Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

[frehley]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Dude, try the Carvin "Bel-air". It's like a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe that sounds
good! They go for about $550 and come loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's.

If the Bel-Air is too much, then try the single 12' version called the "Nomad"
for about $100 less than the Bel-air! Both amps are identical, both 50 watts
but the Bel-air is a 2x12 and the Nomad is a 1x12.

BTW, both amps are Groove tubes EL84 loaded!

 

[RiffRaff]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

if your looking for a budget EL84 amp with great tone the peavey classic 30 is hard to beat.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Mesa had several EL84 amps, and though these models are discontinued, they are all terrific amps:

.22 Caliber Studio
.50 Caliber (some have 2x6L6)
DC-2
DC-3
Subway Blues
Subway Rocket
Rocket 44
Rocket 4-40
Nomad 45
Blue Angel (Class A, with Progressive Linkage using 6V6 and EL84 tubes)
Maverick (Class A)

Here's another vote for the Mesa Maverick--I love my 212 combo. I also have a DC-3, another great little amp.


As for new, still-in-production amps, you can still go with Mesa, as they have the following amps:

Lonestar Special
F-30

I think there's a ton of EL34 amps out there from manufacturers like Orange, VHT, Marshall, Peavey, Vox, Fender, Hiwatt, et. al.

Bill

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

I'd say just sell everything you've got, and go get yourself a Komet Constellation!

www.kometamps.com

 

[frpax]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

. . . so you wanna say you think i have a good amp for the price i paid ?

Everyone keep on saying (except Billm - Fender Forum dude, nice bloke) the Blues Jr. is a budget amp with no honest/true vintage Fender'ish tone, with a crap speaker, the reverb is un-usable, blah, blah, blah . . .

To an extent, this is true. The reverb tank is teeny, and does not yield a very good reverb sound. The cabinet is small and "boxy" sounding for a 12" speaker. The EL-84's do not sound anything like 6L6's. The good news is that all of this can be corrected. BillM does some great mods to give it a better tone. He recommends a speaker swap. You can always build (or have built) a larger cabinet/baffle to eliminate the "boxy-ness" & add a larger reverb tank. But by the time you go to all this trouble/expense, you may as well just buy a Blues DeLuxe (or a Deluxe Reverb Reissue) and be happier from the get-go.

I really like my Blues Jr., but for me, it will always be a bedroom practice amp or a portable amp to take over to a mates house and jam.

I like my Blues Jr. but a lot of folks say it will not hold up in na band context etc.

Not unless you mic it. Been there, done that. Even so, I gig w/ a Blues DeVille 2x12...better tone.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

I've got both a blues junior and a mesa/boogie DC-2 ...15 watts with the BJ, and 25 watts with the DC-2....both are amazing EL84 amps. if you can swing it, the Mesa/Boogie DC-2 is a great two channel amp with independent controls for each channel plus reverb! great deal. Also has a speaker mute switch and a direct recording out for using it as a recording preamp instead of a regular amp.

 

[Tor]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

I second Boogie Bill's namedrop on the F-30... I don't know if you want a really British tone -- the F-30 has a sorta American-meets-British sound... It will give you nice cleans, and good enough overdrive and distortion for the most styles. I have the F-50 (with 6L6 though), and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Always search for Gibson Goldtones and Trace Elliot Velocettes. They discontinued them because they were too much amp for that price point. Plus, they have a great tube reverb, and boost. Plus, an FX loop. Not even high dollar EL-84 amps have all those features.

Goldtones are going to skyrocket in price because they're discontinued, so if you can still find one for a decent price, jump on it. The 30 watters with 2 speakers are stereo too, so it's essentially 2 15W amps running stereo.
They're very loud amps too, with good bottom end.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

I LOVE my EL84 amp. Cost: 350 for kit(Ironsounds JA-TMB 18 Watter http://www.ironsounds.com/ ), 185 for head cab and 6 hours of build time=A very happy EL84 amp owner. It nails JTM 45 to SLP tones to a T without the volume issues. Plenty of volume and lowend. The only downside with mine is lack of reverb, but that can be fixed with something like a Holy Grail.

