3

Chapter 1 Amps and pedals 19
Build a custom Amp Designer combo
You can use one of the default models or you can create your own hybrid of dierent ampliers,
cabinets, and so on. You create your own by using the Amp, Cabinet, and Mic pop-up menus,
located in the black bar at the bottom of the interface, as well as the EQ pop-up menu,
which you open by clicking the word EQ or Custom EQ above the knobs in the left part of the
knobs section.
Note: If you create your own hybrid amp combo, you can use the Settings pop-up menu to save
it as a setting le, which also includes any parameter changes you have made.
Amp
pop-up menu
Model
pop-up menu
Mic
pop-up menu
Cabinet
pop-up menu
EQ pop-up menu
Choose an Amp Designer amplier
m Choose an amplier from the Amp pop-up menu in the black bar at the bottom of the
Amp Designer interface. See the following sections for details on the characteristics of each
amplier in these categories:
•
Tweed Combos on page 13
•
Classic American Combos on page 14
•
British Stacks on page 14
•
British Combos on page 15
•
British Alternatives on page 15
•
Metal Stacks on page 16
•
Additional Combos on page 16
Choose an Amp Designer cabinet
Cabinets have a huge impact on the character of a guitar sound (see Amp Designer cabinets on
page 17).
Whereas certain amplier and cabinet pairings have been popular for decades, departing
from them can be an eective way to create fresh-sounding tones. For example, most players
automatically associate British heads with 4 x 12" cabinets. Amp Designer lets you drive a small
speaker with a powerful head, or pair a tiny amp with a 4 x 12" cabinet. You can experiment with
random amplier and cabinet combinations, but you can also make an educated guess about
nontraditional combinations by considering the variables that determine a cabinet’s “sound.”
m Choose a cabinet from the Cabinet pop-up menu in the black bar at the bottom of the
Amp Designer interface. Use the following considerations to guide your decision: