Played an AFD today...

[surlybastard]

Happen to walk in my local music store today, took a walk through the back room (where all the higher priced amps/guitars are) and what's sitting in the corner but an AFD100 plugged into a 4x12 with V30's. Sales guy explained to me that a guy had special ordered it but had recently also purchased a vintage Super Lead and couldn't afford to keep both so the AFD went back. Fired it up with a Les Paul off the rack (that was in massive need of a setup as I couldn't get it to tune properly) and whew, this thing smokes. Obviously I was in a store and couldn't turn it up but using the power scaling you could get a nice sound out of it at low volume, one interesting thing was as you turned the power knob you could hear the individual 'steps' in the power scaling up and down. Both modes sounded good, AFD mode seemed to have more guts but it's hard to know at low volume. One thing I immediately noticed was how it felt the same as my VM, the attack and feel of the two amps are very similiar, the AFD has a bit more gain but otherwise I felt they're very comparable tone wise (without being able to A/B them side by side).

Anyhow, nice surprise for sure. They had it priced at $1650 which had me thinking for a second how I could buy it, but in the end I'd have to sell practically my entire rig for that so it's not to be.

[Soulcaster]

I would agree the VM is the only Marshall I've heard that can come close to the AFD's sound.

Peace

[Slashwannabe1]

I would agree the VM is the only Marshall I've heard that can come close to the AFD's sound.

Peace

Which is probably why Slash uses the VM/AFD/JCM 800 With the VM's detail dimed it really gets a hint of the AFD's #34 tone and can cover nearly the same percentage of tone area. Hit the mid boost and dial some highs in and you can get a kind of AFD tone.

[Mats A]

The VM and the AFD are two quite different sounding amps. And the VM with mid boost is not very AFD sounding i think.

[Slashwannabe1]

The VM and the AFD are two quite different sounding amps. And the VM with mid boost is not very AFD sounding i think.

See the thing is the VM has so many options on how it can be set up via the body & detail knobs that you can get near many amp tones just based on how you can change that voice. So while an out of the box average combo VM might not sound like a AFD100 a VM 2466 100 watt Head with a V30 cab & cranked balls out may get pretty damn close!. Of course no two amps are identical sounding 100%, especially if you're going to a/b them side by side. There is a margin of error I like to employ when comparing amplifier tones, if I were to tell Gearheads in the audience that I was using a AFD100 I'm sure I could fool them with my VM rig.

I've nailed the #34 tone from GNR's Use Your Illusions albums, closer on my VM rig than a lot of the fanboys who bought the AFD100 have and for an AFD tone I just hit the mid boost. Les Paul with single conductor Seymour Duncan Alnico 2's setup to Slash's exact specs & string distance, into a cranked Marshall VM half stack with detail set on 10 for that cocked wah articulation & body knob just barely on. Plus my Sprague Orange Drop top .22uf caps top it off and I certainly have a rig that I feel can get pretty darn close to the AFD tones on the record and even #34. On top of all this I have a full compliment of JJ Pre Amp tubes for a thicker distortion, as well as Groove Tube Kt66s with a #6 distortion value, which all help me get near Slash's recorded tones.

[slash-ed]

The VM and the AFD are two quite different sounding amps. And the VM with mid boost is not very AFD sounding i think.

Seconded. Having owned both (and I still own the AFD), they are nothing alike. The attack and feel is different as well.

[Mats A]

Slashwannabe1 you should try out an AFD and see for yourself. I´ve owned 2 AFD´s and i know how they sound.

[Soulcaster]

I don't think anyones sayin they sound the same. They do sound different, nothing I've heard can emulate the AFD, and thats the way I'd like it to stay tbh. But saying that, as an AFD owner, the only (un-modded)amp I've heard that I thought came close is a VM, thats my humble opinion anyway.

Peace

[Slashwannabe1]

I don't think anyones sayin they sound the same. They do sound different, nothing I've heard can emulate the AFD, and thats the way I'd like it to stay tbh. But saying that, as an AFD owner, the only (un-modded)amp I've heard that I thought came close is a VM, thats my humble opinion anyway.

Peace

I absolutely agree with you!

Are there differences between the AFD100 & the Vintage Modern? you bet your ass there is, is it fair to say they are completely different? NOT if You're shooting for all the features that MAKE the Slash tone, because the Jubilee,JCM 800,AFD100 & Vintage Modern each possess the qualities that are in EVERY Slash tone of Every era of his playing. All of these amplifiers intersect at that awesome Marshall crunch and all of them scream Marshall.

A lot of people like to focus on the things that each amplifier does different to eachother to compare them but NOBODY ever compares the things that they do nearly identical.

I think a lot of people would be believe me if I said I was using an AFD100 on my clip here....

