Gear geek!!

[Melodymaker]

So what's your views on gear in general?

Combo vs stack
Valve vs SS
Pedal vs Multi FX
etc etc etc.

I'll start by giving my point of view.

Stacks are great...I love them. they sound magic. When I've been playing through a combo for a while I get to thinking 'you know, this combo thing is not bad'. However, whenever I plug back into a 4x12 it's like night and day. I'm not saying combos sound bad at all, rather that stacks are better for rock etc. On the down side they are a pain to lug around. Which would bring me back to my old hymn....does it really matter in a live band situation?
Preferance is a Marshall, though I've heard cracking Mesa, Matamp and Laney ones as well. Does a Fender head and 2x12 count as a stack...I suppose it does. These can also be cracking.

Valve vs SS......I sometimes wish I had never plugged into my first valve amp (Seymer Butts, on I mean Seymore Duncan Simli-class) because up until then life that be easy. Plug into my Valvestate and go, then my Line 6 Flextone (grreat amp BTW). Oh how sweet was life. Light as a feather and reliable. After the SD it has become a search for the Holy Grail. Enough gear to open shop has passed through my grubby hands, and some (too much actually) which is still in my grubby mitts to this day. Once again it harks back to my previous comment regarding playing in a bad situation. I don't think it really matters.
In the house however I think you can hear little differences so therefore I have to say SS, no sorry valve...but only just!!

Pedals vs MFX.
To hard to make a judgement on this one. I have some cracking pedals, and use them live. However, I think a well set up MFX can be just as effective. However, I think that MFX are frowned upon by much 'guitarist' as simply being tone suckers.

[Melodymaker]

Please feel free to rip me to shreds for my comments!!!!!

[Chris]

Marshall. Valves. Half stack. Pedals.

 

[Melodymaker]

I think you are right with those. Canna beat that.

so have you any views on the other stuff I spoke about?

[Chris]

I think everything has a place.

At home, I practice through a combo (it's a valve combo, but a combo none the less). Solid State amps have a flat response so you can't get remotely close to the dynamics needed for blues (and even rock in some instances) with them. I've owned my fair share of SS amps but, for me, they just don't cut it compared to valves.

I like having independent pedals because it makes your setup modular. I'm not going to spend £300/£400 on a big box of tricks only to use 10% of it. Again, it's all in the application. If you use a crapload of effects then go for it, but if you just use effects to supplement your playing every now and again then go with pedals.