Any country pickers in the room?

H

heydenkm

Junior Member
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I've always been a rock player and as such have gear that is suited for that.  In the past several years, I have become predominately a listener of modern country and would like to make the jump to join a country band.  I just quit my "alt-rock" band and I have an audition coming up in a couple weeks with a newly-formed country band.

I currently have a Line 6 Spider Valve 212 and a Robin Medley II--not exactly the best rig for the tones I will be needing if I get the gig.  I am assembling a new Strat.  I have a Fralin Blues Special-loaded pickguard (had this for a while), a used Fender body and parts en route and will soon be ordering my first Warmoth neck.  I have been wanting a Strat for a while but the new band kinda ramped up the pressure to finish the build.  I hope to build a Tele if the tax man is good or the Robin sells for a decent sum.

My issue now is with the amp and effects requirements.  The SV might do a "passable" job getting a country tone but it is really more of a rock amp.  It was great for a band that covered Cheap Trick, Weezer and Metallica in one set.  It is a bit lacking in the modern country arena and I'd like to replace it.  For one, the built in effects are not tweakable and are really limited.  More importantly, the basic tone isn't great.

I know that Paisley uses Dr. Z.  Love to but can't afford that.  I really like the sounds of the Ceriatone clones--particularly the Dizzy 30 or the LiverPull.  They're on the high end of my price range once you get the kit, build it, put in trannies and tubes, build/buy a cabinet and get a speaker cab.  It would leave little money for effects pedals, which I know I'll need.  I also worry about buying a kit from a place in Asia having never heard it.  I've heard that they make great amps but it just makes me worry.

I would really like to hear if anyone out there has any suggestions about a good amp--preferrably one that I could buy used--that would get a great modern country tone.  Requirements are that it be all-tube, low wattage (15-30??), easy to transport (head and cab preferred), and takes pedals well.  I also would like to know what pedals are a requirement and others that may be recommended.  Brand-specific would be helpful.  Any advice you can provide would be great.  I've seen sites that will show you EVH's or Hammett's rig (Guitar Geek comes to mind) but I can't seem to find any that also include country players.  I'm at a loss to figure out how to build up a country rig.
 
I'm not much of a country player...but from your stated desires, just chek out a Fender Bassman combo...It gets a great clean sound, can drive pretty sweet, gets pretty loud and it doesn't wiegh a ton. My buddy got a floor demo for like 850!

Those Robin guitars are hard to come by! We played with a band that the lead guitar player had one and it was really cool. Good luck with the sale. You just gotta find someone who knows about them and it'll fetch a good price.

OH, may want to get a compressor to keep things tight.
 
I'll have to check out the Bassman combo.  I know that Fenders are big in country, but there are so many these days I was never sure which direction to head.

As for the Ceriatone, I am sure that it would be a great choice.  After looking at the HUGE shipping cost for a complete amp kit, I would probably want to steer toward buying a very limited kit--just the chassis, boards and faceplates.  Then I worry if I am qualified enough to build up the thing.  Their website is VERY limited on information so I worry about picking the right transformers/choke and good tubes.  Knowing that there are lethal voltages inside the amp scares the crap out of me on a project like that.  I do a reasonably good job with guitar wiring and have designed my own, fairly complicated layouts in the past, but the consequences of an incorrect assembly are very minor.  Not as true with an amp.  Whether it's fried parts or fried builder, the possibilities concern me.  I know, it all comes down to money and I could always just buy the fully assembled working kit.  It's just surprising how much more it would be with the shipping factored in.

Still, it might be the right direction in the end.  Any other options would be very much appreciated.
 
I've done the alt-rock to Country crossover, and for me what works is a wound out AC30 type sound.  That kind of tone for country started with the Desert Rose band in the 70's. Brad Paisley is just an extension of that sound with his Zs

The AC30 is great - it works really well for those country chord 'chops' on beats 2 and 4, and of course it's great for leads that sing but are not fuzzy.  There are a pile of VOX inspired amps (including the Dr Z amps) available these days.  Heck, there are a bunch of VOX amps available these days! 

