Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

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pureoldsound

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Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Hey everyone I am looking for a second amp to complement my Plexi clone….For me the best tone ever comes from a plexi. So tone wise I am satisfied with the tone I get from my plexi, Cab and speakers. I need another amp that can have good cleans and good OD….but most important that be in the same territory as the plexi with regards as vintage sounding….Can be a single channel………

I am considering these amps:

Valvetech Hayseed 30 (if anyone have clips please let me know) How is the gain structure on this amp?

Constellation 30 (I’ve heard clips and they sound great, just don’t know how well they clean up) I read that most people change tubes for NOS is this necessary?

Fuchs OD 50

Marshall JTM 45 (but I don’t know if this will be more of the plexi sound?) How good is the clean tone?

I need the expertise of some that used any of the amps listed…..How vintage sounding can they get….I thought an amp with a tube rectifier that adds a bit of sag will complement the plexi tightness, any thoughts?

Thanks
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I prefer the 6L6 clean tones over the EL84 clean tones. So, i'd knock a few of your choices off my personal list.

If you are considering a fuchs, check out the two rocks. I think the Two Rock custom reverb has the finest clean tones I've ever heard in an amp. (and I've played through a TON of boutique stuff in the last year during my search). The Fuchs is right up there as well.

Don't let the solid state rectifier in teh Two Rock fool you. This amp sags wiith the best of them. I'm not sure how they pulled that off, but they did. I really love mine.

I saw one go used for 2400 the other day. You can get them for 2800 new if you search. But that's a lot of jack.

On the other end of the spectrum, (pricewise), a good solid clean amp is the Fender Hot Rod series. Wonderful cleans at a bargain basement price.
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Thanks for your reply Scott. About the EL84s I see your point EL84s can sound a bit dark compared to 6L6s. Two Rocks are great amps no questions and now that you mentioned the custom reverb that is one that I had in mind. Fuchs make great amps the only concern I have is the over powering low mids. Although I think they corrected this with the SLX model, now is more open sounding. I used to have 2 hot rod devilles and one deluxe. The clean side was good can’t say the best but for the money it was worth it. I did end up returning them though and moved to Rivera’s.

What about the JTM 45?

I not only want the amp to have a good clean but that can also have a good OD….The Two Rock custom sounds like an option although is that voiced for modern tones or vintage?
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I'm going to go with an amp NOT on your list. The Dr. Z Delta 88 if you want something plexi-ish. It is a handwired boutique amp but doesn't have the price of the Fuchs. I would really recommend you look over the entire Z line. Alot of his designs are Vox-y and Vox meets Marshall. The break on these amps is great, and the clean is lush and warm.

I can get my Maz jr into some plexi territory, Vox territory, as well as modern sounds. Z's amps are amps thathad never existed before but really should have.

Luke
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I've been looking at alot of high end amps (and some not-so-high end :) ) lately myself. From what I've played, I really really like the Fuchs ODS 100 for clean AND gain.

I played it through an old 4x10" Marshall cab with Celestion 10's and it sounded great everywhere on the dial.

Another amp I really liked the voicing on was the Mesa/Boogie Maverick 2x12. Great cleans that have all the bounce and sparkle I need and killer OD on top of that. The only thing that I have issues with is that the Maverick is only 35watts Class A.

The only solution I see to that is to get two. ;)

Also, I ran across a 59 Bassman RI with the Alnico speakers that I really liked. No frills, just tone to the bone. At 45 watts, it won't be the cleanest amp out there, but it does have a ton of character. Besides, the Tweed Bassman design is what the Plexi's are based on. It might be worth a look. :burnout:
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Luke Duke said:
I'm going to go with an amp NOT on your list. The Dr. Z Delta 88 if you want something plexi-ish. It is a handwired boutique amp but doesn't have the price of the Fuchs. I would really recommend you look over the entire Z line. Alot of his designs are Vox-y and Vox meets Marshall. The break on these amps is great, and the clean is lush and warm.

I can get my Maz jr into some plexi territory, Vox territory, as well as modern sounds. Z's amps are amps thathad never existed before but really should have.

Luke
Click to expand...

Hey Luke, I might look into that. I've read about Dr.z heard couple of clips but never paid too much attention. Now I will get into them and see, good suggestion though, forgot about mentioning Dr.Z....Do you have a cab or combo? What speaker do you use in yours?
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Benjy_26 said:
I've been looking at alot of high end amps (and some not-so-high end :) ) lately myself. From what I've played, I really really like the Fuchs ODS 100 for clean AND gain.

I played it through an old 4x10" Marshall cab with Celestion 10's and it sounded great everywhere on the dial.

Another amp I really liked the voicing on was the Mesa/Boogie Maverick 2x12. Great cleans that have all the bounce and sparkle I need and killer OD on top of that. The only thing that I have issues with is that the Maverick is only 35watts Class A.

The only solution I see to that is to get two. ;)

Also, I ran across a 59 Bassman RI with the Alnico speakers that I really liked. No frills, just tone to the bone. At 45 watts, it won't be the cleanest amp out there, but it does have a ton of character. Besides, the Tweed Bassman design is what the Plexi's are based on. It might be worth a look. :burnout:
Click to expand...


Fuchs OD is a great amp....I heard a bassman RI a while back and it had some serious tones....
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I looked for some Dr.z amps, I still have to listen for some clips but at a glance the ones that caught my attention were the Maz 38 Sr., Prescription ES, and the 6545….
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Luke Duke said:
I'm going to go with an amp NOT on your list. The Dr. Z Delta 88 if you want something plexi-ish. It is a handwired boutique amp but doesn't have the price of the Fuchs. I would really recommend you look over the entire Z line. Alot of his designs are Vox-y and Vox meets Marshall. The break on these amps is great, and the clean is lush and warm.

