Whats everyone using for amps?

What amp do you prefer?

  • Total voters
    85
Lt. Bob said:
the amp that I would immediately grab if someone said I could have any of them is that SWART.
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Bring a gun. ;)

Yeah...I just got it a couple of weeks ago, and it's without a doubt the best amp in my line up.
Don't get me wrong, the others all have their sweet spots, and I would be hard pressed to get rid of them all and just keep the Swart, as they all have something I like to use in the studio, but the Swart SST is in a class all its own.
I don't think it can cover all/every tone I get with my other amps. Heck, the Rt 66 is very unique, and the Hammerhead has some very interesting tones with it's Impact and Grip knobs...and so do my Cortez and Macht 12X...
...but the tones that the Swart has are just heavenly.
The amp just sings...some of the best low end I've ever heard.
 
miroslav said:
Bring a gun. ;)

Yeah...I just got it a couple of weeks ago, and it's without a doubt the best amp in my line up.
Don't get me wrong, the others all have their sweet spots, and I would be hard pressed to get rid of them all and just keep the Swart, as they all have something I like to use in the studio, but the Swart SST is in a class all its own.
I don't think it can cover all/every tone I get with my other amps. Heck, the Rt 66 is very unique, and the Hammerhead has some very interesting tones with it's Impact and Grip knobs...and so do my Cortez and Macht 12X...
...but the tones that the Swart has are just heavenly.
The amp just sings...some of the best low end I've ever heard.
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well, and your stuff is primarily
for studio use is the inpression I've got.

I'm primarily a 'live' player and with the wide variety of stuff I do I'm pretty happy with my Mark V. And my Blue Angel with a good pedalboard in front of it is a great live amp too.
Thaose are the two main amps I use though I have others.

But that Swart ....... I'd like to have one just to have one.
:)
 
Lt. Bob said:
well, and your stuff is primarily
for studio use is the inpression I've got.

.........

But that Swart ....... I'd like to have one just to have one.
:)
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Yes...these are studio amps, though for awhile now I've been entertaining the idea of playing out again (one of these days :rolleyes: ), so I considered my existing amp choices, and while I certainly could use any one of them for a live gig, most were purchased with specific studio purposes in mind, and all are single channel (though the THD Flexi has a great Boost/Master foot-switchable option that gives it a 2-channel feel)...so I went looking for a gig amp that still had all the tonal goods and also more options for live use, which I figured a 2-channel would.
2 years ago I purchased a Bogner Shiva thinking it would be a great gig amp. I was not impressed with it. The clean channel was super, but the crunch channel was unusually.....boring. I mean, it had ONE crunch tone that could work for some stuff...but that's it. No matter how I turned the knobs, it was the same overall tone...just louder/softer or more/less bass/treble. Not to mention, the SOB 112 combo weighed over 75 lbs!!! I never thought it would be that heavy.
So I sold the Shiva.
Then I tried a Dr. Z Prescription ES...and man...WHAT AN UGLY SOUNDING AMP!!!
I don't know what Brad Paisley does with it...but I absolutely HATED that amp and sold it within 2-3 weeks after buying it (made out good too).
Then last year I saw a used Rivera Chubster 40 for a decent price, and I knew Rivera made good amps, but I wasn't expecting a heck of a lot, though it was a 2-channel EL34 amp and it had the on-board reverb, had the Ninja boost and some other doodads, and a great 3-button foot-switch, so it looked like a good live gig amp...so I got it.
WOW!
I was blown away at how damn good it sounded...and I mean BOTH channels. You got two totally different voiced channels, but they both sound great and the knobs actually work, so you can get all kinds of different tones on both channels...and it even records real well too.
So now that's my "gig" amp...if I ever do a live gig.
I mean, if I played out again, and there was some really great gig, I would consider bringing out one of my other amps...but the Chubster is a terrific purchase for anyone looking for one amp that can cover a lot of different tones/styles. It's small but very deep combo...not heavy, but HUGE tone!

