Amps with Mojo!

[wesarvin]

Hopefully this isn't too similar to other threads. I'm a firm believer in the search function!

What are some good guitar amps with Mojo? Ya know, like a '65 Twin, or nicely modded JCM800, or AC30.

I'm thinking about a (Limited Edition White) Hot Rod Deluxe that I'd be able to get a good deal on, but am afraid that it'd be a waste of money and would rather get an amp with more mojo.

Ideas?

[nbarts]

Mojo?

What style? What sound are you looking for? What budget?

[Kyle S]

i would skip on the hotrod if you plan to use its overdrive. if its anything like my deville it sucks. good clean channel though.

my silvertone has lots of mojo i like to think. really cool sounds come out of it. the feedback can read my mind and you can really play melody with the feedback my moving your body and guitar. tremolo is nice too.

if thats what you mean by mojo. course i could pour some of that mojo marinade sauce on my marshall mg30. its good on pork chops!

[wesarvin]

Haha... that's more in the direction of what I mean by "mojo."

Amps that "feel" good to play, that seem to jump out of the speakers, that give a good vibe overall. Style isn't an issue in this thread. I personally prefer good crunches and cleans, and don't care too much for scooped metal, but there can still be "mojo" in that metal bag.

Kinda like how anybody loves an old Les Paul, even though they're not the technically greatest guitars ever built.

[nbarts]

Well, then this thread makes no sense to me. There are 100s of amps with mojo, each does it's own thing.

[wedwards]

I own all sorts of amps and there are 3 main ones that have what I call mojo (that something that you cant explain but hell it sounds/feels good when you play through it);

victoria 410 bassman (nothing but pure tone)
victoria tweed champ
77 fender twin reverb

Having said that, it also depends on what guitar you are playing - a 57 goldtop sounds crap on all of these amps - well, maybe not crap, but definately not in the same league as a 52 tele (for example).

I also have mesa, marshall, laney, carvin, but there is definately something about the other 3 that suck you in.

I firmly believe that mojo in an amp is derived from not only the amp, but the matching of the right guitar and amp together.

[WyattB]

If you're asking for amp favorites, Hiwatt is currently my favorite builder. Check out their site. If I had to pick one company from whom to buy every amp I own for the rest of my life, I'd definitely go Hiwatt.

[theGeek]

I really like Matchless amps.

[seaneldon]

We've got a snake-skin covered "Oahu" amp made by Oliver that oozes mojo. Like, when it's not even turned on, mojo is coming out of it. It's only downside to it is that no matter what you are playing...what comes out of the speaker just kinda sounds like the Rolling Stones. Loves Telecasters and Strats, hates my SG with P90's.

63-64 Bassman piggybacks also exude the good stuff.

[richiepalooza]

It's hard to beat a '56 Vibrolux.

[lordmiguel]

maybe you're mistaking levitra for getting your mojo back?

guess either way they both affect your hearing....

there are so many amps with mojo there is no place to even start....

name a band or artist or start your tonequest from ground zero

[Pasta4lnch]

I've been digging on my THD univalve lately. on it's own it's just a decent sounding amp. but when recorded it is so alive. It also stacks better than any amp I've ever used. I've been a card carrying Harlequin user for a while (and still am) but there is just something about the character of the univalve that is unique to me. . .

as far as just listening to an amp - I played a vibroking once and I was flawed by the tone. soooo smooth and buttery (a sound I've been searching for a long time) - I almost paid an extra hour at the rehearsal space to futz w/ it . . . but then I would have had to leave w/ it

[indravayu]

Originally Posted by wedwards

I firmly believe that mojo in an amp is derived from not only the amp, but the matching of the right guitar and amp together.

Very true! I own a Heritage Victory, which is an awesome amp (tons of mojo, by the way), but sometimes a little tricky to dial in the right tone with certain guitars. I picked up a new SG w/P90's a few weeks ago and have been floored by how well it interacts with the Victory - this combo sounds so much sweeter than with any of my other guitars (and I have a full range - Tele, Strat, two LP's, ES335, Brian May Sig.).

