Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

[karpathion]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

Not as cheap as some, but I played around with one these the other day. It's pretty nice for the price. They make a head version too.

Channel 1 should put you right where you want to be.

Not the best demo. It sounds better in person.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

2 channels the Crunch channel does this very very well. Better in fact than any other amp that has been mentioned in this thread. This in fact is the very reason I OWN one of these amps! I normally however run my Crunch gain at around 4 or so. With my PRS Custom 24 and the 5 way rotary using the volume on the guitar only I can go from really nice chimy clean to clean with some hair to scream with out ever touching the channel switch or using any effects.
Here is a clip from Church doing just this. https://www.box.com/s/6400bf0494e6da051ca8
I take it you have never played one of these amps??

I played the 20H, which is the first channel of the 22H. In no way does this amp strike me as suiting the OP's needs. Clean tones with deep lows and shimmering highs, low gain on its own but dirty when you dig in and takes OD's well... that sounds like a high wattage fender to me.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

I played the 20H, which is the first channel of the 22H. In no way does this amp strike me as suiting the OP's needs. Clean tones with deep lows and shimmering highs, low gain on its own but dirty when you dig in and takes OD's well... that sounds like a high wattage fender to me.

Depends of how loud he plays. The Jet City with the right guitar and right tubes will do this well but does run out of headroom at higher volumes. It however is still MUCH MUCH better at these tones than something like say a TT or a VOX Night Train (which are both mentioned here ) would be.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

I would be all over the '68 or 4x10 bassman amps.

Personally I like Traynor gear but that said the Bloc 100gt is not their best amp and it wont do what you want. However, that Godin guitar it comes with is probably worth the $200 alone. Every Godin I've played has been a good guitar If you miss out on the bassman amps get the windsor and the Traynor/Godin package and then sell the Traynor amp for $100.

 

[AmirH]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

Wow! You guys gave me a lot to think about... I've been listening to tons of clips of these amps, so I'll try to respond to everyone in order.

everdrone -- the tiny terror is a great amp, no doubt, but I don't think it's what I'm looking for. It's a little "boxy" sounding, and I'm shooting for the opposite.

sirJackdeFuzz -- thanks for the recommendations. The excelsior especially really does seem like a solid little amp, but it also seems like I can get slightly better bang for my buck by buying used... On the other hand -- I REALLY like the ac15 idea. More on that later.

BallandChain -- I'd never even heard of those acoustic amps, but that sounds really nice for a solid state! Still, if I'm gonna go for the cheaper end of the spectrum, I feel like I'd be a lot better off with the windsor studio.

dethreldred -- Are you referring to the valvetronix series? I know some people love those, but they sound a bit harsh to my ears...

Ascension -- I listened to a bunch of clips of the jet city, and I think it does a fantastic crunchy marshall sound, but the cleans don't quite do it for me. Thanks for the recommendation though!

karpathion -- that Albion sounds GREAT. Wow. I found one used for 520 shipped, so I am very tempted...

Fender_Punk -- I know right? That Godin/Traynor package is such a ridiculous deal that it might be smart to scoop it up and use it as trade fodder...

Empty_Pockets and all other bassman proponents -- It was hard to find tons of clips of these amps, but I found some, and I'm not sure what I think yet. It seems like these amps have TONS of clean headroom, and that they're incredibly articulate in the sense that they won't hide mistakes. It's a wonderful "classic" sound, but it may not be the sound for me. In all of the clips I listened to it sounded quite dry and "hollow" or "scooped." I have some other concerns too -- since these don't have a master volume, aren't they loud as all hell? In any case, here's some more info on the two listings: the head (for 450) recently had a cap job and new tubes installed (less than 10hrs play time). It also (apparently) has the blackface circuit. The seller is open to trades as well. The 4x10 combo is a silverface and has had no work done to it. Cosmetically it looks like a wreck, though the seller claims it works and sounds fine. If I got the former, I would have to look for a cab as well, so unless I can work out a trade it would likely exceed my budget by a good deal. Here are link to the two respective listings: http://dayton.craigslist.org/msg/3093232973.html
http://dayton.craigslist.org/msg/3118789400.html

Overall, the top three contenders for me right now are the hot rod deluxe (one of our own forum bros is selling a pristine one), the ac15c1, and that little Albion. I REALLY like the chimey top end of the ac15, but I worry that 15 watts won't give me enough clean headroom to compete with the drummer without overdriving the amp-- he hits the skins pretty hard. The HRD doesn't sound as present or chimey, but I like the deeper lows and I think it could work out really nicely. I've actually played one before and I remember liking it. The albion seems way more versatile than either, but maybe not as rich sounding?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

Not as cheap as some, but I played around with one these the other day. It's pretty nice for the price. They make a head version too.

Channel 1 should put you right where you want to be.

Not the best demo. It sounds better in person.

I tested the 35W combo at my local store almost a year ago now, and boy . . .


. . . after half an hour i knew i will never buy one !

This amp must have theee most generic overdriven/gain tone in the world.

NO THANK YOU !!!

 

[AmirH]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

Yeah, I was already iffy about the Albion just because I've never played on. It's coming down to the HRD and ac15c1 for me. The vox just has such a nice warm midrange, though I am thinking I should go test the bassman combo...

 

[AmirH]

Re: Help me choose a dirt cheap giggable combo

Just wanted to update this and let ya'll know how everything turned out. I ended up trading one of our forum bros a guitar + a couple pickups and a cheapo squire neck for a hot rod deluxe in really great condition. When I got it home I was somewhat disappointed -- not only was it making crackling static noises all on its own, but the sound left much to be desired, even when I turned it up loud enough to get the tubes cooking. What sounded "warm" in online clips, came across as "muffled" or "dead" in person -- note response was flubby, the lows were overpowering, and the dirt channel was goddamn awful. I did a bit of reading up and found out that HRDs develop the crackling noise I was hearing fairly often as the result of cheap components (and I actually don't blame our forum bro -- I think it would developed the problem eventually either way).

Sooooo. I took it to a tube amp specialist in Cinci -- ChromeDome audio. Adam was super friendly and for 150 bucks he totally overhauled the inside of the amp, replacing all the cheap parts with the parts he thought it should have come from the factory with. He also guaranteed the amp for two years. I also had him replace the speaker with the eminence one that comes in the new series III. I picked it up today, and all I can say is WOW. It's like a COMPLETELY different amp -- the cleans are bright, rich, and harmonically complex, and it breaks up wonderfully when you dig in. It absolutely smokes the clean on my mesa. The dirty channel also sounds nothing like it did before. Actually, it sounds exactly like the clean channel but with more gain, and the lows are almost tight enough for metal -- it did sound a bit too bright with the same settings I was using for clean, but I'd be willing to bet that will tame down some once the speaker is broken in. I will post Thanks for the advice everyone -- things worked out nicely in the end, and I am in tone heaven!