Which Amps Am I Overlooking?

[soundchaser59]

I will be shopping around for a great sounding amp that can double as a top shelf practice amp. I just want a really nice but manageable second amp so that i dont have to tear down my recording rig amp whenever I go out to jam or play at small gigs or whatever. I have done quite a bit of research already, but I am convinced that I have missed something. I know there are things out there that I have not heard of yet, have not remembered to search for, or have simply dismissed without really knowing much about them, etc. So help me fill in the gaps in my list. You dont have to explain if you dont want to type much, just a name or a couple of names/models will be helpful. I will do the homework if you help fill in my list.


I have already combed thru the standard list, like Traynor and Mesa, and in fact I have a Mesa 5.25 Express. I am getting rid of the Vox Valvetronix practice amp because the more I play the Mesa the more I dislike the sound of the Vox ADxx amps.


Here are the conditions of the list....

REQUIRED TRAITS:
(1) Head Only, no combos unless it's a no-brainer, but then it must be a 1x12.
(2) Minimum 8 or 10 watts, prefer 15-30, but no 3 or 5 watt toy amps for $99 bucks blue light special.
(3) All Tube, no solid state.
(4) 8 ohm speaker out. (or selectable 4-8-16)
(5) Under $2,000 new.
(6) Made in USA, Canada, or UK - no China, Mexico, Korea, etc. manufacture.


DESIRABLE TRAITS:
(1) 2 (or 3) channel, foot switchable.
(2) Independent tone stack, tone controls for each channel, not shared, hopefully with at least Hi-Mid-Low.
(3) Master volulme.
(4) Foot switchable boost.
(5) FX Loop or Send/Return.
(6) Loves Pedals.


And I should tell you that the standard against which this list is competing is the THD Flexi-50, which I can get for around $1800, or the THD BiValve which I can get for about $1200.


Thank You All in advance for your time and assistance!

[Supercreep]

I think you have a lot of boutique options in the 2k range for a head.


It probably is going to narrow down to amps within driving distance that you can try.

[sarge117]

The Budda superdrive 30 is also a great amp, but if I am not mistaken it shares the eq. Tone wise though, it is awesome!

I know every time someone posts their max price another guy comes up with one just above his max price.

So here I go.

I know you have already combed through Mesa, but the Mesa Roadster is freaking amazing.

If you can swing the extra 100 (it's 2099 I believe) you will be getting all the amp you will ever need.

It can do everything.

The clean channels are copies of the Lonestar circuit. Channels one and two can do anything clean your heart desires. both clean channels come with independant volume and gain, so you can actually get a great tube crunch.

It's a dual rectifier so the overdrive channels are nuts! They take some tweaking, but once you get there, they are amazng.

Four independant channels, with 4 independant eq's gains and volumes.

With the exceptioon of the Road King 2, I think it is the best amp on the market as far as versaility.

I have a Road King 1 and I would trade that and a few hundred bucks for a Roadster!

[soundchaser59]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

I think you have a lot of boutique options in the 2k range for a head.


It probably is going to narrow down to amps within driving distance that you can try.

Not necessarily...... if I buy something and dont care for it, I can sell it again. I may lose a few bucks, but I just look at it as "rent"....

Perhaps you had a few suggestions in mind? I'm more than willing to research....

[soundchaser59]

Originally Posted by sarge117

The Budda superdrive 30 is also a great amp......


I know you have already combed through Mesa, but the Mesa Roadster is freaking amazing.

I had not considered these before. I will look into it.

Originally Posted by sarge117

Four independant channels, with 4 independant eq's gains and volumes.

Now THAT represents pure and absolute drool-over-it temptation! FOUR?

Is this Roadster a current production model? Not out of prod? Can still buy them new?

[finalfury1]

Epiphone Valve Junior Half Stack

Which is an amazing amp. I don't know if this is something you are interested in but this is what I run my les paul through and it is loud. It's perfect because you can hit the right natural tube distortion without blowing out your windows. Need any louder just mic it but unless your doing concert hall, this is plenty good.

