Help with Amp Selection

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

Early Silverface Pro Reverb...just have a mid control added to the back or use an eq of some kind or get a late 60's Bandmaster Reverb head and then convert that into a combo...1x12, 2x12, 1x10, 2x10, 3x10, 4x10, 1x15...whatever you want and you're good to go.

The weekend before last I played with a guy who was rocking a Super reverb and his sound smoked my 1-12 combo. It wasn't perfect, but it had more low end, more presence, and he was definitely moving more air. I got used to depending on pedals for sustain and distortion at low volumes because of the church situations I played in, but I didn't adjust well to playing outside and my Peavey Prowler is a bit too dark.

For those who suggested an AC30 I have to admit that I have been amazed at the shimmer Mark Knopfler gets running a Les Paul through a Vox!

Agileguy - I played a Budda V20 before they were released and was impressed with the sound but don't really care for accessing tones with push-pull pots on the front panel, and I really wasn't in a place where I could play it loud enough to experience any weirdness with the low end. The truth is that it is not practical for me to play every amp I might consider, but I will definitely play each amp I select after narrowing my search down to four or five by educating myself, reviewing specifications and by listening to the opinions and suggestion of people whose ears I trust. I understand specifications and heresay do not trump personal experience but I have to start somewhere ... make sense?

I can drive less than ten miles and do a side by side comparison of several 65 Amps, a Germino, and a Jackson, but I don't where to find a Matchless or Dr. Z. (around here).

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

Okay. So you need a beautiful clean sound, then delay to make it more spacious? It looks like all the dirt is coming from pedals. Is that safe to say? By the way, with a delay like yours, getting rid of any more of them shouldn't be too much of a chore. Is reverb a necessity?

Also, is the Tele doing most of the driving?

Well, I guess I'd really need a meter to measure SPLs to tell how loud I'd like to get before some natural overdrive kicks in. I like some smokey sustain but for most of my purposes grit is not necessary. I will get one more delay before deciding which one to use on the compact board. I don't need reverb.

The Tele is still in pieces. I had to stop working on it so I could learn songs. Right now I'm suffering from post gig traumatic depression ... haven't even taken a guitar out of the case in 9 days.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

yep fender.
deluxe - luscious.
super - yeah awesome - and more bass/headroom if thats your bag.
or an old bassman head seeing as you dont ned reverb.
the extra mids can be got by putting the right speaker in to fit your own taste.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

Agileguy - I played a Budda ... some stuff ...
I can drive less than ten miles and do a side by side comparison of several 65 Amps, a Germino, and a Jackson, but I don't where to find a Matchless or Dr. Z. (around here).

Did you mean me? Or Agileguy?

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I probably have ten questions but I'll start with one.

Can you suggest an amp (head/combo/whatever) in the 25 - 40 Watt range that is Class A/B, tube rectified, has respectable medium hall non-mic'd clean headroom, and Fenderish shimmery highs with a bit more mids?

Jebus, your requirements are so specific, it seems like you must have something in mind.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I might be crazy, but you may be looking for a Mesa. I don't know which model, but based solely on internet hearsay, maybe a LoneStar or an Electradyne?

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

No, Will ... I've tried four Mesas and the sound does not quite suit me. I have been looking online at some kits and am gravitating toward a narrow panel Bandmaster 5E7 circuit. Also, Weber has a high powered 5E3 circuit which is powered by four 6V6s that looks imteresting. Also, Bruce Collins has various wattages available for his Aurora and Aurora Reverb models some of which have 6L6 power sections.

It is probable that a Bandmaster build would be too complex for me, but that may not stop me. The prices are very attractive. I am suprised there are not more builders cloning the narrow panel bandmasters. Based upon the prices the vintage amps command it is apparent that some find them very desirable. Anyway, on paper the old tube rectified Bandmaster appears to be something I'd like to track down and audition.

The reality is that that I can probably find a Mission or Celtic amp that will suit me just fine. Part of my desire is just to have something new. I have been playing through my current amp exclusivey for about ten years.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

So about the tube rectification... Is it vintage sag you're going for when you're specifying that? And does that even happen on clean settings? I thought that was when you were pushing the power section pretty hard, which to me says lower headroom. And I don't have a situation where I can even really push 20 watts hard, so I'm talking from relatively little experience, but I'd like to hear why you're set on that feature.

