Answers to Reader Mail

Cory, Love the work you do on the demo’s Great playing, Great info. My question is…
When using the M13 are you using the compression built in? and if not, what is your choice of compression? My board is pretty small I am using a boutique OD and and M9 and Tuner. I like the compression in the M9, but with limited effects on the M9 I am eliminating one effect from ever being used.
– JT

Hi JT,
Thanks very much for the kind words. I’m vain and fragile and much appreciate them! haha
On the M13, yeah, I use the Boost Comp often. I have tried using the Red Comp (DynaComp) and the Blue Comp (BOSS Cs-2 & CS-3) but it’s way too squishy for my tastes. The Boost Comp allows me to dial in a little bit of compression and a little bit of grit with the drive setting and it acts like a squishy drive pedal. Ease up on your picking or roll the volume back and it cleans up nicely. I think your little board is perfect. It’s what I used for a year on the road- just a Nobels ODR1+, the M9, and that’s it. I used the tuner on the M9 as both tuner and guitar-switch mute.

Here’s something I’m coming to grips with, though… I LIVED on a compressor for years. It was my go-to effect. I would’ve chosen it before a drive pedal, reverb, delay, ANYTHING. Comps are great for giving us a loud amp feel even when the amp is at low volumes, but I found that when a song grew and shrank dynamically, I was still chained to a fixed perceived output because the comp was acting as a kind of volume leash. I’m trying to stay away from them as an “always on” effect now, and really only try to use them in softer passages when I really want the guitar to pop and snap. Does that make sense?
-corey

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Hey Corey!
Just would like to thank you once again for sharing your gifts and wisdom with us this past Thursday. It’s the second time I’ve had the pleasure of getting to sit in on one of your seminars, and I can say that I’ve really learned a lot.

Remember the guy that can’t get enough of Coldplay? That’s me. I followed up with you about trying to find a replacement for my Fender DeVille 212. I plan on selling it for $500, and I’m looking for an amp around the same price range (I don’t mind used amps) that can get me that Coldplay guitar tone with my Fender Tele Deluxe. You mentioned an Egnater amp that I had never heard of before, but I can’t remember the model number.

Thanks for your input,
JB

Hi JB,
You’re very welcome! And thanks to y’all for being so welcoming.

I think for $500, you have some good options at your fingertips. I’m a huge fan of the Egnater Tweaker 15 head and 1×12 cab that came out 18 months ago. It’s on the smaller side but sounds rich. That’s easily my first recommendation and it allows you to have a little bit of money left over for strings and things. They came out with a Tweaker 40 a year later, which is a 2-channel version of the same amp and it’s got reverb and a few more switches, but I really still prefer the simplicity of the 15. And it’s plenty loud for just about every gig you’ll do, since we mic guitar cabs these days anyway.

If you want to get something that is a little more on the hipster side of things, try hunting down a Silvertone 1482. They normally go for around $400 and they’re a mid 60’s 1×12 combo. They don’t get very loud but they’re great for tracking since they have a nice midrange bloom. And with a strat (or something with low-output pickups/single coils), they have a smooth and grainy quality to the tones. They’re also really pedal friendly.

This is a bit of a stretch, but you might also try something else if you have the opportunity to enjoy it. For the last 9 months, I’ve been playing two of the same smaller, low-wattage amplifiers in stereo. For that same $500, you could almost buy two Fender Pro Jr’s for 200-300 bucks each and run them in stereo. They’re 15watts each with a single 10″ speaker and I’ve heard another guy do that and it was pretty amazing. They’re also small and easy to load in and out and the size allows you to crank them a little and cut nicely through the mix.

The last one I’d recommend is a little bit of an esoteric amplifier but they show up on ebay from time to time. The Velocette is a 1×10 combo that was made by the british company, Trace Elliot. It’s a small, lunchbox-sized amp, but really sounds beautiful at band volumes. I’ve probably had 4 of those in the last 10 years and I always impulsively sell them and then start looking for another. Trace Elliot was later purchase by Gibson, so the Velocette eventually turned into a Gibson amp, but the originals are nice little gems of amplification. The only caveat is that the first couple years of production saw transformer failures in the Velocettes. However, by now, most of those problematic amps have been either warranty repaired or fixed by end users.

Good luck!
-c

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Dear Corey,
Why are you so awesome? Well, not so much why, but how did you get this way?
A huge fan,
CW

Wow, thanks, CW. I appreciate your support. All I can say is that it’s really a mixture of things… For starters, I floss daily, wash my hair with vinegar and baking soda, and I moisturize my face twice a day with a mixture of Vegetable Oil and Tea Tree Oil. Focus on the T-zone, leave on for 3 minutes, then wash off with a steaming washcloth. Other than that, I’m just like you. (*With the exception of my bionic legs- installed by scientists on the day of my 18th birthday. But other than that, really…)

Your favorite and mine,
-Corey