s sound incredible in everything ive had them in, even a cort g254 with the steve lukather set, super versatile. Agree my lpc with 81/85 set was incredible
I’ve been collecting cheap Sunn O) cabs (2 model 3’s + 412 tower) and they put both their handles on the side of the cabs, so it’s like carrying around loud police battering rams. Good for upper body exercise, and the 412 made a decent van bed for tour. They doom hard with my CR120
Nice job bud, agreed. Wattage is my one at the moment…want an Soldano slo100 for my 40th…the slo 30 seems like sacrificing something but I will try one….. But ultimately may ditch them both for a QC and high end Ibanez….4k is a lot of dough (but carry on saving 😂
I remember working for $3.35/hr as a teen in the 80's, saving and saving and saving for a decent guitar, then an amp, then a head/ cabinet. It was tough but know what? Here I am in my 50's and those purchases are still here, still kicking ass. It's worth it! Good analog equipment lasts a lifetime. I really want a QC, but will it last 20 years?
There’s also not a modeler in the world prone to tube failure, a limitation of the future. I guess I’ll get back to writing letters on paper for communication.
@@thisguy2973 There is no shortage of good tubes if you know where to shop. You buy a bunch when they're on deal. Simple fix. If your Kemper or AXE goes down, good luck with a quick fix. Yeah stick with that generic inarticulate sounding modeler, sounds like you were meant for each other
@@thisguy2973 There's also not a real tube amp in the world prone to software glitches/ failure, a limitation of the now. As for writing on paper, there are ancient Egyptian writings on paper that are still readable. Will your settings in your modeler still be working a few thousand years from now?
When bands play with no amps, all i hear is highs and subs. Thats why playing a amp with a 4 by 12 sounds so much better imo. Stage amp volume vs tweeter sub pa volume yuk. EDIT small to medium bar-clubs with using a axe fx thru a a crappy P.A system no good.😅
I was there in the mid 80's when the other guitarist in my band bought an RG760 with EMG's in it. He used a yellow Boss OD into a JCM800. It was a revelation. I think that set up has run it's course. I use to to this day, but there are other ways to get that sound. I have a Het Set in my 84 Explorer and almost put a set of Fishman in it not that long ago. I nearly went back to DiMarzio! As for big cabs? Gotta have em. Smaller places may get a 2X12. My Boogie 4X12 is NOT replaceable. Scooped mids went out a long time ago. I never totally dug it. But my Mark IV does have the V in the EQ, so I am full of it I guess. My JCM800 is a 50 watt. No need for 100 in that case. I still have my X2N DiMarzio in my Model 6. So high output pickups in the right place still have use. My pedal board is my little slice of heaven.
I have been using my mini stack for a decade now (PRS MT15 with two MT 1x12 loaded with DV77s). EQ is set to 6-6-6 with an OD-808 and ISP Decomator. Simple killer sound. Never been a fan of active pickups, using Seymour Duncan Dimebucker and 59’ has been my go to for 20 years.
I'm using a 2x12 fender bassbreaker cab and a fender blues jr. (The bigger cab behind me) and the single cab on the side of the stage so I hear 2 points of reference
I'm not sure if I'd call all of these trends per se, certainly not speaker cabs, but I agree they're all falling out of favour. List gets a like lol. 50W is plenty, and while I do love high output pickups and actives, I play a Mark IV and PAFs sound awesome with it, the clarity you retain at face melting gain is unreal. It's hard to give up a 412, it's all I've ever known, but a combo and Thiele extension can sound monstrous.
The last several concerts I've been to (Judas Priest, Beast in Black, Powerwolf, Sabaton, and Nightwish, plus supporting acts) didn't even use amp heads. Yes, they're all bigger outside of the US, but still, they're all big enough that they can afford to use real amps (or even just amp heads through the PA system)
I love my Mesa Fillmore 50 on my 2x12 cab. Playing w a Lace Sensor vintage 80s Fender strat w a Blues Driver and a Klon. I've never been an EMG fan nor a 4x12 cab fan. Mostly cause I hated moving em around.
I’m still ESP with EMG 81/85 through a Triple Rectifier half stack. Though I do have a Willie Adler Eclipse with the Fishman’s, which is badass. Also my Tele’s through a Fender half stack, that will definitely never change. I don’t use modeling amps or effects, pure pedal boards all the way. Have one for country and one for metal. For reference, with metal I’m more the Lamb of God type, for country I’m along the lines of Cody Jinks.
the most brutal thing i ever heard was when both guitars kicked it with their LP's through big muffs through twin 100w marshall stacks. there is a level of overdrive and this brighter ripping power sound when those rigs were dimed in a smaller venue. phenomenal audio experience PA's are big stereos made to REproduce. the big marshall stacks are made to PRODUCE. that monster rawness has to come from the stacks directly or it is lost regardless of how loud a pa is....just imo..
I will not give up my 4x12
As long as you want to carry it, and as long as venues allow it, rock it.
I wish I had that same attitude but my back really loved it when I sold my 2 4x12 and got a single 2x12
But your back will probably give up on you.
4x12 are awesome.. but are so hard to carry (and to fit in my little car haha)
I won’t give up my four 4x12s
0:06 The popularity of EMG pickups
1:50 4x12 cabs
3:31 Scooped mids
4:50 Wattage
6:34 High output pickups
This should be pinned
Rate my tone... I'm doing everything but the EMG 😊
Thank you.
Funny, I am in business for long time and it is always a wave. In the 80s was a time everyone had EMGs and a huge rack with tons of effects. It went over with grunge. 2015 I had a lot player with Kempers, 3 years later they went on tour with old Marshalls 4x12 and tube amps... and the game goes on and on...
maybe im just a stupid a-hole who doesnt get it; explain to me the use of this, please.
I play a Les Paul into a 6505, the full size 100w version, with the mids scooped (and boosted with an 808) into a 4x12. I love being a dinosaur!
