Boogie Bill
New member
Re: What is the Mount Rushmore of guitar amps?
Mount Rushmore, as in four different, yet great, iconic amps?
Well, Fender, Marshall, Vox and Mesa.
But which models?
So many great Fender amps, and rather go BIG like the Twin Reverb or Dual Showman, I'll say 1965 BF Deluxe Reverb. Honorable Mention to all the other BF Fender amps from top to bottom.
Playing a 100-watt Marshall Plexi was damn near a religious epiphany. I got to pound out licks from The Who that would make a pinball machine tilt. Hell, crumble! But going smaller, I'd have to choose the JTM45 half-stack. I also like the 50-watt JCM800 heads, the Bluebreaker combo and the rare Club and Country models.
Third, the VOX AC30TB. I have other amps I like better that are comparable, but the AC30TB is so iconic it deserves to be enshrined.
And finally the Mesa Mark IIC+. Some prefer the 100- watt without the Graphic EQ. I'd choose a fully-loaded Simul-Class version, reverb and EQ, with the 112 EVM speaker in an imbuya combo. Wicker grill, of course. Look fabulous in my living room, yet I could play it on any stage in the world, any genre, and KNOW my tone would be fantastic.
So much for Mt. Rushmore.
But if we are talking Everest, the Pinnacle...it would have to be the Mesa Mark V. With a little tweaking and tube substitution, I can get the tones of all four of the amps above. And moreso, it is just a wonderfully creative and inspirational tool. Expensive yes, but the value for dollars paid is off the chart.
Bill
Mount Rushmore, as in four different, yet great, iconic amps?
Well, Fender, Marshall, Vox and Mesa.
But which models?
So many great Fender amps, and rather go BIG like the Twin Reverb or Dual Showman, I'll say 1965 BF Deluxe Reverb. Honorable Mention to all the other BF Fender amps from top to bottom.
Playing a 100-watt Marshall Plexi was damn near a religious epiphany. I got to pound out licks from The Who that would make a pinball machine tilt. Hell, crumble! But going smaller, I'd have to choose the JTM45 half-stack. I also like the 50-watt JCM800 heads, the Bluebreaker combo and the rare Club and Country models.
Third, the VOX AC30TB. I have other amps I like better that are comparable, but the AC30TB is so iconic it deserves to be enshrined.
And finally the Mesa Mark IIC+. Some prefer the 100- watt without the Graphic EQ. I'd choose a fully-loaded Simul-Class version, reverb and EQ, with the 112 EVM speaker in an imbuya combo. Wicker grill, of course. Look fabulous in my living room, yet I could play it on any stage in the world, any genre, and KNOW my tone would be fantastic.
So much for Mt. Rushmore.
But if we are talking Everest, the Pinnacle...it would have to be the Mesa Mark V. With a little tweaking and tube substitution, I can get the tones of all four of the amps above. And moreso, it is just a wonderfully creative and inspirational tool. Expensive yes, but the value for dollars paid is off the chart.
Bill
