So which amp is your favorite?

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BlueFrogs

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I have a small collection of amps (Marshall, Traynor, Gretsch, Gibson, etc) but I woul have to say of my 3 Fenders, My '68 Princeton Reverb is my favorite. Gets a really smooth overdriven sound when pushed and is loud enough without being overly loud. How about you guys?
 
yo......sup?

my favorite is the Fender HotRodDeluxe.....i think it can make any guitar sound good.
 
:eek: I have always been a Tube Snob until I tried a Line 6 Duotone 2/10 100watt. I love it ! I started using the Pod with my Vox Buckingham, Fender Super Reverb and a Kendrick Texas Crude...with the Duotone I can get it all! The Vox is a Solid state Thomas but was so clean with the stand I had to have it! The Pod gave it a great sound ,like a AC30 for a lot less $$. I bought a Variax guitar last month and that will blow your mind! TG
 
I really like my Peavey Classic 30. You need some stompboxes to get heavy sounds from it though. Otherwise it sounds great, especially the cleans.

But I really would like a Jcm800 2203 from the hairy 80's. That boosted with a ts-9 or sd-1 is THE heavy sound. A plexi would be cool too, or an Engl Screamer.
 
Now that my Tokai collection is where I want it I've been gassing for amps.

Got a H&K Cream Machine (1 watt mini amp) that I've been experimenting with. Got gas for a marshall Jubilee head or a Studio 15. Also can't wait to see a 40watt 6505 (5150) head.

The other amp that really intrigues me is the little Vox modelling amps. Can't wait to see what they come out with at NAMM.

Ned
 
Strange thread? started last May, then occasional but regular little additions ever since lol. OK, well for so-called ?serious? work I use a 1965 Marshall Plexi mini-bluesbreaker 2x12, but just mucking around at home or late night I have a cheap little Roland cube-30 & I think that?s brilliant at the price. If I get to visit the US this year I?m hoping to return with an early/mid-60?s Fender head of some type (always fancied one for some reason). Given a totally free choice, ?best ever?, I?d probably ask for a 1963 JTM45 offset head, though I like plenty of modern SS amps too :-? .

Ian.
 
Ian,

Expand on the Mini-Bluesbreaker. How many watts? is it similar to the reissue they have out now?

Saw a couple of SF Bassman heads today that got me thinking...

Starting at the end of the month I'll be jamming regularly with another guitar player and a drummer and will use my Dean Markley head and a 1x12 cab with a V30. Right now there playing a bunch of newer Ozzie, NIN and Metallica but they would like to play some of the local "road houses" aka beer joints. So a drastic switch to more southern rock will need to happen. This is good for me as I'm mainly a Clapton, Skynyrd kind of person. This might get me into a SF Bassman head with a 2x12 cab.

Speaking of Clapton... I'm excited about the Cream reunion. I told a friend that if he gets tickets I'll fly across the pond to see that show.

Ned
 
I think I would like to try a Carr Rambler. Reviews are good: Class A, 14-28 watts, usable clean headroom, great reverb and tremelo, 12-inch speaker. Doubt if I could afford it, but I'd like to try one :-?

Already have a good one ? Custom Vibroluxe Reverb. A little buzzy at times, with less clean headroom than you'd think. P-90s just roar through this thing. Don't play out much so it's more then I need at home w/45 watts.

I also have a really cheesy Silvertone transistor amp covered in blue vinyl with a sparkly speaker grill. The transistors are bigger than firecrackers ? got it for $15 at a yard sale?it's just plain ridiculous through the Vibroluxe as a preamp :lol:
 
Hi Ned,

Yes it?s like the new Marshall reissues, except this is an early original MK1 version late-64 to mid 65.

I bought it used in mid 1970?s ($200/?120), although I really had no idea what model it was until I showed it on 18watt.com where it caused an amazing fuss (not my intention). Fuss due to fact they were only familiar with later MK2 version shown in Doyle?s book, so ?experts? cast doubt on it & sounded like they thought I was trying to con them. I was bit miffed of course because I knew the amp was genuine (cheap as chips in mid-70?s, nobody tried to fake them at that date, & mine was mint with no evidence of even one cap change? still has the original fuse!).

In the end, in order to prove it once & for all, I took it to Marshall in Milton Keynes UK where Jim Marshall himself was kind enough to verify it for me (what a lovely guy) ? in fact he immediately recognized it as one the very first 18?s which he made himself ... there?s a photo of Jim with the amp on 18watt Photo-Gallery (plus lots more photos).