2024 dinosaurs dead......1 kg same sound :D
Yes, i scoop and boost the mid's as well, it sound's just better then just boost the mid's... 😅
Literally same except ts9
I play the exact same Setup. But EQ ist all 7/10.
I have a 6505 mh and love it but I got an 8100 valvestate and have been using that lately. Cant go wrong with any 6505.
Am I the only who hates the new age heavy mid focused and overly compressed rhythm guitar sound?
Me too😅
Rate my tone...
If you're talking about the Djent sound then yes I agree with u
Me too, everybody have the same 5150 into v30's mesa oversized cab with the same overdrive or tc boost... No bass but a lot of quacky mids. It's ok, many people like that. I'm more a Guy that i love High output pickups into solid state brutality tone with moderate mids. Before someone says to me " mids are the Heart of guitar sound " i know, i just put lesser mid than you. But it's More the result of speaker combinaison with the setting. Guys they are a tons of cab than the v30 to experiment the result is More character to me. with IR technology you Can try a lot of stuffs. Recently i felt in love with Jensen Nighthawk Don't get me wrong, i love the evh 5153 El34 but with different speakers than v30 and not set as quacky mids sound. Again, nothing against that, if some love it cool, but it's not for me.
I don’t HATE it, but scooping mids makes a guitar seemingly collapse in volume, especially in a full band mix. As long as it doesn’t sound boxy or like bees in a jar, I love a good midrange focus. Just pair it with a lot of presence and a ten band EQ to take out a bit of the boxy midrange in the 500 - 1KHz range.
Kemper gear looks like hospital gear.
thats hilarious!!🤣
1950s Hospital gear.....
@@davidwood9966 Exactly or a 50s tube Radio 📻
Kemper has been on life support since ToneX’s arrival.
This,they look like a EKG monitor or something. Can't do it, I gotta sound like me, and that ain't 19 almost amps for 19. songs.
Scooped mids, 4x12s and a 100w Marshall head for life
Thats the way!
Of course that's the right answer. But that doesn't make for a good 'ole clickbait title, does it?
EMG will always be the gold standard for active pickups
HELL YES
@@genghisghostthey’ve been around for 50 years. They’re not going anywhere.
I totally agree. Beyond that, I also expect EMG's to have a resurgence of popularity. The feedback on the new Jackson USA Soloist SL2MG coming with the classic 81/85 set has been overwhelmingly positive.
Since 80s session (tones) guitarists are becoming more popular today, I'd expect people bring back emg sets like Luke's ones
EMG rock bruv. No idea why people think otherwise. Forum trolls for twenty years maybe? I’ve got three sets.
People over think thus stuff. Just find a good sound that suits your playing and don't worry about fashion or style. Amps are guitars are just a means to an end, the great players make it work and everyone else follows!
Big amps aint goin nowhere
And here i am playing over 100 gigs a year across the US still rocking EMGs, 2 100 watt EVH heads in stereo and 2 4x12 cabs hahaha. People always brag that i sound more powerful and i agree when its compared to people with modulars. I do use a helix for all my effects
That's probably the way most people should gig use a real amp for distortion and have all your pedals on a modeler that way you don't have to bring a bunch of pedals with you to every gig and also if your amp dies during your set you can just change your modeler to a preset that has an amp model and cab.
A lot of bands have all that shit on stage and the cabs are just empty boxes.
All that aside, the audience can’t hear your rig unless it’s mic’d up and you’ve got a good sound guy. Modelers are a great alternative and a LOT more reliable, but you still have reliance on a good sound guy.
Also, never heard of dead reckoning.🤷♂️
It must be nice to play venues where you have the room to use a rig that size. But the weddings that have been paying me between $600-800 a pop are not appropriate and some of the venues actually have a db threshold and a 4-12 can with a 100 watt head will hit those thresholds the second I click off the standby. So 30 watts it is and those high paying brides don’t know any different.
As much as I personally understand the financial restrictions of bringing big cabs and stacks on the road nowadays, people disregard just how effective they were as stage props. Their inconvenience stands as a monolith to the fact that we know pursuing our art is irrational but we have to do it anyways. Contributes to the whole "rock" aesthetic. Venue shows where you can't see anything behind the musicians' backs, or it just being some banners in the case of metal bands, just doesn't look as cool. Even if I know it's not the case irl, I want my rock/metal/punk musicians to feel somewhat larger than life when they're onstage, not just preoccupied with their own comfort and convenience.
Sorry, but I've been playing for 39 years and I heard all the same stuff back in the late 70's and 80's that everything from the 60's was dying out as well. Analog vs digital was the war back then and analog is still here. What really happens is it all just gets incorporated. Mixing gear is where many new ideas come from.
You’re a stupid boomer (redundant statement). Digital was shit 40 years ago. Now it’s completely indistinguishable in a mix.
Your amp modeler that you bought yesterday will be a brick in ten years. My 68 Bandmaster will need a $200 recap and will keep on trucking
That's the other thing: while the modeler might still be able to fire up a lot of modeler makers produce computer software that they stop developing when they stop selling the modeler and then using and programming that device is much harder. My Mesa preamp has been bombproof for the three decades I've had it.
Not to be devil's advocate but one day tube's will go the way of the dodo
@@zxexrxox they were saying that in the 80's too. Yet here we are. Every proclaimed modeler lover is turned to quivering rubber legs of joy the first time they plug into a plexi or a twin reverb.
eh, solid state is the most reliable and low maintenance of the three.
@@xxsouthxxsidexxroyxx Eventually people will stop making vacuum tubes or they'll become so expensive it'll be the same price as a new 20w head nowadays, although I don't think that'll happen for at least another 50 years. I will say tube amps generally sound better live but for recordings there's not much difference and you can get a similar sound from a modeler by using a power amp and a cab.
Huh. I'm actually playing a gig tonight, so I've gotta go load in my 100 watt tube amp, 4x12, and Les Paul with high out put pickups. Cheers!
