torn between 3 amps

[george5959]

Looking to upgrade to a higher end amp, looking for a hotter raw bluesy tone in a all tube 1x12 combo, usually use a good amount of fuzz and sometimes in drop tuning. Narrowed my initial search down to Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 18, Egnater Tweaker 15, or Bad Cat Bobcat 5r (have a friend who can sell me this one so the price is about the same for all). Opinions?

 

[jeremy]

Re: torn between 3 amps

i dont think small amps handle fuzz and drop tunings well, singled ended amps potentially less so. that said, the batcat is probably the best amp of the bunch. does that matter if it isnt the best amp for what you are going to use it for? maybe.

my suggestion is the play them all and see what you like best. if the badcat suits your needs, i would get that since its a great little amp for home use

 

[george5959]

Re: torn between 3 amps

I was leaning toward the bad cat, ive played it a couple times, killer amp, and I dont overdo the fuzz much (more of a hendrixy vibe than full blown) and never below drop c almost all my stuff is e flat or drop d. Leaning away from the tweaker because it has no reverb, and the spring reverb on the cat is killer. Havnt played a tubemeister but I know people who swear by them, anyone have any experience?

 

[Diego]

Re: torn between 3 amps

I've got the Tweaker and it does that. It handles fuzz well.

The Tubemeister sounds way tighter, stiff and brighter compared to it. I think it's more of a hard rock or metal amp. I've tried it side to side with my Tweaker and they're very different. The Tubemeister voicing is far more aggressive while the Tweaker is smoother and more refined sounding.

 

[BenPerkins]

Re: torn between 3 amps

+1 for Tweaker. There are many different tones you can get with this amp, plus it's cathode biased so you can swap tubes with no issue.

 

[dystrust]

Re: torn between 3 amps

I've got the Tweaker and it does that. It handles fuzz well.

The Tubemeister sounds way tighter, stiff and brighter compared to it. I think it's more of a hard rock or metal amp. I've tried it side to side with my Tweaker and they're very different. The Tubemeister voicing is far more aggressive while the Tweaker is smoother and more refined sounding.

+1

I have a Tweaker and an H&K Edition Tube which is the precursor to the Tubemeister. Honestly I'm going to sell the H&K as soon as I can find a buyer as it's very metal oriented and doesn't sound great for much besides very clean and brutal.

 

[george5959]

Re: torn between 3 amps

So the H&K is out not really what im looking for, like the versatility of the tweaker but not so much the lack of reverb. also like the simplicty of the bad cat, 4 knobs lol

 

[Diego]

Re: torn between 3 amps

What about a good ole Fender Blues Jr.?

 

[george5959]

Re: torn between 3 amps

The Blues Jr is a lovely amp but a bit cleaner than what im looking for, want something a bit more aggressive with bite but not a super tight modern bite more along the SRV style of attack with a bit more grit and a lot slower. Also looking outside the norm to build my own tone so straying away from the more common fender blues jr, marshall dsl, vox ac 15, etc...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: torn between 3 amps

The Bad Cat is in a whole other league than the other two. No contest in my opinion.

 

[jeremy]

Re: torn between 3 amps

i agree but its also singled ended which isnt the best for downtuning

 

[george5959]

Re: torn between 3 amps

Going with the Cat Ill let you know how it goes, and as I said only drop D no biggie

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: torn between 3 amps

I'd suggest an Orange Tiny Terror, Dark Terror, or OR-15. Same money, but one of those will suit your needs and sound better than what you mentioned.

Even though my Tiny Terror lacks reverb or effects loop, it still sounds great from AC/DC to Black Sabbath at the perfect volume level. Those 3 simple knobs have so much range it's almost hard to believe.

 

[chadd]

Re: torn between 3 amps

The other guitar player in my band has a Tubemeister 36 and it sounds pretty damn good. It does the bright an jangly thing better than anything this side of an AC30 and takes fuzz pedals like a champ.

 

[george5959]

Re: torn between 3 amps

Got a chance to run my rig through the bad Cat before dedicating the money and damn am i glad, she sings with single coils but gets wooly with humbuckers, no breakup even dimed, and doesnt like my fuzz one bit. back to the drawing block after a lot more research Ive narrowed my search down to a laney cub 12 (15w head) or possible something orange going to try a few out, or the Egnater tweaker 15. If I were to go with a head what is a good closed back cab you would recomend (1x12 or 2x12 is what im thinking)
Another interesting tip I got was to look into possibly using one the 2x10 Ampeg SVT bass cabs, opinions?

 

[dystrust]

Re: torn between 3 amps

I have an Egnater Rebel 112X cab and it seems to be built pretty well. The stock speaker isn't great, but I've used an Eminence Private Jack in there, while it's currently loaded with a Wizard. They can be found pretty easily used for around $150.