Most versatile small home recording amp

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Most versatile home recording amp


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If can only be one amp and in current production, I'd probably do a Univalve with maybe a Bogner cab. Otherwise I agree with previous posters that you would be better off having a couple amps that each do a couple things real well. I use a 64 Champ (tweed circuit in black tolex for the classic fender sound), a Matchless SC-30 (for the EL-84 Vox type sound), a Super Champ (for the high gain sound) and an Ampeg B15n (just because it doesn't sound likie any of the others and it sounds good). At some point I need to get another Marshall combo. Had a 4233 Artist and sold it - probably a mistake.
 
Any of Fenders older smaller amps are excellent. The Fender Champ/Vibro Champ (as mentioned) also the Princeton/Princeton Reverbs. Any of these amps in tweed or the Blackface/Silverface series are great for recording.
 
I would suddgest a tube amp and forget about D.I. on guitar period. Or a poweramp and different preamps for versitality. Great tone comes with a price.
 
Almost all of my sound comes from my pedal (varation wise that is), I play through and amp and cabinet and other pedal as well as a few single effect ones into a peavy keyboard amp, gives a good flat response which, IMHO is what you want for use with amp/cab modeling


-jeffrey
 
Classic 20 too!!

Originally Posted by BJW

I'm awaiting shipment of a peavey classic 30 ............. they are impossible to beat for the money...........


Or if you can find it...the discontinued Classic 20..15 watts, 2 12ax7 preamp tubes and 2 el84 power tubes..does clean as well as dirty gritty tones.
I love the little beast :D
 
I've owned some beastly tube heads (Bassman 100), way too clean solid state combos (can you say Crate Acoustic 120?) and even a thrashy early tube hybrid (rock on, Roc Pro 1000!)

But for my current small apt needs, the Vox AD30VT gets it done. as the owners above said, it gets a clean clear tone, but models crunch very well. i stay out of the FX, but the cabinet modelling is good stuff, and i just use the chickenheads to tweak the EQ, dial down the juice going to the speaker in the back (about 25% down the power soak) and i'm at practice-amp volumes that won't scare the neighbors. Good stuff with a Gibson LP.
 
I have the Trademark 60 and while the Trademark 30 is not exactly the same amp, I would suggest you try one out. I've used the 60 live on countless gigs and have gotten a ton of complements regarding its sound. It mics up nicely but if you want to go direct you have that option as well. Lightweight with a ton of options and versatile enough for the bedroom or stage. (BTW-I'm neither an endorsee nor employee of the company)

It's not the perfect amp, as a long time user I can tell you the 2 channels are more like 2 different amps which do not complement each other on all settings due to a shared eq. However, dialed in correctly both channels are really, really good.
 
I bought a Fender 25R yesterday. I was looking for something with a real clean sound. I intended to get a V0X pathfinder but they didn't have one. I tryed out an AD30 didn't really like it. I almost bought an AC15 but decided to stay out of the dog house and went with the Fender.

It has a nice clean sound if you keep it down to 3 with single coils and even less with humbuckers. After that the speaker sounds like it is going to rip apart. I think it will be decent with a quality speaker replacement. These little Fenders seem to have alot of power for 25W RMS it will be interesting to see what one sounds like hooked to a 2-12" cabinet.

I've got a couple different versions of the Epi VJ I use they have a really nice tone for blues type stuff but you can't get a clean Fender sound out of them.
 
Still a fan of the VJ. With new tubes and a good selection of stompboxes, it's perfect for me.
 
fender deluxe reverb amp. i put a rhodes through it, a guitar through it, and my mind through it. never fails me.
 
amt7565 said:
For micing at home- get a low power tube amp. Highly recommend the THD Univalve. I have this. 15W power only and you can even decrease the power level by switching tubes.

You can get these from avatar speakers for $659.00

I like the THD Uni as well. I like the on-the-fly mix and matching of tubes with out having to break out any tools or test equipment. No biasing required. Get a Yellow Jacket adapter and the possibilities get even bigger. I'd say no to this amp if heavy metal is your thing though.
 
I just picked up a Fender SuperChamp.Maybe not real versatile,but killer tone in a little package.
I'm in the category of"get a good sounding amp and use pedals for versatility".
 
+1 on the SuperChamp. Nice sound for that genre and very well built. Now I need a blackface Champ and I'll have Fender tones covered (I already have a tweed). :D Did you get the pedal with it? Those are harder to come by than the amp.
 
pohaku said:
+1 on the SuperChamp. Nice sound for that genre and very well built. Now I need a blackface Champ and I'll have Fender tones covered (I already have a tweed). :D Did you get the pedal with it? Those are harder to come by than the amp.

You can buy a footswitch that works on a SuperChamp here.

I've got three Fender amps ,SuperChamp,Blues JR and Princeton Stereo chorus.I like the SuperChamp the best.For myself personally,it's the perfect recording amp. :cool:
 
dwillis45 said:
Possible additions: I use a Fender Blues Jr. and I've read a lot of favorable things on this forum about the Vox Pathfinder.

Don't believe any of them. I have a Vox Pathfinder that is an almighty piece of shit. Unreliable, unusable tremolo, some half useful clean sounds when it feels like working, and a piss poor overdriven sound. I hate, hate, hate it.

But I did get it in exchange for a barbecue, so no big deal.

The Blues Junior, on the other hand, rocks.
 
32-20-Blues said:
Don't believe any of them. I have a Vox Pathfinder that is an almighty piece of shit. Unreliable, unusable tremolo, some half useful clean sounds when it feels like working, and a piss poor overdriven sound. I hate, hate, hate it.

But I did get it in exchange for a barbecue, so no big deal.

The Blues Junior, on the other hand, rocks.

I've never heard anything bad about the Pathfinder 15R, which is something I've long been considering getting to pair with my VJ for a fuller sound.
 
I've an older pathfinder, the one with the tremelo effect built in? And yeah, it blows. Absolute shit, I'd be more in favour of an MG series Marshall.To quote Pete Townshend, VOX only made one good amp; the AC30.
 
I have heard that the Roland cube series blows all the others away. On sound and ease of use.
 
Small combo and the room effect.

this genere of amps is probably the most common in Home Recording Land....
small combo's...the real potatoe...:p

imo, its like monitors shopping after a bit, there gets a point where its crazy....does a small HR room need a Marshal Stack or will it work with a Fender Beginner Pack?
does the gear buying become crack, reading a million reviews is whack.


I guess I'm wanting to trade up, get some newness, get a new amp for this old discrete transistor Peavey that's made in the US and built like a tank and has never even made a crackle in 25years....
and will probably be worth $39000 someday, like my old junky 50's Fender tube amp nobody wanted in the 70's is today, that I traded of $75 back then,

basically because Peavey, will in the end, be found to be the best tank-built quality gear in the world and some famous young dewd will make some album called VH or something........

and I'll find out after getting rid of this thing, to make them sound good all you need is love...
and a Celestion V30 or a Jensen or a Weber...its solid state, discrete components.(transistor technology, not chip's). The forgotten "happy medium" technology.

and like my friend with an arsenal fo boutique amps costing in the stratosphere....

if it don't sound right I can always throw a pedal in front of it.:confused:

i'm whacked pay no mind to my threads...i've reached the sizzle brain part of searching for a new piece of gear.:p
 
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