What Makes an Amp a "Good Pedal Platform"?

[ChicknPickn]

I often read in reviews that an amplifier is a "great pedal platform." I wonder what makes it so? Is there a poor pedal platform? In my ignorance, it always seemed that one could put a string of pedals between any guitar and any amp.

 

[8bit]

Generally it seems like people equate that term with high clean headroom. I do think it's a bit of a farce carried on by obsessive gear heads though (yes, pot... kettle). While some pedals obviously play great with certain amps and not as well with others, as you said you can still use basically any amp as a "pedal platform". Perhaps it will just take more trial and error though.

 

[fenderchamp]

I'm with you, having access to an amp and some pedals makes that amp a great pedal platform

I think though it's supposed to mean a relatively clean and uncolored sounding amplifier that you can use to run "amp in a box' type pedals into.

So slamming a semi cranked up blackface amp with a tube screamer, though a very classic use of amplifiers and pedals, is not an example of the "great pedal platform" idea.

I'm positing that the ultimate extension of this approach is one of those powered speakers that you feed your Helix or whatever those gadgets are called into.

I don't know that I have a "great pedal platform amp" I have a 5FI clone, a blackface champ, 5e3 clone, a silverface deluxe reverb, a matchless lightning clone and a DR Z. remedy with no Master Volume.

But I think that your choice of speaker might also contribute to a great pedal platform too. Uncolored vs colored, I'm going to in this case posit that an EV12 is more of a great pedal platform speaker than a V30.

 

[LostGonzo85]

Headroom. Of course you can use pedals with any amp, but modulation type effects won't sound as crisp and "3d" through an amp that's always saturated.

 

[viking]

Nothing , .....really
Its just something people write on the internet all the time

 

[Weazel]

Every amp ever made is a good pedal platform.

 

[brookdalebill]

Joining the chorus.
Personally, I’d look for a good clean amp, with low to no running noise, high headroom, good EQ-ability, and at least 50 watts.
100 is better, for me.
I would like the amp to have a good master volume, but no onboard effects (like reverb, tremolo).

 

[prairietelecaster]

My experience with pedals is if something is a bad pedal platform, it is the pedal not the amp.

 

[schmee]

I often read in reviews that an amplifier is a "great pedal platform." I wonder what makes it so? Is there a poor pedal platform? In my ignorance, it always seemed that one could put a string of pedals between any guitar and any amp.

Some amps dont deal as well as others with having the front end "pushed". In some ways a pedal, like an OD pedal, is similar to having >preamp>preamp>power amp. Premped twice. So some amp architectures create more gnarly distortion under those circumstances than other amps.
One example might be a Princeton Reverb. To my ears a PR takes OD pedals not as well than the larger amps do, like a Deluxe Reverb or larger circuit. But this is a marginal example, not an extreme one. When I played a PR more often gigging, some venues required more volume and with an OD my PR could get darn nasty.

I had a '49 RCA PA amp converted to somewhat an early Tweed Deluxe type circuit. That amp had a sweet tone voice all on it's own, but any OD pedal in front of it and it turned to 'bacon fry' tone.

Of course, it's an individual thing, some people want gnarly!

 

[ChicknPickn]

Rather than hit "like" for every response thus far, I will say that I appreciate them all. Myself, I too have thought that an amp that can be both powerful and clean would be the best pedal laboratory.

 

[47adelynn47]

i say a good class a amp with headroom is a great pedal platform

 

[bottlenecker]

If someone's selling an amp, it seems to be like saying a guitar is good for slide. It means it's not good for much else.

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

I had an AC10C1 with barely any headroom and my pedals sounded great through it.

My opinion: any guitar amp makes a great pedal platform. It just depends on what your goals are.

 

[Dismalhead]

Here's a stricter interpretation - Assuming you get all your distortion/OD from your pedalboard, a good pedal platform would be a very clean amp without breakup, mud, uniqueness, or coloration. Pretty much just a blank canvas for you to use your pedals on.

 

[hemingway]

Being an amp

 

[Twang-ineer]

It is my assumption that "as close to a Hot Rod Deluxe" as possible, is what makes a great pedal platform amp.

One simple reason, the Hot Rod series has outsold every other amp line in history. By a lot. So it is pretty much a guarantee that any pedal designer, large or small, tested that pedal on a HRD or something very similar before moving into production. Generically, I would also say that a fairly flat amp, with a fairly flat speaker would also go a long way, say anything like a JC-120, which I would also assume most manufacturers test against.

 

[Esquire Rod]

No onboard effect.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I have always heard this called a, “clean pedal platform” and to me that means a high head room amp that will stay clean, and that has a good clean sound. It’s like a blank slate for your pedals.

It’s very useful if you need to emulate many different artist’s tone or multiple amps. I much prefer working around the edge of my amp’s natural breakup these days, just using pedals for coloring my base tone.

I don’t need to sound like many different artists at all sorts of volumes. If I was in an “exact” cover band, a clean pedal platform or modeler would make more sense.

 

[aging_rocker]

A decent amp design helps, like this one:

I'll see myself out...

 

[stormsedge]

I have nothing to add…except a dozen amps I like for one reason or another, and two dozen pedals I don’t like that combined are too light to anchor a boat.