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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 8, 2005 17:14:31 GMT -5
I'm in the market for a 112 amp of any brand at all. I'm thinking about something with tubes, since I've done the solid state modelling thing (Line 6) for a while now, and I picked up a cheap little tube amp at a yard sale, and I'm absolutely loving it, so maybe a higher end one might be even better. I've done some looking around online, I've looked at Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Randall, Vox, Crate, Ampeg, Epiphone, Gibson, and Genz-Benz amps, and have found some interesting ideas. I was curious if anyone has any suggestions of amps that they have used that were awesome amps. I play mostly classic rock, and stuff from the '80s. Guns'N'Roses, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Ozzy, Van Halen, that kind of stuff. And I sometimes get into playing some metal, mostly just Megadeth, or Metallica. I also occasionally play some SRV, or Hendrix, or some other bluesier stuff. So quite a wide range of sounds. I already have a tube screamer, and I think I might pick up a Boss MT-2 to do the metal type sounds, so the amp I'm looking for wouldn't have to have killer distortion or anything. The only thing I'd really like it to do would be to have reverb and a standby switch. I've considered amps from about 15W right up to 60W anything at all would seem to be possible. So, that said, any suggestions? And things that are realistically available would be nice too. I have a freind who plays a '71 Fender Princeton, and that'd be my first choice of what to buy, but they aren't something real easy to find I've figured out. Anyways, any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance,
Alex
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damian
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Post by damian on Jun 8, 2005 18:18:01 GMT -5
If you dig the princeton amp check out the new fender amps they are reproductions that are supposed to be killer. Im sure the purists dont think so but does anybody care about them. Also I just recently played a peavey (I know it sounds funny) but the thing was absolutely an amazing tube amp. It was a 212 I believe it was called a classic 50. They also make a 112 called a classic 30 that has gotten good buzz, and for the money they are a steal. But if you like that princeton seriously check out those new repros by fender. Let us know how its going. Peace Damian
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Post by Trey on Jun 8, 2005 20:22:01 GMT -5
Check out the Carvin Nomad, it's a 50 watt 112 classiacally voiced amp. I have the 212 verisoon and I love it, perfect for anything from Classic Rock and BLues to Hard Rock(Could do Metal with a Pedal) Carvin really makes high quality stuff, but aren't that well known because they only sell factory direct. But because of that you end up saving a ton of money because your not paying dealer markup and such.... www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=NOMAD&CID=GA |
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Post by GuyaGuy on Jun 9, 2005 0:58:55 GMT -5
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Post by Trey on Jun 11, 2005 5:49:41 GMT -5
I also forgot that Carvin also makes a smaller vintage voiceed amp called the Vintage 16. It is also EL84 based and produces either 16 watts of power or 5 watts of power. It's mean to be a small pratice type amp so it's only one channel and doesn't have a standby switch, but it sounds lovely. www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=VINTAGE16&CID=GAAnd I noticed that you did give any really price range in your post. We've all been suggesting amps that are around or below the $700, there are also amp that are a little more exspensive the sound divine as well that might fit the bill. For instance a used Marshall would fit the bill perfectly but would be a little more expensive,,, |
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 11, 2005 10:07:43 GMT -5
Well, the price range would be right around what you've been suggesting. The deal is that I'm going away to university, and I can't take my 212 with me, as there simply won't be space for it. So I'm planning on selling that or trading it in, and getting a 112. That way, I'll have lots of space for it, and also if I wanted to jam with anyone sometime, I should have enough power to do that through a 112. My 212 is a Line 6 Spider, and I figure I should be able to get 7 or 800 out of it. So that price range is about right, and if I had to contribute a little out of my pocket, that might be ok if the amp was really nice. As for the peavey's I'm not surprised actually, they make some really nice amps. A friend of mine has the Classic 50 410, and it's just amazing. So I'm definately going to be considering the classic 30.
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Post by GuyaGuy on Jun 15, 2005 1:26:19 GMT -5
they also make one called DELTA KING which is a nice single speaker amp.
