Re: 100W Non-Master Amplifiers Scare Me...
I'll take Olin's word for it that attenuators are pretty good these days. I think with the band I play with now, my Simul-Class Mesas are pretty good choices. With the power options I have on the Mark IV, and the other amps (DC3 and Maverick), I haven't felt the need to investigate a power attenuator. I'm sure the new ones are better than the Power Brake and Scholtz' original Power Soak. Andy Marshall at THD is a real bright guy, and I'm sure one of his Hot Plates would do the trick, if I felt the need.
And while NMV amps do take pedals very well, to my ear there are very few pedals that really sound like an amp played at the level of natural distortion. I used to have a little Fender 18-watt Super Champ, and I could take that to practice and turn it on 10. That is a really seductive tone, FEELING how hard the tubes are working--and a big amp has to be loud as hell to get that feel. And that was fine for many of the songs I did with that old band--but if I needed some clean headroom--it just wasn't there. Same with my vintage 1965 Deluxe Reverb; it was a great amp for blues and stuff, but for the things we were doing, in those big rooms it just wasn't enough. And yet, at a lot of the blues jams I go to these days, a Deluxe is almost overkill.
What amazes me is that some companies, Peavey for example, have introduced several new high-power amps (XXX, JSX, Penta, Valve King, and the re-named 5150/6505) when trends are clearly going towards smaller amps. Mesa introduced the 5-15-30 watt LoneStar Special, and followed that with the powerful Stiletto. Apparently, the big amps are still big sellers.
As I wrote before, I think the trick is developing an amp STABLE--a collection of amps for various applications and venues. Hey, most of us have figured out that one guitar just ain't gonna cut it in today's world--especially for those of us who do multiple groups and multiple genres. Most of the time, I take as many as five guitars (and my 5-strig banjo!) on gigs with my current band. (And some nights NONE of them are the right one! LOL!)
Bottom line, a small amp is a different animal than a big amp--at least to my ears. Certainly at "sane" gig levels, there's a real difference in "feel", if nothing else. But the smart guy is going to take the amp that matches up to his technique, the band's style, and the size of the venue.
I think for me personally, if I were to move away from the Mesa gear--I'd be looking at Fender's new low-power Tweed Twin Reissue, a Vibrolux or Pro Reverb, a BF Tremolux and 210 cab, a '59 Bassman Reissue (or clone), or possibly even a Vibro King. All good, medium power amps (though none of these have the flexibility of my Mark IIIs or Mark IV). I think a very cool rig would be something on the order of an A/B box rig with a Super Champ (2x6V6) or Mesa F-30 (2xEL84) for lead tones; and higher powered 40-60 watt amp like a Vibro-King or Vibrolux for cleaner tones. (I'll pass on the Bogners and the Soldanos, having experienced some critical failures of these amps at THE WORST possible moments. Never again.)
I've definitely tried to go for a more compact, yet still powerful, rig. Smaller is better, especially when I have to lift it! Rising gas prices keep me awake at night, tring to figure out how to reduce the weight of my gear. And I do think most guys would be better off investing that "Two Grand For A New Amp" into building a better PA, lights, promo, LESSONS--than for a guitar amp.
Still, in the right situation, I can dream of using an old JTM 45 head into a mess of Greenbacks (Roadie! Roadie!); but like the one poster said, it may just be a case of pure, unadulterated GAS to want something so damn impractical!
Bill
