Do any of ya'll regularly make use of amp gain?

[electric__ralph]

I don’t own an amp with a master volume, so currently my answer is “never”.

I wouldn’t rule it out in the future, but yeah.

Similarly, the pair of amps I use are both hybrids, with a single 12AX7 tube on the preamp side and solid state, so currently my answer is "pretty much all the time."

marq, have you looked into attenuators for your amps? If you DIY there's a thread with a real great design on the Marchall amp forums. I've got one hooked one to an old Vox and it's magic.

[crazyzeke]

Similarly, the pair of amps I use are both hybrids, with a single 12AX7 tube on the preamp side and solid state, so currently my answer is "pretty much all the time."

Hybrids can work surprisingly well in my experience - I have and use an Orange Micro Terror for gigs through a 1x12" Laney cab and I love the tone, more so since I swapped the 12AX7 from factory for a new JJ I had as a spare.

One of my favourite Marshalls when I was younger was actually a Valvestate, pretty sure it was the Bi-Chorus 200. The Marshall's own preamp staging was fine, but I used to just plug a Boss GT-3 into the effects return and use the different preamps on that. The solid state power section was so clear that I think only a JC-120 using the same hookup made the multi-effects preamps sound more like what they were supposed to. I think it was only later when I got my hands on some of the better valve Marshalls - my '78 50W JMP and a couple of variations of the 1987x Silver Jubilee including the rebranded "Slash Signature" one - that I finally found Marshalls I liked more.

[GreenKnee]

I'm a relatively recent convert to amp distortion/overdrive after having used a Twin and a plethora of overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals for many, many years.
Since buying Johnny's old Bassman I have fallen head over heels for getting all my grit from the amp. I now just use a fuzz and a boost - all the variations are on tap from the volume controls and so I've found that simplicity really quite liberating.
Johnny expertly modded it to have a master volume and so it's manageable at all different volumes. I think if it wasn't for this then I wouldn't use it as much because sound guys already hate how loud my band is, if the amp had to be blisteringly loud to get the sound then it would be a no go unfortunately.
There's something that much 'richer' and more satisfying in the sound from distorting valves. Pedals can and do sound great, I do still love them, but the feel and whole experience of the rig acting as one instrument is something pedals just cannot replicate.

[walterwiseman]

I would if I could, but I currently only have a bassman 100 head and there's no chance I could get away with cranking it high enough, so I stick to fuzz and distortion pedals for my gain.

[fuzzjunkie]

Only with my AC-4. The AC-30 and Bassman I like on the edge of break up, but they’re both too loud to go past that point most of the time. The Vox does sound glorious dimed though.

Ages ago; before I had a Big Muff or any other fuzz pedals, I had an amp with a master volume. It was also a 2 channel amp, so one side was set for clean and the other for dirt. Other than a DMM, amp gain was all I had or needed.

[marqueemoon]

I don’t own an amp with a master volume, so currently my answer is “never”.

I wouldn’t rule it out in the future, but yeah.

Similarly, the pair of amps I use are both hybrids, with a single 12AX7 tube on the preamp side and solid state, so currently my answer is "pretty much all the time."

marq, have you looked into attenuators for your amps? If you DIY there's a thread with a real great design on the Marchall amp forums. I've got one hooked one to an old Vox and it's magic.

My amps are all 20 watts or less. I do have a Swart Night Light knockoff, but it doesn’t get much use.

If I’m at home and have to play at a whisper volume I really don’t mind the amp being clean.

[JSett]

I'm a relatively recent convert to amp distortion/overdrive after having used a Twin and a plethora of overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals for many, many years.
Since buying Johnny's old Bassman I have fallen head over heels for getting all my grit from the amp. I now just use a fuzz and a boost - all the variations are on tap from the volume controls and so I've found that simplicity really quite liberating.
Johnny expertly modded it to have a master volume and so it's manageable at all different volumes. I think if it wasn't for this then I wouldn't use it as much because sound guys already hate how loud my band is, if the amp had to be blisteringly loud to get the sound then it would be a no go unfortunately.
There's something that much 'richer' and more satisfying in the sound from distorting valves. Pedals can and do sound great, I do still love them, but the feel and whole experience of the rig acting as one instrument is something pedals just cannot replicate.

