Your favorite amp

[Robert S.]

I have owned several amps over the years. The list includes a Musicman RD 85 212, q 1971 Marshall Super Lead ll (100 watt plexi ) a 1984 JCM 2203, A Triax/2;90 Rack and a Peavey Mark lV among others but now I have 4 amps to play with. It's a simple line up. First is a Marshall 1974X which is a hand wired 18 watt JCM. It is hands down the coolest Marshall that I have ever owned or have plqayede through. 100 per cent Marshall badness. That amp was a must qand if you've never dimede one you are shorting yourself, period.

The second is a modeling amp. I opted for a Yamaha THR 30. I wanted portable and living room friendly. It's a cool amp with tons of features and it sits on my kitchen counter easily. If you've never demo'ed one that's your loss. The Yamaha THR modeling amps are worth it.

My third is an Ampeg Rocket 1-15 200 watt bass amp. It caused me to name it Thumper after playing my Fender 5 string Ultima Jazz bass through it. It thumps!

Now originally I wanted the 1974X, A VOX AC 30 and a Fender 1967 Deluxe Re-issue buit even I have financial restraints so I had to compromise. I settled on a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 combo. Yes a Mesa Boogie was my budget amp! Yes I am silly as fluff but let me tell you. The Mark V 35 is a few ampsw in one. Chimey cleans, thick jazzy cleans, clipped and chunk tones as well as the Markn llC, Mark lV and Extreme ( MARK V?) tones that are to die for. It is simply the coolest amp I have ever owned. If you can't afford one, go to GC and plsy one. YouZ"ll find the money, it"s just that simple.

Bad Assed!

 

[DankStar]

Great list and question.

My first "real" amp was a marshall valvestate 8100. I still have a fondness for it, even though it isn't the typical classic marshall.

Second is the marshall jmp-1. It does all the marshall stuff I need it to TBH, and now that I have it paired with a power amp I can finally put it through its paces.

Third, despite my previous ranting, is the boogie subway rocket. The amount of volume and power that little combo has blows me away, and tone for days. Yes I was pissed I had a rocky start with it due to some weird issues but now that I have it dialed in, it ranks as one of the best amps I've had.

I do have fond memories of my first tube amp, a marshall 2 x 12 jcm800. Given how many years ago that was and the fact memories can be colored over time, I can't rank it as a fave but do wish I'd held on to it and I'm sure I'd still dig it.

Last but not least, I think the line 6 flextone I head is amazing. I was able to get many sounds out of it. It was super sturdy, loud AF, and never had any reliability issues with it.

 

[beaubrummels]

Favorite amp I own is probably is my booteek JTM-45 hand wired copy.

Favoraite amp I ever played through, which is the standard I use when trying to find amps to own, is a 1968 Marshall Plexi 100 (don't recall if it was a Super Lead or had another name at the time; it wasn't the dual transformer JTM-100 one, but the one after).

 

[Securb]

It depends on what I am doing and my mood.

For rehearsal, it is the Carvin X100B - Super flexible I get any tone out of it, and onboard distortion is amazing.
For noodling in the basement of late it has been the AC30 the Top Boost is a ball to play with
For everyday practice, it is my Peavey Classic 20, great cleans, ripping distortion, is bedroom friendly and connects directly to my DAW

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

#1. Marshall JVM these days, it flat puts out the tones!
It has so many versatile voices and all of them are great!
Programmable foot switch for any kind of flavors you want to save. Reverb for each channel, dual master volumes, it has it all.

#2. ENGL fireball, very simple, and it absolutely annihilates! If it had onboard reverb and a solo boost, I wouldn't play anything else. One singular metal tone that's just about perfect!

 

[Seashore]

If I could only have one, it would be my VHT Pittbull 100CL. The red channel is my favorite distorted sound, hands down, bar none, and it sounds great at any volume. No boost needed.

 

[jeremy]

i use my '66 deluxe reverb with a g12h-30 much more than anything else. it sounds great and everyone who plays through it loves it

 

[El Dunco]

#1. Marshall JVM these days, it flat puts out the tones!
It has so many versatile voices and all of them are great!
Programmable foot switch for any kind of flavors you want to save. Reverb for each channel, dual master volumes, it has it

It certainly does. With my V30/G12K blend, the overdrive sounds similar to the Demanufacture tone and the cleans/crunch are really nice.

 

[Chistopher]

For how big a part an amp plays to your final sound, I put very little thought into it. I don't even really remember the names of most of em. Big fan of the AC30 and JCM800. Currently the only amps I own is an Ampeg 12" combo that I don't recall the name of and a Johnson Millenium 100 212 modeling combo. I usually rely on the mixer out of my Bad Monkey if the house doesn't have their own equipment, I do quite alright for myself with just that.

 

[Mincer]

Mine are a Mesa Blue Angel and a Fender Deluxe. The Deluxe is a Tone Master model, which I love because it sounds fantastic at any volume, has an XLR out and weighs 20lbs.