I'll fire some clips your way in a bit so you can see what I'm talking about.

P.S. currently I'm using an AC30 modeler live (a vox tonelab).  Inexpensive and for me works just fine.  Trust your ears when evaluating all the options.
 
you raise a good point.
that same buddy of mine with the Vassman is considering a Deville or the AC30 Custom Classic, i think it's called.
I told him that the Vox should Kill the Fender though, but of course to try them out.

ok, I heard the clip, sound like he NEEDS to get it. Is that just the amp alone? no pedals?
 
I still go to my favorite amp, yet to build one, but that is another story...  The '65 Deluxe Reverb.  A tele through that will get you right where you want to be.  Add a boost pedal to overdrive it and you have most of the requirements down.  22 watts, all tube, spring reverb, and vibrato (tremolo really) to boot.  1 X 12" combo.  If you need effects you have to use pedals, but it definitely gets the twang sound.
Patrick

 
Thanks to all for the replies.  It is great to get the input.

I looked at the Weber kits, but liked that the Ceriatones appeared to be more "modularized"--you get chunks of preassmbled parts and only need to do some assembly.  The Weber looks to be from scratch.  I have also "heard" that the Weber components are not as good as those used in the Ceriatone.  Given the surprising lack of info on either, aside from some pictures on the Ceriatone site, I don't have much to go by.  I do like that the Weber looks to be a very complete kit.  It is probably cheaper given all that it includes.

I think that the Vox tone is the correct basis for what I want.  As I understand it, Paisley's StangRay is basically a souped-up AC-30 tone.  Thanks for confirming that.  The Fender options are also good to consider but I keep hearing that the AC-30 is a strong front-runner.

As for modelers, don't tell Superlizard but I have strongly considered that route.  It would certainly be the most cost-effective and most complete.  My biggest reason for wanting to stick with a tube amp is that I find it difficult to tweak patches during a rehearsal setting.  In my last band, if they requested that I add more volume to lead patches or more delay on the modern rock tones I used in one bank, I would need to take a mental note and adjust all of the affected patches later at home.  It just was counterproductive to have the rest of the band wait on me to adjust settings on four or eight patches and resave them.  I like the idea of having a pedal or amp with knobs that I can tweak.  Also, I didn't like that if I wanted to add a delay to a patch, I would need to (at home) set up a second patch the same as the first with the added effect.  I like the idea of just being able to step on the button.  I also get a bit overwhelmed with the number of possiblities in a modeler.  With something like the POD X3Live, you have over 70 amps, dozens of cabinets, dozens of stomp boxes, let alone the tweakability within each model.  It makes my head spin trying to imagine how to set up the exact sound that I am hearing on an album.  I would drive myself crazy trying to decide if I should use a Tubescreamer, a ProCo Rat or just an amp with more gain available.  Admittedly I am not very knowledgeable about each of these products inherent tones (i.e. what does a Tubescreamer sound like?) so I don't even know where to start in my tweaking quest.

With that said, it is nice to know that I have every conceivable effect at my disposal in a modeler.  If I can get to know the basic building blocks that are likely to be useful (i.e. the AC-30 amp, the Bassman, Tubescreamer, etc.) then I can limit how overwhelming the thing will be.  Given that I could show up to practice with just a guitar and a POD and plug into a PA, that would be cool.  Still, standing next to the lead singer's Dr. Z Z-28, I may feel a bit inferior. :sad1: :laughing7:

Keep the advice coming.  I really appreciate it.
 
I'm going to plant myself in the Blackface/Silverface Fender camp on this one.  A Twin Reverb is the gold standard for clean tones, but is WAY overkill unless you're playing arenas.  A Deluxe Reverb of any vintage is an EXCELLENT amp for country.  It's loud enough for small rooms, and for the larger rooms, you just mic it to the system and use it as a stage monitor.

My experience with AC30's...  I had a clone, and God did it sound good; however, with the band, I could never get the volume over 3ish.  It just has such a large midrange presence, that it would wash out all the other instruments on stage (versus a Fender, which has a scooped midrange).  To get it to sing, the volume needed to be on at least 4-5, and to overdrive even higher than that.  Excellent sound, but that quad of EL84's was just too loud, and it was one HEAVY mother too!  Also, you've GOT to get the Celestion Blues if you want that AC30 tone, and those babies are expensive ($250 a speaker).

