ErikH
Well-known member
This is more of a "get the thoughts down on paper" kind of thread than anything. It just helps with the "what to do" factor. For some time now, I've been tossing around which route to go when it comes to my next amp. Now, had my Marshall head not blown it's power tranny, I wouldn't be typing this up because I love that amp. Unfortunately, the cost to fix it is not feasible for me at the moment. That's when I got the Vox AD50VT, which I love and use constantly. However, as gear nuts, we always want new toys. 
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Lew and his brother, Bruce, at the Dallas Guitar Show at Bruce's booth for Mission Amps. The feature was Bruce's new Aurora amps. On hand was the 10 watt combo, 18 watt combo and I think the 30 watt Reverb prototype. All of them sounded incredible. Take a Fender, a Vox and a Marshall and throw them together and that's what you get, the Aurora. The one that really impressed me was the 18 watter. I have never heard an amp sound so big from an amp that size. So big, that between Lew and I playing (he was on the 30 watter), it caused a minor disturbance across the isle...LOL. So, leaving the show, I totally forgot about all the guitars I saw and went "meh" at and just kept thinking about that Aurora. Oh, and seeing a certain Vegas retailer made me think of a certain movie character.
Since then, I've been set on an Aurora. Then my Marshall goes south and I had to quickly get something, and that's where the Vox came in. I plan on keeping the Vox because let's face it, those things are cool and they are great for low volume practice. Like I said, I use it with the band and play almost every day for at least an hour if I can. But there's always something tugging at the back of the brain when a piece of gear hits you like that Aurora did me.
The other day when I tried out the Vintage Modern, I knew I never should've asked....LOL. I KNEW, just KNEW that I would love it. I wasn't even in the store looking at amps, but to get a box to ship something out. I saw the stack from the backside, saw the color, and knew immediately what it was. The little kid in me takes over. Try it? Loud? Yeah yeah, get a guitar, get a guitar. Ok, the SRV one works. "Hey mister, mind if I try out that Marshall stack?" At this point I had to get a grip. I knew **** well I wasn't going to walk out of there with it if I wanted to survive through the night...LOL.
So yeah, I play it, love it, grab the box I came for and leave. Ok, I'm safe, so I thought. Driving the 15 minutes or so to my in-law's, I think about the amp, the wonderful sound that just pleasured my brain at ear splitting volume. Then it gets to be like the devil on one shoulder, angel on the other. Only this time, one is a Marshall, the other is an Aurora. GREAT!!! Just what I need, my own little episode of Sylvester and Tweety on whether to eat the little bird or not. This shall pass....I hoped...........WRONG!!!
I type up an email review to a bud, post mostly the same here in the Amp Forum. I keep thinking, I haven't played a Marshall that nice in over 10 years. The last one that I remember playing with that much vintage character was a 1959 RI, but I like the VM better. I dunno, I felt connected to it. I had to "play the amp" as Aceman put it in another thread. Funny thing is, that's how it was with the Aurora too. You have to play the amp. Sure, the Aurora doesn't have near the gain as the Marshall, but it has lots of what I like.
So as of right now, the Aurora is out front, no reverb. I had to weigh the situations where we'll be playing and what I have. I don't need another 100 watt amp and I don't need another 50 watt amp, I have one of each. Having a good lower wattage tube amp will be a nice addition and will give me some more flexibility. It can be used in the smaller venues and after hearing that 18 watter in person, I have no doubt it'll be heard in larger places and even outdoors. If I were to come across a used VM and the price is right, I'll definitely consider it, but it's not a must right now.
I've got a Marshall (needs to be fixed, but I have one, and it will be fixed) for those tones, and the AD50VT gets those tones too (and many others). The Aurora would get me lots of nice clean to nicely overdriven tones without going overboard. I don't mind tossing my DS-1 in front of it for more if/when needed. The big plus too, the non-reverb Aurora's weigh in around 30-32 pounds, which is a good 20-30 pounds less than the Marshalls (2266C weighs 66 pounds). My back likes that part.