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Post by erikh on Jun 15, 2005 9:10:09 GMT -5
I'm looking at a new 1X12 too, or even a 1X10. One that I'm really interested in is the Vox AD30VT or AD50VT. The price is right. Another one that surprised me is the Crate VTX30B and VTX65B. The Crate's may be solid state but the sound was surprisingly nice. I'm leaning more towards the Vox though.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 16, 2005 22:35:06 GMT -5
I researched those as well, I haven't found any around to try out, however, personally I've always found that Vox amps sound way too british for my tastes. I'm sure that that's a desirable quality for an amp to have in some people's minds, but for me, I just don't like it. As for the crates, I've heard nothing but good abou them even given that they're solid state. However, my last amp was a digital amp so, personally, I'm looking for something different.
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Post by bam on Jun 18, 2005 8:25:53 GMT -5
I'm thirding the Peavey classic 50 or 30. Nice cleans, good crunch/dist. A very neat all-rounders' amp.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 18, 2005 21:52:07 GMT -5
I was in to a local music store last weekend and they had a Peavey Classic 30 in there, so I sat down and gave it a try. I've played a few of them at stores around here, and I've always liked them, but I've never really payed much attention to the amp, I usually end up using them when I look at a guitar. Anyways the one thing that I noticed about it is that it doesn't have a master volume. Tonally I really like it, it has a lot of great sounds, and what it doesn't get on it's own a metal zone and/or a tube screamer would fix, so that's no problem. It has a tonne of volume without breaking up, so you could theoretically play a clean part with a band and still have it sound clean which I see as a good thing. If it had a master volume I'd probably be putting my name on it for as soon as I sell my amp. I hadn't realised that that would be an important feature for me, but as it turns out, it kind of is. Also, has anyone had any experience with Ampeg? They have a bunch of 112 amps that look to be pretty decent. I know John A used to talk abou this on GN1 fairly often, and about how much he liked it.
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Post by wolfengeist on Jun 21, 2005 20:30:57 GMT -5
I've read all of the above replies and I'm really shocked to see all of the talk about Peavey Classic 30's and 50's considering that the amp is going to be used for hard rock styles. I knew a guy who played funk and it was an awesome amp for him, however it's generally been my experience that if you take a nice warm classic sounding tube amp and overdrive it with a high gain metal distortion pedal, it sounds like muddy piece of crap. I highly suggest you go to the music store and actually try plugging a distortion pedal into the amp before you make your decision. You may be shocked at what you hear. Additionally, I worked in a Sam Ash music store for about 2 months and I was forced to listen to the menacingly horrible, tinny, scratchy, fuzzy tone of the Line 6 Spider amplifiers from the time I clocked in till the time I went home every single day. I do agree that nearly every digital modeling amp on the market is a total piece of crap designed as a marketing tactic to target teenagers and the tone def. However, I find the Line 6 amps to be some of the worst and I think they may be guilty of scaring you away from all things digital. I highly recommend checking out the Roland CUBE 60 as it has a very thick pure tone, very uncharacteristic of any other modeling amp I've ever heard. I also think you would find great use in it's very impressive amp models for your various styles. Plus it's effects are very natural and lush. Also see the thread I started about "Roland VGA-3 compared to Roland CUBE 60" for more info.
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Post by GuyaGuy on Jun 22, 2005 4:26:44 GMT -5
TooManyWires:
ampegs are nice little amps. i've played the reverberocket and the --um, whatsitcalled? jet something. BUT those are definitely vintage style amps AND there may not be enough volume if you play w/ a drummer and band.
wolfengeist:
TooManyWires also mentioned classic rock and blues so i think he's lookin for an all-rounder rather than a hard'n'heavy-only amp. a peavey classic would definitely NOT be 1st choice for metal but you gotta compromise somewhere if you play such diverse styles.
what about a mesa boogie small combo? or a small marshall? "too british" i guess?
or a tech 21?