 

[Tor]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

I LOVE my EL84 amp. Cost: 350 for kit(Ironsounds JA-TMB 18 Watter), 185 for head cab and 6 hours of build time=A very happy EL84 amp owner. It nails JTM 45 to SLP tones to a T without the volume issues. Plenty of volume and lowend.

What's the general level of skills required for this? Also, potential danger of the voltage...? It seems like it's cheap fun, while you get a brand new amp..

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

What's the general level of skills required for this? Also, potential danger of the voltage...? It seems like it's cheap fun, while you get a brand new amp..

Sadly, Ironsounds is no longer offering the kit only finished amps. But the skill level required was very basic. As far as voltage danger, pay heed....all amps deal in LETHAL levels of voltage. Read everything that you can, ask questions on the amp build sites before even attempting a build. If you are uncomfortable in any way before trying, don't. Have a qualified amptech do the build. There are many other kit manufacturers that offer high quailty kits for prices ranging from $350 to $1200 for various EL84 based amp: Mojo, Weber, GDS, Mission Amps, Trinity, Metro Amps, etc.. You may want to check out www.18watt.com www.ax84.com for a couple of starting places.

 

[Tor]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Hm, thanks! It might be one future project..

 

[Mephis]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

My classic 50 is EL84...

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

i find it harder to find non-EL84 options. Hughes & Kettner Tube 20, Marshall Handwired 1974, Orange AD30, Hiwatt Custom 20,... but i get what you're saying, you want something a notch above...perhaps that's where boutique starts. But your opening statement that it starts with Vox Crap out of china, and skips immediately to Boutique seems a bit unfounded....

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

The PV classics are a good pick.

I am a fan of Dr. Z's stuff. It is boutique, but not Matchless or Victoria expensive.

Luke

 

[B Bent]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Bad Cat and Dr. Z End of discussion and lock this thread. You need to know nothing more!!!!

 

[Hoss]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

But if You want an el84 - amp, it´s either a crap, chinese-made VOX reissue or a >2500€ boutique amp. Seems there´s nothing in between.

Now why could that be? I really like the el84, it´s IMHO the best power tube for guitar use out of the three most popular tubes. I find it really weird that the "better-than-average, not-boutique-top-dollar" amp is missing from the market completely.

Opinions?

he's looking for a good $midrange$ 84 amp...i'm guessing somewhere between 600 and 800 bucks!

 

[Stratman]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Check out Celtic amps - they will not break the bank, are boutique, and are made with love . . . and PTP :smokin:

I didn't know Scott sold and shipped amps to South Africa. :banana:

Way to go Scott - Please use the same shipping method to get my Franklin to Singapore.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

Crate V32 Palominos are great amps. $400 gets you some pretty darn good EL-84 tone

 

[foo3001]

Re: Why is it that a good el84 amp is so hard to find?

i get what you're saying, you want something a notch above...perhaps that's where boutique starts.

You´re right, I´m looking for something above the reissue VOXes - Orange AD30:s but something that is a bit below the ´boutique´ amps.

There are good 6l6 amps that fit this. The reIssue Super Reverb sounds pretty good IMHO and is reliable and quite cheap. The reissue twin is not half bad either. Also, there´s lots of good ol´ silverface Bassman heads out there for a fair price.

EL34 amps are a bit tougher to find, especially in a combo format. There are a couple good heads, the JTM45 reissue is pretty good IMHO. Lots of people dig the TSL100 but personally I have never gotten a good sound out of it. Perhaps the EL34 just doesn´t suit me.

Of course there is stuff in between the Oranges and Voxes and boutique gear. But that´s the reason I started this thread - to get to know the stuff actually is.

And please, don´t recommend Peavey anymore