When you look for a guitar amp, are you more concerned with the clean channel or the overdrive channel? Or both?

OD for sure. I usually don't even play clean unless I have to.
But if the clean channel sucks...then there is a problem!
Recently checked out a Fender Custom Reverb Deluxe (I think) combo tube amp that had delay/chorus/reverb all built in that was killer.

Clean, because it seems that what is currently called clean means "Shredding treble." I like tube amp not only for their ability to be overdriven for smooth distortion but for the clean sound they provide as well. Tube clean is warmer than solid state clean. Can't beat an old fender Bassman 50 with two 12's for guitar.

Always always always always more concerned with the clean sound no matter what instrument. Even back when I played guitar, because I always knew that I could buy a distortion pedal to get the overdrive I wanted if I didn't like what was there. There are, however, no "cleanER" pedals to mop up the gunk in your unaffected sound.

I would definitely say clean! I played a lot of lead at a church for a while and the clean channel on my Vox AC30 saved my life. Like James said, you can always get a distortion pedal that makes your amp sound anyway you'd like but you can't buy a "clean" pedal to get the OD to sound like a sweet clean signal.

Yeah. I'm a pretty wise guy. Just sayin'. =P

Although I'm not sure that I was completely correct when I said that...there are clean boost pedals and various tone blaster or whatever pedals that are meant to either simulate amps or modify your clean sound in some way to sound twangier or more like a '59 Bassman or what have you.

Still, I prefer the cleanest clean sound I can get, so that I can go anywhere from there.

Certainly, but there isn't really anything that is going to take your amp OD sound and make it sound clean. Ha!

And yes, you are quite the wise guy!

I'll clarify James. There are NO pedals that make your amp clean. Haha. It cannot be done. Clean sound should always come first unless you never use it. A metal guitarist isn't too concerned with a clean sound. A blues or jazz guitarist is definitely concerned with a clean channel.

There are a couple of pedals that claim to give your amp more presence or clarity or whatever the manufacturer chooses to call it. Aphex makes the Aural Exciter, which give your guitar or bass that Je ne sais quoi. Maybe the EH Clean Machine is next.

When the home freezer [appliance] was first
intro'ed, there was a "development effort" to
offer new "fresh frozen" products for this new
miracle of convenience. One product that was
considered was water ... frozen water, not for
use as ice ... heck, you could make ice in the
freezer secion of your regular fridge. Duhuh !
This was to be a frozen beverage, just buy it,
keep it in your freezer, and it would be there,
ready anytime for you to thaw and enjoy !

And you think no sucker has yet fallen for the
"Clean Pedal" ? Ok, snot eggs acklee a pedal,
but farzeyeno, Monster Cable is still in bizniz.



`

Some of the aural exciters do some neat things. Fishman makes some exciters for acoustic guitar that help "add" back in some of the loss you experience with a Piezo type pickup. There are some good clean boost pedals that do a good job but nothing out there really makes your sound cleaner.