Looking for a vintage Fender sound?

[MrB]

After decades of lugging my old Twin around, decided it was time to go smaller and lighter.

Tried several amps, never happy with the sound. Deluxe Reverb Reissue was close, but

it had a weak bottom, not enough headroom for a clean sound, 'bright' permanently on

so it was too brittle, just didn't reek of quality. And 42 lbs. Many mods are discussed on

the web, but why pay for a new amp just to spend more time and money fixing it?

 

Then I found the perfect solution: Allen Amplification!

 

David Allen make great modern versions of Blackface amps. Handwired circuits based on

the original Leo designs, with upgraded features.

 

I opted for the Accomplice Jr., which is based on a Deluxe, without the 'normal' channel

and without vibrato. He added:

bright switch

mid tone control

raw control (adds drive and brightens the upper mids)

master volume

option of 6L6 power tubes for 35 watt output

 

He usually uses an Eminence Red White & Blues speaker, but these have an 'aggressive'

high end, which I don't want, so we tried a Legend 1218.

The 'senior' version of this amp has an optional 40 watt transformer, to give a bit more

headroom and a tighter bass. This option is not available in the Jr, it doesn't fit. But

David did an experiment for me and squeezed one in.

 

The verdict?

Fantastic amp!

 

Powerful, clean Fender sound, with a strong bottom, scooped mids (with the mid control

set low), bright chimey highs. With the bridge pickup of my Kirn Tele (short scale &

rosewood fingerboard) and the bright switch on, the highs are beautifully glassy, no

harsh bite.

Tweaking on a little bit of raw, and adding a small amount of overdrive using the master

volume, produces a singing sustain.

 

If this is the sound you're after, look no further.

 

Mr B

 

 

 

 

[Polo]

Agreed, Allen makes great amps!

 

 

Another excellent option for impeccable clones based off classic Fender circuitry would be Vintage Sound Amps by Rick Hayes.

 

His amps can currently be found on or in just about every Nashville stage and studio these days.

 

http://vintagesoundamps.com/

 

I have the Vintage 35 "vibrolux" clone and couldn't be happier.

[TalismanRich]

Good job on picking up the Allen. He does very good work!

 

FXDX99, has the Accomplice Jr and seems to really like it. I looked at a Jr about the same time that I ran across the Patriot. If the Patriot hadn't been there I would have bought the Allen.

[tsp17]

i bet that's a great amp. congratulations.

[bolero]

+1 on Allen amps, great Fender stuff

 

they were there early on in the boutique amp craze too, glad he's still doing it

[212Mavguy]

Allen does Leo nicely, American owned long term high quality boutique builder with a well deserved following, great value, great sound, great circuits, great builds.

[deytookerjaabs]

 

 

 

If I had been in your position I would have done one of these. I've played one with a 12" Thames speaker and it was absolutely a very clean, full bodied, transparent tone. I suppose I will do it when I get tired of my Pro Reverb (if that every happens)!

 

 

Also, a Princeton with a very efficient speaker can be just as nice + even more portable. That said, good luck with the Allen.

[TalismanRich]

This one does a pretty nice Fender sound.... Classic 65 BF Princeton circuit.

 

 

This one does a pretty nice "Fender" as well, but with a lot more "ballsy" sound.