Magnatone

[Lazarus1140]

Has anyone played or heard one of the current crop Magnatone amps?

"My" guitar tech, whose buddy is supposedly a cork sniffer to the nth degree, reports that the Stereo Twilighter is one of the sweetest sounding amps he (the buddy) has ever heard and that with it's phase shift vibrato alternating between speakers it literally fills a room with aural goodness.

Naturally, I hit YouTube for demos and, as usual, those who demo tend to over use effects. The amp does sound good, but I'd sure like to hear one with a more subtle depth setting on the vibrato along with a demo with the vibrato off.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Magnatone

What can you say...they are well made reproductions of the old amps.....a long time in the coming. I would rate them on par with other "boutique" amps.
One of their main attributes, as you say, is the pitch shift vibrato.
Will YOU like the amp(s).? .......there is only one way to tell.
Probably hard to find a dealer.?
good luck

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Magnatone

What can you say...they are well made reproductions of the old amps.....a long time in the coming. I would rate them on par with other "boutique" amps.
One of their main attributes, as you say, is the pitch shift vibrato.
Will YOU like the amp(s).? .......there is only one way to tell.
Probably hard to find a dealer.?
good luck

There is a dealer about an hour from me. I probably won't go out of my way to check out something that expensive, but if I happen to be within 10 miles or so for work I will definitely stop in.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Magnatone

What happened to that other amp I thought you were going to acquire? Did that project vaporize?

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Magnatone

The kit I bought? Still have it.

I just finished a project that took 6 months out of my life and over 15 lbs. off my body. My goal was to paint the house before starting on the amp and I can't seem to get around to it ... and now building a guitar has become a bigger priority. I really don't own one worth playing right now. Crappy guitars take some of the joy out of making noise.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Magnatone

I'm a big fan of beautiful sounding classic amps, whether they do clean, midgain, or highgain the best.

If there's anything I've learned, it's that you've got to have some guitars you really like, then explore amps.

Most of the cream of the crop amps didn't arrive there by chance. They became classics by having a certain circuit, tubes, speakers, and cabinetry that became a winning formula. Youtube clips are a good starting point for determining whether or not you like their basic sound, but owning them and using them all the time is when you learn their full potential.

My quest for tone isn't just about finding 'my tone' and that's it. It's about exploring the ones I haven't tried or owned. Magnatone, Supro, Tweed, Blackface, Vox, Matchless, Marshall, Bogner, Gibson, Divided by 13, Dr. Z....
There's so many great amps that you may as well experience them.

Suffering though a loss should be seen as a new beginning for how you view your musical equipment. I know that if I were to start over with things, I'd strip it all down to 2 or 3 guitars, then focus on moving through different amps. I'd forget about all the different guitars and FX, and just focus on a Strat, SG or LP, and 335, into a plethora of cool tube amps.

So, I guess what I'm saying is "get a tele you're happy with as a lifetime keeper and get a Magnatone, then a........

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Magnatone

That sounds like solid advice, Joe.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Magnatone

For the record, I was talking about the kit. I just didn't feel like calling you out on it since I didn't think you had widely shared your plans. Sorry for being cryptic.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Magnatone

For the record, I was talking about the kit. I just didn't feel like calling you out on it since I didn't think you had widely shared your plans. Sorry for being cryptic.

No worries. Cryptic is always good.