Amp for Country Blues on electric

A

amosrides

New member
Hello all, I have some Antiquitiy humbuckers on the way for my Ibanez AK85 (hollowbody), I wanted it to sound as old as it looks! I am on the hunt for an amp that has a good tone for my blues/folk style (think country blues on electric). I play mostly country blues style picking, but also do a bit of strumming and of course more standard clean blues. I'd like not use any pedals with it, so a good range from clean to a bit of grit is what I'm after.

I've been checking out the Blues Jr. and Vox AC15. Since I don't have close access to try them out, reviews and youtube are all I have, and I have been unable to find much related to my style. I'd like to keep it under $400 (I'm looking at used). I love the Goodsell Super 17 MkIII, but it's way out of my range.


Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
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Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

Vibrolux Reverb...an old one not a new one. Maybe a Pro or Twin if you want ultimate headroom. A Vibrolux just screams blues and country twang though. It isnt as huge as a twin or pro to boot.

PS... Welcome to the SD community!!

:beerchug:
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

amosrides said:
I've been checking out the Blues Jr. and Vox AC15.
Click to expand...

both of those would be great for what you want

if you need something with more power, depending on the size of your gigs, then I'd also look at a used Blues Deluxe or Hot Rod Deluxe ... with the footswitch, you'd have the choice between clean & overdrive tones.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

I can't disagree with anything suggested so far, unfortunately there are still over my price range unfortunately. That' why, for all those posting Fender's, I was thinking the Blues Jr. It's in my range and has some tone control, the Pro Jr. lacks that same control. I guess I could get a nice OD pedal but by then I'd be in the price range of some nicer amps.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

That 40 Watt Traynor would do it pretty well, I'd bet. Pretty cheap too, especially used.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

Those Traynors are pretty sweet looking amps, great specs too! Mixed reviews but overall good, I like sound samples I hear. They are actually $100 more than vox or bj, but go for less used, saw one for $250. Thanks guys, I might be leaning that way, hope I can find one to try.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

Do you need the amp to be both loud AND clean, at the same time? I've had the Blues Jr. hang with a drummer in a smallish space, but never without pushing it well into overdrive. I've never played the 20w Taynor at all, and never the AC15 with a band, so I don't know about their tendencies at stage volume.


amosrides said:
let me clarify, I saw the 20 for $250
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Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

First of all, what is country blues? ..Anyhow, ;
Dont buy any cheap PCB with the tubes sockets attached to the circuitboards. One shorted tube and not only do you replace a screen grid resistor and everything else down the line like any ptehr amp, but , Pfffffffft- your trying to get someone to rig a new trace around a big lack hole in your circuitboard.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

I don't need it cranked clean, playing with drums is rare and when it happens not heavy.

I labled it country blues for lack of a better term that I know of. The style is something like acoustic slow blues on electric, folk rock/bluesy; Chris Thomas King (his acoustic stuff) on one end, and The Wood Brothers on the other end, though I've not done much with a slide yet.


http://www.myspace.com/thewoodbrothers
listen to 'pray enough'

http://www.myspace.com/theofficialchristhomasking
for lack of something better I could find online, listen to 'red mud', except of coure I'm on a hollowbody and without all the sliding (which is pretty much everythign), but you get the idea of the sound. Old time blues.
 
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Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

MetalManiac said:
First of all, what is country blues? ..Anyhow, ;
Dont buy any cheap PCB with the tubes sockets attached to the circuitboards. One shorted tube and not only do you replace a screen grid resistor and everything else down the line like any ptehr amp, but , Pfffffffft- your trying to get someone to rig a new trace around a big lack hole in your circuitboard.
Click to expand...



Not related to the op at all, but I have to say: that's been scaring me for some time about a couple of my amps...
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

amosrides said:
Those Traynors are pretty sweet looking amps, great specs too! Mixed reviews but overall good, I like sound samples I hear. They are actually $100 more than vox or bj, but go for less used, saw one for $250. Thanks guys, I might be leaning that way, hope I can find one to try.
Click to expand...


I've had three Traynor tube amps in the past 4 years and gigged the crap out of them. Still have two of them and only sold the third because I bought it as a spare.

Anyways... the "twins" are/were heads, and the other is the Custom Blue 50 1X12 combo. It's basically an EL34 verson of the 40 watt version (6L6). I've tried the 6L6 40 watter and it's a great amp as well. The only reason that I didn't buy it is that I like EL34 (Marshall) tones and the 50 had more of that. Whereas the 40 watt version is more Fender. I've heard great things about the 20 watter as well... and have considered buying it.

These things have awesome warranties and are built well. I don't think that you can buy a better amp for the money than Traynors. My "baby" is my Bogner Shiva head, but I like my Traynor YCS100H head nearly as much... even more on some days.
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

Now that I'm looking at the traynor 40 vs 20, it looks like the 20 has a master volume while the 40 does not. Seems to me this would make the 20 more suitable for home use, which is where I play most of the time. What do you think?
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

NVM. Looks like neither has a master, still 20 (actually 15W) then would be more suited for home use, right?
 
Re: Amp for Country Blues on electric

amosrides said:
NVM. Looks like neither has a master, still 20 (actually 15W) then would be more suited for home use, right?
Click to expand...


Depending on your gig, 15-20 tube watts is PLENTY loud. Considering the style(s) you play, that 15 watter would be fine. Having said that, I usually choose to err on the side of bigger because you can always turn too-much amp down to suit a smaller venue, but you can only turn a small amp up so much. So considering that you're looking for a gigging amp to do country, I'd go with the 40 watt version. I've played rock and country in clubs, street dances, etc for the last 24 years. And for me, clean headroom was king for that. I wasn't mic'd for many of those gigs so I relied on horsepower to get my sound out there. But if you prefer that pushed-hard amp compression with a slight breakup, then the 15 watter would probably be more suited to your needs.
 
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