Importance of amp/combo for controlled feedback?

[ProCarsteNation]

Masters of Gearknowledge!

Whenever my housemate isn't home I crank up the amp and try to make my guitar howl.
I get a feeling that the (unfortunately broken) Tube & closed cabinet combo just LOVED to do that,
the SS-open back seems veeery reluctant, even though I think I give it similar amounts of gain & volume, same guitars....


Does anyone have experience how the JC-40 likes to get down in this regard?

[Inconuucl]

I'm pretty sure tone doesn't change much with volume for SS amps, so what you hear is what you get.

[rfurtkamp]

When in doubt go louder!

It'll give you the same feedback assuming it's hitting near the same frequencies and volume, your pickups don't care what the source is if it's feeding back!

[Chankgeez]

Parametric EQ may help.

[K2000]

Could be your humbucking pickups? Single coils seem to feed back more.

[ognoy]

Tube amps compress the signal when it gets pushed, SS don't.
That could be one explanation?
Did you run the amp clean or dirty?

Or that closed cabinets project sound more direct(to your guitar if you're standing in front of it?) than open back?

[pd~]

Tube amps compress the signal when it gets pushed, SS don't.
That could be one explanation?

Was just about to post this. This is my guess.

[goroth]

Um... How?

Tube amps clip, SS clips. One is generally more "musical" than the other but they are both examples of destructive/non-linear compression.

Or??

[pd~]

You're right, but my understanding is that tubes do actual compression alongside clipping, while SS just clips. In short,

[rfurtkamp]

My main feedback source is a signal split off the patchbay to a 5w ukelele amp.

It's solid state, and I can point it straight at the pickups of whatever I'm using. Goes off like a mule.

That, ebow, and the modern (i.e. it does what it claims) Boss feedbacker all get me to ugly, mean places.

[ProCarsteNation]

thanks for the answers so far, folks.
I feel much smarter now, yet no less confused.

looking forward to more experimentation, probably thursday.

@rfurtkamp: You seem to be saying that the amp/speaker should make no difference whatsoever??

[ProCarsteNation]

oy that Boss fb-2 seems sweeeet!

[rfurtkamp]

It'll make a difference but not in terms of "can I get feedback at all" - angle, relative volume, and frequency are all in play, plus what pickups are there.

And yes, I love the new Boss feedbacker (and like all the new stuff, more parameters/control in the GT-100/001 for it than the actual pedal).

[rustywire]

Try moving around, changing where you stand or sit while playing

[frigid midget]

my favorite kind of feedback: Dirt (pedal, amp, doesnt matter, doesnt even have to be a ton of dirt), lotsa volume, half stack (volume, more speakers moving more waves)...And an es-335 style semi-hollow body with decent humbuckers.

You might even wanna tame the feedback if you go the (semi-)hollow route. Stuffing t-shirts or whatever in the holes usually does the trick for me. Actually, it *did*...

Damn I miss that 335