As I remember EMG had a supply problems during covid limitations. That’s why ESP increased number of models with Fishmans
Yeah. I mention this but this is a clearly "click on me for attention" video from the poster.
I hate the number of ESP guitars with Fishmans now all I want is just Seymour Duncans in a guitar and they don't have any in the Arrow 1000 series.
@@josephhutchins8 yes ( I’m not a fishman fan and I’d prefer emg or SD in guitar
I have 4 esp ltd and they all came with Seymour Duncans
And fishmans suck ass!! I love EMGs and the fact that they’re still American made.
In my personal experience, the use of a standard ground wire immediately antiquate fishmans. EMGs have a self-contained grounding unit and are a lot quieter in terms of noise.
In the local Hardcore scene I still see pretty much every band using a 4x12 cab, most small venues and DIY spaces have shitty PA's and don't usually mic up amps so you gotta move some air, the 6505/4x12 cab combo is still alive and well. If you show up and try to go direct with your modeler it's gonna sound bad. Some people even use 6x12' cabs
NAILED IT! You need 100 watt amp and a 4X12 to play a packed basement gig. All those bodies up close to the "stage" absorb all the volume from a guitar. So you need a loud guitar.
@@Mxyaguitar5150 yes! You can not replace the feeling of a loud driven tube amp or the feeling of a 4x12 making you "feel" the notes!
I've been in the music scene longer than UA-cam has been around. Everything goes circular, technology can change things, but old becomes new anyway. There are confusions in your video: first off, are we talking live or studio? Most musicians do not know the differences are monumental. The differences between a studio ready guitar versus a live guitar, studio ready amp versus a live amp, drums and piano also need to be addressed for studio versus live.
Second, what a good tone is, varies from song to song, player to player and feel.
Third, musicians and bands are on different levels of musicianship and creativity, your "useless" gear might be another's source of inspiration.
I think putting music and musicians in terms of "do's and don'ts" is limiting to music and musicians. Don't be afraid to experiment, don't be reserved about "comfort" zones. If you want to emulate another band, using similar gear helps but remember you'd be amazed how much change music has made simply because somebody didn't know how to do something and tried.
I think we're literally talking about fashion. I've been playing bass since the 90s and will continue to with very little regard to what the kids are playing.
Agree. Iron Maiden and Yngwie Malmsteen has always used a lot of mids.
Genuine question, what is the difference between guitars ready for studio and for live? I’ve never actually played in a real studio, what would I have to do to adapt if I did?
Funny. I've been using passive pickups for 30 something years and just recently started using EMGs. I love them. And I'm no metalhead at all.
I move here 10 years ago and not long ago I found out they are 30-40 minutes up the highway from me. I plan on checking out their factory store next time I have a job up there. I walked into Ruby Tubes 6months ago and paid less than half what music stores sell tubes for, plus they are nice people and they love my dog. I knew Mesa was in Petaluma, but never made it there, now Gibson fired Randall and they're gonna ruin the brand.
Imho amp wattage has always been a bit of a dick measuring contest. Ive got a 60 watt 2x10 combo amp ive used at small gigs, and a 20 watt amp mini head that shakes my house 🤷
Most people think that wattage and perceived volume is a linear progression. It is always funny explaining that, no, 50 watts is NOT half the volume of 100 watts. The volume difference between a 50 and 100 watt amp is typically 4-5 dBs.
Jake addressed this in the episode with the discussion on headroom. A 100 watt amp has much more headroom to handle dynamics than a comparable 20 watt head from the same manufacturer. It's not always about volume and one-upmanship.
It is for the uninitiated. It's all about that headroom.
As i noticed in the past years: It depends more on which amp your'e using or better which one with which speakers your'e using!
5w 1x6 combo...yeah, that wouldn't shake the house, but my 5w Epiphone Valve Junior on an 2x12 or 4x12 with celestion Vintage 30 or something like that, could make your ears bleed and the house shaking... :D
As a man now screaming through his 30s, my back thanks me every gig for not hoofing a 4x12 up the stairs at a gig because the lift is broken. I love my 2x12. But what I've found on wattage and massive cabs is that sound engineers are really appreciative of it. Massive heads only really start cooking at higher volumes anyway, I once took a little LC-15 to a gig with my HK Tube-Factor in front. Created a massive wall of guitar, which may have been a little much for a pop gig!
With the mids - man, I spent some of the 00's in the Aussie death metal scene. Nary a mid was heard.
EMGs are kinda fun, but I've gone back to mid-output pickups after something Ola said - he likes the amp to do the work with a cleaner signal, and I wholeheartedly agree with that! The Retro 70s in some of the HB models are super smooth and full of life - something I always thought the 81/85/80s had an issue with.
Just discovered your channel over the Harley Benton Jim Root Strat review...i will stick here, like what you are doing!
Thank you so much Lukas, I really appreciate that! Glad to have you here 😊🤘
@@JakeLeighGuitarhey uhh just a fun fact but the reason the ltd and esp didn’t have emgs was because of covid they couldn’t keep up with demand
EMGs will make a comeback. I got really into Fishmans and passive pickups but recently installed an EMG 81/81 set in a guitar after not having EMGs for years, and immediately remembered that these are the best metal pickups ever.
Exactly! Fishman is not even close.
I agree. The EMG 81 and Duncan Distortion.
Les Pauls with high output Bareknuckles into a Mesa Badlander crunch channel boosted with an SD1 here. Oh, and a 4x12. I’ll never give it up!
@@NelderGuitar I bet that sounds amazing. Love every part of that rig! 🤘🎸😊
Smart video! I like the way you got right to the point and didn’t get distracted or start blabbing about irrelevant stuff. I wish all UA-camrs were as interesting and disciplined as you are!
There is one big advantage to the reduced use of 100 watt heads... they've become very reasonably priced on the used market. Example: Marshal JVM-410's are now hitting the $1000-$1200 range (based on the Reverb offers I've been receiving). Picked up a mint unit that sounds amazing in my home studio. For years, this was (and is) my grail amp.