One of my LP's sounds a little strange through the Victory (not bad - just a little off), but it sounds absolutely awesome through a Matchless Chieftain (as long as I roll off the bass on the amp, or with an EQ pedal; Chieftains can be a bit bass heavy).

- Chris

[seaneldon]

Originally Posted by Pasta4lnch

I've been digging on my THD univalve lately. on it's own it's just a decent sounding amp. but when recorded it is so alive. It also stacks better than any amp I've ever used.

What kind of power tube are you using? After 4 months of fighting with our Univalve, I landed on a JJ 6V6 and suddenly life made sense. Now it sounds like an old Tweed with a bigger bottom. Pairs well with the THD 2x12 cabinet (imagine that).

We've also got a Flexi50 with EL34's that serves as a faker-JCM800. Another killer amp. Not as clear as the Univalve, but capable of way more gain.

[ben_allison]

Hot Rod Deluxe can be great... with a mod.

There are TONS of amps out there.

I have a DR Z Z28 – killer. Dr Z make great, affordable booteek amps. Very touch responsive, very organic, and perfect pedal platforms. Start with a great clean then add pedals for all gain needs (slight hair/breakup, rhythm overdrive, all the way up to metal if you so choose).

I'd start there.

But that's not all there is: Bad Cat, Top Hat, Splawn, Germino, Fuchs, Two Rock, Valvetech, VHT... each has their own mojo. You just need to know what you want, and then you can explore builders that seem to make the products that suit your needs. Hell, a Mesa Mark IV might be just what you need... there are literally tens of thousands of amps and amp/speaker configurations out there.

SRV? Guns and Roses? AC/DC? U2? Lamb of God? What sort of tones are you looking for?

[ptbarnum]

Carr Amps have the mojo

[Pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by seaneldon

What kind of power tube are you using? After 4 months of fighting with our Univalve, I landed on a JJ 6V6 and suddenly life made sense. Now it sounds like an old Tweed with a bigger bottom. Pairs well with the THD 2x12 cabinet (imagine that).

I currently have an EHX 6L6 in there. I actually bought a few tubes when I got the amp, but this set up just sounds amazing! I liked the EL34's, but I have them in almost all my other amps . . . This amp really is an underdog. It is mediocre right up until the end and then WHAM it sounds amazing in the mix!

Originally Posted by ptbarnum

Carr Amps have the mojo

I was w/ a buddy trying out amps a few months ago, and the Carr amps were some of the best sounding we came across. The only amp I wanted to try against it was a two rock, but the guy at Rudy's was being a dlck . . .

[ptbarnum]

Originally Posted by Pasta4lnch

I was w/ a buddy trying out amps a few months ago, and the Carr amps were some of the best sounding we came across. The only amp I wanted to try against it was a two rock, but the guy at Rudy's was being a dlck . . .

weird, they're usually cool folks..must've been a crowded day?

[kafka]

Dr. Z's have plenty of mojo. I recently picked up a Maz 38. I'm just getting into it now. It's right between a Deluxe Reverb and an AC30. There's a unique tone control on it - the "cut" knob - in addition to the traditional TMB knobs. If you turn it down, you can get something like an early Marshall sound. Both the high and low gain inputs offer useful sounds, so don't just stick with the high gain. Great little amp.

[Unclenny]

1979 Carvin VT112.......mojo.

Blues Jr. .......................mojo.

[wesarvin]

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys! I hope this doesn't get mistaken as yet another favorite amp thread. I just wanted to see some discussion as far as amps with a great, memorable, undeniable character of life behind them... like an amp you don't want to stop playing on, or in the words of a great pianist "it will sing back to you."

Gear-wise, and sound-wise, I have a Bogner Ecstacy 101a half stack, Mesa Mark IV Combo, Ampeg Super Rocket 212rt, and Seymour Duncan Convertible 100 combo to choose from. They are all great tube amps with pretty good cleans, damn good crunch, and can do the heavy thing OK. This Hot Rod that I was looking at seemed pretty cool and is offered at a good price (not to mention that I'm a sucker for pretty amps, and the white limited edition is REAL pretty). Since I'm not too into heavy buzzsaw sounds (I'd get a Deizel or Rectumfrier for that), I'm just looking at something for a good clean and soft crunch, both with a great character to the sound. I tend to collect amps like most people collect guitars and micophones.

