Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

[NjuiMusic]

I know MOST of it is in the hands, key word, "most" I am looking for the rest of the syrium if you may.

I am looking for tones along the lines of Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy and so on so forth.

I am usually using Marshalls, I have a 1959SLP which does get me the tone BUT is HILARIOUSLY loud.

anything in smaller packages? lol I was thinking Vox AC10 or a Fender Blues Junior? budget is in around the amps I listed.

 

[NjuiMusic]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Yes, I am also considering an attenuator, I don't need a fully cranked plexi for the tone so it SHOULD be possible but who doesn't want more amps? lol

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

The Ibanez TSA 15 is great for bluesy stuff (even at low volumes) & they're cheap..

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Mesa Mark V...seriously. The TWEED mode of Channel One, 10-watts, tube rectifier, VARIAC POWER. Seriously killer little-Fender-tweed-amp tone and feel. With a ratty old Jensen, it'd be right there. Very responsive to touch and dynamics.

I know it's not in your price range, but this amp has so much to offer, and this one of my favorite settings.

If you're a die-hard Marshall guy, you definitely need to check out one of the 18-watt versions--kit, clone or Marshall-branded. Killer amps, and loud enough to gig with.

Bill

 

[RealtyViking]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

You should see if you can find a Fender Deluxe Reverb II from the early to mid eighties.

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

The new Supros are badass blues machines.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

A good Fender tweed clone is my choice. For me, it's all about the power stage. My money went on a Cornell Romany Plus. These are expensive in the UK so they are probably going to be insanely pricey in the U.S.

Marshall did produce a Malmsteen signature Plexi style head. This had an attenuator built in. If an artiste as fussy as Yngwie is happy to use that gear, it probably delivers.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Mesa Mark V...seriously. The TWEED mode of Channel One, 10-watts, tube rectifier, VARIAC POWER. Seriously killer little-Fender-tweed-amp tone and feel. With a ratty old Jensen, it'd be right there. Very responsive to touch and dynamics.

I know it's not in your price range, but this amp has so much to offer, and this one of my favorite settings.

If you're a die-hard Marshall guy, you definitely need to check out one of the 18-watt versions--kit, clone or Marshall-branded. Killer amps, and loud enough to gig with.

Bill

Agreed. May be a while but an 18 watt (TMB) is probably my next build.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

A good Fender tweed clone is my choice. For me, it's all about the power stage.

+1 for the Tweeds. Raw, old style blues is mostly Tweed based. The Bluesbreaker JTM45 is a derivative of the Tweed 4x10 bassman. A bassman or a bluesbreaker still might be too loud for your situation though. But a Tweed type circuit, with 5881 or 6V6 power tubes, and a tube rectifier, is the best approach to take.

The 18 watt Marshall is another good alternative. It uses EL84s but that could be good for getting the power tubes involved at a more reasonable volume.

https://marshallamps.com/products/amplifiers/handwired-series/1974x/

There are lots of clones of these and lots of Tweed clones over a wide price range.

Also don't over look the speaker(s). A bluesy sounding speaker with a bit of breakup is essential. Clapton uses Tone Tubby alnico magnet speakers in his Tweed Twins, but you would want to keep the efficiency low to control the volume better. The Heritage Greenback is great for this and it has tone.

On edit: That would the G12M20 Heritage of course.

 

[NjuiMusic]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Ok so my best bet is either a fender tweed style or the 18 watt Marshall amp.

Any reason not for the Vox AC10? Cause it seems like a potential candidate for the tones same with the blues junior, but I could be wrong.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

I have no experience with the AC10, but the Blues Jr can certainly do old style blues. It's just that an old style Tweed or Marshall 18 can do it better. I think we give ideal solutions type answers on forums sometimes instead of just recommending what would work good enough.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Do yourself a favor and pick up an old Ampeg Diamond Blue Jet II. 15W 1x12 (advertised as class A, but they are not). Small, light, sounds great, looks great, incredibly cheap used: $200–$300. You can't buy a better plug-n-play blues tone for that amount of money.

Be aware that there are two versions. The J-12T has tremolo, and only a single tone knob. The J-12 has no tremolo, so there was room on the panel for Ampeg to use bass, mid, and treble tone knobs. The tremolo effect itself is outstanding, but if you don't really have much use for it, get the one with the better tone controls.

 

[Securb]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

I would suggest playing something from the new Fender Bassbreaker line.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

First choice would be the Fender Deluxe Reverb. Second would be a Fender Blues Deluxe or Blues Jr...with the Jr. being a very great option for the lower wattage (absolutely love mine!)

The Bassbreaker is an awesome suggestion too–really had a blast with the one I played...not as crystal clean as the Deluxe or Blues Jr to my ears BUT definitely worth a look!

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

The anniversary 1watt marshall heads might be a great solution for you. I have two of them and they are both extremely usable and tasty.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

get a mid powered tweed amp or a brown deluxe. i love the tweed deluxe but its pretty mushy so might not have enough headroom with humbuckers depending on how loud you need to be and what speaker is in the amp. i use a g12h-30 in my tweed deluxe clone and it does the blues thing really well but im usually using single coils. a tweed bandmaster or super will have more headroom but speakers will determine how loud it is. a brown deluxe is the closest fender to a little marshall ive found.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Blackface Bassman. Most underrated and undervalued amp on the planet( Earth).Anyone notice thes things are getting harder to find at the bargian prices?

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Do yourself a favor and pick up an old Ampeg Diamond Blue Jet II. 15W 1x12 (advertised as class A, but they are not). Small, light, sounds great, looks great, incredibly cheap used: $200–$300. You can't buy a better plug-n-play blues tone for that amount of money.

Be aware that there are two versions. The J-12T has tremolo, and only a single tone knob. The J-12 has no tremolo, so there was room on the panel for Ampeg to use bass, mid, and treble tone knobs. The tremolo effect itself is outstanding, but if you don't really have much use for it, get the one with the better tone controls.

Those things are hard to restore.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Those things are hard to restore.

No, they aren't. They're only about 22 years old at most, so they usually don't need **** in the way of restoration. Another thing is that nobody's going to bother to "restore" a non-"vintage," non-collectible amp. At most, they'd bother to do functional repairs. The Diamond Blues are pretty solid, but if they do happen to need a thing or three, the parts are easy to find, mostly generic stuff. You can still get corners, handles, and even grill cloth and vinyl, I believe.

Many of the amps suggested sound great, but are too loud when breaking up and/or too expensive to meet the OP's criteria. He wants an amp in the $200-$300 range, and that breaks up at a much more reasonable volume than his Marshall.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Amp that can do all the older blues tones?

Are you looking to gig with this thing, or record?

http://haydenamps.com/products/1/Amps/2/MoFo/90/Lil-MoFo-2/

I've got the 1w combo version of this thing as my "everybody else is asleep" amp, running through a 12" cab. Sounds great, does great "slight bit of grit when you dig in" all the way up to "I wanna do some Cream" sear. Very responsive. The combo adds a very nice digital reverb. It also takes pedals well.