I'd love to have both, but as the title says, "So Many Choices, So Little Time.....and Money!" Yeah, the money part. I'm going to need to save some of that stuff before getting anything.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Lew and his brother, Bruce, at the Dallas Guitar Show at Bruce's booth for Mission Amps. The feature was Bruce's new Aurora amps. On hand was the 10 watt combo, 18 watt combo and I think the 30 watt Reverb prototype. All of them sounded incredible. Take a Fender, a Vox and a Marshall and throw them together and that's what you get, the Aurora. The one that really impressed me was the 18 watter. I have never heard an amp sound so big from an amp that size. So big, that between Lew and I playing (he was on the 30 watter), it caused a minor disturbance across the isle...LOL. So, leaving the show, I totally forgot about all the guitars I saw and went "meh" at and just kept thinking about that Aurora. Oh, and seeing a certain Vegas retailer made me think of a certain movie character.
Since then, I've been set on an Aurora. Then my Marshall goes south and I had to quickly get something, and that's where the Vox came in. I plan on keeping the Vox because let's face it, those things are cool and they are great for low volume practice. Like I said, I use it with the band and play almost every day for at least an hour if I can. But there's always something tugging at the back of the brain when a piece of gear hits you like that Aurora did me.
The other day when I tried out the Vintage Modern, I knew I never should've asked....LOL. I KNEW, just KNEW that I would love it. I wasn't even in the store looking at amps, but to get a box to ship something out. I saw the stack from the backside, saw the color, and knew immediately what it was. The little kid in me takes over. Try it? Loud? Yeah yeah, get a guitar, get a guitar. Ok, the SRV one works. "Hey mister, mind if I try out that Marshall stack?" At this point I had to get a grip. I knew **** well I wasn't going to walk out of there with it if I wanted to survive through the night...LOL.
So yeah, I play it, love it, grab the box I came for and leave. Ok, I'm safe, so I thought. Driving the 15 minutes or so to my in-law's, I think about the amp, the wonderful sound that just pleasured my brain at ear splitting volume. Then it gets to be like the devil on one shoulder, angel on the other. Only this time, one is a Marshall, the other is an Aurora. GREAT!!! Just what I need, my own little episode of Sylvester and Tweety on whether to eat the little bird or not. This shall pass....I hoped...........WRONG!!!
I type up an email review to a bud, post mostly the same here in the Amp Forum. I keep thinking, I haven't played a Marshall that nice in over 10 years. The last one that I remember playing with that much vintage character was a 1959 RI, but I like the VM better. I dunno, I felt connected to it. I had to "play the amp" as Aceman put it in another thread. Funny thing is, that's how it was with the Aurora too. You have to play the amp. Sure, the Aurora doesn't have near the gain as the Marshall, but it has lots of what I like.
So as of right now, the Aurora is out front, no reverb. I had to weigh the situations where we'll be playing and what I have. I don't need another 100 watt amp and I don't need another 50 watt amp, I have one of each. Having a good lower wattage tube amp will be a nice addition and will give me some more flexibility. It can be used in the smaller venues and after hearing that 18 watter in person, I have no doubt it'll be heard in larger places and even outdoors. If I were to come across a used VM and the price is right, I'll definitely consider it, but it's not a must right now.
I've got a Marshall (needs to be fixed, but I have one, and it will be fixed) for those tones, and the AD50VT gets those tones too (and many others). The Aurora would get me lots of nice clean to nicely overdriven tones without going overboard. I don't mind tossing my DS-1 in front of it for more if/when needed. The big plus too, the non-reverb Aurora's weigh in around 30-32 pounds, which is a good 20-30 pounds less than the Marshalls (2266C weighs 66 pounds). My back likes that part.
I'd love to have both, but as the title says, "So Many Choices, So Little Time.....and Money!" Yeah, the money part. I'm going to need to save some of that stuff before getting anything.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.