Only obvious differences compared with MK2 version; MK1 has Celestion G12 Alnico?s (same as early AC30 except painted silver instead of blue - whereas MK2 has ceramic Greenbacks), cab has simpler square-cut shape around the control/plexi panel (MK2 is curved/chamfered, and control panel is lowered), and footswitch is totally different. Circuit identical apart from a few value changes (eg 47K tail resistor), plus use of earlier components eg more carbon-comp resistors, RS caps throughout, & older style RS hard-wired tranny.

Still works fine ? just plug in any Les Paul & instant Clapton-Beano ? want any other sound? ehh? sorry ?no can do? (no proper tone controls, no master gain, no reverb) :-? .

Ian.
 
ZeKink said:
I really like my Peavey Classic 30. You need some stompboxes to get heavy sounds from it though. Otherwise it sounds great, especially the cleans.....

I second the Peavey Classic 30 (and extension cab for a little extra). :wink:

Oh and the cream colored Peavey's always sound better than the black tolex Peavey's. hahaha :p just kidding.

Dana
 
I could try a Classic 30 against a Bruce Collins Mission Amp Tweed Deluxe and besides aesthetics they are very different kind of amps,being Classic 30 vey sharp and agrresive one,not warm at all.It was a modern amp to my ears not so musical as my Tweedy,not a Fender at all.
 
luis said:
I could try a Classic 30 against a Bruce Collins Mission Amp Tweed Deluxe and besides aesthetics they are very different kind of amps,being Classic 30 vey sharp and agrresive one,not warm at all.It was a modern amp to my ears not so musical as my Tweedy,not a Fender at all.

Strange, my Classic 30 isn't sharp or agressive at all, I really like the sound I get from it. I've even managed to get a sound close to Robben Fords with it, and that's about as far from sharp and agressive you can get.

Mike
 
My 64 Deluxe Reverb is the one that always makes me go "ah". Deep, lush, full, punchy, growly when pushed, dynamic, but essentially transparent to the guitar's nature - to me, the definition of a great amp.

But I also get a ton of pleasant surprise every time I fire up my Clark Lil Bit 1x12. The first time I played it I knew I'd never, ever look for another low-wattage or recording amp. It's like a good drug, just addictive, makes me want to keep playing.

If I had to pick one to take to the desert island, it would be the 64 DR.
 
Hey Jim,
Have you done the Matchless Lightning build yet? Any build reports on it yet? I've got 2 sets of transformers/chokes from Dave West sitting here. Was considering that build for one of the sets when I get a little time away from the pedals.
I built the Marshall 18 watter but both of the Heyboer PTs that GDS sent me were bad. I put a Hammond 1620 in it and finally got it to go... not the best impedance match on the primary for the el84 load but what the hell...
I'd like to see how the Lightning matches up to it.

Clay
 
Hi Clay,

I still haven't gotten around to building any of the Matchless stuff! The closest I've managed was paralleling the first tube in an old Traynor Bassmate. :)

Wow, what was the matter with those transfomers? I've never heard anything but good things about them.

I've used a 1620 in an EL84 build and it was OK, but I do prefer the sound of the 8K load over 6.6K. Is the West OT you have a 4K primary? I've always wondered if the Spitfire and Lightning would sound harsh as a result?

I still haven't gotten around to building an 18-watt(!) I was quite interested in that circuit 5 or 6 years ago and set out to figure out the "true" schematic. Graydon's really turned that into something, eh? :)

Take care!

Jim
 
Hey Jim,
I built and sold a spitfire clone several years ago and yes it had the 4k primary. I remember it sounding really good though. Really good as I recall - using the Matchless iron from Westlabs.

Man, I don't know what to say about those Heyboers. The first one had a short in one of the leads so I was getting no voltage at all to one of the plates and the second one I used I couldn't get the amp to not hum. I troubleshot that dumb thing off and on for 6 months and then I replaced the PT with the 1620 just because I ran out of ideas and I had a spare and sure enough it worked. I've never heard the 18 watt with them yet. Graydon was cool and sent me the second one for free but now I've got two of them sitting here useless. I'm going to eventually get around to sending them back to him for a refund hopefully. I don't think I even want to bother with a third try.

I'm a big Hammond fan anyway. It's funny how the boutiquers slag them so often. Anything to build the hype and mojo I guess. Hammond's are for us "Common folk" I guess.

yeah, it's something about GDS isn't it? Basically brought a great amp back from the dead.
I used to hang out there a little a couple years back. Rarely anymore. Actually never anymore. I've seen where one of the guys from there has had some pretty good reviews on his "new line of Marshall"...simple 18 watt clone. More power to him. The more the merrier really - anything to get prices down so regular people can afford decent tube amps.

I'm a Fender guy myself. The cleaner the better for me! :D
 

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