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  • Difficulty deciding on new amp

    I'm currently rocking a TSL601. Have been for almost a decade (if not possibly more). It's seen bar gigs, church gigs, huge hall worship gigs. I've always been playing through humbuckers. Really like the sound. But I've been wondering, maybe there's more? (who am I kidding, of course there's more) And I've come to the conclusion that maybe it's time to change amp and try something different (I'm also planning on selling/trading a humbucking Epiphone LP for a strat/tele/superstrat sometime in the future as well but I figured an amp change would produce more tonal change [?].).

    My LGS doesn't exactly stock tube amps. They do have a Fender HRIII and a bunch of valvetronix-like stuff. nearest place where I can access a larger variety is almost 200km away.

    I've been looking into a whole variety of options with the forerunners being
    AC30
    AC15
    Blues Junior
    Egnator Tweaker head + cab (or Rebel 20/30?)

    Fender Twin is over my price limit. Even used they are quite expensive here.

    Volume is not a problem. Weight of amp (at the moment) is not a concern. The above amps can be found used or new, just not locally. I have a few pedals (mad professor SHOD, cmat compressor, zvex ff clone, SD overdrive) so the majority of my dirty sounds come from them.

    I would greatly appreciate your general thought and input and suggestions.

    (or maybe I'm going about this the wrong way and change of guitar is the way to go??)
    "The amp has been making a lot of noise and acting funky, perhaps it may be aware of the amount of rock it's about to be punished with" ~GearMannDude
    "30 days of dating doesn't seem like cheating. It seems like legitimate playing the field, and you happened to catch a pop fly..." ~Aceman
    "If all else fails, wank, fall asleep, come back to it the next day." ~GuitarStv
    "The crowd has no perception of tone...only timing and flow." ~Glassman

  • #2
    Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

    What are you looking to improve on from your current amp?

    Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

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    • #3
      Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

      Amps are a very subjective thing so what works for me may not for you.
      If limited to 1 amplifier that sounds fabulous for what I play and can cover pretty much everything I like I'd have to go with Traynor. Either their 15 or 30 watt combo depending on the volume I'm needing.
      Hth

      Sent from my SM-J320W8 using Tapatalk

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      • #4
        Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

        AC's are clean sound amps really, I don't think they're that versatile otherwise either. Simple and what they do is great sound, but louder the better they sound.

        Rebel 20/30 are pretty much polar opposite of that. They do sound really good even with low volumes, and are really versatile. But also complex and take time and thought to dial in. They also shine for overdrive/distortion on their own, and work with pedals too. Like AC's, they do have their own specific sound.
        "So understand/Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years/Face up, make your stand/And realize you're living in the golden years"
        Iron Maiden - Wasted Years

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

          Can you get a Princeton or deluxe reverb? They are great pedal platforms and have better sound to me than the blues Jr, hot rods, egnaters....

          I had a tweaker and it had like a basket of ok sounds to choose from

          But the Princeton reverb I have now was much much more the sound I thought of when I wanted to have a fender clean with a little dirt, that I can add pedals too or just rock out on plugged straight in. Worth two egnater tweakers to me, to have that distinctly fender sound out of the box right away.... The hot rods only kinda do it for me and I would take one of those if you can't get a deluxe reverb or Princeton. 6v6s just sound right to me for medium volume, which hopefully you can mic if for some reason you are playing huge places or need a heavy bass response from your amp... In which case defs get the hot rod deluxe it has that snap preserved in the low strings to much higher volumes than the others

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          • #6
            Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

            I think the clearer you can be with your goals (not just looking for 'better'), the more satisfied you will be with what you buy. So it is worth it to make a list of what you want to change about your rig. If you just want to explore what is out there, certainly, you can do that, but that way is full of dead ends and a lot of $$ spent.
            Administrator of the SDUGF

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            • #7
              Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

              Originally posted by Mincer View Post
              If you just want to explore what is out there, certainly, you can do that, but that way is full of dead ends and a lot of $$ spent.
              As guitar players, that's what we do!

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              • #8
                Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                Originally posted by devastone View Post
                As guitar players, that's what we do!
                I have to constantly avoid going down that hole...and remember what I am creating with it is the more important thing.
                Administrator of the SDUGF

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                • #9
                  Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                  60 watts of Marshall footswichable goodness seems a fine bit of kit for a weekend warrior. If you're looking for more sonic territory and have always been a humbucker man I'd be looking towards something in the Bolt Neck / Single Coil area. Keep scale length in mind too. 25.5" scale is a different animal than 24.75.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                    Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                    I have to constantly avoid going down that hole...and remember what I am creating with it is the more important thing.
                    You sir are an outlier on geetar interweb forums!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                      Originally posted by devastone View Post
                      You sir are an outlier on geetar interweb forums!
                      Indeed, I realize this! My idea is to generally write music or search for a specific sound, then look for the right gear to make it happen, as opposed to the other way around.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

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                      • #12
                        Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                        Originally posted by FuseG4 View Post
                        Can you get a Princeton or deluxe reverb? They are great pedal platforms and have better sound to me than the blues Jr, hot rods, egnaters....

                        I had a tweaker and it had like a basket of ok sounds to choose from

                        But the Princeton reverb I have now was much much more the sound I thought of when I wanted to have a fender clean with a little dirt, that I can add pedals too or just rock out on plugged straight in. Worth two egnater tweakers to me, to have that distinctly fender sound out of the box right away.... The hot rods only kinda do it for me and I would take one of those if you can't get a deluxe reverb or Princeton. 6v6s just sound right to me for medium volume, which hopefully you can mic if for some reason you are playing huge places or need a heavy bass response from your amp... In which case defs get the hot rod deluxe it has that snap preserved in the low strings to much higher volumes than the others
                        Yep. If you want Fender sound, buy Fender.
                        "So understand/Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years/Face up, make your stand/And realize you're living in the golden years"
                        Iron Maiden - Wasted Years

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                          Originally posted by bigcupholder View Post
                          What are you looking to improve on from your current amp?

                          Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk
                          I think I'm leaning towards a cleaner clean sound, hence the general shyness away from the Marshall.

                          Now, many years later with 4 kids, a house, and fairly busy job, I am a weekend-warrior now...but I will still wage that battle even if at home!

                          I may be able to acquire a Princeton oraz Deluxe Reverb, they have popped up occasionally on our ebay.
                          "The amp has been making a lot of noise and acting funky, perhaps it may be aware of the amount of rock it's about to be punished with" ~GearMannDude
                          "30 days of dating doesn't seem like cheating. It seems like legitimate playing the field, and you happened to catch a pop fly..." ~Aceman
                          "If all else fails, wank, fall asleep, come back to it the next day." ~GuitarStv
                          "The crowd has no perception of tone...only timing and flow." ~Glassman

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Difficulty deciding on new amp

                            I think they are worth it, coming from having a DSL50 and an orange or15 I went with a deluxe reverb style amp and a few pedals and I feel like I sacrifice a little on the dirt side, pedals into clean amp is usually good to great but can FEEL a little wrong compared to a nice gainy amp. But the clean tones with really good reverb are always right there. They are addicting and I play cleaner than I ever used to now because I'm pleased with the sound.
                            If you can get something fender without getting rid of the tsl, that's what I would strive for.
                            You need both. Tsl like buzzy to me compared to DSL but still... I sometimes miss el34 crunch and power. You could have a great two-amp setup.

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