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Post by wolfengeist on Jun 23, 2005 22:08:54 GMT -5
The Roland amps are definitely made for diverse styles. They have lots of models ranging anywhere from acoustic clean, normal clean, very lightly overdriven blues, dirty overdriven blues, up to all out metal. All of which sound incredibly authentic in comparison to other modeling amps I've heard. I would agree with you though that a smaller Mesa/Boogie combo would also be an excellent suggestion. You can get just about any sound you're looking for by just turning the gain up or down with one of those.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 25, 2005 22:00:51 GMT -5
Well, no, I don't find Marshalls to be too british. If I could have any amp I wanted, I'd probably get an old JCM with a 412, I've played some of those and love the tone of them, but the point here is to downsize, and be able to afford it. I've never been able to find a Marshall combo around here that was of any quality. The only Marshall combos that I've been able to try are the valvestates, which seem to be half decent; and the MG series, which from playing and research, seem to be very cheap and hardly anything worth having. It only seems to me to be vox amps that sound so incredibly british. I don't know why exactly, maybe my ears are off, but, I just don't enjoy their tone, or at least the ones I can afford. As for a Mesa-Boogie, that might be a good idea, but I've never even laid eyes on one let alone had a chance to plug in to one and play, although everything I hear about them is generally very good other than I often seem to hear that they're ridiculously expensive. As for the issue with the metal sound, I'd have to say that it's not actually my priority. I primarily play a lot of classic rock, and if I had to pick one main influence, I'd gp with Slash....Guns N' Roses and Snakepit....so that's not really a heavy heavy metal sound. And personally with an Epiphone Les Paul and a Classic 30 I could really come close to the sound that I really liked-and that was just in a store without having a chance to tweak it and really dial it in. I play metal once in a while, but it's not so much that I'd want it to be my best tone, I'd be perfectly happy to be able to get something passable with a pedal for metal and have a really really nice classic rock sound than to have an amp that can do both reasonably well. Odd as it is, it almost sounds like I'm looking for almost a one trick pony. I've heard good things about the Roland Cubes and about Tech 21, but again, I'm not really sure that I want to go the digital route again, although personally, I never really minded the sound of my Line 6.
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dinis64
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Post by dinis64 on Jun 26, 2005 15:26:33 GMT -5
Sounds to me like you can't go wrong with a Classic 30. You could also look on Ebay for a used Classic 20. The OD channel on these amps are, in my opinion (and a few other people) the best Marshall sounding OD there is (with exception to the old Marshalls).
For metal, you could always put a metal pedal in front of the clean channel. Don't forget these amps have an good clean channel, too.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 27, 2005 6:51:16 GMT -5
I've heard that the classic 20 was an even better amp than the classic 30. Is there any actual truth to that rumor?
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dinis64
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Post by dinis64 on Jun 27, 2005 22:03:15 GMT -5
The Classic 20's are cathode bias, whereas the Classic 30 and 50 are not. I did the cathode bias mod on mine, without a switch to go back and forth, and I do think it improves the response and dynamics of the amp.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jun 28, 2005 9:15:35 GMT -5
Cathode bias meaning what exactly? And is the mod easy to do? I have a fair bit of experience with soldering both guitars and amps. I recently replaced 3 tube sockets in my cheap yard sale tube amp and it worked when it all got back together.
