Building my amp.. but which one ?!!!

[Thames]

Hi dudes!

I'm planning on build my first amp this summer. But... I dont know which one... there's so much great amps to replicate... I'm leaning towards :

- '59 Bassman
- Plexi 50
- Deluxe Reverb

What do you think ? I'm a bit into EFX and will always keep some handy, like a Fuzz, a Drive, and surely an echo and reverb. What about a reverb unit in front of a straight-forward non-MV, no FX-loop amp ??

FYI, I'm into Floyd at the moment (and the Laney is OK for that). But I'm more into Zep, Gov't Mule, Rush, Cream, early Genesis, Jethro, ZZTop, etc. Whaddayathink ?

[Rich_T]

Re: Building my amp.. but which one ?!!!

you're a braver man than me! but i reckon you should go for the 50 plexi. thats my kinda amp.

[Curly]

Re: Building my amp.. but which one ?!!!

well, I like the tweed Deluxe (5E3) I got from Lew's brother Bruce at Mission Amps . Bruce has a good track record, and a good reputation for his support, including the 5E3 Forum

the 5E3 is a good size, good sounding amp for a first build, although you should be aware that it is a crunchy amp, since I see many comments from those who think it doesn't have enough clean headroom - that's just not what that amp is all about! (ask Neil Young )

Bruce is also working on kits for the tweed Super, Pro, and Bandmaster - the same circuit with different speaker configurations. this amp is rated about 35 watts, so fine for gigging.

as far as Marshall type amps, you'll find info on the Ax84 project, and the 18watt forum.

[Indie P Bass]

Re: Building my amp.. but which one ?!!!

I agree with Kyuss, go with the Plexi, no one goes wrong with a marshall

[Scott_F]

Re: Building my amp.. but which one ?!!!

5e3 is cool. Not for everyone, but really cool. If you want to know what a melting-down 5e3 sounds like, listen to a bunch of Neil Young.

But if that's not your tone, build something else. Not all kits are created equal. The two kit guys that get the most positive reviews are Bruce at Mission for his Fender tweed stuff and GDS Amplification for his 18 watt Marshall kits.

Starting with something manageable (i.e. simple) is a good idea, me thinks.