Best Fender amp for Blues

[NL5]

OK, let's hear what you guys think. I want to get a guitar amp for the studio (I play bass), so I want to hear some reccomendations.

A few on my list so far -

- Vintage 55-59 Deluxe/Bassman/Twin
- 59 Bassman Reissue
- 65 Twin Reverb reissue

Thanks,

NL5

[keebob]

Does it have to be a Fender... and is this for guitar or bass?

I know you said you want a guitar amp but you also said you play bass.

[doorjam]

You might look at the Tech 21 or Line 6 modeling amps. They come pretty darn close to sounding like all the amps you mentioned and would be much more flexibile in a studio environment.

[NL5]

Originally Posted by keebob

Does it have to be a Fender... and is this for guitar or bass?

I know you said you want a guitar amp but you also said you play bass.

It is just for guitar, and I guess it doesn't have to be a Fender.

[Le Basseur]

Originally Posted by NL5

It is just for guitar, and I guess it doesn't have to be a Fender.

Hi mate,
For blues,it HAS to be a Fender!
Really,go for a Deluxe Reverb or Twin (no reissues!).
My all-time favourites are Fender configs with 6V6 as power tubes.
I NEVER encountered a better-sounding tube amp for blues than those small or medium Fenders having 6V6's....it's a marriage made in heaven!

[spoonie g]

yeah I'd go for obe of the low-powered 6v6 powered fenders so you can get a little grind without killing small animals. i think the deluxe is 22 watts?

[mishagolin]

fender princeton reverb. absolutely beautiful tone. 12 watts. absolutely amazing and perfect for the studio. breaks up really nicely too.

[BrettB]

Originally Posted by mishagolin

fender princeton reverb. absolutely beautiful tone. 12 watts. absolutely amazing and perfect for the studio. breaks up really nicely too.

???

Euhm, I really disagree on this one. With the exception of very clean pop or jazz, the tubes of Fender will blow away any transistor model. And I could know, because I have a Fender transistor, and it isn't versatile at all.

[NL5]

Originally Posted by BrettB

???

Euhm, I really disagree on this one. With the exception of very clean pop or jazz, the tubes of Fender will blow away any transistor model. And I could know, because I have a Fender transistor, and it isn't versatile at all.

I think the Fender Priceton Reverb is tube.....atleast the old ones are.....

[jjmanton2]

I like a good hot rod or a blues junior. The blues junior is really nice for the price.

[Middleman]

Vibrolux. Smaller version of the twin. You can crank it and get great tone. If you crank a twin, you will loose your hearing, but impress the neighbors with your tone.

[Track Rat]

Rivera. Nuff said.

[Rickson Gracie]

screw the modeling amps..for an inexpesive awesome blues studio amp you cant go wrong with the blues jr. especially with a sttrat or a tele.

[keebob]

Fender Princeton Reverb... yup... very nice... agree: great for the studio...

[EleKtriKaz]

They're all good. Vibrolux, Vibroverb, Twin, Twin Reverb. I'd say give the Vibrolux and Vibroverbs a try for blues.

[Henri Devill]

Bassman reissue..Sweeet !The Deluxe is cool too..Ya really can't go wrong with any of them even Bandmasters..Most of the blues guys I've known like the Blackface Supers

[Henri Devill]

Originally Posted by Track Rat

Rivera. Nuff said.

I've never tried one of those{would like to}..heard alot about 'em

[BrettB]

Originally Posted by NL5

I think the Fender Priceton Reverb is tube.....atleast the old ones are.....

Oops.. my mistake.. When I hear Princeton I thought one of those low cost transistor amps. Apologies!

[jimistone]

Originally Posted by BrettB

Oops.. my mistake.. When I hear Princeton I thought one of those low cost transistor amps. Apologies!

I have a Fender hot rod deville...GREAT blues amp....I used to have a Fender super reverb...GREAT blues amp.....a friend of mine has a fender twin....GREAT blues amp.

ANY fender tube amp is great for blues...the main thing you have to decide is how you are going to use it. Will you be playing live, in blues clubs. Wil;l you be playing live, in huge rooms? Will you be mainly recording at lower volumes? Answer these questions and get an amp with appropriate power for what you need. A hot rod deville is not the best "low volume" amp for recording, and a blues Jr is not the best amp for playing gigs in huge rooms.

As far as getting the "blues sound"...any fender tube amp has it. I will go on to say that alot of "the blues sound" is your playing technique, a good blues guitar player can get his sound on ANY amp and guitar...even a cheesy guitar and a peavey solid state amp. Its all in the hands.

[Fendophile]

I miss my old Super Reverb. My problem with buying another one is that it is much larger than what I now need at home for recording.

I was looking at the Deluxe Reverb myself, but I didn't see a master volume control.

I have two Ampeg tube amps. One is the SJ12T, which is way too clean for my style of playing, but handy for some things, and the price was righteous. The other is the R12R, which has a distortion feature built into it. Preamp distortion though. Both were bought used for less than $300 each. Way less.

I also have a Pignose G60VR that flat out kicks butt. Glad I bought it, but much more powerful than I need. Still, you can make it dirty at lower volumes with the preamp controls and it sounds good. You have to remember to keep the shape control at nine o'clock or before. Going past that point nearly disables the tone controls. Nice amp.

I also have a Fender Champ that I bought off a guy on eBay. What a mess. I had to replace the speaker upon arrival because the tubes fell out and trashed it during shipment (the seller bought me a new Weber speaker). The tubes in it are ex-Navy tubes and I have no idea what they are. Someone broke the tabs off the bases. I'm lost. This would probably be a good little amp if it worked. Maybe someday.

I'm using a Behringer GMX210 and a Tech21 Trademark Ten for recording direct at the moment. The amps sound much better than I can play guitar. I am surprised at how good they sound when recorded. I could have saved a bunch of money had I bought the Behringer first. I don't know if the rest of you would like the tone I have discovered, but I am thrilled with it. It took some messing around for a while to figure out where it was hiding, but eventually I found it. Not bad at all for a solid-state amp. I was really surprised. I especially like the amp's willingness to jump into a higher harmonic. Sweet.

Once I pick up one of those heat dissipator thing-a-ma-bobs, I'll try recording (miking) the tube amps. I can't stand to turn the tube amps up loud enough to sound really good as it is. A dummy load is in order.

The SS amps have their uses. I wouldn't want to be without either type of amp. More weapons in the arsenal is a good thing.