Best amp to test pedals for production?

[notnews32]

+1 for the Roland Cube... any size. They're great amps, with a great clean base-sound.

The Fender Mustang- series is also something to consider. For $120 you can get something that also has a nice clean sound, but is also equipped with recording outputs and a ton of modelling options.

I'd say the Mustang is more of an all-in-one amp that a DIY-er AND recording musician could use.. but for strictly DIY purposes, the Cube really is a home run, IMO.

[Kipper4]

I find I play to the combination especially with a tube amp.
Direct recording doesn't show us how it sounds in a room.
Not having a go. Just saying. 

[deadastronaut]

i have a roland micro cube, great lil amp on its own....love the distortions built in/verb/delay etc

however they dont take pedals well imo, as fx are built in...they seem to just like DI..


try a punch amp. that was pretty good for whacking pedals into IIRC when testing....

[slashandburn]

I'll admit to never having run many pedals into the cube. A jackhammer maybe. Actually the rediscovery of my old jackhammer and subsequent pedal building binge coincided roughly with selling the Cube. Probably just coincidence though.

Took me years to notice one seriously major design flaw with it though. It's not actually a cube.

[tenser75]

I've wondered if sound samples of pedals should be recorded direct - no cab, sim or real- then, anyone can play out the sample thru their amp (via a proper DIY impedance interface connected to the headphone jack and level-adjusted). Stay with me.  People could get a better, although imperfect, idea of what a pedal would sound like. For their own purposes or - to give you feedback on or a recording of your pedal through their '64 tweed, Marshall stack, etc.  eh?

good point... letting people/studio "re-amp" is interesting, very professional indeed...
I have to say I love my Palmer DI... yes it lacks of room sound – which most of the time it's just background noise that make sfeel the sample "real" – but it's really good.

[bool]

"Sound" is one thing, a very important one, but players imho value the "feel/response" that the effect gives in combination with their gear much more than the sound alone. So with reamping you're cutting out the most important aspect of this equation.

[deadastronaut]

^ 100% agree, the 'feel' is the main thing...and can vary immensely..

an 'open' drive, compared to a 'tight metal' ....2 very different beasts.

they force  you play very differently...whether you like it or not.

[tenser75]

yes i don't want to get into the weed of all these variables
ultimately what i'm looking for is to know which are the amps that are the most representative of our audience

i guess, obviously, marshall, vox, orange, fender, mesa boogie probably cover a good percent of the audience
my questions should have been which are the best "ampS" not "amp"...

if you had to test-drive your pedal which amps would you consider testing with?