New amp suggestions..

[brianellefson]

Originally Posted by litepipe

It's not just about tone. I want am amp that is going to be reliable.. and when it breaks down is easily repairable. This is not the case with most modern made cheap amps. I want to buy something I can grow old with not throw away in a year.

I had a solid state Roland Chorus that was an undying beast ... consistent, no tubes, same tone at any volume, maintenance free, got pretty beat up along the way and just always did it's thing.

I haven't checked, but I bet there are some blind polls with sound samples on here for guitar amps. It'd be interesting to see how well people do picking brand and tone when they don't know what they're listening to.

Lastly, I guess I'm not too much of a tone freak anymore. I write and play songs for a living, yes, full-time, but I've been able to dial in sounds that I'm happy with without top gear to achieve that. A few friends of mine are pretty critical about tone, guitar players of course, but I guess I just got to a point where I realized that the overwhelming majority of listeners don't have as nearly good of ears for it. Once I really embraced that, the tone quest ended. I realized that trying to find that perfect sound was something that only me and some other musicians would truly appreciate once I did. That is probably NOT what you wanna hear, but it's the truth. To each his own ...

And to the dude who calls everything that's non-boutiqe "garbage" ... don't attack me for my choices and I'll leave you alone on Tone Island. Deal?

[litepipe]

A JC120 is a wonderful amp. But it's built pretty well. Not exactly the same as some modern cheap made amps. The JC is not a cheap design.

[johnny nowhere]

Lot of Napoleon Complex going on here in my opinion. Sino, you don't have to get a back-breaker to get good tone. One good versatile amp low-wattage amp will do the trick if you know the difference between tone and volume. Marshalls are nasty, monotonous pieces of chimp do-do and I've never heard one sound anything close to what I'd refer to as clean. Dr. Z amps will blow you away. They'll do everything. There I said it. All of you 'turn-it-up-to-11' guys can burn me at the stake now.

[litepipe]

Another great Amp company is headstrong.

[litepipe]

I don't know what it is but I haven't played a dr. Z I really like yet. They're clearly made well, but they just don't give me goose bumps.

[brianellefson]

Originally Posted by johnny nowhere

Marshalls are nasty, monotonous pieces of chimp do-do

That made me laugh.

Because it was funny, not because it was crazy or anything. Never been a Marshall fan.

I like your points. I agree.

[DerekJ]

Originally Posted by litepipe

I don't know what it is but I haven't played a dr. Z I really like yet. They're clearly made well, but they just don't give me goose bumps.

Dr. Z....these are awesome amps, as good as Matchless, maybe better.

[noah330]

Red Knob Fender Dual Showman - twin style cleans and a nice drive channel. Were over $1000 new. See them for 300 - 400. Fly under the radar.

[litepipe]

Originally Posted by DerekJ

Dr. Z....these are awesome amps, as good as Matchless, maybe better.

I know, everybody loves them... But they just don't do it for me.. Don't know why.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Originally Posted by johnny nowhere

Lot of Napoleon Complex going on here in my opinion. Sino, you don't have to get a back-breaker to get good tone. One good versatile amp low-wattage amp will do the trick if you know the difference between tone and volume. Marshalls are nasty, monotonous pieces of chimp do-do and I've never heard one sound anything close to what I'd refer to as clean. Dr. Z amps will blow you away. They'll do everything. There I said it. All of you 'turn-it-up-to-11' guys can burn me at the stake now.

The problem with using any boutique amp as the 'studio amp' is that most customers aren't on board. (I'm a boutique amp fan myself, and dumped most of my vintage amps after picking up two modestly priced boutique amps.) The popular studio amps are always something from Fender, something from Marshall, something from Mesa, and something like the Roland JC 120. It doesn't matter that there are better choices, this is a matter of putting a familiar product in front of the customer. Sure, some guys are adventurous, or if they know and trust you they'll try something on your recommendation. But on a daily basis the cool amps and guitars can account for a lot of expense and not bring a lot of payback. We love guitars, amps, and bases, but maybe the studio money could be better spent on better recording gear.

[warmtone69]

only the MG100HDFX. only... so warm

[DerekJ]

Originally Posted by Bill@WelcomeHome

The problem with using any boutique amp as the 'studio amp' is that most customers aren't on board. (I'm a boutique amp fan myself, and dumped most of my vintage amps after picking up two modestly priced boutique amps.) The popular studio amps are always something from Fender, something from Marshall, something from Mesa, and something like the Roland JC 120. It doesn't matter that there are better choices, this is a matter of putting a familiar product in front of the customer. Sure, some guys are adventurous, or if they know and trust you they'll try something on your recommendation. But on a daily basis the cool amps and guitars can account for a lot of expense and not bring a lot of payback. We love guitars, amps, and bases, but maybe the studio money could be better spent on better recording gear.

Hi Bill, great points on the mics, compressors, recording gear, talented engineers & backing musicians. There is more to it that this guitar amp or that guitar amp. I've spent studio time, and Matchless DC-30s are common there, along with the stuff you mention. That said, the opening salvo of this thread was something like "guys, the market is full of shit and I want something Vox/Marshall"....so. On that end, Top Hat is the best value ever, used. These are easily found for not much more than similar priced new garbage. But there are a slew of other boutiquers that have given us unlimited good choices. In spite of all the boutique greatness, give me a brownface Fender for the desert island. Clear, honest, harmonically rich, bell-like tone goes well out of these amps, I think Leo hit his peak here, blackface got too clean and tweeds are a bit hairy...but something can be said for all of them.

On the Vox/Marshall front: Bruno, Valvetech, Matchless, /13, Top Hat and many other similar designs take the EL84 jangle/chimey/growl Vox sound to new heights. A good thing, as you don't have to crank it to the point of cops get called our the club hopper can't hear each other for there to be good music. These don't annoy at slightly higher SPL, they fit well with the drums, singer etc.

To your point, I don't try to make money in music anymore, so I get to play Charlie Parker and pick my guitar and pick my amp....with that in mind, I'm glad the choices exist, which I appreciate, as I've built a lot of these amps as kits, or built close variations to their designs (Fender/Marshall). Good stuff, great hobby if you have the time (I don't), and these amps are deserving of studio space, they record sooooo well. Just my 2

[PhilDW]

I believe the Mesa Transatlantic is what you should look at. The TA-15 is less than $1000 for the head, and has voicings to do Vox, Vox Top Boost, Fender, Marshall and Mesa, plus 5/15/25 watt settings. For a single amp that will do studio and smallish clubs it covers a lot of ground. You'll get more versatility if you get a couple of cabs, one closed and one open back.

[DerekJ]

Originally Posted by PhilDW

I believe the Mesa Transatlantic is what you should look at. The TA-15 is less than $1000 for the head, and has voicings to do Vox, Vox Top Boost, Fender, Marshall and Mesa, plus 5/15/25 watt settings. For a single amp that will do studio and smallish clubs it covers a lot of ground. You'll get more versatility if you get a couple of cabs, one closed and one open back.

That's one thing that Mesa does really well: 5/15/25 watt options. There's a 1/2 power on my Mark II, which changes the feel of the amp. Mark II Boogies don't have a spanky clean, but their mid-gain distortion is a sweet sound in its own right.

[wxyz]

Used Hiwatt 30

[DerekJ]

Originally Posted by wxyz

Used Hiwatt 30

+1 on the Hiwatt 30. Of that ilk, check out Reeves:

Reeves Amps Custom 12 PS demo by Greg V. - YouTube

[Six_Sigma]

Originally Posted by ixtream

My suggestion... Baron Custom Amps

For a very reasonable price you can get a one-of-a-kind point-to-point wired tone monster! ...and Dave @ Baron was an absolute pleasure to work with.

Dave helped me to select the right model and options for the sound I was looking for and I'm extremely happy with my Baron Custom K88!. The absolute coolest thing about the amp is the wide variety of REALLY good tones that come out of it. As I'm twisting knobs while looking for a particular sound I end up hearing 10 other amazing sounds along the way. Whether I plug my strat, Les Paul, or Jackson (style) soloist I can't make this amp sound bad. This amp actually inspires me to play more often. ...and no, I'm not affiliated with Baron in any way. I'm just a very happy customer.

I agree. My Fiance got me a Snott Watt as a birthday gift last year. I can't wait to order one of his bigger amps. Serious amps, and the guy has the best customer service you could ask for.