Up for a new amp...

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Monkey Allen

Monkey Allen

Fork and spoon operator
Hello...

First off, I'm a home studio guy who records in a DIY home studio...so not playing gigs etc. Anyway, I've had this Fender Super Champ x2 for about 7 years. Nice amp, nice Fender tone and delicious reverb. I think so anyway. The prob is that it's always been very noisy...lots of hum, lots of hiss. I dunno if it's always been a dud or if it's my electrics in my house or if there's a fault with the tubes or whatever. Coz I've never had it looked at and I've never investigated if my house wiring is dodgy in grounding or something if you want to use amps. So there's that. The Super Champ is a dog to record. I need to use plugins to remove hum etc. And it takes pedals like a dog too. No offense to dogs in general. It's just a very, very noisy amp.

So I bought a BOSS Katana 50mkii thinking I'd model my way to amp recording...maybe even run from the out direct to my interface. But the Katana is just massive tweak city. And if you really want to dial in the right sound you've got to USB it to your PC and all that. Additionally, I find the Katana thin or just not the right sound. In terms of hum and hiss I might add, interestingly there's a NS - noise suppression setting deep in the PC user interface. The high gain, crunch, lead sounds come with big hum/ hiss etc (I guess trying to accurately model the real thing? Not sure). But if you correctly dial in the NS the hum/ hiss COMPLETELY disappears. Pretty awesome. That's kind of beside the point but I find it noteworthy that the Katana isn't overwhelmed with hum/ hiss/ noise in my house like my Super Champ is. Different kinds of amps I know...but it makes me wonder if my home wiring is basically OK and it's the Super Champ that's insane.

So anyway, I'm up for a new amp. I don't like the Katana though it's ok. And the Super Champ is just insane. So I was looking into a couple of solid state/ digital modelling amps...the Roland JC40 and the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb. There's pros and cons of each...(I may be wrong on some of these points)

- The Roland is apparently a genuine "solid state" amp whereas the Tonemaster is a computer
- The Tonemaster is apparently a potential landfill/ dump piece of scrap because it's a computer and if the mobo fails or something out of 2 year warranty down the road servicing and finding parts is problematic.
- The Roland build has longevity because it is genuine solid state and not a modelling computer. It can be serviced/ repaired more readily.
- The Tonemaster has the Fender sound and sweet reverb which I really like
- The Roland has a great pure clean sound but does apparently have a well known hiss. Hiss probably better than hum though.
- The Tonemaster apparently plays really well at low levels...which is good for home recording
- The Roland has the "mid" control...the Tonemaster doesn't.

I would like to get the Tonemaster for the Fender sound, the low level ability and the reverb...but I'm a little put off by the fact that if it fails or goes bad then down the road it's a potential real problem to repair.

What do you guys reckon? Any other options? No more tube amps for me. It must be solid state or digi mod. But yeah, digi mod when parts go bad...might be a problem.

Thank you
 
I know a fellow who plays an Allen Accomplice which is a take of the Deluxe Reverb. He recently played a Tonemaster Deluxe and said he was impressed. This is a guy who plays out quite often. He's considering actually buying one, especially since it's 19lbs lighter than his current amp. The Tonemasters are now THE amp for the backline of the Grand Old Opry.

This fear of solid state amps becoming landfill in a couple of years is crazy. I've got an old Peavey Transformer 112. It's a modeling amp that is almost 25 yrs old and still works. I think I got it in 2004. I don't use it as I have other amps, but years back, our keyboard player used it since it had a rotary speaker emulation so it played the part of a Leslie when he used his organ sounds, and when I used it for guitar, I used both the Fender Tweed and Peavey Classic sounds mostly. I liked the sound of the Classic model enough that I ended up with a Classic 30 which I still have.

I have computers that are 2 decades old and still working. It's not like you have to update the operating system like you do with Windows or Mac. It won't become obsolete or need virus protection. It's transistors and ICs instead of tubes. It's decades old technology, not something that's new and untested. The only thing new is that you have enough processor power to implement the type of impulse responses to emulate other amplifiers.

If you're just recording at home, not playing out anywhere, I would bypass the amp entirely and look at something like the Iridium, a UA Dream 65 or TopBoost, or maybe a Helix. Listen to Gonzo's stuff... it's done with the Iridium.
 
TalismanRich said:
I know a fellow who plays an Allen Accomplice which is a take of the Deluxe Reverb. He recently played a Tonemaster Deluxe and said he was impressed. This is a guy who plays out quite often. He's considering actually buying one, especially since it's 19lbs lighter than his current amp. The Tonemasters are now THE amp for the backline of the Grand Old Opry.

This fear of solid state amps becoming landfill in a couple of years is crazy. I've got an old Peavey Transformer 112. It's a modeling amp that is almost 25 yrs old and still works. I think I got it in 2004. I don't use it as I have other amps, but years back, our keyboard player used it since it had a rotary speaker emulation so it played the part of a Leslie when he used his organ sounds, and when I used it for guitar, I used both the Fender Tweed and Peavey Classic sounds mostly. I liked the sound of the Classic model enough that I ended up with a Classic 30 which I still have.

