What amp do you use?

[4real]

I use a fender hot rod. I got it second hand as new and never left the house and haven't ahd a problem with it in two years...very loud 40w. I also have an extension cab, a ported sealed 15" bass box that matches in size to make a mini stack and move a lot more air in a band situation and assists the flabby bass these amps are known for.

I still have my old amp, a SS Roland GA60...same circuit as the old Jazz-chorus and been reliable for over 30 years. I used to use this in bands with the bass box also and now is used by my bass player like that and sounds great for what it is.

Generally I play clean. The fender provides that classic clean tone...I sometimes add in a touch of the second gain stage of the fender for a slight edge...

To get a good distortion sound, there are so many varieties and analog stompboxes are the way to go. I have a wide range but hardly ever use the things these days...Boss OD is a classic, I have a 'turbo distortion' that sounds pretty smooth for a more modern sound...an old classic Fuzz face kind of thing as well that is very raw (think yardbirds 'evil hearted you' kind of effect)

I've not been totally convinced about modeling things, but for recording I have a Boss GR-600 which has a huge array of amp modeling and such to play with as well as effects...sometimes it is just easier to plug in to them. I did do an experiment recently taking a line out of the fender into the modeling of the BR-600 which gave good results...has some 'mic simulation' parts to it and picked up the warmth of the valves without having to actually use a mic.

...

Amps are a huge part of "tone"...the guitar is a part, the pickups a major part of that...wiring tricks can just make a guitar more versatile. I have to carry my amp down two flights of stairs and travel a good 120kms so...I am only going to take one of several guitars as well. So, I do find i need the switching to get the versatility from one guitar...it's nice to have...

But easily 90% of 'tone' comes from technique...a well set up guitar that works for the style you play is going to help with that, but generally most of the 'tone' is in a players hands literally!

[gfxbss]

Ehh, you can ask me from week to week what I am favoring now.....

I currently run a Peavey Classic 30 through a Fender D12 Cab......

Or, my Vox Pathfinder(Yes solid state) through a 1x15 AlNiCo w/ a custom handmade cab....

Or the Pathfinder, to a Peavey Penta, through the D12.(I find the pathfinder fattens the tone a bit...)


Or I use a Glassman(Local builder and friend of mine) 2x10 combo.

I almost forgot my Peavey Mace (2x12 combo) w/ greenbacks.

Tyler

[Yew]

Orange tiny terror combo, Ive played some very expensive marshalls in the studio, and my Terror always sounds better to me

[newey]

The current line up:

Fender Frontman 25R, w/ Jensen replacement speaker. The amp cost me $130 new a few years back, now they're $99. The Jensen was about $40.

Peavey Studio Pro 40, $25 bought used off Ebay and $40 repair cost, so I'm into it for about $80 with the shipping.

Electro-Harmonix .22 Caliber pedal-sized amp ($99), into a Peavey 2X10 cab ($50).

Traynor Bloc40 Bass amp, $40 off Ebay.

Orange Micro-Crush battery amp ($50 new), for travel use.

So, 5 amp, total outlay less than $500. Mind you, I don't need 5 amps- it's just GAS. . .

The Fender nails the clean sounds, it's nice and chimey with single coils. The Peavey is for the grittier sounds and for bothering the neighbors . . . it works nicely with HB-equipped guitars. The EH amp is on permanent pedal-board duty. The Traynor is (obviously) dedicated to bass duties, while the Orange is, as stated, for travel use.

I keep threatening to lay out some coin one of these days for a nice tube rig (another thing I really don't need). But one of the existing ones would have to go to make space, and I don't know which one I'd be able to part with.

One nice thing about having multiple amps is that I can just plug into whichever one I want and start playing, I'm not re-routing cords for my pedalboard or adjusting the EQs constantly for different guitars. Each amp stays set up pretty much how I want it to be, no muss, no fuss.