That's about where they should be a lot of ampeds are overpriced in my opinion
I have a JVM 410 as well, love that amp, and Marshall 2-12 1936 cab, sounds amazing and I crank that bitch up when I play it.
Modelers suck live. You gotta move air
This. At least for small to medium club sized gigs. It seems counterintuitive but having a real amp that can push air is more important in a 100 person room than it is in an arena.
@@AlexhPDX agreed. by the time you’re in an arena the audience wants to watch the show and hear the record. The PA doesn’t care where your signal came from. There’s a thousand reasons some people prefer big tube amps and real speakers , and they’re not all apocryphal Boomer-stitions either.
I’m not shitting on modelers. I’m blown away by the technology and the possibilities.
There are still a few things the old 20th century warhorses do better. That’s why people emulate them
@@EvanDanderI agree modelers have come a long way and I still will prob use them in smaller gigs just for ease of changing tones for a song but you are right
A fractal, with a power amp, on a 4x12, moves air.
@@johnstone1526 and still get swallowed up in a club mix
The electric guitar is 1940s technology. We use magnets to transfer the vibration of strings to a useful voltage. We plug into amplifiers using 1/4" cables which were used by telegraph and telephone operator switching boards. We use tubes even though transistors are more efficient, tiny and lightweight. We use inefficient, overweight speaker technology even though far superior designs exist. Every time we try and take a step forward, most users are staunchly opposed to progress and hold us back.
We are partially paralyzed by tradition because it's the way we've always done things. It's the way our heroes and influences did it and we want to do that too. But we also do it because it still works and most often works better than the shiny new thing does.
EMGs were dead, and then they're back. Died again, back again. Died once more, back once more.
Things evolve. We get tired of hearing and seeing the same thing over and over, but we all keep following the trends because that's what we do until someone comes along and says, "I'm not going to do what everyone else is doing, I'm going to do what everyone else already did" and then we all follow them and make that the new trend yet again.
Nothing dies in music if it's marketable. If EMG goes bankrupt tomorrow, another company or entrepreneur will look at it and say, "That product can still sell" and down the road you'll see EMGs again and we'll all argue about how the original ones were better. Every product that has a following will always have infinite lives. It will always come back around again.
People have been trying to bury Guitar Center alive for 30 years. No, it isn't what it used to be and never will but it fills a massive hole in an established market: products to make music with. But uh oh, here comes AI! No human will ever make music again! Guitar Center is dying! Nope, they'll just sell you music AI instead while still calling it Guitar Center. How many businesses have been around for more than 100 years? Is there a 118+ guy running it? Of course not, but the name is established and they still do business.
So, in your limited perspective (and that's not an insult, all of our perpectives are limited to some degree), these products are dying. They're not. It's just low tide for them. It'll swing back. Name one product in the music industry that sold well and was trendy that died withour ever coming back in any form. In my lifetime, it's the Firebird X... a futuristic guitar with automatic tuners and a USB output jack. Well, we all plug into USB at some point, even if we're miking up a 1957 Strat into a 1963 Vox AC30 the mic goes into an interface. "I record to tape" congrats, you're still flying it into a DAW at some point. And we will have automatic "robo" tuners again at some point. It'll swing back around again, it always does.
Great video, I agree with all your points.
For the last 15 or so years I was always trying to keep my rig small (because I'm lazy XD) but not compromise sound. I still have 2 small Amp Heads and 2x 1x12 cabs I intend to keep, in the last few years though modellers now sound so good and are so convenient.
Do you think effects pedals (or at least larger boards with lots of them) are in the decline in favour or modellers? Since going the modelling route, mine got smaller and smaller, that could just be me though
I sold all 13 of my pedals and working on selling all my tube amps (3 left to go).
I switched to modelers and FRFR speaker wedges last year. Bought a Spark Mini practice amp. Modelers are so freaking good it’s crazy. I can get any tone I want and I have like 60+ pedals at my fingertips now. The best part is when the digital effect are rip offs of real pedals so you already know how to set the thing the way you like.
@@sebastianmedina1234 Agreed man. Unless I was after a very specific sound / effect, I can't see myself going back to a board full of pedals over a modeller now. They do everything n are so much more convenient n practical.
Whilst I do think an amp n cab with a modeller as the controller can be decent, at this point its just more stuff to carry when you need not most of the time
I get not needing a 4x12 full stack now, but I'll never play a silent stage with direct out modeling. I will always have at least a 1x12 tube amp on stage. Direct out, mic it, whatever. That's the sound guy's problem. I find my tone, he fills the venue with sound. The feeling of pushed air on stage can never be replaced
Use whatever you want.
I see a lot of people saying they won't give up their 4x12's. That's fine, but how often are you gigging and in what size venues? Are you stilling "turning up to get your sound"? If so that's gotta be pretty loud and a lot of venues just won't allow it anymore.
^^^This. I'm only in a weekend warrior cover band playing bars, and I can certainly say those small venues have become very strict about noise levels. I run a Fractal now and get a great and controlled sound without the weight or bleeding ears. I'm in my 50s and don't need to prove anything. That guy in the back with his arms crossed and disapproving look can suck it. He's watching and I'm on stage getting paid.
And not forgetting that your ears are probably destroyed by now!
4x12s are still the default i'm seeing.
Unless you have a ported/oversized cab a 2 x 12 isn’t going to have the same punch as a 4 x 12, just easier to get a 4 x 12.
i like what you said about 4x12, more spread = a lil less required volume. but with a 1x12 or 2x12, you may have to crank it, which really makes them more uni-directional; smashing the folks right in front of it.. ive been doing the 2x12, and its like REQUIRED to have kick-bag legs; shoot it at the ceiling and let it disperse more (a la 4x12!)
