Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

[Gamera]

I'm currently using a Fender Stage 160 and a Boss ME-50 multi-effects unit. The 160 gives me nice cleans and the effects unit gives me dirt and effects. And lots of noise. Until now it's worked really well. But I've noticed that my tastes are changing and I really just want the simplicity of my AM DLX Fat Strat (2 stock SCN's & DH-1) into a fat, warm, growly amp.

My musical tastes currently range from Trower & Blackmore's overdriven Strat tones to Neil Young and Warren Haynes' chunky blues tones. Occassionally I'll also use a Dean V or modded Aria but the Strat is my #1. I'm confident in what it can do but realize my amp setup is keeping it from it's full tonal potential.

Can anyone recommend something along the lines of a 50 watt 2x12 combo or maybe a head? I mostly play alone in the basement (I can get fairly loud there) but sometimes play with another guitarist who uses a 100 watt Marshall Valvestate and 4x12 cab that I'd need to compete with. I can mic the amp through the PA if I need extra volume.

Anyone have any opinions? I'm particularly interested in folks with HSS setups and what they're using. Thanks!

[drpietrzak]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

How much do you want to spend?
Do you want channel switching?
Do you want new or used?

Many of the tones you describe are cranked Tweed Deluxe of cranked Plexi like tones. Maybe pushed with a pedal in sone cases. Clean is a volume roll off on the guitar or a lower setting on the amp. There is therefore a noticable change in volume, and neither have a lot of clean headroom.

Also tube watts are very different from solid state watts. A 15 to 30 watt tube amps will sty pretty well with a 100 solid state in my experince.

Single channel ...
Tweed Deluxe/Clone
Tweed Bassman/Clone
Marshall Plexi (or clone)
Marshall 18 Watt/Clone
Traynor Bass Master Head (or Bass Master II)
Low Power Tweed Twin/Clone

If a channel switcher ..

DSL
TSL
Riveria
Traynor (new)
El Diablo
Carvin

Another option, here ... but not as loud ...

Epi 5W HEad for dirt
Blues Jr with 12Au7 in V1 for clean
A/B box

[Gamera]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Thanks for the suggestions. Good stuff there. To answer some of your ?s:

I'm thinking around $1000. This is somewhat flexible.

Don't need channel switching as long as the primary channel is dirty. I wouldn't mind having to use an OD pedal as long as the amp is providing the primary color.

I want new. I won't eBay or purchase online. I'll be limited to whatever the local GC or a handful of other stores offer. Fender, Marshall, Vox, Peavey, and some of the other main brands can be found fairly easily. I've seen a few Mesa's and Oranges around too.

As for the 100 SS watts, are ValveStates really SS? If I'm going all tube what do you suppose the minimum would be to keep up? Thanks again!

[Gamera]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Bump.

Anyone else? Where are all you tube tone messiahs now? I'm thinkin' of converting. Help a brutha out?

[jdm61]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe? (is that the tweedy looking one?) is supposed to be nice and capable of getting quite loud. MF has them for $599. Leaves you a little cash in your budget for some pedals Hot rod Deville for $799 60w 4x10. Bassman RI is $1159. They also have the Traynor tube combos, of which I know nothing, priced in the same range as th Deville.

[drpietrzak]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Well if you want a dirty channel only that is harder to find in ways. Do you want preamp dirt of power amp dirt? Preamp dirt a channel switcher. New, think of probably small Marshal (401?), Blues Jr, can hang with a VS if you just need dirt. One of the new Fender Super Sonics or Genz Benz El Diablo are in that range. Power amp you will want a small amp as you will need to crank it to get what you want. A Tweed Deluxe and a pedal, Tweed Bassman and pedal, 18 Watt Marshall (will not be at GC though).

[Mephis]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Try out a peavey classic 50 2x12 like I have, in a guitar shop.

Max the post-gain, set the pre-gain to taste and leave the EQ pretty level. Then dial in the volume.

You can get really loud with these things.

[cream123]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

try a thd amp, you can get pretty much any sound you want just by switching tubes

[neosadist]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Since I own an ME-50, let me suggest some ideas:
1) You could go to a music store and play through some amps with the ME-50.
2) You could get a keyboard amp and run the ME-50 Line Out only (which actually sounds real good)
3) You could not use the ME-50 and run into a Fender Twin.

[GandLMan]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

Peavey Classic 50's are definitly very versatile and are a great choice of amp, I played them quite a bit and love those amps. The other bonus is that they wont break the bank on you and as another guy mentioned on here, you'll probably leave some room in the budget for getting some pedals, by adding something like a Fulltone Fulldrive or something of the like, all those midrangy Hayne's tones will be available to you, as well as dialing out the mids and getting more of a ol' school strat tone . . . .

Ty

[philthis]

Re: Recommend me an amp for my Fat Strat

rivera makes a good allaround amp as does boogie. However, you may want to make due with a great distortion amp to start and then get a clean amp and a/b swith between them. Its realy the best tone but alittle more bother.