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Hey all. Okay, so I'm going through this phase right now where I'm really "thinning out the herd", and ditching my current amp was one of my "to do" things. Just sold on Ebay and shipping it out tomorrow, I was playing a Carvin MTS 3212 tube combo. Really, a very excellent tube amp for the money....where else you gonna find 100 watts, 2 Celestion speakers, the ability to run EL34, 6L6, or 5881 (I ran Svetlana EL34's)power tubes for $700??? One of the best deals out there as far as amps go.
My deal was that I felt it was a very good, but very average tone. I mean, it's really not much different from the tone that I got from my Marshall TSL 122 combo at all. I'm looking for a tone that's unique, special, and.....MINE!
First things first, my musical playing styles run the gammett of blues, classic & modern rock, country, and I'm now starting to play with jazz a bit. I've used EL34, 6L6, 5881, and EL84 power tube amps, and have come to the decision that I really like an EL84 powered amplifier, with the EL34 not far behind. I really like a bright, full-bodied tone clean channel, and with the tap of a footswitch, I like to have a very toneful and tasty distortion....something that would be right at home playing classic and modern rock lead guitar.
I've owned at one time or another Marshall, Genz-Benz, Carvin, Crate, Peavey Classic 50, and Gibson Super Goldtone tube amps. The one that really came close to the tone I was looking for was the Gibson Super Goldtone 30RV...great amp. But, for some reason, there was just something that I wasn't getting from it. Could it be that a Fender Twin with say a Tonebone distortion pedal is what I've been looking for all this time?? I don't know...I've always shyed away from Fender amps due their use of 6L6 tubes. Don't get me wrong.....fantastic clean tone, but just not what I was looking for as far as a distorted tone. And all the while, I'm shooting for a very simple rig, so I don't want to add more pedals than I absolutely need. Besides, I've always liked the idea of using what the amp already has as far as clean and lead channels.
Okay, now for what's caught my eye. The Vox AC30 Custom Classic has really got me looking hard. I don't have access to any Vox amps where I live (northwest North Dakota!!), so I' m not sure if it's what I want. Of course, brands like Bad Cat, Bogner, VHT, Top Hat, and Cornford have all caught my eye, but they're a bit more money than I want to spend right now. I also hear that the Mesa Lonestar is an amazing amp, but there again, I don't have access to try any out here. A last resort that I've considered is buying a GDS amplifier kit, which may not be a bad way to go.
So, that brings me to this post tonight. I welcome any and all suggestions and/or opinions of certain amps that may be worthwhile for me to check out and consider. This is just getting to me.....I've been a player for 14 years now, and I'm still on the quest for "my tone".....it never ends, does it?!?
Thanks in advance to any and all suggestions!
My deal was that I felt it was a very good, but very average tone. I mean, it's really not much different from the tone that I got from my Marshall TSL 122 combo at all. I'm looking for a tone that's unique, special, and.....MINE!
First things first, my musical playing styles run the gammett of blues, classic & modern rock, country, and I'm now starting to play with jazz a bit. I've used EL34, 6L6, 5881, and EL84 power tube amps, and have come to the decision that I really like an EL84 powered amplifier, with the EL34 not far behind. I really like a bright, full-bodied tone clean channel, and with the tap of a footswitch, I like to have a very toneful and tasty distortion....something that would be right at home playing classic and modern rock lead guitar.
I've owned at one time or another Marshall, Genz-Benz, Carvin, Crate, Peavey Classic 50, and Gibson Super Goldtone tube amps. The one that really came close to the tone I was looking for was the Gibson Super Goldtone 30RV...great amp. But, for some reason, there was just something that I wasn't getting from it. Could it be that a Fender Twin with say a Tonebone distortion pedal is what I've been looking for all this time?? I don't know...I've always shyed away from Fender amps due their use of 6L6 tubes. Don't get me wrong.....fantastic clean tone, but just not what I was looking for as far as a distorted tone. And all the while, I'm shooting for a very simple rig, so I don't want to add more pedals than I absolutely need. Besides, I've always liked the idea of using what the amp already has as far as clean and lead channels.
Okay, now for what's caught my eye. The Vox AC30 Custom Classic has really got me looking hard. I don't have access to any Vox amps where I live (northwest North Dakota!!), so I' m not sure if it's what I want. Of course, brands like Bad Cat, Bogner, VHT, Top Hat, and Cornford have all caught my eye, but they're a bit more money than I want to spend right now. I also hear that the Mesa Lonestar is an amazing amp, but there again, I don't have access to try any out here. A last resort that I've considered is buying a GDS amplifier kit, which may not be a bad way to go.
So, that brings me to this post tonight. I welcome any and all suggestions and/or opinions of certain amps that may be worthwhile for me to check out and consider. This is just getting to me.....I've been a player for 14 years now, and I'm still on the quest for "my tone".....it never ends, does it?!?
Thanks in advance to any and all suggestions!
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