I wonder if the fall of 4x12’s is also being accelerated by the increasing quality of the digital modelling things like Kempler - I remember watching a few rig rundowns a while back and a bunch of guitar players live are running into those kind of things straight to the PA system and they have dummy cabs on stage, same thing with the effects with the exception of a Wah pedal
I kinda agree. I would personally rather have a quad cortex that can get me any tone I need pretty much than have to lug around a 4x12 and a large amp
I am about to put these same pickups in a Squier SE as well, just found this. Sounds good. Thx!
*You cannot beat the air movement and tone of a tube amp (a decent one) pushing a 4x12 cab. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 Great video! I use modelers to record with the DI out. But band practice and just practicing at home, I prefer my trusted EVH 5150 iii or JVM pushing an Orange 4x12 with V30 speakers. 🏆🎵 Times are changing and love seeing guitarists complain of the weight of a true Les Paul too.*
Soyboys can't handle a Les Paul for more than a few minutes. Maybe sitting down, but then it leaves that big red mark on your leg.
I think a lot of this is fair and brings up good points most of us forget about. Like the point about mids - yeah, use that to boost but do everyone a favor and come back down in the mix when your finished noodling around. It sounds so much better overall. I used to kill everyone with mids. And our practice recordings were hell to deal with.
😅😅 Dude just noticed that right now when popular trendy bands are starting to bring back stacks and 4x12s on stage with that US emo / nu metal / blink revival + turnstile hype (after 20 years of seing only fender vox roland combos on stage). Some people you wonder where theyve been living for the last couple years.. seriously
In Chicago, most clubs have their own cabs, people either use what's there or plug in their own amp. Maybe not in other cities but you rarely have to carry in cabs any more. The clubs get them cheap (an SVT cab can be had now for like $400 and last forever) and it REallY speeds up load in/out and the monitoring since mikes never move. Times Change! For me, it's KEMPER Stage 100%. I hand the FOH my stereo XLR and I'm running right away. Live it's perfect.
Funny - I've just recently found myself gravitating from standard humbuckers to DiMarzio Super Distortion and Gibson T500 and Dirty Fingers. I still hate "always on" overdrive and distortion pedals. Solo only.
Dimarzio super distortions are so good
@@bandolierboy1908 Yes, the name sells the pickup short, but if you're going to market a pickup in 1974, there was no better name. The silly thing does EVERYTHING, and does it well!
I suddenly have the urge to buy an ESP KH2, 120w Crate Blue Voodoo, and two 4x12 cabs
I go to many many shows every year. EMG pickups is still very popular, 4x12 is still the standard and lastly I see tube amps on stage and in studio all the time! Depends on what music you listen to and what band.
Kempers live sound like a recording of a guitar turned up really loud more than an amp turned out really loud.
There, I said it.
Which is exactly the sound that fractals and kempers are suppose to give you...glad to see someone understands that.
So fun story! A few years ago, on our local marketplace came up a Marshall 4x12 1960A slanted cab…for a screaming deal. It looked to be 80’s…so I grab the truck and head on over. It was rough, it had been gigged for what looked like for years. I never even put an amp through it, I just gave the guy cash and loaded it up. So cut to later that day, I decide to open the back up and take a look, ya know see what speakers are in it, if they have been changed…anything like that. So when I open it up, I notice a date written in white chalk, or wire marker pen, and the date on it states May 25th, 1989. No to most people that means nothing….but to me May 25th, 1989 is my birthday, year too. This cab was loaded with speakers and finished in England on my birthday! How incredible! And btw it rips! I love to run my Marshall Class 5 or my Origin 20 head. Both sound insane through it. I will never never never ever sell it. It was literally built for me on the very day I was born! ❤ I love it! And always will. I’ll leave it to my kids after I’m gone, they can sell it or do whatever they want with it. Maybe they should throw in down in the hole with me? What y’all think? 😂
Very cool! I wouldn't sell it either.
You gave me my money's worth in this video by discussing the value of cabinets on stage. I recently started using an effects processor for everything I do at home or at open mics but of course those are small spaces where crowd noise isn't really a factor.
Remember to keep your older equipment. Streaming services of video and music give us experiences that we enjoy. But we can still enjoy our hard copy formats. It would suck if we go broke and end up with regret to teach us that we don’t need to keep paying for a cd/dvd that we already have in our possession.
As a quad cortex, Helix, and kemper owner, I still prefer playing my 100w archon thru my Mesa 4x12. I honestly almost regret going down the digital modeler/profiler rabbit hole. They all sound great but option paralysis is real! I just feel more creative and want to write more when I’m jamming thru an actual amp that provides some feel and feedback.
I don’t get that problem with overwhelming options, try five sounds and go with the best sounding one.
@@notsure1135 I get that but those 5 sounds are always evolving with new product firmware updates and more amp models and effects becoming available. Don’t get me wrong, I love all three and the endless options are great to have, but sometimes when I sit down to write a song, I tend to get stuck trying to find a tone or effect up front and then hours later, I’m still menu scrolling
@@ande047 Write with an acoustic? I'm thinking of getting a qc (currently playing through a Blackstar/ 4x12 and Marshall JCM800/ 4x12). What would you say is the best out of the qc, helix, kemper?
@@lolatu8255 If you like effects, the helix is the way to go. If I had to choose one, I’d go QC. The quality of the amps just sounds better, and the capturing seems to sound better than the capturing on the Kemper. Neural DSP seems to be doing a lot better of a job nowadays with system updates, bug fixes, and adding more amps and effects to their library than when the QC first came out and people were frustrated with the lack of all of that.
@@ande047 Thanks for replying. I'll probably get a QC. Once in a while I think about selling the amps but then I play them and change my mind.
I put an invader bridge in a guitar 40 years ago. I loved it. Paired with a Pro Co Rat into a silver face Fender Twin Reverb, it had a great sound. I got a lot of compliments on my tone.
Jake . Fight me.
Plate reverb - delay - two overdrives - - noise gate and a spring verb (into a Fender Blackface) is the signal chain of the gods😅
I don’t wanna fight, I’m enjoying your comments! Put those overdrives up front and I’ll agree with you! Haha 😊 Thanks for all the comments and sticking around here!