I have computers that are 2 decades old and still working. It's not like you have to update the operating system like you do with Windows or Mac. It won't become obsolete or need virus protection. It's transistors and ICs instead of tubes. It's decades old technology, not something that's new and untested. The only thing new is that you have enough processor power to implement the type of impulse responses to emulate other amplifiers.

If you're just recording at home, not playing out anywhere, I would bypass the amp entirely and look at something like the Iridium, a UA Dream 65 or TopBoost, or maybe a Helix. Listen to Gonzo's stuff... it's done with the Iridium.
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The Peavey 112 is a genuine solid state amp. There's debate about things like the Tonemaster being genuine solid state. Yeah they are circuits or whatever without moving parts or tubes...but they are computers as opposed to genuine transformers. I mean...I'm talking as a layman.

You're right about PCs and that lasting 20 years. Sure. I agree. I might be exaggerating the threat of obsolescence in my head. I might buy the Tonemaster and it might outlive me. Thanks for the perspective.

I'm not gonna bypass the amp coz I like the sound of a mic in a room on an amp. Even if it's my stupid bedroom. I just like the real sound of the amp miked. So will not consider Helixes etc. I mean I've used plugins like Scuffman S-Gear and Amplitube...and they are awesome. Big fan. They can do all sorts of things. But yeah, I like the mike in front of the amp feel. Regardless of how well that can be emulated, I am only interested in actually doing it.
 
Modern digital kit is very reliable.
I've had the Line 6 Flextone III Plus for nearly 20 years, without a hitch.
I bought it because you can turn them on and off a lot, unlike valve amps where every on/off cycle is another nail in a valve's coffin.
Go with whatever gives the sound you want.
 
Yes thanks. I am maybe making too much of what I read about people referring to the Tonemasters as being landfill waiting to happen.
 
One thing to remember is that when you hear 5 people's stories on the internet about their broken amp, you didn't hear the 10000 people who just plug in and play and never have a issue.

I could say that tube amps are junk because I had to change the preamp tubes in my Classic 30 TWICE because they became microphonic and made noise. I've only had the amp for about 20 years and yeah, I got it used. But I had to fix it! You have to mod the amp to make it usable (I put on a Tube Tamer). Therefore Peavey tube amps and both JJ and Sovtek tubes are obviously crap, right?
 
Get an Eleven Rack or similar amp emulator. The Eleven Rack has 100 presets and you can customize 100 more. It emulates amps, speaker cabinets, and has all the delays and effects you can stand. It can be a usb interface if needed, but I usually just plug the xlr output into my interface. I dial through the factory presets until I find something that sounds good, and tweak that to I have the sound I want.

photo_2025-02-05_09-52-46.webp
 
TalismanRich said:
One thing to remember is that when you hear 5 people's stories on the internet about their broken amp, you didn't hear the 10000 people who just plug in and play and never have a issue.

I could say that tube amps are junk because I had to change the preamp tubes in my Classic 30 TWICE because they became microphonic and made noise. I've only had the amp for about 20 years and yeah, I got it used. But I had to fix it! You have to mod the amp to make it usable (I put on a Tube Tamer). Therefore Peavey tube amps and both JJ and Sovtek tubes are obviously crap, right?
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True. The point about tube amps is that they might break down but they are very repairable. There seems to be some school of thought that the new "computer" amps have a breakdown D-Day where this or that component will just not be around. How long are all the chips or whatever going to be manufactured by Fender as replacement parts? But as you said or imply, that might not ever be an issue. I'm aware too of the fact that a few people chatting about such things on the internet doesn't = the reality of things. That's part of the reason I post here...to see what a few more people say. Anyway, thanks.
 
R D Smith said:
Get an Eleven Rack or similar amp emulator. The Eleven Rack has 100 presets and you can customize 100 more. It emulates amps, speaker cabinets, and has all the delays and effects you can stand. It can be a usb interface if needed, but I usually just plug the xlr output into my interface. I dial through the factory presets until I find something that sounds good, and tweak that to I have the sound I want.

View attachment 149033
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Well yeah, I've heard it's great. But I'm after an amp to stick a mike in front of that has a few other prerequisites I might have specified earlier. I know you could send the output of the Eleven to an amp but, well, I don't wanna go down that road. Thanks though.
 
R D Smith said:
Get an Eleven Rack or similar amp emulator. The Eleven Rack has 100 presets and you can customize 100 more. It emulates amps, speaker cabinets, and has all the delays and effects you can stand. It can be a usb interface if needed, but I usually just plug the xlr output into my interface. I dial through the factory presets until I find something that sounds good, and tweak that to I have the sound I want.

View attachment 149033
Click to expand...
I have one, and while many consider it ‘dated’, it does the job quite well.

They’re cheap too now because of the ‘dated’ false stigma.

I got mine mint with box and all paperwork for 200 bucks.
Hell, at that price it’s worth it just for all the effects. