Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

[jbear]

Okay...here's the shot.
I am over-Fendered in the amp department, so I have decided to keep my DR and trade my CVR. I was looking for a Ceriatone OT Mini (maybe I'll still find one), but one person has offered me a choice:
1-Valvetech VAC 25 head with a loaded cab. (1x10 and 1x12).
or
2-Groovetubes Soul-O-75 head.
I'd be playing just about every type of guitar through it and I'm playing clean-moderate overdrive. I guess I've sorta got three main musical personalities...I'm often playing with:
-a Dumble pedal with a lot of semi and solid bodies for a Robben Ford type of tone.
- Semis w/ a Rat clone, which gets a Kurt Rosenwinkel jazz sound.
-Strats w/ a Maxon SD9/TS-9 for a Scott Henderson thing.
-Hollowbody for clean jazz.
That's not the only stuff I play, but those are pretty prominent influences in my sound.
I don't need one amp to do all of that...any thoughts about which would fit any of these particular roles?
Fortunately, the person that I am potentially trading with will let me try both, but...I'd like to be as well-prepared as possible when we meet.
Very interested in all you have to share.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

I'm not a heavy-duty amp user, but I do know one thing; big power tubes are better (in my own opinion). It's this reason why I would get that Soul-O. You can put KT88s in it.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

I'm not a heavy-duty amp user, but I do know one thing; big power tubes are better (in my own opinion). It's this reason why I would get that Soul-O. You can put KT88s in it.

"Better" how? More headroom and punch? Probably... mostly. More expensive? Yup. Better tone? Subjective.

I've been mostly an EL34 guy for my entire 30 years of playing guitar. But I've also had some nice 6L6 and KT88 amps. I used to be ALL about the big bottles.

But the past year or two I've become quite enamored of the small glass. Right now, I own three EL84-based amps (one also uses 6V6 tubes) and love them all. All are very loud and punchy as well.

I've been playing on loud stages for most of my career... and I'm becoming more and more convinced that the vast majority of tube amp players are WAY over-overpowered in regards to the wattage of their tube amps. My 36 watt Ceriatone plexi clone seems as loud, punchy, and quality (of tone) as any 50/100 watt Marshall or clone that I've ever owned.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

One of the amps I want dearly is powered by an el84 quad, so I can't rightly say I'm a snob about it. The other amp I want dearly is self biasing up to KT88s, and every time I've heard the most rounded, thick and smooth sounds out of them it's been when fitted with KT88s. Of course if fitted to a cab that doesn't do the tubes justice, there's no reason...
but I'm assuming that he's got plans for that as well if need be.

So the balance was between a Fenderish machine with a little more scuzzy character and the ability to cut power down to smaller levels, or a simple head with the capability of going big-bottle and apparently a robust series/parallel loop.

Essentially he's got to choose between the two amps that I would like to someday own, only it's a modded Carvin Vintage 50 watt series and a Hovercraft Falcon. That's why I said what I said; if having to choose between one or the other, I'd get the Hovercraft first.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

I'll admit to not knowing much about the Ceriatone or the Valvetech, but I have played on the GT with 6L6s. They are very nice amps; very well built. They can be very punchy, and can be pretty darn loud. I consider them to be part of the Fender family. Should work well for a variety of classic rock, blues, country and jazz styles. I think it'd be a very good clean platform for pedals, but I prefer the Lead Channel on my Mesa Mark III and IV over the Soul-O's gain channel. (Another competitor from that era would have been the Fender 75, which is also a good amp.)

I've always wondered why the GT amps didn't become more popular.

Bill

 

[jbear]

Re: Help Me Evaluate These Trade Options Please

I am grateful for the responses. I emailed with Rob Pierce who builds the VAC and he was helpful. He feels that the amp will cover the styles that I am interested in. Despite obvious bias...he seems sincere.
The VAC comes with a cab with a 10 and a 12. The GT is just the head. Wish I knew more about the GT. Heck...wish someone would trade me a Ceriatone!
Anyway...VAC out in from thus far.