@JakeLeighGuitar Love your stuff. Quite good for a metallic head.😀😀😀😀😀😀
I love a good clean tone, btw. I'm thinking of putting emgs into a chap strat copy.
This guy is going places! I want to hear this!!!
Yea drives in front and delay next to last then verb always sounds better last to me. If u haven’t tried it u should check it out. Hell, if u like it the way y got em, Rock on.
4x12 cabs won't ever go out of fashion for two reasons: biggest/widest projection and cool factor.
100w heads have always been too much volume wise but they sound bigger and have more headroom.
Emg's are a classic and they work well for what they are/do...even a jcm800 can be seen as obsolete (especially for metal) but it's a classic and will always have its place.
EMGS were super popular because they were so hot, but they were a specific sound. You can put EMG's on a show box and it'll sound like EMG's. I think people got tired of that a while ago. $x 12 cabs are just notnecessary. It's more than you need in a small club and in stadiums you're gloing through a P.A. anyway. The same goes for super powerful heads. Scooped mids were popular in the 90's. Having sparkling highs and solid lows while losing harsh mids seemed very appealing. But it's interesting that on the First BOSTON album form the 70's , which still has some of the greatest guitar sounds of all time -- those guitars are VERY mid-range-y. High output pups aren't necessary with high output amps and they don't record as well as pups with less gain.
Cool insight from your side man. I do record predominantly with modelling these days, but I love my 4x12 😊
I love invaders too. Got 1 in my SG and PRS.
I like headroom too. I think it does really help a high gain tone sound big and retain clarity. I use a 120W Peavey and I like playing my PRS through it that came with active EMGs. I fully intended to swap those pickups out for something else but once I plugged into the Peavey and hit a few down-tuned chugs, I decided to keep them.
NAWW we’ll take 6 4x12s down here in the Republic of Texas. And the 6 big ass cabs are all loaded with speakers and WATTS following through them. And that 3 100 watt heads. Oh Yeah over doing it the Southern way.
Sus compensation and a waste of money 😂
@@judaspriestchild then you have a guy like John Petrucci getting it done with an offstage 1x12 iso cab.
@@judaspriestchildJ Mascis isn’t compensating for anything
Have fun carrying them then
Silent stages absolutely suck. They should never have been a thing ever. Proud user of a park lead 100 halfstack and a silver jubilee half stack
Keep yelling at clouds ☁️
@@HimothyBurton nah the clouds yell at me, they can't handle the huge wall of sound😉.
Can I ask what do mean by silent stages? I have severe tinnitus / hyperacusis (loud noises literally painful … like an instant horrible ear ache) and my playing out days have been over for 6+ years now. Is there a way to play out without having sound on stage ? I’ve been out of the loop.
Hey what is that TODP Pedal at 7:54, I cannot seem to find out what it is. He said its a high gain pedal. I want to check one out.
It seems to be made by a company called Brelliot and, as you say, is called the TODP which apparently stands for Tube Overdrive Distortion Plus.
☝️that’s the one, thank you!
Touring with Conan converted me into hauling around 2 4x12s. I also play in a black/doom band so there's that ahaha. With that being said, I prefer the fuller sound, and feel if that makes sense.
I was using 2 x 12" for years as it was much handier to get around to gigs. I played stereo so brought one for either side of the stage. Just the fact there were two meant you could still throw or in a taxi in the back seat and one in the boot meant a non driver like me could get around with them. Mids? Never scooped, probably been accused of too much mids though.
I will never give up my 100 watt twin 12 Jansen. New Zealand made with tons of head room and 2 channels with different preamp tubes for earlier break up on one.
It is heavy but 70s tech always is.
I recently bought a midi-programmable 2x12 combo (100W H&K switchblade) which gives the versatility of digital (can have up to 128 profiles saved controllable with the footswitch, same channel cranked to different sounds over and over and there's 4 channels to choose from with fender cleans, vox crunch, marshall high gain and soldano ultra high gain) and I just plant to swap speakers in it (to lightweight BN12-300S) and then buy another 2x12 for it (matching speakers, but a compact closed cab instead of semi open) and also get a CaptorX for attention and the ability to load IRs to go straight into the line in a venue) and that's gonna be a perfect setup that is all analogue with its ease of use and just sounding good, but also having all the versatility and portability of a modeller+FRFR setup.
I actually really miss having a high output passive pickup in my stable. The good ones definitely have their own things going on that you can't get with lower output pickups, or actives. The Fishmans come close, but they seem to be aiming more at the JB with the Classics, and the Duncan Distortion with the Moderns. You aren't getting the low mid growl of Invader, the ripping aggression of the X2N, or shrieking harmonics of the Evolution.
If you say reverb is a loop only effect i agree, but if an amp has a build in reverb tank with real springs does it go before or after the preamp/distortion...?🤔
5150 II into a 4x12 (gt-12-75) and a 2x12 (vm-30s) Boss noise suppressor ,boss 7 band EQ and a JHS attenuator at the end of the loop. If you have a high gain amp and cabs get yourself a JHS attenuator. It will change your life. I basically rarely touch the volume on my amp. When i need to turn down i just use the attenuator knob on the pedal board. You keep all the gain/tone/touch . I have played my big rig while my family was sleeping before and did not wake them up. Even When I jam with a full band it still doesn’t go pass 3:00
(5:00 means it’s wide open)
I still love cranking up my 4x12, but it honestly has not moved out of my little home recording room in at least 7-8 years. All the local venues around here are pretty adamant about silent stages now. Kinda sucks. I remember when metal was about your amplifier blowing your hair back on stage.
Do you at least get some monitor sound at these venues? Or do you have to go "in ear"? I haven't played live in a few decades so this trips me out.