As for effects, a compressor is almost required to play country.  All those fat, snappy bridge pickup tones you hear are done with a compressor.  I like really the Barber Tone Press because you can dial in some of the dry signal if you want.
 
Reissues of these amps are available to go and make noise with.  I'd do that to get your head in the ballpark with.  It has been said time and again on this forum that you can build one that is far superior to a reissue, but the reissue will give you the character of the thing.  While one artist might use one model or another of amp, for the life of me, I always sound like me through amps.  And sometimes, one version suits me better even though it is not the one the artist uses.  Not always, but I have been surprised several times.
Patrick

 
You guys are making me rethink the modeler stuff even more.  I went out and looked at Vox on eBay.  Several different versions available and as Patrick points out, even if I get the one that "Country Guy A" uses it may not be the right version for what I need.  Also, the nicer reissues are pretty expensive--approaching/surpassing Dr. Z territory.

I also noticed that the AC30CC weighs in at over 70#.  My SV212 seems too heavy already and only weighs about 60.  This is one of the reasons that a head and cab is appealing--at 30# or so per piece, that is easier to lug up the stairs than a big 212.

Even if I were to get the modeler (I've not decided that yet), I still want to know what amps and effects would be the building blocks.  So far I have three or four Fenders and the Vox for an amp.  I have two nods for the compressor.  I assume that I'll need to consider delays and overdrives.  Brad Paisley also uses some effect that I can't identify.  If you are familiar with the beginning of "Ticks" or "American Saturday Night" he has this crunchy tone that sounds like he has a wah on about 2/3 depressed.  Anyone know what would do that?

I can play the notes for these songs and am pretty confident that I can pull of what they want in the audition.  I just don't know how to sound like these country guys.  I really appreciate everyone's help so far.
 
Well, If I were getting effects for the amp, I'd get a wah, a boost, a tube screamer, and a compressor.  I guess my last post wasn't all that clear when I read it again, but I would annoy guitar center or better yet the local guys and play around with whatever was available.  Most places have the Fender stuff, and the Vox stuff is at a surprising number of places as well.  Avoid combos with more than one speaker if weight is something you do not want to deal with.  Tube amps by nature are heavy, transformers do weigh a bunch.  They also sound incredible.  If it is for a live thing that you have to have a number of different sounds, I'd look more towards the modelers for ease of performance.  Change your whole sound with the click of a button.  But, if I was just having various levels of distortion and a clean tone, then I'd stick with a one 12" tube amp combo because I find it more fun.

Effects are hard to suggest, everyone has their opinion about what works best.  For live I think it matters less because when people are in the place, the sound differences are not as apparent.  That is not to say that you do not need a compressor or a boost to get the sound, you just don't need a Ross compressor or a Zvex SHO.  I take that back, everyone needs a Ross Compressor and a Zvex SHO, but, ah geez, I think you understand.
Patrick

 
dudesweet157 said:
I'm going to plant myself in the Blackface/Silverface Fender camp on this one.  A Twin Reverb is the gold standard for clean tones, but is WAY overkill unless you're playing arenas.  A Deluxe Reverb of any vintage is an EXCELLENT amp for country.  It's loud enough for small rooms, and for the larger rooms, you just mic it to the system and use it as a stage monitor.

As for effects, a compressor is almost required to play country.  All those fat, snappy bridge pickup tones you hear are done with a compressor.  I like really the Barber Tone Press because you can dial in some of the dry signal if you want.
Click to expand...
I'm in agreement here.  A Tele plugged into a Deluxe Reverb with an MXR Dyna Comp and a Boss Blues Driver or Tube Screamer clone will do the basic job for country twang.  Get a Twin later if your band really takes off and you're playing bigger venues.
 
If'n I was gonna do country (which I don't), I would go with either:

1)  Fender (for twang)

2)  Vox AC30 (for chime)
 
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