What is your "holy grail" amp?

Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

I had the 5150 II Combo and it was a huge mistake to get rid of it, but I needed the money...bummer. It'd be nice to have an amp that was 5150 II based with the additional crunch and OD of the JCA22H. A reverb tank would be nice too. -Rod-
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

No one amp would make me happy.


I dont think I have anything that I hold in uber high regard because of its sound. I would like a Dumble for its value.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

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JCM2000 TSL100. It does everything from crystal clear cleans to heavy overdrive, and can go from 100 watts to 25 watts. Great sound and versatility all packaged into one amplifier. The only thing better for me would maybe be the newer version of this amp...I forget the model number but it has 4 channels instead of 3.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

I think I already have my "holy grail amps": the five Mesa I own. So it's not really about the amp.

For me it is playing in a venue with my Mark III 200-watt Coliseum head on my 412 Half-Back cab, where I can crank it up a bit. Glorious sounding amp.

Bill
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

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JCM2000 TSL100. It does everything from crystal clear cleans to heavy overdrive, and can go from 100 watts to 25 watts. Great sound and versatility all packaged into one amplifier. The only thing better for me would maybe be the newer version of this amp...I forget the model number but it has 4 channels instead of 3.

I had the combo version (TSL 122), and I really regret selling it. Very good sounding amp. Probably the most versatile Marshall I've ever played.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

I'm more than happy with my Quick Rod and SLO Clone but I'd also love a JTM45 and a Vox AC30.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

No one makes it.

But I have a number of amps I mod to make them do what I want, those are my holy grails. I'm lucky enough to be able to make the amps I've always wanted, since no one else seems to do it.

If I couldn't do that, I'd use a vintage Fender with some barber pedals, a timmy, and a maxon OD 820 and call it a day. That setup sounds as good or better, and is more versatile, than any commercially available amplifer.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

For me it is playing in a venue with my Mark III 200-watt Coliseum head on my 412 Half-Back cab, where I can crank it up a bit. Glorious sounding amp.

Bill

Bill,

I didn't know you had one of those notorious beasts!?! Cool amp.

I would be equally happy with a Roadking II, Mark V, or a Stiletto Stage 2. I like them all, so I own them all.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

I'm quite happy with my Trinity 18, which has one channel being a Marshall 18 clone, the other an 18 watt JMP MkII. Very happy.

That said, there are a lot of amps that I can get great tones out of, Fender, Marshall, and Hiwatt have been my "holy grail" at one point or another.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

My Crate GX-80 which is equipped with a Celestion V-12 , has turned out to be quite a pleasant experience since I got it a couple of months back from Guitar Center. I found out that only the 1st run of this model were equipped with them and that the later models came with the stock generic Crate Special designed speakers.
I've already have used this amp at a few gigs and it has held up very well with no problems at all. I do need to find a original footswitch for it though. Right now, I'm using a Digitech RP effects processor through it but I want to eventually stop using the processor and just play straight through the amp. I do have a Fender footswitch which I use with my Champion 110 but if I use it with the Crate, it takes away the reverb when I switch to the Gain.
 
Re: What is your "holy grail" amp?

My best amp is something I built myself, completely from scratch. It's basically a Matchless DC30 clone with a valve effects loop and tremolo. I built the chasis and the woodwork. The transformers are torroidal to keep the weight down, as i have a bad back. All the internal compnents are high quality, paper-in-oil caps and such, wired point-to-point. The back panel features 4,8 and 16 Ohm output sockets and the sockets for the loop. It also features a standby switch and triode/pentode switch for each pair of EL84s, giving maximum versatility. The front panel features send and return level controls for the loop, and speed and depth for the tremolo.

One channel features an EF86 preamp with a six-way rotary tone selector (as was used in the original Vox AC15s), and the other channel is the Vox top-boost channel from the AC30. I pulled a trick to get the two channels in phase with one another to allow jumping the channels without using external devices, just a short cable. Rectification is done by a GZ34.

It's lightweight and it can do almost anything. It's power output can be switched to various levels via the standby and triode/pentode switches, although i've found i prefer the tone of all four power valves in pentode (a la AC30) at any volume. It can be useful to limit the output sometimes though.

I gave this amp a lot of thought before spec'ing the transformers and having them built, and before any construction began. I've built it for maximum serviceability/modding and it's a joy to work on. It's been rock solid in it's performance, and it just gives up fantastic tone with almost no effort. The time and money I spent has been well worth the result. Without a doubt the best amp I've ever had at any price.
 
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