I remember telling you it would change your life when you were at my house

[zhivago]

I use amp distortion all the time...I start at the edge if breakup and just stack gain stages via a few pedals.

The master volume on my Matchless Lightning is also wide open, so it doesn't get in the way at all...run that though a Suhr RLIR to keep the neighbours happy.

[therizzla]

I no longer use tube amps, I run Quilter amps with just a hair of gain but even with that they still sound clean like a good Twin Reverb should and I use an OD and Muff style pedal for gainer tones. I do want a Hilbish Design Beta 200 though so I voted “no” instead of “never” just in case!

[GreenKnee]

I remember telling you it would change your life when you were at my house

That you did! haven't had chance to play it for a few weeks now as I'm in the states for work, sorely missing it

[marqueemoon]

Pedals can and do sound great, I do still love them, but the feel and whole experience of the rig acting as one instrument is something pedals just cannot replicate.

Pedals can be an important part of this experience too, but finding the right ones and the right settings, order, etc.., can be tricky.

I see this like recording to analog tape vs. digital.

With a clean pedal platform situation you get out what you put in. Some people get excellent results that way. I feel like many pro players have gone in the direction of modeling for live applications for the predictability.

Pushing a tube amp that’s already working hard can sound awesome, or it can bring out some unflattering stuff. It’s imparting a character of its own that you need to work with and it’s going to be a little different every time.

[46346]

yes, regularly, at least once a week, but maybe only for 1/3 of my overdriving. most of the week i'm playing pretty clean anyway.

i recently found a Harmony H415 combo from the mid-60s, maybe 15 watts of 6BQ5 into 2x Jensen C12R's.
it's a real nice crunch when fully cranked, and it's easy. mine's a closet queen with original american tubes and fresh caps.

at home i have two SF Vibro Champs at the ready, i can play them fully cranked in our living room when my wife is at work and the cats are out back.

also i use an ancient Silvertone 2x12 Medalist, it's one of those old 'true twin' amps with two separate OT's, feeding hteir own speaker, each with their own pair of RCA 6L6GB's. they can sing out when cranked, and it's a festival of harmonics when each output section is reacting a bit differently. but that's getting pretty loud at maybe 40 watts.

in those three situations, i can induce sustain and feedback as well by guitar positioning, and diming all pots.

but i generally don't use high-gain amps with master volumes. although i really like the Fender Prosonic! might still get one someday.

all that said, for live gigs, i almost entirely rely on pedals for gain staging.

[mynameisjonas]

After a beer fueled rehearsal the other night, I decided to try plugging straight into the amp and find a setting that would work through a whole song without any pedals or volume knob tweaks. It was hard finding the right balance between tightness and clarity for big chords, and enough compression to make single notes ring out. Here's a clip (apologies in advance for sloppy playing and the ever present out-of-tune G-string). I think I could make this work, it would be so nice to just forget about pedals for the meat and potatoes stuff, and just use them for the occasional special effect.

[stevejamsecono]

After a beer fueled rehearsal the other night, I decided to try plugging straight into the amp and find a setting that would work through a whole song without any pedals or volume knob tweaks. It was hard finding the right balance between tightness and clarity for big chords, and enough compression to make single notes ring out. Here's a clip (apologies in advance for sloppy playing and the ever present out-of-tune G-string). I think I could make this work, it would be so nice to just forget about pedals for the meat and potatoes stuff, and just use them for the occasional special effect.

Dang, that is a sound! I love it. And nothing I've ever been able to come close to with pedals.

[marqueemoon]

After a beer fueled rehearsal the other night, I decided to try plugging straight into the amp and find a setting that would work through a whole song without any pedals or volume knob tweaks. It was hard finding the right balance between tightness and clarity for big chords, and enough compression to make single notes ring out. Here's a clip (apologies in advance for sloppy playing and the ever present out-of-tune G-string). I think I could make this work, it would be so nice to just forget about pedals for the meat and potatoes stuff, and just use them for the occasional special effect.

That sounds awesome!