If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

[Ascension]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

From what I've read, and then heard on sound clips, the "fuzzy" models, aka ratfur, were covered with a carpet like covering instead of vinyl or tolex. Some had a factory hot rod mod that fattened up the sound and when they came with EL34s, were supposed to be the best sounding models they ever made. Ugly as hell, but ugly doesn't make sound, lol.

Hot Rod mod was a factory 20 DB gain boost and turns those into metal monsters. On the X100B's Carvin was and is notorious for making unannounced design changes in their amps. All of them have great cleans and many have great high gain tones and many don't the right one however is pure magic! On the higher gain tones just about any X100B with the block not script letters ( Post 1988) is going to have a decent gain channel.
On the Steath vs X100B I have owned both and the right Hot Rod Mod version of a X100B is a monster and will bury that Lee Jackson designed Stealth in high gain tones!
Owned the HRD also and a good X100B is going to nuke the Fenders both in cleans and high gains + has a MUCH better build quality than the HRD ever though of having!
The old X100B's are one of the most underrated and best bang for the $ amps out there! The later EL 34 versions sound the best and make sure you get the footswitch because they run around $75 if you can find one.
The new Carvin footswitches won't work without some mods.
Another Carvin that is a underrated killer with a great clean and drive is the series II Valvemaster that replaced the X100b in the early 90's. Look for the ones with the 2 controls on the back.

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Hot Rod mod was a factory 20 DB gain boost and turns those into metal monsters. On the X100B's Carvin was and is notorious for making unannounced design changes in their amps. All of them have great cleans and many have great high gain tones and many don't the right one however is pure magic! On the higher gain tones just about any X100B with the block not script letters ( Post 1988) is going to have a decent gain channel.
On the Steath vs X100B I have owned both and the right Hot Rod Mod version of a X100B is a monster and will bury that Lee Jackson designed Stealth in high gain tones!
Owned the HRD also and a good X100B is going to nuke the Fenders both in cleans and high gains + has a MUCH better build quality than the HRD ever though of having!
The old X100B's are one of the most underrated and best bang for the $ amps out there! The later EL 34 versions sound the best.

You are making me jones for that Carvin so badly, lol.

[GuitarStv]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Traynor all the way... My friend has the YCV80 2x12 combo and with pedals and it cranked with the expander switch on it sounds BIG and beefy.. Love it! and it is self biasing and Traynor stuff is built to last!

I like Traynors YCV stuff a lot, they're really decent, dependable amps. Takes pedals well, pretty useable/effective EQ to change the way the amp sounds, decent clean/gain channels. The one knock I have against them is that the spring reverb circuit that they use is pretty bland. It does the job, but isn't as deep/lush as I'd like to hear.

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Yeah the reverb is nothing to jump up and down about but if you just use a little for some space to your sound you will be fine. I actually like warmer reverbs that come on Mesas than the bright fender reverbs so I don't mind the Traynor YCV verb.

the 4x10 is a steal at that price just pay a bit if you want the reverb fixed from a shop, throw some new tubes in it and throw some pedals in front and you got beastly amp.

The way I see it the YCV series is like a better version of the Hot Rod Deville/Deluxe amps.

[Bludave]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Gorilla amps..... Awesome


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Already bought the (cheapest/best) amp for me out there



My killer little 15W Goldea Rex 3200 head + 2x10 cab.








With a pedal..




All totally dry (no Fx)/ mic'ed with a handheld recorder...


I just love the sound that comes out of this amp...greasy/wet, warm, fat, sweet shred/classic metal (right up to death metal) tones all day long.. \m/

[dominus]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

I'll just repeat myself.

You can get a Peavey 6505+ 1x12 combo in the $400 range used easily.