Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

[Pandemonium]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

I've got a '59 5E4 Fender that fits that description, clean or distorted. Only drawbacks are very little headroom and not enough punch to really slam you in the gut, but it's a great amp for what it does.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

a mesa blue angel. 6v6s and el84s...mmmmmm...makes its own gravy.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

I'd go for tweed, or at least pre-blackface fenders.

As far as overdrive goes, my vibrolux is fatter and smoother than my blue angel.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

I'd go for tweed, or at least pre-blackface fenders.

As far as overdrive goes, my vibrolux is fatter and smoother than my blue angel.

+1. My SF Vibrolux Reverb is the king of "fat" and "smooth". It's what got me into vintage Fenders in the first place. It won't do "distortion" per se, but it does overdrive very nicely.

 

[Faraday]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

THD Univalve with Telefunken preamp/driver tubes and Tung Sol 5881 power amp tubes. Sound is sort of like " I can't believe it's not butter!"

 

[Mincer]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

I'd go for tweed, or at least pre-blackface fenders.

As far as overdrive goes, my vibrolux is fatter and smoother than my blue angel.

really? which one do you have? i have the 1x12 BA- usually on the 6v6 only setting, with mids on 4, bass on 6, treble on 5..., and i put a TS7 tubescreamer in front with the hot switch on...its pretty thick with an APH2 and a CC...

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

I have the head, currently running into two 1x12s.

Don't get me wrong, I love my BA, but when I dime it, the 6v6 and el84 settings do start to show a bit of rattiness or lack of focus. I'm sure that's why Randall Smith did the 'progressive linkage' thing to allow each set of tubes make up for the weaknesses of the other when driven hard. Not that this is an issue for me, as I use mine for clean/low drive tones, at which it excels.

Compared, my vibrolux sounds beautifully fat and balanced when dimed.

As far as my rig goes:

clearest, sparkliest clean tone: BA on el84 setting.
Fattest clean tone: Vibrolux
Best low gain tone: BA on 6v6 setting.
Best mid gain tone: vibrolux.
Best reverb: BA.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

yikes, my BA sounds the best between 4-5, anywhere past that it sounds ratty as can be. Good thing on 5 it is really loud.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

Neither my fender nor the BA get much time above 10 o'clock on the master during gigs. Occasionally the vibro will get dimed, but not often.

When I resumed ownership of the BA, the first thing I did was set it up in my living room in stereo with the vibrolux and dime them both. Ungodly, but very physically fatiguing.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

another vote for the drz rt66

 

[aleclee]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

Fuchs needs a mention here.

+another 1

Two Rocks can do the smooth gain thing, too. This page has a guy playing Unchained on his Two Rock. :saeek:

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Creamiest, most buttery, smoothest amp

Fender 57 Twin-amp
Awesome amp along with its cousin the 59 Bassman combo.
And a few others springs to my mind