Steiner Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Ah, the new category! This is where my interest in music lies. I see How Heritage guitars get the tone there but what do you do to amplify that tone? My preference is primarily in classic rock from late 60s into the 80s. To get there I've landed on Soldano amps. My favorite being the Decatone. It's 3 channel, 4 6L6 and 5 12AX7s, 100W with simple TMB (shared between the three channels) and an effects loop. Each channel has independent volume and gain settings. It covers a lot of ground at low (practice) level and outdoor fun levels. New they run 3k, I've seen them go across fleabay for 16 to 1800. To say this is the end-all of amps is foolish. I'm Always on the lookout for the sound in my head; looking for the amp that hits the tone, bite and sonic blossom for many songs and artists. She shines with all my Heritages - Eagles, 575, 335 and 445 - yes even the late 70s LP Artist, the precursor to the VIP system me thinks. The questions I pose are: What are you using? What makes it special? What's under the hood? Where does it shine? I'll get some porn up today to show what's under the hood. I wanted to be here early and get things rolling. ;D
Dick Seacup Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 I use a Peavey Bandit 112 (now with Transtube!), a Peavey Centurion Mk.III head (on loan to oldest nephew), a Line6 GuitarPort, a Digitech GNX4 and my latest acquisition, a Fender G-DEC Exec (which is a fun little practice toy). Oh, and I cannot forget, I use a hand-built from scratch (by me) P1x amp per the ax84.com schematics: Three years on and it's still not in an enclosure. Sort of "lo-fi" that way.
barrymclark Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Vox AC50CP2. Interesting story. I was out looking for "THE" sound all in one amp without having to run through a million pedals. It had to do a great high gain sound but it to be not harsh (buttery) and respond well to the guitar's volume knob. For clean, nice thick jazzy type of tone. I sorta found it in a Marshall but I just wasn't terribly happy. I went by a smaller local shop and told him what I was looking and what I was looking for. He said, "Come with me. I know you are gonna say there is now way this has high gain, but just trust me and play through it." Took me to the AC50CP2. I was indeed shocked at what this Beatles-esque looking amp could do but I wasn't immediately sold. I was still comparing it to the Marshall. So, I went to go listen to that Marshall again. I was REALLY unhappy with it now. It took me time to realize it, but the VOX just blew me away. I was not comparing the Marshall to the Vox. So... I got it.
Sparky Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 My "stay at home" rig is a Vox AD60VTH head into a '78 4x12 Marshall slant cab operated by the VC12 controller floorboard. The reason its my "home" rig is I'm just not into shlepping a 4x12 cab up and down stairwells anymore. My mobile rig is the Vox head and floorboard through a Mesa/Boogie 1x12 with an EV Black Shadow in it. I have to re-EQ each "channel" when I do this, but that takes all of maybe a minute or two for the four pre-sets I usually use. My "back-up" is a Vox Tonelab LE which can go directly into a PA if my Vox decides to give up the ghost. Since I don't gig much anymore, the mobile rig and the LE don't get much use, but I've really got to work on programming the LE so its more player-centric. I bought one of those Crate V18-112 amps for $149.00 from Musicians Fiend and I've been running the LE into it, but the Crate is really bassy with virtually no clean headroom, so I really shouldn't program the LE to sound good through the Crate as it won't translate well into a PA system. My main workhorse is a Behringer GM108. I take it to every lesson I give these days, and it stays in the trunk of my car, even when its 10 below zero. I had to replace the cheap speaker that came with it, but after doing that it has never failed in the five years I've used it.
peterbright Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Fender Super Reverb but I'm stuck somewhere back in time anyway.