[cynical1]

Well, my line-up has been thinned out quite a bit over the years, but for now:

Crate BX-220H bass head. Either 220 watts into 4 ohms or 110 into 8 ohms. This is one of the old "Made in USA" models I picked up on eBay for about $85.00. It's got a built in 8 stage EQ, line out, effects loop and a contour pot, sort of like an aural exciter. All the pots and sliders are quiet and it really handles the lows and highs quite well. I wasn't expecting much when I got it, but it really surprised me at how clean it is. And I have yet to peg it into distortion land on its own...and stay in the room with it... Everybody loves to rap on these things, and I agree that the newer Crate stuff has really gone the way of all things, but the older stuff, if it lived, is actually not bad.

Through the effects loops is another fossil, a Digitech BP-80 Effects Processor. Some of the presets aren't bad, but getting in there and tweaking them can create some very usable combination's.

All this goes into a custom 2x10 cabinet with a horn. I got this while I was working in Chicago off of eBay...nobody else bid on it as it was a "Pick up only" item. Granted, it was in a rough part of town, but I put a real low bid on it before I left work and found I won it the next morning. I haven't opened it up to see exactly what's in there, but the guy I bought it from had it custom made for his set up in combination with a 2x15 cabinet all tied to a big G-K amp. I actually got it for $30.00, but gave him the $50.00 I had on me because I felt like I was stealing it from him.

I don't play live anymore, so this is just for recording at home. At the time I got the Crate I was looking for an old Peavey 400, but it seems most of those old war horses have seen their better days...sort of like me...

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[JohnH]

I’ve got two that I use. My best one is a 40W Marshall DSL401 tube combo, which I’ve had for 5 years now. I upgraded the speaker and added some cooling fans, and it runs great, with a warm clean and a classic Marshall crunch sound. It is at its best with an extra 2x12 cab under it. This cab is actually a ¾ size 4x12, with two drivers taken out.

The other amp is a Crate PowerBlock, which is a lunch box sized class D, S/S amp. It has a surprisingly good natural sound, and it runs either on my home built 1x12, or through the 2x12. Both of these amps run well at low volume, as well as band volume . I also arranged things so I can put the Marshall on the 1x12, or the 1x12 on the 2x12 with the Powerblock on top, for a rather scary looking stack.

[thetragichero]

so now i'm running: marshall dsl100 with an 8412 cab (eminence black powders and red,white, and blues speakers
5e3 clone (eminence texas heat)
jet city pico valve + kustom 1x12 open back cab (eminence legend 1218)
ampeg b2r head, hartke 4x10 (+ tweeter) cab

all preamp tubes are nos, as well as nos power tubes in the 5e3 and picovalve

[ivo215]

Here's my current gear:

I only got the amp a month ago.
I've only been playing just over a year, and this is my 3rd amp already. And for the first time I can honestly say my amp is awesome (opinion, not fact).
Sure it's only 5W, but those are loud watts! But never mind the loudness, I bought this thing for the awesome sweet tones. No modding required for as far as I'm concerned.

[Double Yoi]

I have a Line6 spider (original version) with a 12in JBL replacement in it.
A Peavy classic chorus 2X12 scorpion equipped that was my fathers.
I have a little Marshall 15watt on the shop bench for testing that peels paint for a little guy.
Got rid of all the big uns when I stopped gigging. Huge regret, basically gave em away.

[mrmeaner]

I just recently bought my best amp to date. Im offically happy with my sound finally. I got a Bogner Shiva 80 watt head. Live I use a 2x12 cab with vintage 30s and at home I have a couple of 4x12s. I also have a classic 30 I use at home but man its hard not to tun on and turn up the Bogner.

[damir]

Fender Blues Junior with Ruby reverb.

[newey]

damir-

Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!

Replacing the stock reverb in the Blues Jr. is a popular mod. Did you use a tank bag? I have heard that one is often needed to reduce microphonics.

[sjsrocks]

I built a Mission Amp 5E3 Tweed Deluxe three weeks ago and I got that (WOW) factor. This Amp Rocks!!! I have yet to figure out all the tones you can get with this amp. I like to run two cables from a A/B box to both inputs. I use the normal channel for rhythm and the bright channel for lead. Both channels interact with each other, so you can get a lot of different tones out of this beast. It's only 18 watts but it gets quit loud. Great for small to medium gigs.