Ever not liked an amp you're "supposed" to like?

[GASMAN]

I've got a Fender Dual Professional (Custom Shop, PTP wiring, the whole ball of wax), and I do not care for it's sound. I feel guilty for having an amp that gets great reviews and most would love to have----(no longer in production).
I'm not sure if it's me or if I have one that just doesn't sound like it's supposed to. I very much prefer my Bassman RI.
Anyone else ever owned a "high end" amp that just didn't give you what you were looking for? Or-----am I nuts??????

[Wbb]

I've never heard much good buzz about the Dual Professional, the only endorsement I recall was from Buck Owens...but have heard tons of good things about the little bro Vibro King.

I read lots of good info on the Rivera Chubster and bought one. Thought it sounded good until I gigged with it. A total loss...tried it in a band situation twice, no go. I need to sell it now. Not a really high priced amp, but at $1100.00 it wasn't much cheaper than my Dr Z which, as a matter of fact, comes to life on stage in a group setting.

[tom]

you're not nuts, i think that kind of thing happens all the time, ie. me and distortion pedals. what some people love doesn't float my boat. amps are way up there on the personal feel chart, and we're all not looking for the same thing. also again, it's the whole package, guitar, cord, pedals, and amp that make the the end sound. some great pieces just don't play well with others. it doesn't make them bad, just not right for you. i would think that the dual pro and bassman are on the extreme ends of the fender spectrum, it's not surprising that you would like one and not the other.

[Stys]

I have tried to like my Top Hat Club Royale but I just keep going back to my Boogies. But, I keep the TH just in case someday my tastes change. Plus, I've learned that selling gear can be difficult because I've sold past gear only to kick myself across the room wondering why!!!

Anyway, the TH receives many great reviews and I sometimes feel a little guilty not playing through it but, the Boogies, with my latest favorite being the Maverick, give me chills.

[GASMAN]

Maybe I'm just used to certain things about the Bassman. Any suggestions for that type of tone ----with alittle more headroom? Maybe higher wattage, but stick with a 4-10 cabinet. What is the scoop on Mesa's Lonestar? Possibly a head with a 4-10 cab?

[pluto]

Definitely. I've owned/played a bunch of amps that I just didn't like for whatever reason but that also get raved about a lot on these message boards-e.g.-Dr Z. Maz 18 jr., Bogner 101B XTC, Bogner Shiva, THD Univalve, Top Hat Club Royale and Club Deluxe, and a few others that I can't think of at the moment. It's the same with guitars (PRS singlecut, almost all of the Breedlove acoustics, and a lot of Fender CS guitars) and pedals (too many to list). On the flipside, I've played a bunch of amps/guitars/pedals that I "wasn't" supposed to like (edit-that i did like).

[GASMAN]

I've been through this alot with pedals too. I've never really cared for TS9's or the FD2-----even though most seem to like both of these. Also ---can't seem to work with humbucking pickups very well. You could give me the most wanted Les Paul out there and I probably wouldn't care for it much.
I'm going to go plug in to a Lonestar today. Hopefully ----they'll let me take it home for the "Basement Test". I think alittle serious A/B-ing is needed before I pull the trigger on my next amp.

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by pluto
I've played a bunch of amps/guitars/pedals that I "wasn't" supposed to like.

me too. I sold my Mark IIC+ about 7 years ago. At the time, everyone said I was nuts - especially given the fact that these amps were Mike Bendenelli's best work (supposedly), had great lead tones, and was "Metallica in a box". But to my ear it couldn't replicate the tones I had in my head. Yeah Master of Puppets/Garage Re-revisited (86-87) was there. But how many times can you play Hetfield riffs? Too much tweaking. Picked up a JCM800 (set and forget) - which hardly anyone was buying in 96/97 - and never looked back.

[pluto]

Originally posted by michaelomiya
me too. I sold my Mark IIC+ about 7 years ago. At the time, everyone said I was nuts - especially given the fact that these amps were Mike Bendenelli's best work (supposedly), had great lead tones, and was "Metallica in a box". But to my ear it couldn't replicate the tones I had in my head. Yeah Master of Puppets/Garage Re-revisited (86-87) was there. But how many times can you play Hetfield riffs? Too much tweaking. Picked up a JCM800 (set and forget) - which hardly anyone was buying in 96/97 - and never looked back.

I can't believe you sold that amp!! I can understand though-boogies really are a pain in the ass to tweak. I love my Mark IV, but remembering settings is difficult and I've given up getting all 3 channels to be in sync with each other.

[Stan Malinowski]

This happened twice to me:

1) Reverend Hellhound. The tone was OK, but not over the top like most people raved. I changed the stock speaker to a Weber but still something just wasn't right. My BIG problem was its sensitivity to picking up radio stations which annoys me to no end.

2) Bad Cat Mini. I should have known that a small cabinet like the Mini's couldn't produce the tone that everyone claimed. An expense mistake!

[JoeB63]

Originally posted by Stan Malinowski
This happened twice to me:

2) Bad Cat Mini. I should have known that a small cabinet like the Mini's couldn't produce the tone that everyone claimed. An expense mistake!

Stan, I'm pretty sure I warned you about the Mini (well, I defintely warned somebody).

I don't like most amps - I have a long list of expensive amps that I've tried and didn't like (the Mesa Lonestar among them). Actually, I don't really like the tones from any of the Mesa amps, nor most Marshalls; OK, most every brand.

I'm very picky when it comes to amps-- I know what tones I like -- but on the other hand, I don't hear the small tonal differences among different tubes in the same amp, and different guitar cords, and different strings, etc.

[GASMAN]

I've heard changing speakers makes a much bigger difference than changing tubes. Would anyone have recommedations for taming the mid-range alittle with speakers, other than the current Vintage 30's?