Combo amps...

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gene12586

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I'm looking for an amp for a home recording studio that I'm setting up... My style, very ambient, lots of effects, guitar-driven, lotsa layring, etc....my style: anything from radiohead to zeppelin, hendrix, sigur ros, elliott smith, andrew bird, etc.

Any suggestions on a combo tube amp that would best fit the role?
 
O and this amp is for a Fender American Strat and a slew of digital and analog effects as well...
 
ampeg made a series of reissues in the 90's. the ones with the blue tolex. i have owned two. for recording, and what you got going on, i would suggest maybe looking into one of the 1x12 models. i have a "super-jet" that i love. it can get plenty loud, great for practice and small shows, but also sounds cool at lower volumes. it's all tube (well almost - solid state rectifier) so it sounds warm even with a bunch of digital nonsense going in. the reverb and tremelo are both great, and aren't fender. i only like the fact that they aren't fender because we've all heard fender amps a million times, and in an era where everybody pretty much has the same plug-ins etc. any chance to deviate along the way might help your recordings stand out a bit.

if you want to go with a fender the hot-rod deluxe is a great amp in a lot of the same ways that the super-jet is. they are also still pretty easy to fond at a decent price. they also have a more intense built-in distortion than the ampegs if you want to get dirty even after all yr pedals.

good luck out there,

sl
 
Tons of options, and you'll just get tons of opinions. You gotta try them for yourself. With the wide range you wanna cover, I'd go for a fender amp like Hot Rod Deluxe, or Deluxe Reverb. I also love fender twins. VOX AC30 too. All versatile cleans. I prefer chimey cleans like the VOX, but that is a preference. So play as many as you can or listen to clips if you can't play them.
 
I'm looking to spend about 1000 plus or minus a few hundred. I love the Deluxe Reverb...anything Fender is always great. Will look into the others suggested....I'm going to be jumping around between guitar stores around my area trying these out all week before making a decision so please keep the suggestions coming, thanks.
 
Ist it just for studio use, or does it having a gigging application as well?
 
It's main purpose is for recording, but it will be pretty much my only guitar amp, so it would be nice if it could handle small venus as well.
 
I ask because, in a home recording environment, a very small wattage all tube amp is very useful, but if you're gigging, then you probably want 30W for small venues, and that can be awfully loud in the lounge room if you're trying to drive it... :eek:
 
Let's say put 85% of the weight of the decision on the recording element and 15% for live because this won't be for live use for at least another half year, @ which time I'll probably have the funds to add on another amp.
 
A few points of suggestion- not trying to contradict others who have posted; if it appears that way it is only because I have info they may lack. My comments are much more agreement than contradiction with the poster, above. I have owned all of these amps (except the RI Jet, which I did play through quite a bit.)

The 90's Ampeg reissues that were 1x12's were usually made in China- these are "Jet" models, and have a reputation of poor reliability, but they have a very sweet tone. Ampeg did make a 212 "Reverberocket" (note the "e" in between the two words) that was much better put together, as I recall it was made in the USA.

I don't think you will get a Fender Deluxe Reverb for a grand, unless you come across a used one that the seller is trying to sell, fast. Vintage BF DR's bring over $2,000, SF DR's about $1500, and RI DR's... well, sun of a gun, you CAN get 'em, new, for about $1,000. You should give that amp serious consideration. (DR I own is a vintage SF.)

Fender's Hot Rod series fits well under your budget, even new, some reports of reliability issues on them, too. If you buy used and the amp is less than 5 years old, be sure to get the original sales receipt from the seller- Fender will transfer the warranty over IF you send them a copy of that receipt. Fender says "To take advantage of the 5-year transferable warranty, the original purchaser must endorse the sale of the product to the new owner on the original sales receipt. The duration of the transferred warranty will be the balance of time remaining up to five years from the original date of purchase of the product."

I like Peavey's Classic 30 and Delta Blues amps- both 30 watts, both available in a 112 config (DB also in a 210, and it adds tremolo), and they can be had, used, frequently, for as low as about $300.

Both Fender and Peavey have excellent customer support.

