How do you organize your amps?

[noah330]

I like recording with amps over sims. I don't have a ton of amps in my studio, but my goal is always covering different toanz vs a bunch of the same things. I bring things from my storage in/out once in a while. For a long time I was looking for a way to organize them.

For a while I thought about shelves, had each on its own dolly, etc. A few months ago I built two little platforms out of some scrap wood - one a little higher, and put them on the dollies. So far it's the best solution I've found so I wanted to share.

These are most of what I use. Nothing 'internet cool' but they sound good to me. The back is a Magnatone 260 and Gretsch 6160 and front is a Vibrasonic and a Vibrolux.

I have a couple others - a '49 Deluxe, Top Hat Club Royale (sounds better than my Sampson DC-30), and a Portaflex for bass. The Top Hat I leave under a table and the Portaflex and Deluxe are against a wall.

Now I'm trying to figure out something for my heads. I have an Ox, which is pretty cool, but if it's blended with a mic, the tracks need to be lined up (VocAlign works excellent for this!). In the photo above the little box to the left of the Magnatone is a 4x line in for that (ignore the Otari remote, that's a whole other poast!). I put the amp on the floor if I mic it.

Anyway, I hope this helps some people out because the amp organization market is either not practical/expensive (shelves) or non-existent.

 

[noah330]

So today I found the perfect solution for my heads on FB Marketplace, where I had been searching for prob three years. Every shelf I found was either too big, too small, too far away, or too expensive. Finding something wide enough and shallow to save space was very difficult.

$200 later and 20 mins away, I got this! I tend to like old things vs things everyone else has.

I ordered up some of those magnet rechargeable lights for free on Amazon Vine so it will look cool at night!

Now I just have to fill that bottom slot. I have a JMP, but I don't really dig it. I'm sure in time I'll find something!

 

[Papanate]

I don’t anymore - can’t be bothered as I have Helix - no one can hear a difference anymore - and why I can tell - the little bit of difference doesn’t matter.

 

[RFR]

So today I found the perfect solution for my heads on FB Marketplace, where I had been searching for prob three years. Every shelf I found was either too big, too small, too far away, or too expensive. Finding something wide enough and shallow to save space was very difficult.

$200 later and 20 mins away, I got this! I tend to like old things vs things everyone else has.

I ordered up some of those magnet rechargeable lights for free on Amazon Vine so it will look cool at night!

Now I just have to fill that bottom slot. I have a JMP, but I don't really dig it. I'm sure in time I'll find something!

Nice, but nothing in that room beats the coolness of that Frigidaire. (Pun intended)

 

[noah330]

I don’t anymore - can’t be bothered as I have Helix - no one can hear a difference anymore - and why I can tell - the little bit of difference doesn’t matter.

I have an Axe FX, but I don't use it in my studio. It's for the drum monitors live.

I find the opposite. My clients like that I get different sounds.

These days with everyone using the same amp simulators, the same drum samples, and the same VIs and plugins I find what can set projects apart is the old hardware, different maps, and the real pres and mics.

The digital stuff is great for some things. Over the years I've found most amps sound a little different from each other and recording it really makes a difference.

YMMV

 

[noah330]

Nice, but nothing in that room beats the coolness of that Frigidaire. (Pun intended)

The table I had next to it was exactly the same height as well! I bought it about four Black Fridays ago. The thermostat went on it but I bought a new one on Amazon and it's been fine.

The fridge is very handy. I keep it stocked with bottled water and I use that thing a ton!

 

[TalismanRich]

Nice collection, Noah.

I really don't organize my amps. The are all combos, 4 are in the basement, two are upstairs in a bedroom. Plus I put an Iridium on my pedal board, for when I go direct in at a friend's house.

 

[noah330]

They took up too much room and were a PITA to get out and mic, so I wanted to get them a little more organized. Some company somewhere should come up with an amp storage thing like they sell guitar racks.

 

[Papanate]

he digital stuff is great for some things. Over the years I've found most amps sound a little different from each other and recording it really makes a difference.

YMMV

My Mileage varies alot - Modlers sound hughely different - Helix Sounds different - but all of it still sounds like me.