But don't limit your ideas to just what I'm looking for, instead be style un-specific and pull out all the stops... I wanna hear amps that send chills down your spine!

[RiF]

Originally Posted by guitarwes

But don't limit your ideas to just what I'm looking for, instead be style un-specific and pull out all the stops... I wanna hear amps that send chills down your spine!

For me, it's the clean channel driven into saturation of my Kitty Hawk Junior Combo (which I bought new in the early 80's as my first amp) played through a 4x12 cabinet using the neck pickup (Duncan '59) of my Charvel 750XL. Very organic, very responsive (and therefore a bit unforgiving) to your playing, very dirty and saturated. That sound makes me play stuff I do not play with my other amps.

[Croaker]

Originally Posted by guitarwes

I just wanted to see some discussion as far as amps with a great, memorable, undeniable character of life behind them... like an amp you don't want to stop playing on, or in the words of a great pianist "it will sing back to you."

.. I wanna hear amps that send chills down your spine!

There are so many amps with mojo but for me, right now it has to be the Victoria Regal II mucho mojo....one of the best amps I have ever played or heard and have owned quite a few nice amps, vintage and boutique.

it has such a deep fat sound. very responsive amp with reverb and tremolo. the kind of amp you can just plug straight into and play all day.

Victoria Amps : show_model


good luck with your search

[wesarvin]

Originally Posted by theGeek

I really like Matchless amps.

How about their Lightning?

(as I'm imagining gutting the Hot Rod and replacing it with a Matchless clone...mmm...Matchless)

[tenton]

Orange amps definitely have some mojo working for them. My personal fave is the Retro 50, but many others swear by the Rockerverbs.

Have you checked out any of the Elmwoods? Pretty great stuff too.

[FireMoon]

Hiwat Dr103....

If you want to try and replicate the guitar sound on the Who's "Wont get fooeld again" that is the THE amp you need.

I think Hiwatts were never seen as *sexy* as Marshalls. They were ,however, all hand built and hard wired, years before people started charging you an arm and a leg for it.

Their *Mojo* is that . They take what ever you throw into them and then chuck it back at you at any volume you wish to dial up. Now some might say that that lack of character would discount them from the *mojo stakes* I'd say that is the *mojo* I am looking for. A guitar amp that allows you to sculpt the sound you want from your gear.


The strange thing is, they really are coming into their own nowadays. Stick something like a Black Star pedal in front of one and you dial up a whole host of tones. They are also as good on Bass as they are on Guitar, some would say even better.

Another strength of the Hiwatts, is how they respond to different speakers. They work with old Fanes just as well as they do with green backs.

Like i say, maybe not the sexiest amps ever made. but you often find the people who own them, rarely ever want to sell them. That has to be the best recommendation for an amp there is.

As a final point to illustrate what i mean.. Name another amp you could use to get Pete Townsend, Dave Gilmour and Jean Jaqcues Burnel from?

[miqer]

Try the new hardwired vox ac15... it beats vintage ac30's here sometimes in sound/tone.

I love this amp, the 50ies channel is gorgeous.

m.

[IntenseJim]

(Ignore the SA tone settings)

[Unclenny]

Where is FFTT.......Amp Guru Extraordinaire?


Sugarland Rain

[dogonjon]

Originally Posted by Kyle S

i would skip on the hotrod if you plan to use its overdrive. if its anything like my deville it sucks. good clean channel though.

my silvertone has lots of mojo i like to think. really cool sounds come out of it. the feedback can read my mind and you can really play melody with the feedback my moving your body and guitar. tremolo is nice too.

if thats what you mean by mojo. course i could pour some of that mojo marinade sauce on my marshall mg30. its good on pork chops!

The drive on the hot rod responds to higher imput level provided by hotter pickups. My LP levitates when it feedsback- that's MOJO!