GuitArtMan Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 My main amp right now is a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia 1x12 combo with a Celestion Alnico blue speaker. It might be replcaed soon however by a Reinhardt 18 watter. I love the Reinhardt, except it's a seperate head/cabinet and I find the combo easier to deal with. I also own a '66 Super Reverb, '69 Pro Reverb and '69 Marshall small box 50 watt head - oh the tone of the baby when turned up! I also just revieved the Ultiamte Attnenuator and so far all my tests are very favorable. I may just start using that 50 watt Marshall more!
gopeteygo Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Mine are in my sig line. The Ceriatone is a surprisingly good sounding amp. I just picked up an Avatar cab with Vintage 30s this afternoon off CL and haven't even tried i through it yet. The Ampeg V4 is a beast of an amp. The best cleans I've ever heard anywhere. I have an original V4 cab with original speakers for it. I just dropped the head off this morning for retube (NOS JAN Philips 7027As) and a cap job for the power side. It's stunning to hear and I hope it stays that way after the work. The JCM 800 is an '81 with 6550s. Lots 'o clean head room for a Marshall, but ya really gotta crank it to get the goods. I've been through alot of amps in the last couple years and I think I've finally settled on these amps.....love them all. GuitArtMan, for what it's worth, I use a UA on the JCM 800 and it does a great job. I can get the goods in my living room. I bought the first one used, it crapped out within 2 weeks, and Mark Gregg stood behind it and sent me a brand new one. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for putting in an amp forum. I'm as much an amp head as I am a guitar head, if not more.
shook494 Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 All I get to play with right now is my Line 6 Flextone II. It's actually cool for me right now because I can play at low volume in the house. One day I hope to get a Dr. Z or a Divided by 13. I just don't have that kind of cash right now. I would love a great little tube amp someday. Anyone have any less expensive suggestions?
bolero Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 wow, a V4...one of the best sounds I've ever had was a les paul plugged direct into one of them, cranked, thru a 4x12...LOUD!! but god, it sounded amazing also that ax84 project is super cool, always wanted to try building something but I have no time to actually play lately, let alone start another project!! I've got a 1965 100w marshall super PA that is gobsmacking: beat to sh*t & roadworn but sounds amazing also a 1972 Hiwatt DR504 halfstack smaller amps: a ceriatone DC30 clone that is half vintage AC30 & the other channel is EF86 AC30; it compared very favourably to a '65 non-topboost a buddy of mine had plus a couple smaller Garnet 20w amps: Garnet is a Canadian brand not many know about, they were made from '65 or so until the 80's.....handwired tube tone machines you can still get for bargain prices because they're still under the radar..although the internet is changing that www.garnetamps.com has some interesting history etc
Scooter Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I have a Peavey Bandit 65, which I haven't used in a long time. Also have a Gallien Krueger ML250 I picked up back in 1990 which is the amp I use. It's actually a decent little amp; very small with a bigger than you think sound. I'm thinking about picking up a 1x12 or 2x12 cabinet to go with it for now. What I'd really like to do down the road is invest in a nice tube amp. I love those Swarts, but there's a lot of other nice ones out there, too. The GK is nice for now, though, because it has a headphones jack which helps cut down on tormenting my wife and kids when I practice. If anyone has suggestions for a good choice in a 1x12 or 2x12 cabinet I'd love to hear it. This was a good idea to open up this amp category. Nice to hear what you're all using and getting the low-down on it. I use a Peavey Bandit 112 (now with Transtube!), a Peavey Centurion Mk.III head (on loan to oldest nephew), a Line6 GuitarPort, a Digitech GNX4 and my latest acquisition, a Fender G-DEC Exec (which is a fun little practice toy). Oh, and I cannot forget, I use a hand-built from scratch (by me) P1x amp per the ax84.com schematics: Three years on and it's still not in an enclosure. Sort of "lo-fi" that way. Hey, Seacup, that's sounds like a nice setup you have there. I have to ask what a Fender G-DEC Exec does, though.
Scooter Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Vox AC50CP2. Barry, I checked out that Vox model you picked up on youtube. There's a guy that gave a demo of it from his home. That's a nice sounding amp and not a bad price from what I've seen. Hmmm. Here's the youtube link: (I don't know how to post a youtube clip where you just hit the play and go.)
Scooter Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Vox AC50CP2 Barry, I checked out that Vox model you picked up on youtube. There's a guy that gave a demo of it from his home. That's a nice sounding amp and not a bad price from what I've seen. Hmmm. Here's the youtube link: (I don't know how to post a youtube clip where you just hit the play and go.)