1. EMG's I only tried once and they're definitely not my cup of tea. Give me old school passive pickups any day.
2. 4x12's just don't make much sense these days unless you're in a bigger band. Smaller gigs, vertical 2x12's just make much more sense and they still look cool.
3. Scooped mids is something I just never got.
4. I think higher wattage amps are coming back because after the trend of lunchbox amps, people are realising their benefits in terms of tone. And I also noticed how on my MT15's lower wattage setting, the sound turns to mush really quickly as i turn up the gain compared to the full power setting. A JCM800 studio for example sounds really shrill if you don't crank up the master volume which is what they're designed to do. So I practically dime it and regulate the volume with an attenuator. That way I can reap the benefits of pushing the tubes without pissing my neighbours off.
5. I actually prefer high output pickups for the reason you mentioned. I prefer to get a high gain sound by pushing the input with the pickups and maybe a pedal for a solo boost. I find that you get less electronic hum and noise that way and retain note definition. The PRS Tremonti Treble and Bare Knuckle Pickup Alnico Nailbomb are great high output pickups for boosting the mids and not too harsh sounding.
I recently bought the 5150 Iconic 15 watter. I run it at 1/4 power at the apartment and I know it would be plenty loud for live applications
Also, 10ish years ago you had that whole movement "emgs and active pickups sound bad get passive ones" which turned into "those fishman fluence ones are not bad for actives".
I have 1 by 12 and 2 by 12 . I have a Marshall 18 watt clone head . Marshall make them as a combo with a single green back . I tried a few months ago it through a 4 by 12 cab . It sounded massive. Had a 50 watt plexi in the room. They sounded almost identical .so I am looking at getting a 4 by 12
I used to own a jackson wth emgs and a pull knob that gave the pickups a ridiculous boost. The previous owner was the former player of the band ministry. They played high gain metal but he used a jcm800... It makes sense on that context but i always found myself wishing it were a coil split because i literally never used the boost. It was just too ridiculous for use in anything other than metal
I know the EMG 89R has a split coil in it you could probably swap the pickup really easily as EMG's are solderless.
@@josephhutchins8 that would be cool but unfortunately I sold that guitar a while back. But it was cool to own a guitar Louis svitek used to use with ministry During his run with them. I think he also used it with mindfunk as well as the case was covered with mindfunk stickers too
If cabs are dying how do you practice with your metal band that uses a drum set. You need to match that loudness ima always use that 4x12
Place your 1x12 higher and it'll work the same ;)
Headphones, but then you can't bang your head. Seriously, trying to match some hard hitting drummers has given me a permanent ear ringing. May have been worth it. I know telling the drummer to play quieter doesn't work lol!
Just because how the speakers are pushing air together, a 4x12 is much more directional than a 1x12. Also another reason for the 4x12 when they were introduced
Couldn't you lower your pickups to make them lower output?
IMO if you use a traditional setup with V30 and a SM57 you have to scoop the mids, that combination has ton of mids already.
A 100w Marshall JCM 800 2203KK, two Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabs, Les Paul with 81/85's, and nothing in between is all I need, and it rips!!!
The way metal was meant too be.
I'm Loud n Proud, and I won't get rid of any of it.
My EMG 81/60 sets (back when I'd have to wait for a 60 to be made...) aren't going anywhere in any of my guitars. However I've been trying to sell my Marshall jcm900 1960A 4x12 for a couple years reasonably priced and I bought it new in 1999....nobody wants to lug them around anymore myself included. That's been all the feedback I've been getting trying to move it on.
I have an early 80s Manson superstrat with EMGs. I liked the sounds but batteries didn't last long
That sounds like a seriously cool guitar! Definitely the kinda thing I’d play. That’s weird, I’ve always found them to last ages. Thanks for the comment!
@@JakeLeighGuitar better still, it has a pointy headstock, locking trem and JEM-style hand grip!
My battery lasted well over 6 months (with daily use).
Don't keep the amp cable connected to your guitar. That keeps the pickups powered and the battery running.
EMG made their entrance in the early to mid 80s by the likes of Luke. Commonly used in Valley Arts style Super Strats. The 81,SA,SA set up being the most popular because they were great in the studio and live by cutting through the keyboard midrange. Got my first set of SA's for a Strat in 1985. Used them for 15 years.
I prefer recording direct with a real amp through an ir rather than a modeler. They're just easier to get a good sound out of.
@@taylolz do you have a favourite load box/reactive load? I’m using a Two Notes Captor and I’m not completely happy with it right now.
@@JakeLeighGuitar I don't use a load box. I had a 5150iii that I used the Line Out with. I currently have a Mesa combo that I use the Slave Out with. Unfortunately it won't be silent recording. But from videos I've seen, the Suhr load box has the most accurate eq curve of a real speaker.
@@taylolz thanks! Yeah I’ve been trying to decide between giving the Suhr or the Fractal one a try. Glad you’re getting good results from the line outs/slave outs.
@@JakeLeighGuitar I'll send you a short recording if you want
My first video I’ve seen of yours, the edits and the content’s fantastic.
In the 90s, for about 2 weeks, Marshall lent us a Marshall 20- the Nigel Tufnel Marshall that went to 20!!! It had two 4x12 cabs and stood about 6 feet tall. The previous band had used a sharpie to mark the sweet spot settings. So much fun to push so much air. Makes me smile to think about it.
What do you think about the high output barekuckle warpigs passive pickup set
I play 100 watt amps (Dual Recs, Matamp GT1 or Suhr PT100) on 4x12 cabs and own multiple of them. I play fullstacks and if I have to at least one 412 Mesa OS cab. Les Paul Customs with Dimarzio pickups or some guitars with EMGs. And I still see many of these rigs on stages. On the other hand, yes .... digital modellers and silent stages are huge. Thats why I cut back on visiting concerts. Killed the fun for me. I dont care if its the same sound than on the album. I want a real living show and interaction between guitar and amp.