Two older amps you should also consider:
Fender Champ 25SE (non-SE models lack the effects loop, which I think will be essential for your uses.) Although a hybrid, it's power amp side is tube-drive 25 watts, and it has a very nice clean tone. It's distorted tone is way over the top, but ignore it and use pedals. For some reason, the reverb in mine does not play well with others (pedals) so I can't use both on-board reverb and effects reverb at the same time. These can be had for well south of $200.
Peavey Bravo- ignore the very dated styling- all tube 112 amp, 18 watts. Hard to find. Marshall-like tone for less than $250. Wish I still had one.
 
One more note on the Hot Rod Deluxe, do not judge it based on the drive channels. They suck. And NEVER use the more drive channel, it will make the worst sounds you've ever heard out of an amp. But the clean channel driven, or with pedals is really nice.

I also swapped the stock speaker for a webber jenson remake, rebiased the tubes a little hot and changed a couple capacitors (all not neccisarry, but nice) and it sounds amazing now. Final cost well under $1000 but sounds like much more. And 40 watts is good for gigging. Loud for recording, but it won't be a problem unless you live in an apartment (like me).
 
aaronmcoleman said:
One more note on the Hot Rod Deluxe, do not judge it based on the drive channels. They suck. And NEVER use the more drive channel, it will make the worst sounds you've ever heard out of an amp. But the clean channel driven, or with pedals is really nice.
Click to expand...
I hear that a lot.
Personally I don't agree with it.
I have a Hot Rod deVille (4x10) and the distortion and the 'more' sound very nice.
However ....... I've found it to be very unreliable for regular gigging. Sitting in a studio it might do better.
 
Boy...there's a lot beyond the typical Fender/Marshall/Peavey/ fare...so you have plenty of choices.

Buying one amp gets very personal, you really have to hear it to know it's the one for you, but if you plan on buying other amps down the road, aim for something with a more defined sound rather one of those "something for everyone" amps.
Then when you get your other amps...fill in what you are missing, tone-wise.

Here's one idea...Savage Macht 12X. It's a 122 combo, dual 6V6 tubes that absolutely kills tone-wise.
New can be had for around $1200.
It's got built in tube tremolo and a Studio/Stage switch so you can roughly "half" the power as needed.
It does some of the most creamiest chunkiest crunch. I love the amp, it takes the 5E3 sound to an even ballsier level and has some of the deepest growl!
Also...the Savage Audio folks are really cool to deal with.

Another one for you could be the recently discontinued Carr Hammerhead MKII.
They can be had used for under $1000 as a 112 combo or about $1200 as a head/cab configuration. I still see some leftover new ones popping up on eBay.
it's a dual EL34 based amp that oozes Rock tones, especially that classic British flavor.
It's got plenty of power for live use...but is also great in the studio. I use mine a lot.
Don't let the "discontinued" scare you off. Carr Amps still exist, they just went in a slightly different amp direction with their models. Steve Carr is also easy to deal with.

Both of these are hand made Point-to-Point tube amps that you will keep for a lifetime.
 
Carr is a great recommendation but I'm seeing them going for more than that ..... all of 'em I found in a quick search were more like 1600.
 
Yeah...most of the other models do go higher, but the Hammerhead combos are selling under $1k used...and heck, I bought my Hammerhead MKII head w/112 cab brand new last year right when Carr stopped making them, for only $1200 shipped.
I got lucky though, it was a music store closing down 'cuz the owner was retiring. :)
I wish I had a few more $$$ at the time. 'cuz he had some great deals on Dr. Z amps and a couple other brands.

I saw a Hammerhead 112 combo on eBay just the other day for $850...it didn't last long on ebay....they never do.

'
 
And, as usual, a different tack...

Why not get something like the Avid Eleven Rack (or one of the other amp sims) and you can dial up whatever amp you need for a specific song?

Get something like this and you'll be able to gig with it:

Tech 21 Power Engine 60 | Sweetwater.com

Might be a few bucks more than what you have in your budget, but you'll have a lot more flexibility than you would with any single amp...
 
A week ago, we were talking about the Carr Hammerhead MKII and the going prices...and today I spotted a Head and 112 Cab in black Tolex on eBay for a great price (and the seller is taking offers).
I have this exact same setup, but mine is a cream Tolex. I would have preferred the black Tolex, but at the time I bought mine, it was a great deal and he only had the cream.

Anyway...this might be of interest to some folks. Great boutique amp for a pretty decent price. The condition looks to be mint.

Carr Hammerhead MkII - On eBay
 
For the styles you mention, you can't really go wrong with an AC30.
 
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