Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Twitch

Twitch

New member
I've been playing for a year and my marshall mg15 just isn't cutting it anymore. I've been researching since August and have narrowed my search down to 4 amps.

1. Mesa/Boogie Dc-3
2. Mesa/Boogie Subway Reverb Rocket
3. Peavey Classic 50
4. Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

I play blues and early red hot chili peppers style rock. My ideal clean tone would be like SRV's on Riviera Paradise and Little Wing (I'll be upgrading pups in a couple of months). I'll probably invest in a Ts9 if I get the peavey or hot rod. Now here's part of my problem. Since both of those Mesa's are discontinued it is basically impossible for me to try them out. Right now I'm including them because I love the F series (but they are so expensive), I can afford them, and I've read good reviews.

So can you make some suggestions or tips for which to get?

Thanks
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

i'd say the hot rod deluxe. with a new speaker (and maybe some tubes if you want) it will be one SMOKIN' amp. responds very well to distortion pedals as well. the clean channel is amazing , its a fender, of course it is. the OD is decent, but i would use a tubescreamer or something for that.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Oh crap, I forgot to include the one thing that bothers me about the Fender. Fender amps dont have a set bias, so everytime I change I will have to take it into a dealer. So my questions are-

1. How much does it cost to get an amp retubed/rebiased.
2. If I use the same type of tubes do I still have to get it rebiased everytime I change.
3. Is it easy to set the bias?
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

The Peavey Classic 50 is the only one I'd personally consider.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

i believe the hot rod is very easy to bias, you may be able to do it youself.

there was a great site for that, ill find it. im not sure about the other q's...
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Had the Hot Rod Deville 2x12, sold it. The clean is great, the overdrive sucks, and the thing was way to loud to ever reach tubey greatness, even in a live band situation. I didn't like the way it worked with pedals, either. Right now I'm playing with a Peavey Classic 30, and I'm having lots of fun. It responds well to changes. With Groove Tubes and hot pickups, it had great distortion. With milder pickups in my Les Paul, Seth Lover - great crunchy tones - ZZ, ACDC... Just swapped out all tubes for JJs, now it has this "pretty" clean tone, glassy and creamy at the same time, something I think you'd like for the tone you described. And it breaks up nicely with high volume, cleaning up well with the guitar volume. Unfortunately, I've lost some of the great crunch with the new tubes, so am now expirementing with pedals. This is definitely more of a blues amp than a rock amp with these tubes. This amp works great with pedals before it and in the effects loop. It is loud enough to hang with a band, quiet enough for bedroom jamming and perfect for recording. Pick em up cheap used on Ebay, swap tubes and maybe speaker to taste, and you're set.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

hey NT02, is that classic 30 loud enough to gig at small to medium venues without being miked? im looking at amps right now too..
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

I haven't gigged with it, so I can only assume. It is loud for 30 watts. Small gigs no prob.
I'd say you'd want to mike it for medium-sized gigs such as a large sports bar, or add an extension cab. It gets monstrous with an added Zinky 2x12.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

I'm going to vote for an amp that is not on your list. My vote goes to the Traynor YCV-40. They sound great, and they're bullet proof.


Sprinter
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

the age old battle-

peavey classic 50 vs fender hot rod deluxe vs traynor ycv40.

all 3 have great cleans. of these 3, i myself prefer the traynor.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Another Vote for the Classic 30 the 50 is too loud too. I have a Classic 30 with JJs and Mods and it is great I updraded the speaker to an Eminence Canabis Rex I also Plug into a 2x12 cab Wow. It is Plenty loud . I had a Blues Deluxe and a Classic 50 both too loud.

By the way if you want a Fender You can get a really good Blues Deluxe on Ebay for 400.00 You just go with pedals for your Distortion/Overdrive. But It is LOUD

Check this out for Classic 30 Mods http://www.blueguitar.org/
 
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Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

I'd go for the Subway reverb rocket, myself. However I prefer the Subway Blues w/ a tubescreamer. I believe both the Mesa's, and the Peavey are going to be more reliable than the fender.

All that being said, I think you're on the right track. None of those amps are duds, especially considering the average prices. They all sound good with the appropriate set up.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Sprinter said:
I'm going to vote for an amp that is not on your list. My vote goes to the Traynor YCV-40. They sound great, and they're bullet proof.

Sprinter
Click to expand...
Same here. It's all around great amp.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

Don't go with the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe unless you like using distortion pedals. The amps distortion sucks, no matter what guitar you use. I've used my Ibanez Joe Satriani 1000BP through one, and the distortion still sucked. It's too fuzzy for the guitar to be able to really form it into what ever you want, it's what I call "uncontrolable distortion". I'd go with the Peavey Classic 50 over that, and then if you really have the money, Mesa DC 3
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

In that price range you should be able to get ahold of a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue as well. The originals were legendary, the Reissues are slowly becoming legendary. I bought mine when I decided to play only the Blues and haven't been let down by it for a minute....

Past that the Peavey Classic 30 gets my vote. They're rugged little mosters and the drive channel is WAY more usable than the Hot Rod Deluxe's drive channel.

The Mesas are...well....Mesas. You tend to either love or hate them. But I would suggest playing one before you buy or making sure that you can recover all funds 100% if you buy before you play.
 
Re: Which of these 4 amps would you get...

hot rod deluxe

here's why

fender amps are usually the loudest amps, a twin is about the loudest 100 watt amp you can get. A hrdx is much louder than a classic 30, i'd say it rivals a 50, volume wise.

If you're like me, you not only use different kinds of distortion, but you want an exact kind for each. Hot rod takes pedals like no other. With the peavey, well, unless you like its distortion, you're gonna be buying A LOT of new tubes searching for the right gain. Also, using the gain on the 30 will burn out your tubes considerably faster than running a pedal to the clean channel, in my expirience. But if you like tube od, the distortion on the hot rod still uses a tube for this, which can be switched out for whatever you'd like.


As far as speakers go, well, i dunno what amp srv used on that song, i know his main was a vibroverb, which to me sounds a lot like a twin, and a hotrod with a jensen c12n sounds a lot lot like a twin.
 
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