Scooter Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Barry, I checked out that Vox AC50CP2 that you picked up. Found a guy demoing it on Youtube. Sounds like a nice amp and the price from what I was seeing seemed reasonable to me, too. Nice pickup. Here's the youtube demo link (I don't know how to post a youtube clip where all you would have to do is push play):
jazzbo Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 AAD Cub by Phil JOnes weight 11 pounds (yes !!) and clean ...you can really hear the tone of the guitar, perfect for carved tops, and also for Running my H 550 through it..no gain, no fx, so use outboard effects So far i have been using a Boss chorus pedal, but just got a Zoom G 2 pedal to try out Most important : Schleppable at 11 pounds
JeffB Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Mesa Lone Star Classic head with 212 cab. The H150 plugged in to the LS sounds........ well.......... I SOUND AWESOME Its not me its the gear, but I introduced them to each other. Also a couple of Fenders and Marshalls. But the Lone Star brings what I like about all my amps together in a simple layout and in one box. I still look at other amps but not as much as I used to.
brentrocks Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Peavey Tranfex 100 w head throught a Boogafunk 1X12 Theiel cab w/ a BBE Sonic Maximizer http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y52/ebmmquilt/zzOther%20guitar%20stuff/p1010103.jpg[/img]
gopeteygo Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 =I still look at other amps but not as much as I used to. Sounds like you're in a commited relationship. :wink:
barrymclark Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Vox AC50CP2 Barry, I checked out that Vox model you picked up on youtube. There's a guy that gave a demo of it from his home. That's a nice sounding amp and not a bad price from what I've seen. Hmmm. Here's the youtube link: (I don't know how to post a youtube clip where you just hit the play and go.) Thanks for the clip! Yeah, I couldn't be happier with it. The sounds he has on there aren't quite what I use it for but it will do those no sweat. On the clean channel, I use it for a smooth jazz sound and the high gain for more modern metalish sounds. It does it all. I got it on clearance for $800 USD!
JeffB Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Sounds like you're in a commited relationship. :wink: The three of us had an awesome time last night. Every time is like the first time we all got together. Bliss. The only thing that Ive let come between us so far is a Hughes and Kettner Replex and an Xotic BB preamp.
Steiner Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 Mesa Lone Star Classic head with 212 cab.The H150 plugged in to the LS sounds........ well.......... I SOUND AWESOME Its not me its the gear, but I introduced them to each other. Also a couple of Fenders and Marshalls. But the Lone Star brings what I like about all my amps together in a simple layout and in one box. I still look at other amps but not as much as I used to. Tully - I've never been a Mesa guy but your amp continues to turn my head! It appears you've found your TONE ;D
DLDTEX Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 This is a great addition to the forum. Thanks to the powers at be. I really love tube amplification and I have gone through a tons of amps. As heavy as some them were lucky my back is still intact. That being said I am playing through amps that I put together based on Fender Blackface and Brownface circuits as well as a Marshall circuit. I have bought kits from David Allen and learned a lot. I am starting a couple single ended amps here pretty soon one from Allen and the other well be a little more of my on ideas. I also want to build a Bassman/Plexi with 6V6 tubes. I value my ears as well as my back. I am getting older
Steiner Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 Howdy Tex! Gettin' old ya say... Can you throw an old cowpoke the URL fer David Allen? I've been lookin' at kits from GDS and Ceritone. They're kind of pricey. Nearly to the tune of boutique when you wrap a cabinet around it. How is your supplier for support? One thing I value in my advancing years, support.
DLDTEX Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Gettin' old ya say... Howdy I assume you found the fountain of youth. There nothing like that here in Texas. Growing old gives you the opportunity to play the blued and become wiser. Here is the link an David is the best but you might not like the prices there also. What type of tone are you looking for? http://www.allenamps.com/ Take care D
Paul P Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Here's a porn shot of the Allen iron in my amp : http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1982-3/allen_iron.jpg[/img] Allen is good.
DLDTEX Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Paul You have a lot of preamp tubes on that chassis. How many channels to you have under the hood? I should check your previous posts to see if there i anything on it there. Bet it looks cool (or pretty hot) light up. 8) D
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