 

[El Dunco]

Mine are a Mesa Blue Angel and a Fender Deluxe. The Deluxe is a Tone Master model, which I love because it sounds fantastic at any volume, has an XLR out and weighs 20lbs.

People seem to love the purpose built Tone Master that faithfully simulates the one amp, but the Tone Master floor modeling unit has a mixed/lukewarm reception. Common complaints are that the models other than Fender models aren’t very faithful, including their own 5150s and that it doesn’t raise to the level of other modelers for the price. I wonder why there’s such a big discrepancy between the two and what went wrong.

 

[Mincer]

People seem to love the purpose built Tone Master that faithfully simulates the one amp, but the Tone Master floor modeling unit has a mixed/lukewarm reception. Common complaints are that the models other than Fender models aren’t very faithful, including their own 5150s and that it doesn’t raise to the level of other modelers for the price. I wonder why there’s such a big discrepancy between the two and what went wrong.

I never tried the floor unit (I do have a Fractal FM3, which I love). But I think the Deluxe has a pretty robust processor that uses all of its power to replicate 1 amp. There are compromises, of course- it has a neo speaker for weight. Does it sound like the best late 60s Deluxe I've ever tried? No, but it sounds just like other Deluxes I've used. For me, the light weight and the sound at any volume is worth it. I use it as a pedal platform anyway (it is 100 watts vs a regular Deluxe 22 watts), so I set it up dead clean with no grit.

 

[Artie]

My fav, and has been since I got it, is my Bogner Alchemist head. (Built by Line 6, but all tube, all Bogner designed. No modeling.) Before that I had, and still have, an H&K Edition Blue 60R, which I modded with a jack so that I can use it's Celestion 12" speaker for the Alchemist head.

Of worthy mention, I have a couple of those Yamaha THR-10's that I got when a local business was closing it's doors. Got both for less than the price of one. Cool little amps.

And nice to see you again Robert. LTNS.

 

[devastone]

Kasha Rockmod II preamp thru a Rocktron Replifex, Intellifex and Mos-valve power amp in stereo through 2 2-12 cabs.

2nd was a Soldano HR50+, would love to have that back.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I've never owned a Rectifier, but my favorite amp will forever be a Mesa Dual Rectifier. Preferrably a Rev F or a newer Multiwatt. I don't care about cleans or crunch. I just want that Modern Red Recto sound.

Out of the amps that I've owned, my favorite has been the 5150III. Man, that amp is killer. Incredible tones out of the box, no boost needed. Those are truly the "best" (or at least easiest to get a good tone from) current Metal amps.

 

[Mincer]

I've never owned a Rectifier, but my favorite amp will forever be a Mesa Dual Rectifier. Preferrably a Rev F or a newer Multiwatt. I don't care about cleans or crunch. I just want that Modern Red Recto sound.

Out of the amps that I've owned, my favorite has been the 5150III. Man, that amp is killer. Incredible tones out of the box, no boost needed. Those are truly the "best" (or at least easiest to get a good tone from) current Metal amps.

Funny, my Blue Angel has a Dual Recto badge on it, but sounds nothing like the other ones.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Funny, my Blue Angel has a Dual Recto badge on it, but sounds nothing like the other ones.

The Badlander is also kinda like that, just in the opposite directon of the Blue Angel, LOL. I suppose the Blue Angel is part of the Rectifier series because it has rectifier tubes? Don't know how related it may be to Pushed mode or Vintage mode on a "normal" Recto. Rectos are more versatile than what people give them credit for, IMO. They've also got some decent mid gain sounds to them. But I've also tried the Badlaner, and it didn't sound anything like a "normal" Rectifier to me either.

 

[beaubrummels]

I've never owned a Rectifier, but my favorite amp will forever be a Mesa Dual Rectifier. Preferrably a Rev F or a newer Multiwatt. I don't care about cleans or crunch. I just want that Modern Red Recto sound.

In 1994 I played a Dual Rectifier (don't know the revision) and it was the only amp I've ever heard that sounded exactly like a broken in 1968 Marshall Plexi 100 head and cab, but it didn't do cleans while a Marshall does just by changing your pick attack.

 

[Mincer]

The Badlander is also kinda like that, just in the opposite directon of the Blue Angel, LOL. I suppose the Blue Angel is part of the Rectifier series because it has rectifier tubes? Don't know how related it may be to Pushed mode or Vintage mode on a "normal" Recto. Rectos are more versatile than what people give them credit for, IMO. They've also got some decent mid gain sounds to them. But I've also tried the Badlaner, and it didn't sound anything like a "normal" Rectifier to me either.

Well, the BA uses a tube and a SS rectifier in parallel, I believe. But it is a non-master volume amp, with both 6v6 and EL84 power tubes.

 

[solspirit]

My favorite amp used to be a Rickenbacker RG 180 or something like that. Nowadays its my Orange bass amp. Ideally it would be some type of Marshall head and a 4× 10.