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And since I've gotten my Orange Drop caps in my guitar it sounds even closer to the #34 on the GNR & Slash records. Dare I say that my VM rig sounds even closer to Slash's recorded tone than say the AFD100s #34 mode. Don't compare it to the AFD amp clips compare it to the Use Your Illusions record & Slash record tone

I would love to try out an AFD100 and I know theres things that it can do that the VM can't but like I said there are places a lot of Marshalls intersect. I will probably never get to try an AFD100 because the music stores in my area are just bouncing back from a huge recession where nobody sold gibsons,Marshalls and barely even fenders! finally now I'm starting to see a few Gibsons & Marshalls back into the store but I'll still most likely never try an AFD100 out unless I buy it becuase its wishful thinking I'll even see one.

[Richard_H]

I don't think anyones sayin they sound the same. They do sound different, nothing I've heard can emulate the AFD, and thats the way I'd like it to stay tbh. But saying that, as an AFD owner, the only (un-modded)amp I've heard that I thought came close is a VM, thats my humble opinion anyway.

Peace

[youtube][/youtube]

/quote]

That's as close to the #34 sound that I've heard with an amp that's not an AFD100. Well done!

[Slashwannabe1]

I don't think anyones sayin they sound the same. They do sound different, nothing I've heard can emulate the AFD, and thats the way I'd like it to stay tbh. But saying that, as an AFD owner, the only (un-modded)amp I've heard that I thought came close is a VM, thats my humble opinion anyway.

Peace

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That's as close to the #34 sound that I've heard with an amp that's not an AFD100. Well done!

Thanks

You know what the best part is? That was recorded with my Vintage Modern 100 watt half stack set with the master volume on 2!!! No pedals or anything, just pure amp & guitar. It probably would be a little closer yet, if the power tubes were actually contributing some distortion lol.

I think regardless of this clip, people with an AFD100 will come in and say its vastly different just to say it sounds different from their signature amp, but I still think I came scary close for an amp thats supposed to be "nothing like" an AFD100 or #34 Slash amp. I'm not saying its dead on, but I think my clip at least proved that they can sound alike.

[gtrman]

I think regardless of this clip, people with an AFD100 will come in and say its vastly different just to say it sounds different from their signature amp, but I still think I came scary close for an amp thats supposed to be "nothing like" an AFD100 or #34 Slash amp. I'm not saying its dead on, but I think my clip at least proved that they can sound alike.

I love my VM but dont think I get any closer to the AFD then with any of the others I have/had.
Probably most Marshall Tube amps can get close if you dial it close enought and VERY important - have a Les Paul with the pickups you have.
My guess is your guitar have maybe just as much if not more to do with you getting close ... and your playing as well.

Great job btw .. its sounds great

[Mats A]

+1 on that gtrman. Actually i don´t think it´s that hard getting close to Slash tone with a Marshall and a Les Paul. I also think most AFD buyers buy it for the AFD and not the #34 tone. The VM has a much more open sound than the AFD wich is more compressed and less crunchy. Playing Slash licks also helps in getting it to sound similar.

[Soulcaster]

+1 on that gtrman. Actually i don´t think it´s that hard getting close to Slash tone with a Marshall and a Les Paul. I also think most AFD buyers buy it for the AFD and not the #34 tone. The VM has a much more open sound than the AFD wich is more compressed and less crunchy. Playing Slash licks also helps in getting it to sound similar.

I bought mine for #34 mode and compressed is not a word I would use when describing either mode, in fact quite the opposite.

No GnR has been played through my AFD but I do concede my band is covering "Back from Cali" so I have learnt it and it sounds pretty damn good through the AFD. Lets agree to disagree, I'll shout ya' a beer.

[Slashwannabe1]

I think regardless of this clip, people with an AFD100 will come in and say its vastly different just to say it sounds different from their signature amp, but I still think I came scary close for an amp thats supposed to be "nothing like" an AFD100 or #34 Slash amp. I'm not saying its dead on, but I think my clip at least proved that they can sound alike.

I love my VM but dont think I get any closer to the AFD then with any of the others I have/had.
Probably most Marshall Tube amps can get close if you dial it close enought and VERY important - have a Les Paul with the pickups you have.
My guess is your guitar have maybe just as much if not more to do with you getting close ... and your playing as well.

Great job btw .. its sounds great

Thanks man :)

I think you're probably right about the Guitar & Pickups lol They even made my 10 watt MG Practice amp sound bitchin' lol.

I actually never really wanted to set out to out and out copy the recorded tones but I really started to get unhappy about using boosts and I wanted a great plug in and go tone so I used the recorded tones as a baseline to shoot for and kind of ended up here after adjusting my pickups.

+1 on that gtrman. Actually i don´t think it´s that hard getting close to Slash tone with a Marshall and a Les Paul. I also think most AFD buyers buy it for the AFD and not the #34 tone. The VM has a much more open sound than the AFD wich is more compressed and less crunchy. Playing Slash licks also helps in getting it to sound similar.

Actually that was one of the things I thought of as a difference when trying to get as close as possible to that Slash tone and I agree with you, I would also describe & say that the VM is more open than the AFD clips that I've heard.