[sarge117]

Originally Posted by soundchaser59

Now THAT represents pure and absolute drool-over-it temptation! FOUR?

Is this Roadster a current production model? Not out of prod? Can still buy them new?

Yup, 4 completely independant channels with 4 seperate eq's, 4 seperate gains, and 4 seperate volumes.

You can still buy it new. This amp will be around for a while, I can assure you of that.

You can get it in a head or combo. Combo comes in 112 or 212.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_In.../roadster.html

[sarge117]

And I just double checked the price, it is 1999.00 for the head.

So minus the tax it is in your price range (sort of).

[Zaphod B]

Don't forget to check out the Vox AC30CC head - I think they go for around $800 new. I think you'll like it a lot better than the Valvetronix. It's all-tube and very versatile.

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by soundchaser59

Now THAT represents pure and absolute drool-over-it temptation! FOUR?

Is this Roadster a current production model? Not out of prod? Can still buy them new?

You can. $1899 new for the head, IIRC.

That said, as a Mesa owner, even a Rectifier pushing 50 watts isn't exactly bedroom friendly. I own a Solo Rectifier Rect-o-verb 50, and I'm definitely contemplating selling it and my Mesa Nomad and grabbing a Roadster head and 2x12 to replace it. That said, I would never recommend a Recto of ANY form as a bedroom practice amp without at least a Hot Plate or some such attenuator in line, as really so much of the so-called "Recto fizz" is (assuming you know how to dial them in) simply a product of not letting the poweramp do it's thing. And honestly, even with my Hot Plate at -16db, my Rectoverb is still pretty damned loud.

You might actually want to give a Nomad a look though, if you can find one - it's not nearly as volume sensitive as the Rectifiers, and does the "smooth" lead thing a bit better. It also gets pretty crunchy on Channel 3 Modern.

[soundchaser59]

Originally Posted by sarge117

And I just double checked the price, it is 1999.00 for the head.

So minus the tax it is in your price range (sort of).

Close enough......Thanks, that's a pretty good tip to investigate.

4 channels! WOW!

[soundchaser59]

I did not mention it originally, but.....

Classic Rock, Bluesy Jazzy stuff, Fusiony stuff, no heavy metal, no death metal, no fizzy distortion, etc....

When I use the term "practice amp" I am not worried about "bedroom volume." I dont really have that constraint on me when I practice. And the amp I'm thinking of would most likely mean that the Mesa Express I already have would become my practice amp anyway, while the new one would end up in front of a mic.

[soundchaser59]

I dont know where the Vox tube amps are made. The VT's are made in China or Korea or something, not bad, but cannot stand up next to the Mesa I have.

(Am I turning into a tube tone snob? The more I play, the less I like any solid state sounds. Maybe it's terminal for me....)

Are the AC amps made in UK?

[mikemorgan]

Bruno Underground 30
Bruno Cowtipper

[famous beagle]

Originally Posted by sarge117

Yup, 4 completely independant channels with 4 seperate eq's, 4 seperate gains, and 4 seperate volumes.

You can still buy it new. This amp will be around for a while, I can assure you of that.

You can get it in a head or combo. Combo comes in 112 or 212.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_In.../roadster.html

Not trying to start a holy tone war here or anything, but I've always found that the more features an amp has, the more the tone suffers. I've always gotten the purest, most desirable tone with comparatively "featureless" amps (i.e., no channel switching, minimal tone shaping, no master volume/fx loops, etc.) such as the old Fender/Marshall designs and the newer boutique amps modeled after them.

To each his own, but I like to "keep it simple stupid" when it comes to tone.

[soundchaser59]

Someone suggested Valve Tech amps, and that led me to Brown Note amps. Awesome demo clips. I hate to judge using clips, but THD, Fuchs, and Brown Note sure know how to put together some killer clips! WOW!

