Favorite Clean Amps

Re: Favorite Clean Amps

Red_Label said:
For my ultimate clean tone, I run my Bogner Shiva and Fender '65 Twin Reissue in stereo. Yummay! (But LOUD!)
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I know for sure that this is one of the greatest clean tones imaginable. Crystal clear EL-34 cleans mixed in stereo with Fender 6L6 cleans is a sound that's unreal.

I've had a lot of amps, from every variety of Fender to boutique Fender (Blues Pearl), 2 Matchless DC-30's, and a Matchless Chieftain. Surprisingly, the Peavey Classic 50 410 had an AMAZING clean sound, but I think my Matchless Chieftain 212 combo wins the prize. And that's the one I kept.

The depth of sound, ability to tailor the gain, lush reverb, Vox-type cabinetry, and glassy EL-34 sound make it hard to beat. It's huge sounding, in the same way a Hiwatt would be with Fender spring reverb and an open back combo cab. I was playing it tonight with handwound Hendrix type strat pickups, and it was glorious beyond words.
 
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Re: Favorite Clean Amps

my favorite clean tones EVAR came from reel big fish's live album "our live album is better than your live album." not the absolutely cleanest tone ever, but definitely my kinda clean. as far as i know, it's a les paul into a jcm 900. he's using a gordon smith in that video, but for most of the guitar they overdubbed with a gibson standard LP, which at the time they were putting burstbucker pros in.

ex:
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

the guy who invented fire said:
If I were you I'd be looking at something like used AC-15CC1 or a used Blues Jr...both of those are 15 watt, 1x12 combos...both will stay cleaner longer than the Blackstar and both will have more top end sparkle and clarity than the Blackstar.
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I'm really liking this suggestion overall and its probably the direction I personally am going to focus on...I need to get out and play both of these some more. My only issue though is that I really like having an effects loop...and it seems like none of the lower wattage Vox or Fenders have one. The AC30C2 has a loop and the Hot Rod Deluxe has a loop, but none of the lower powered amps.

Do you guys just plug delays and everything straight into the front of the amp? I understand that's not a big deal when just playing completely clean, but how well does that work if you crank the amp to get some dirt from it? I'd hate to get something like an AC15 and not be able to crank it and have delay.
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

Mine is a Mesa Blue Angel...you have your choice of 2x6v6s or 4xel84s, either separately or together. No master volume, 5 knobs. Made in the early 90s, and it is a wonderful clean amp (and slightly dirty if you crank it).
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

To me, a great clean tone has to have sparkle, but a smooth syruppy high end, not icepick-in-the-ear high end.
A lot of Fender amps have that.
Ones I own and can afford that I really like:
Genz Benz El Diablo 60. Now that I'm not gigging much, I use it more for clean tones in the home studio than for its distorted tones. It has the ability to dial in a real tight, sparkly clean, or a fatter warmer clean. Both are smooth and pleasant sounding.
Fender Super Sonic. Another amp I find I'm recording the clean channel more than the distortion channel. Both voicings of the clean channel are nice. The Vibrolux voicing is great for sparkly clean parts with tube smoothness.
My old Yamaha G100 solid state head. Quite similar to the Fender clean sound actually. No harshness or shrillness.
I think the best clean tone is my Hafler Triple Giant's clean channel. Sparkly, yet smooth and silky.
A clean channel that I found I don't like that much is the Peavey 6505+'s. I just got mine a month or two ago. I'm sure I'd read somewhere that they'd improved the clean channel over the original 6505/5150, but the + sounds thin and plinkety.
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

I'm not going to read everyones' posts but am going to post instantly Silver face Fender Twin for great cleans.

My '65 Princeton comes in a close 2nd.

Verellen amps have some really beautiful cleans too although they are better known for their great gain tones.
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

Kosh Naranek said:
A clean channel that I found I don't like that much is the Peavey 6505+'s. I just got mine a month or two ago. I'm sure I'd read somewhere that they'd improved the clean channel over the original 6505/5150, but the + sounds thin and plinkety.
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those ya gotta turn up and when you do the green channel with crunch on/off is just big and gorgeous -- and then you find the "great" sound you had on the red channel sounds thin and plinkety by comparison, so you turn that one up to get the same fat content -- and at that point yer as loud as an airport.

that's only one reason I opted to try an inexpensive ZT Lunchbox, and soon a 2nd one for stereo, as a clean platform to get my 6505+ sounds without having to be as loud as a 747.

I set the ZT clean, but close enough to the edge that I can get a lot of breakup by playing hard. Add pedals and/or cabs to taste.
 
Re: Favorite Clean Amps

While I have several Fender amps (Blackface and Silver), but my favorite "SUPER" clean amp is Holland 'Little Jimi", which was custom made using two GEC KT-66 tubes and two 12" Weber speakers, (1-Blue Bell and 1-Silver Dog), on top of a Sound Enchancer 'folder horn'.
 
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Re: Favorite Clean Amps

greatbob6 said:
I'm really liking this suggestion overall and its probably the direction I personally am going to focus on...I need to get out and play both of these some more. My only issue though is that I really like having an effects loop...and it seems like none of the lower wattage Vox or Fenders have one. The AC30C2 has a loop and the Hot Rod Deluxe has a loop, but none of the lower powered amps.

Do you guys just plug delays and everything straight into the front of the amp? I understand that's not a big deal when just playing completely clean, but how well does that work if you crank the amp to get some dirt from it? I'd hate to get something like an AC15 and not be able to crank it and have delay.
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Guitar players did fine with amps and amps w/o loops for several decades and many still do fine today.

I own several amps right now and not a one of them has a loop.
 
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