I can get my Maz jr into some plexi territory, Vox territory, as well as modern sounds. Z's amps are amps thathad never existed before but really should have.

Luke
Click to expand...

Hey Luke, heard some clips, the one that caught the most was the 6545....Very Marshallish but thicker....
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

there is a 6545 for sale on the gearpage forum
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

pureoldsound said:
Hey Luke, heard some clips, the one that caught the most was the 6545....Very Marshallish but thicker....
Click to expand...


I really dig the Z circuits. He stands behind his products, and if you email him he personally answers.

I have the Jr in the 2x10 format it has Z best speakers. They are made with British voice coils, US baskets, and custom dust caps. They sound phenomenal. This little 18 watt lets me keep up with a second guitarist plugged straight into a 200 watt PA head, a bassist going through the house, and miced drums. In fact now they've got me miced to knock down the front volume. I am eventually going to get a single 12 cab so I can have a mini stack.

A lot of the Dr's designs are fairly proprietary. His tone stacks interact like no others I've encountered. I am constantly discovering new tones almost 2 years later.

The 6545 is very cool sounding, high and vintage gain all in one box. I like the fact that the Dr doesn't shy away from the EF-86.

Luke
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Try to buy MRID's EL-34 Bogner Shiva head. It's tone is left and right of the Plexi sound, since the Shiva gives killer clean and killer lead tones. Your plexi will fit right in between those 2 channels, tonally.

I'm a big fan of vintage tone, but I need versatility too. My amp for life is my Ecstasy head. Basically, 3 channels that I can morph into any shade of Marshall I want....plus more. I've tried many of the amps you listed, but my money would go to Bogner.
The Constellation 30 is a seriously cool EL-84 amp, but at $3000, you could buy a Bogner AND a Dr. Z.
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Gearjoneser said:
The Constellation 30 is a seriously cool EL-84 amp, but at $3000, you could buy a Bogner AND a Dr. Z.
Click to expand...

OOOOHHHHH +1
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I second the Shiva.

It all depends what your emphasis is on. Each amp has its strengths and weaknesses.

When I think "plexi", I think Marshall JTM-45. They clean up well, get decent cleans, and the distortion channel is great. They RI ones can be found cheap and with an upgraded transformer, they'll sound similar to the older ones. When I think JTM-45, I think of AC/DC, who swear by them.

The Bogner is thick, compressed and rich. The lead channel cuts and the cleans are very similar to a blackface Fender. If you don't mind compression, you'll like it a lot. One of my favorite bands, Further Seems Forever, uses them.

Fuchs makes great stuff. They have a good clean channel (not as good as the Shiva IMHO), but the overdrive channel is awesome. They work great for blues/jazz compressed lead tones and the controllable feedback is a beauty that needs to be heard to be appreciated.

The Constellation is a beaut, but unless you're looking for a Trainwreck Express type lead channel (which is why most people shell out the cash) it won't be worth it for you. The cleans are on par with the Shiva and better than the Fuchs/Marshall.
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Thanks for all the replies guys….I tried a Shiva a while back and I thought it was a good amp but preferred a bad cat hot cat over it. The constellation, well if I considered that amp it is not going to be new, it will be used…I agree 3K is a lot of money…..I was concerned about the clean of the constellation though since there are some that say that the amp does not clean up very well even using the 1st channel which is the clean one.

The Fuchs OD, great amp, I agree it can be compressed but I guess that is what makes that OD sound good…I am not too much into the idea of Dumbles so I guess the Fuchs will be on the bottom of my list…..
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Bad Cat Hotcat 30 or 100 head on a 2-12 would be killer. It's my favorite amp from Bad Cat. The size of the sound is the first thing you'll notice. Just HUGE sounding!
However, you'll need an ABY switch to utilize the 2 non-footswitchable channels.
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

That is true....the day I tried the Shiva I also tried the Bad Cat and that thing sounded great....I liked the clean better than the Shiva's
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I too am very impressed with the Bad Cat hot cat, but have not had a chance to try one out.

Luke
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

I recently have been playing around with the "Vintage" mode on my MESA Rectoverb and i have to say while it doesn't cop vintage tones exactly its a KILLER sound in its own right. It's kind of an old-school bluesey tone with vintage smoothness and sweetness but with modern gain and edge. Also with this mode the amp takes on a real "liquid" feel which I personally LOVE.

I played a gig the other night doing classic rock covers with my friend's band and this mode was pretty much perfect for the type of music that we were doing (Cream, Hendrix, Stooges, CCR, etc).
 
Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

Re: Getting some vintage tones out of new production amps….

B2D said:
I recently have been playing around with the "Vintage" mode on my MESA Rectoverb and i have to say while it doesn't cop vintage tones exactly its a KILLER sound in its own right. It's kind of an old-school bluesey tone with vintage smoothness and sweetness but with modern gain and edge. Also with this mode the amp takes on a real "liquid" feel which I personally LOVE.

I played a gig the other night doing classic rock covers with my friend's band and this mode was pretty much perfect for the type of music that we were doing (Cream, Hendrix, Stooges, CCR, etc).
Click to expand...

i've been able to get some decent classic rock sounds out of my rectoverb, mostly using the Raw mode on it. I love the vintage gain channel, but find i really have to back down on the gain alot for anything classic sounding. but it does sound good.
 
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