Lotsa people are mentioning those Bruno amps. There's a VHT Pitbull at Music Go Round right now, but I dont know anything about VHT. And GC is now selling Egnater? Whatever that is......

[antichef]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

I think you have a lot of boutique options in the 2k range for a head.


It probably is going to narrow down to amps within driving distance that you can try.

That's so true.

I'm talking smack here a little, because I haven't played more than 5 minutes total through any of these, but if I was about to drop $2k on a head, I'd definitely be looking at:

http://www.matamp.co.uk/home.htm

http://dst-engineering.com/amps.html

http://www.engl-amps.com/index2.html

http://www.soldano.com/

[eyema_believer]

Originally Posted by soundchaser59

Are the AC amps made in UK?

They are made in China, but still sound great.


A Crate Palomino V32 sounds great, (here's mine http://www.box.net/shared/static/e7dg7of13b.mp3 ) Both of mine were made in the USA, but I've heard a rumor they aren't anymore.... I dunno!

Two amps I haven't seen mentioned are Dr Z amps, and Bad Cat.... might want to check those out....
Oh.... and how's about an Orange???

[Vulconizer]

Hello,

New to this forum. Thought I'd suggest an amp company that I have some experience with. Hughes & Kettner. German-made, I believe.

My cousin bought a little solid-state combo and I still have trouble believing it's not a tube amp. I have a Traynor tube amp of my own, have access to a Marshall tube head, and a nice Line-6 amp, and I still enjoy the sound of the Hughes & Kettner as part of our recording situation.

They make both tube heads and combos, as well as solid-state. The reviews I have read and the sound clips I have heard make it easy for me to suggest as an option to check out.

Not entirely sure of the price, but might be worth a shot.

Good luck,

V.

[Gandydancers]

Hunt down a used Fender Cybertwin for about $600
That's all you need,Ed

[famous beagle]

Originally Posted by Gandydancers

Hunt down a used Fender Cybertwin for about $600
That's all you need,Ed

I've played through these many times, and I must say, while they sound decent, it's not even close to playing through the real thing (i.e., the amps that it's modeling).

There is nothing like the sound and/or feel of power tubes breaking up ... especially where you're the one playing through the amp.

[TeyshaBlue]

Maybe find a decent used Trace-Elliot Velocette? An excellent, compact amp that is really well suited to studio work.

http://www.amptone.com/traceelliotvelocette.htm

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by soundchaser59

(Am I turning into a tube tone snob? The more I play, the less I like any solid state sounds. Maybe it's terminal for me....)

Keep in mind that most solid state amps are low tech entry level jobs. I'm a total tube snob myself, but I for one am blown away with my Tech-21 Trademark 30. The "Brit" mode on that thing, well, if Marshalls really sounded like that I'd own one.

[Milnoque]

2 cents,

For that money you could get two older amps, mod them and A/B them.

There are plenty of great sounding amps out there from the '60s and '70s that go for $500 - $600. Many are American made hand wired point to point just like the boutique ones.

The effects in/out is a cheap mod that doesn't compromise the original circuit. Add the servicing they will no doubt need and you're still well within budget.

An example might be switching an Ampeg Reverbrocket and a Gibson GA-30

[soundchaser59]

Originally Posted by Milnoque

2 cents,

For that money you could get two older amps, mod them and A/B them.

There are plenty of great sounding amps out there from the '60s and '70s that go for $500 - $600. Many are American made hand wired point to point just like the boutique ones.

The effects in/out is a cheap mod that doesn't compromise the original circuit. Add the servicing they will no doubt need and you're still well within budget.

An example might be switching an Ampeg Reverbrocket and a Gibson GA-30

You're not the first person to recommend old Ampegs. And the others who did are also people whom I trust to know their stuff. So you definitely have my curiosity peaked here with that Ampeg tip......

But where to look? Ebay doesn't have much, and I'm leary of buying an amp from the bay anyway.....