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Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 6:58 am
by marqueemoon
I’m starting to GAS for a Swart AST. I don’t really play in loud bands anymore and probably won’t ever again, so a 1x12 combo that falls between a Princeton and a Deluxe in volume sounds ideal for a main amp, and I really dig the Swart sound (the reverb in particular).

Acquiring one would probably require selling 2-3 vintage amps though (or possibly a vintage synth), which I seem to be having silly hangups about. Anyone been through this? I think if I can suppress my hoarding instincts this is the right move, but it’s harder than I thought.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:27 am
by StevenO
I have an urge to do a pretty big purge myself... I barely play or listen to music anymore and now all this gear just looks like clutter to me. So if there's something you think you'd use more, get rid of it. Otherwise, if you enjoy something, don't let it go. It's a one way ticket to regretsville.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:12 pm
by marqueemoon
StevenO wrote:
Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:27 am
I have an urge to do a pretty big purge myself... I barely play or listen to music anymore and now all this gear just looks like clutter to me. So if there's something you think you'd use more, get rid of it. Otherwise, if you enjoy something, don't let it go. It's a one way ticket to regretsville.
Yeah. Sadly my age is starting to factor into my thought process as well. Do I really want to haul a Bassman head and a cab around to shows, or would a 31 pound combo get the job done?

Eventually I will have less space to store gear too.

Finally, some of these amps have needed work for a while and I’ve not gotten to it. Maybe that tells me what I need to know about how useful they are to me at this point.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:00 pm
by somanytoys
I’m probably not necessarily one to help your situation - I’m a hoarder.

If you think that you will like all the great things about the Swart more than you’ll miss those other amps (which as you said, you haven’t gotten around to working on in a while), it could make you a lot happier.

it kind of sounds like you answered your question and have somewhat made up your mind. It would seem like once you start working on them, to sell them for the most you can get, that would give you a good idea how willing you are to part with them.

Good luck, it’s not usually an easy decision.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sat Feb 29, 2020 8:56 am
by shoule79
I did about 8 years ago. Most of my amps were big (twin, AC30, JCM800) and a) my loud days had been over for a couple years at that point and b) I had kids. I literally sold everything (even my small amps) and started from scratch.

I went down to a 70’s PR for most applications and a Mesa 5:50 1x12 if I needed more headroom. Those 2 do everything I need, in fact I could probably get by with just the Mesa and pedals.

I have a JC77 around for something different, but lately I’ve been looking at it and thinking of freeing up some more space in my basement. I keep a Blues jr at the practice space to be lazy and not lug the Princeton around. Wait, I have a Vox AC4 in my living room. Ugh, it sounds like I still have too many amps sitting around. I went from 7, to 2 and now back up to 5 :fp:

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sat Feb 29, 2020 9:35 am
by Tritone
I recently bought an AST and I love the sound. It is, however, too loud for me. I cannot get the volume above 1.5. I would say it is louder than a Deluxe. Tomorrow I'm gonna try out a STR Tremolo and see if that's any quieter.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sat Feb 29, 2020 1:31 pm
by marqueemoon
Tritone wrote:
Sat Feb 29, 2020 9:35 am
I recently bought an AST and I love the sound. It is, however, too loud for me. I cannot get the volume above 1.5. I would say it is louder than a Deluxe. Tomorrow I'm gonna try out a STR Tremolo and see if that's any quieter.
I'm actually in the opposite situation. I have an STR Tremolo already and it is just barely not loud enough for one of my bands. Really amazing sounding amp. I just need a little more volume/headroom.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sat Feb 29, 2020 3:22 pm
by marqueemoon
The guy who bought my MIJ JM had an AST Master head/cab, so I got to play it for a minute. Holy shit it was nice. :w00t:

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sat Feb 29, 2020 3:42 pm
by Maggieo
My old AST was louder than fuck. Great amps.

Image
Scooter-Upon-Space-Tone, October, 2008 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 8:48 am
by stevejamsecono
Go for it, it's just stuff. You can always buy more if you really miss them.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:38 am
by Embenny
Purged all tube amps when I went digital. Recording, live, headphones, bedroom volume, gig volume - having that consistency across all scenarios was what really did it for me. I agree that holding on to amps that only sound good at a volumes you rarely use is sentimental, not practical.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:19 am
by Jaguar018
mbene085 wrote:
Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:38 am
Purged all tube amps when I went digital. Recording, live, headphones, bedroom volume, gig volume - having that consistency across all scenarios was what really did it for me. I agree that holding on to amps that only sound good at a volumes you rarely use is sentimental, not practical.
I find that I enjoy the inconsistency, but I have two main amps and they are both relatively tiny and fairly similar (a Princeton at home and a boutique Deluxe type in the basement where my band occasionally practices).

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:06 pm
by BlueSparkle
marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Feb 27, 2020 6:58 am
I’m starting to GAS for a Swart AST. I don’t really play in loud bands anymore and probably won’t ever again, so a 1x12 combo that falls between a Princeton and a Deluxe in volume sounds ideal for a main amp, and I really dig the Swart sound (the reverb in particular).

Acquiring one would probably require selling 2-3 vintage amps though (or possibly a vintage synth), which I seem to be having silly hangups about. Anyone been through this? I think if I can suppress my hoarding instincts this is the right move, but it’s harder than I thought.
Yes.
Each time I am confronted with this decision, the amp finds it's way into my ever-shrinking room, and nothing leaves.

Downstairs in my garage, there are more amps - ones which require overhaul/repair which have not "made it" upstairs. This poses even more issues for me.

Couple that with my inability to decide on a pedalboard arrangement, and the copious amount of unnecessary clutter on the floor for the last well, more than 6 months at least, and I have an understanding of the situation in what I would state is somewhat 'comprehensive'.

Trying to keep it tidy is really the biggest issue. That and the constant rearrangement of guitar cases and guitars that are out on stands.

no-win situation.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:20 pm
by hexes
I sold everything except one electric guitar i've had since I was 16

my amp collection had several ampeg v series and blue diamond amps, custom shop fender amps, oranges, marshalls, laney, and two bass amps.. stopped playing music live so it all went away.

recently i built a brown princeton that while amazing, is too loud for an apartment. so I built a tweed champ which is also too loud. these now collect dust and take up space.

letting go of gear was actually highly rewarding to me, and good for my mental health. now i've too many guitars again, it's time to sell the ones that aren't beaten to hell.

one good amp is all I want, and even then i'm less picky than i used to be.

my next step is building a tube headphone amp and use a guitar preamp to feed it.

Re: Anyone done an amp purge?

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2020 2:06 pm
by marqueemoon
Well, this is happening but it will probably happen slowly due to the current state of the world.

I dropped off my 66 Bassman head and my 79 Vibro Champ off to be consigned yesterday. The Bassman is more amp than I'll probably ever need again (I have a GK 400RB for actual bass use now), and frankly my Swart STR Tremolo smokes the Vibro Champ.

I thought long and hard about letting my Thomas Organ (tube) Vox Cambridge Reverb go, but in the end I couldn't do it. It's such a cool and unique sounding amp.

Eventually I'd still like to get an AST or AST Pro, but I'm not feeling the intense GAS I was before as until clubs reopen that will be more amp than I need.