........


AFA the Swart....they do have a bunch of models, not just the SST, which is their biggest puppy. If I didn't get the SST, they just came out with a new combo that looks interesting. They took their other top amp, the AST MKII, which is a head & 112 cab...and stuck it in top faceplate 112 combo...and called it the AST Master. It looks REAL sweet!
Price wise...either the head/cab or combo are about the same -- $2500 new.
They are also offering it in the dark chocolate tweed just like the SST (god what a lovely looking amp it is with that dark tweed).

The other Swart models are mostly smaller wattage studio amps...but hey, there's guys using them live just because they have such a great tone...and they just mic them up.

If the opportunity comes up...get a Swart, you won't regret it. No need to even audition it...they really do sound THAT good.
 
My first tube amp was a 68 Guitar Mate 2(003), I put a greenback in it, I was a fool and sold her.
My second was a early 80ies 65RS112 Music Man. I was a fool and Sold her.

Now, a year later, I have a Krank Rev Jr.
And you know, this thing actually inspires me to work harder to get a decent tone, between eqing and playing style. Far more than the previous amps, as much as I loved their tone. I was spoiled and ungrateful.
 
I only have one amp - a mid '60's Ampeg Reverberrocket.

Maybe a one trick pony, but it's my favorite trick.
 
Ampeg SB-12

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Premier Club Bass 160

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"How's it going Wire? Long time no see on the boards."

Hey Shep,
going pretty good. I never went anywhere, I just read/browse a lot more than I post these days lol.
 
Awesome Tone King! Those things are pricey yeah? Seen the same model for £2500 over here.

I currently don't own an amp :-( just sold my Vox VT30 (truly horrible amp), so I'm enjoying this thread for inspiration on my next purchase!
 
For recording

Rivera Pubster
Ampeg Gemini
A DanElectro 1/2 watt
An 18 watt Clone I built

For gigging

A Line 6 AX2 (so I don't feel bad when I beat the shit out of it.
 
Sky Blue Lou said:
Mesa Boogie Mark V
Marshall 50 watt Plexi Reissue
Egnater Rebel 20
Vox VT60 (Three of those; 2 heads, 1 combo)
Lustone 200B (boutique one-off)

I have a couple cheapoes not worth mentioning.


lou
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I never have heard much from you on your Mark V.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I never have heard much from you on your Mark V.
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I still haven't played it all that much. Spent most of the winter dicking around setting up my studio space. I have been playing it lately (until I got the Plexi) but if anything it does too much. I haven't found a tone I really love yet. Part of the problem is that my assortment of guitars cover all the bases as well; single coil Strat and Tele, humbucker and p90 LPs, p90 SG, hb Yammie, coil split ASAT. THERE'S TOO MANY FUCKING CHOICES!!! AAAARGH!!!!!!

Okay. Better now. I'll get her figgered, El Tee.


lou
 
Sky Blue Lou said:
I still haven't played it all that much. Spent most of the winter dicking around setting up my studio space. I have been playing it lately (until I got the Plexi) but if anything it does too much. I haven't found a tone I really love yet. Part of the problem is that my assortment of guitars cover all the bases as well; single coil Strat and Tele, humbucker and p90 LPs, p90 SG, hb Yammie, coil split ASAT. THERE'S TOO MANY FUCKING CHOICES!!! AAAARGH!!!!!!

Okay. Better now. I'll get her figgered, El Tee.


lou
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I don't know enough about your style to really suggest much.
One tone that is killer is the clean channel with the mode switch all the way down (don't remember the name of the mode and don't feel like walking over there and looking but it's all the way down) and that's an awesome SRV tone.

Ironically I hate that tone for clean so I don't use it but everyone else plotzes over it. I just don't like even the tiniest bit of dirt to my clean sound. I kinda go for a pedal steel sqeaky clean sound. But AIS, everyone else loves this one and I'm betting you will too.
 
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