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dinis64
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Post by dinis64 on Jul 2, 2005 16:12:32 GMT -5
I can't actually explain cathode bias. I can tell you that the bias in a "cathode bias" amp changes with something (sorry, I did the mod a while back and I don't remember enough to explain well) instead of being "fixed bias". (Amps with an "adjustable bias" pot are "fixed bias", they stay fixed at whatever level you adjust the bias to.) Anyway, go to www.blueguitar.org to read up on the C30 mods. It sounds to me like your soldering skills are good enough to do the mod. Soldering wasn't my concern. I had to study the PC board diagrams and ask a lot of questions before doing the mod, with a lot being due to the fact that I couldn't get a decent copy to print and I couldn't read them. There are a lot of mods to that can be done and there are a lot of suggestions on how to adjust the sound to your liking. If you get one (just remember that these amps are very well liked without moding, but it does make a good "project amp", if you want it to be). That website is Steve Aloha's. I never did get in touch with him, but one of the mod diagrams is from a guy called "enzo". He is certified Peavey technician and hangs out at the forums at www.peavey.com. His user name is "tmenzo", I think. You can contact him there and he was very helpful. But if you go to Peavey.com, be careful what you say. It is paid for by Peavey and they don't appreciate any bad mouthing of Peavey, and where they don't endorse modifying your own Peavey equipment, it is okay to discuss modding. Sorry I'm not more help. If you get one and want to mod it, I will help all I can. It's just been a while. At the blueguitar site, there are very good descriptions, and a ton of info on the Classic Series amps, and other amps, too. Remember, these amps rock without doing any mods. |
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Post by TooManyWires on Jul 3, 2005 15:45:13 GMT -5
So you play one yourself then? I am somewhat concerned about its limited features. It has only one EQ section for both channels, and it has no master volume, or standby. I'll have to do some thinking, (and playing), on this issue.
Someone had previously mentioned a Mes-Boogie amp before. Anyone have experience with them? Can recommend a specific amp model that would be good to try?
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Post by Trey on Jul 3, 2005 17:49:55 GMT -5
If your apprehensive about the Peavey because of those issues, I would strongly suggest you checkout the Carvin Vintage series. IMHO, They sound mcuh better than the Classics and have spearate EQs, standbys, and tube driven spring reverb.
The Revernd Kingsnake is another lesser known amp that sounds killer. I think either one of those amps is far supierior to the Peavey Classic line...
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Post by TooManyWires on Jul 4, 2005 23:02:47 GMT -5
So you have experience with one of these Carvin models in particular? You don't see a lot of Carvin gear around and when I do I generally associate them with acoustic guitars for some reason. What about this Reverend amp? Do you have any personal experience with it? And do you have any personal experience with the Peavey Classic series? I know I seem to be asking a lot of questions, but I'll probably have to live with whatever I decide to buy for the next 5 years or so, so I want to pick something that I'll be happy with.
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Post by Trey on Jul 5, 2005 5:49:20 GMT -5
So you have experience with one of these Carvin models in particular? You don't see a lot of Carvin gear around and when I do I generally associate them with acoustic guitars for some reason. What about this Reverend amp? Do you have any personal experience with it? And do you have any personal experience with the Peavey Classic series? I know I seem to be asking a lot of questions, but I'll probably have to live with whatever I decide to buy for the next 5 years or so, so I want to pick something that I'll be happy with. Yes, I own a Carvin Bel Air(2X12 50 watts) The reason you don't see alot of Carvin gear around is because they only sell factory direct, and alot of people don't know about them(the same can be said for Reverend) While that can be seen as an incovienence, because you'll have a hard time playing the amp before you buy(they offer a 10 day money back guarrentte for that very reason), it allows them to pirce thier amp much lower than the comitition can. In essence, you can get a $1000 worth of amp for $500. In my experience, I find my Carvin to be more versitale than the Peaveys I've compared it too. When I was shopping for an amp a few monthes back the Peavey was on top of my list also, but once I heard about the Carvin I decided to take a risk and see if it was really better, and it was. I haven't played the Reverend myself, but I've heard a few of the local guys playing thru them and the get great tones... So basically I would be happy with the Peavey, happier still with the Reverend, and happist with my Carvin Bel Air. YMMV |
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Post by TooManyWires on Jul 5, 2005 11:05:33 GMT -5
So if you don't mind my asking then, what sort of styles do you play, and how long have you been playing? What else did you compare to when you bought an amp? I really would like to try an amp before I buy it, which is why I hesitate to buy off of eBay, but if it did have the 10 day if you don't like it thing, that might be worth a try.