I moved out of the U.S. about 14 years ago. Fortunately, i have got to make a living playing in countries that some people would call 3rd word, but for me, i dig it. Everything you checked off is still alive and well from South American to South Asia. I imagine mostly because of laws and how cheap it is to move around these countries. When i first came back to the U.S. about 2018. Everything you checked off is pretty much true. I borrowed a 5150 from a friend and went to the venue, and they won't let me use it. I had to buy a power amp and a pre amp pedal to play at most venues. Things have really changed. Same deal in Canada.
EMG’s sound incredible in everything ive had them in, even a cort g254 with the steve lukather set, super versatile.
Agree my lpc with 81/85 set was incredible
I’ve been collecting cheap Sunn O) cabs (2 model 3’s + 412 tower) and they put both their handles on the side of the cabs, so it’s like carrying around loud police battering rams. Good for upper body exercise, and the 412 made a decent van bed for tour. They doom hard with my CR120
Nice job bud, agreed. Wattage is my one at the moment…want an Soldano slo100 for my 40th…the slo 30 seems like sacrificing something but I will try one…..
But ultimately may ditch them both for a QC and high end Ibanez….4k is a lot of dough (but carry on saving 😂
I remember working for $3.35/hr as a teen in the 80's, saving and saving and saving for a decent guitar, then an amp, then a head/ cabinet. It was tough but know what? Here I am in my 50's and those purchases are still here, still kicking ass. It's worth it! Good analog equipment lasts a lifetime. I really want a QC, but will it last 20 years?
I won't give up on tube Amp what a crazy thing to say... Even if simulation has become so good there's nothing like opening an oven to crisp pizza
There isn't a modeler out there that can even come close to matching my favorite valve amps, not one.
There’s also not a modeler in the world prone to tube failure, a limitation of the future. I guess I’ll get back to writing letters on paper for communication.
@@thisguy2973 There is no shortage of good tubes if you know where to shop. You buy a bunch when they're on deal. Simple fix. If your Kemper or AXE goes down, good luck with a quick fix. Yeah stick with that generic inarticulate sounding modeler, sounds like you were meant for each other
@@thisguy2973 There's also not a real tube amp in the world prone to software glitches/ failure, a limitation of the now. As for writing on paper, there are ancient Egyptian writings on paper that are still readable. Will your settings in your modeler still be working a few thousand years from now?
When bands play with no amps, all i hear is highs and subs. Thats why playing a amp with a 4 by 12 sounds so much better imo. Stage amp volume vs tweeter sub pa volume yuk. EDIT small to medium bar-clubs with using a axe fx thru a a crappy P.A system no good.😅
WhenI walk into a venue and see a stage with no amps,I walk right back out
Never cared for EMGs or any active pick ups. I much prefer passive that allows the full tone of the guitar and your fingers come through.
100% with you. I detest EMG sound
I was there in the mid 80's when the other guitarist in my band bought an RG760 with EMG's in it. He used a yellow Boss OD into a JCM800. It was a revelation. I think that set up has run it's course. I use to to this day, but there are other ways to get that sound.
I have a Het Set in my 84 Explorer and almost put a set of Fishman in it not that long ago. I nearly went back to DiMarzio! As for big cabs? Gotta have em. Smaller places may get a 2X12. My Boogie 4X12 is NOT replaceable. Scooped mids went out a long time ago. I never totally dug it. But my Mark IV does have the V in the EQ, so I am full of it I guess. My JCM800 is a 50 watt. No need for 100 in that case. I still have my X2N DiMarzio in my Model 6. So high output pickups in the right place still have use. My pedal board is my little slice of heaven.
I have been using my mini stack for a decade now (PRS MT15 with two MT 1x12 loaded with DV77s). EQ is set to 6-6-6 with an OD-808 and ISP Decomator. Simple killer sound. Never been a fan of active pickups, using Seymour Duncan Dimebucker and 59’ has been my go to for 20 years.
A 212 combo is fantastic. Loud, pretty lightweight, everything you need in one box
2x12s do sound more focused and tighter, at least in the studio. Vertical 2x12 is the way to go. However, I do love a good 4x12 every now and then
I'm using a 2x12 fender bassbreaker cab and a fender blues jr. (The bigger cab behind me) and the single cab on the side of the stage so I hear 2 points of reference
Cool man, dig your sustainer guitar at the end. Much love brother.
I'm not sure if I'd call all of these trends per se, certainly not speaker cabs, but I agree they're all falling out of favour. List gets a like lol. 50W is plenty, and while I do love high output pickups and actives, I play a Mark IV and PAFs sound awesome with it, the clarity you retain at face melting gain is unreal. It's hard to give up a 412, it's all I've ever known, but a combo and Thiele extension can sound monstrous.
The last several concerts I've been to (Judas Priest, Beast in Black, Powerwolf, Sabaton, and Nightwish, plus supporting acts) didn't even use amp heads. Yes, they're all bigger outside of the US, but still, they're all big enough that they can afford to use real amps (or even just amp heads through the PA system)
I love my Mesa Fillmore 50 on my 2x12 cab. Playing w a Lace Sensor vintage 80s Fender strat w a Blues Driver and a Klon. I've never been an EMG fan nor a 4x12 cab fan. Mostly cause I hated moving em around.
I’m still ESP with EMG 81/85 through a Triple Rectifier half stack. Though I do have a Willie Adler Eclipse with the Fishman’s, which is badass. Also my Tele’s through a Fender half stack, that will definitely never change. I don’t use modeling amps or effects, pure pedal boards all the way. Have one for country and one for metal. For reference, with metal I’m more the Lamb of God type, for country I’m along the lines of Cody Jinks.
the most brutal thing i ever heard was when both guitars kicked it with their LP's through big muffs through twin 100w marshall stacks. there is a level of overdrive and this brighter ripping power sound when those rigs were dimed in a smaller venue. phenomenal audio experience PA's are big stereos made to REproduce. the big marshall stacks are made to PRODUCE. that monster rawness has to come from the stacks directly or it is lost regardless of how loud a pa is....just imo..