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

It sounds like you're asking me to be logical :-)

Back to square one: I played on stage with a guy who was using a super reverb and sounded much better than me. He had 45 watts as do I. Part of the difference is that he was pushing 4-10s vs my 1-12. Also, I've had my amp "powered down" intentionally by tube selection because I needed less headroom for playing in church. The other guitarist just sounded way better than me and the core of the difference was that, even considering the contributing factors listed above, the Fender clean was superior to the Peavey clean in chime, clarity, breadth, and in other ways that elude description. The Prowler was my first tube amp after having played solid state for many years and it is still a great amp but my tastes have changed. Why do I want tube rectified - primarily because I don't have it now.

It is possible that 20 watts would suit me needs, but I'd rather not leap from 45 to 20. The Bandmaster is 28W and some of Bruce Collins' offering are in the 28 - 35 watt range.

As should be obvious by now, with my lack of knowledge and experience I am pretty much shooting in the dark. Speaking of logic or the lack thereof - Joe suggested an Egnater amp. I probably won't buy an Egnater because I don't like the sound of the name.

[ItsaBass]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I am not sure what has a tube rectifier and what doesn't, or what difference it even makes. But two of my favorite amps in the other areas you mention are the Deluxe Reverb (not quite 25W) and the Mesa F Series amps. Regarding the F series, in the range of wattage that you want, there are the F30 and the F50. I personally think the F50 is a better sounding amp tonally, but the F30 is a very conveniently-sized combo, and it sounds very good. Both are more "vintage-voiced" and "simplistic" than you'd expect from a Mesa, but they also have a lot of the tonal versatility of a modern amp. I highly regret selling my F50 head. It was just an excellent quality and extremely versatile amp for classic rock-n-roll sounds. I'd like to get one again, in a combo version. The Deluxe is just a pretty classic sounding amp. 22W, 1x12, with the standard '60's Fender controls. They get a bit more muddy than the Mesa when you turn them up, however, and they are built nowhere near as well.

I'd also look at the pre-buyout US-made Diamond Blue Ampeg Reverberockets. They came as a 1x12, a 2x12, or a head. They are 50 watts. A little outside your wattage range, just like the Mesa F 50 I recommended. But only by 10 watts, and they are great amps for the price. They have more honk and a more "tight" low end than a Fender. Kind of like a cross between a V-4 and a Super Reverb in terms of tone.

In the same vein as the Reverberocket, but cheaper, is the 50W Super Jet 1x12 combo. They were all 1x12's, but they came two ways: 1) with a 3-band EQ and no tremolo (R model), or 2) with one tone knob and tremolo (T model). I prefer the T model, as I do use a touch of tremolo almost all the time, and I prefer the simplicity of a single tone knob.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I have yet to build an amp, but a kit based on an older model would be pretty awesome. Based on my experience building circuits, the bigger the boards and the bigger the components, the harder they are to screw up. Granted, they're still very easy to screw up, and every circuit I've ever built took me three times as long as I expected, but I still love doing it. And the first time you power it on successfully, it's a great feeling.

That being said, for a workhorse amp, it might be a good idea to buy one. I guess it depends on how much time you have and how highly you value said time. But I read every amp build thread with as much excitement as any other thread on the board. I kind of hope you do go that route just so I can enjoy it in voyeuristic fashion.

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I don't think following directions and a schematic would be too difficult. The thing that sort of discourages me is the noise problems that can creep in due to wire routing mistakes. I think to really build an amp successfully I might need a cpmpleted on sitting right there to copy.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I think good directions will eliminate any problems. Plus, there is plenty of help available online, and people like you who do this like to post pictures online of their experiences. I've seen some threads with pretty ugly builds where people said they sounded great, with little to no noise. I don't think I've heard clips to prove it, necessarily, but I believe it's possible.

That being said, I don't think it's ever financially sound to do a project like this unless the time you put into the project is not worth anything to you. But I still think it's a really cool idea, and if you're up to it, I would totally encourage you to do it. (Says the guy who's never done it.)

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

I assume you're equating the fender sound with the fender blackface sound, so if you want more mids but a similar-ish vibe... I'd maybe seek out a tweed, like a low powered twin clone or something. They're dirtier than twin reverbs, but tweeds are sort of a halfway between a marshall and a blackface

[LesStrat]

Re: Help with Amp Selection

You need to come visit, brother. I'll warp your brain with a 15W Celtic.

And it gets quite loud.