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Post by Trey on Jul 5, 2005 16:49:51 GMT -5
So if you don't mind my asking then, what sort of styles do you play, and how long have you been playing? What else did you compare to when you bought an amp? I really would like to try an amp before I buy it, which is why I hesitate to buy off of eBay, but if it did have the 10 day if you don't like it thing, that might be worth a try. I mainly play Blues and Jazz, with some Rock thrown in to keep things interesting. I've been playing about 4 years, although if you heard me inperson you'd probably think I'd been playing less than a 1/4 of that time  When I brought it I was planning on buying a used Dr. Z Maz 18, but when I got to the store to buy it it had already been sold. So I tried out there amps that they had avalible and just happened to stumbled upon a used Carvin Bel Air. I'd heard about them online and in a few magazines, but ruled them out because I was apprehensive about buying an amp without playing it. It sounded great, better than anything they had in my price range in fact(including several Peaveys, and a few vintage Fenders, not the Dr. Z though, that thing is in a class all by it's own) So I ended up buying it because I couldn't afford a brand new Dr. Z and you never know when a used one will show up and I needed an amp. I ended up with a great sounding amp and most of the money left in my pocket. |
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Post by TooManyWires on Jul 5, 2005 21:34:47 GMT -5
Well, I've been playing for 4 years myself, although this last year gone by I haven't had the time to play that I would've liked to have had.  Anyways, it sounds like that might be something to look into.... |
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jamie
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Post by jamie on Jul 6, 2005 8:33:41 GMT -5
Hey TooManyWires.
"Guns'N'Roses, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Ozzy, Van Halen
Megadeth, Metallica, SRV, Hendrix" Im into the exact same music.
Ive only had one type of amp so thats all i can tell you about. I bought a 50watt Marshall(JCM900) half-stack. Its way too big and too heavy to move around. I wish i had got a 1X12 or 2X12 version. But i was alot younger when i bought it. A guy told me not to get a 100watt because you dont get much opportunity to crank it up. Im glad i took his advice.
Man, Marshall amps(or valve amps in general) have alot of thump and guts. My first time on stage i played a Strat through a very loud Fender Bassman. Every note i played, i could feel it through my whole body. It felt like my jeans were flapping in the wind of a hurricane, but that might have been nerves.
Some of the newer Marshall valve amps have an awesome metal sound, can almost get a Metallica sound(like puppets and the black album) without extra pedals.
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Post by TooManyWires on Jul 6, 2005 10:47:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I'd really like to find a 112 Marshall that was tube, but those seem to be somewhat rare. Their combos now seem to be mostly solid state, or hybrids, or else are ridiculously expensive. I could get my hands on a JCM 2000 DSL 401, but it'd run me over $1200. That's a bit pricy in my opinion. On another note, anyone got any opinions on the Peavey Delta Blues? As far as I can see it's exactly the same amp as the Classic 30, but with a 15" speaker, and a tremolo circuit. The tremolo circuit is nothing particularly exciting, (to me), but the website claims that the 15" speaker gives you better lows, AND highs. I'm not sure how it would give you better highs as a bigger speaker, but those could be desirable things, (I guess).
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dinis64
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Post by dinis64 on Jul 10, 2005 14:51:14 GMT -5
Trey said,
That's hilarious. News flash, sound is subjective. Just because it sounds good to you doesn't mean it will sound good to everyone else.
Too Many Wires, I'm not going to tell you to get a classic series just because I like one. You need to play through them, just like you're doing.
A friend of mine has a couple of Carvins he raves about, one's vintage, from the early 70's, maybe, I think. They don't do much for me.
No, the classics don't have seperate EQ's for both channels. I don't really care for the Accutronics spring reverb, myself. But the cleans are good and the OD channel is the most affordable old Marshall distortion I could find. And the new ones have an effects loop. I run it through 2 Celestion Blues and I can cut through at much less volume than everybody I play with. Not that it doens't have volume. It's plenty loud, especially for 30 watts.
I have some impressive (Classic sereies) testimonials bookmarked in my computer, but it hasn't been up for a while so I don't have access to them to put the links here. If one was going to go by what people say, realize that a lot of people are looking for an affordable "Holy Grail". Carvin's been around for quite some time, but I don't hear there name come up near as much as the Classics.
Personally, I'm saving for an AC30. Because, Trey, it's all Class A and it "sounds better" (HAH).
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Anyways, it sounds like that might be something to look into....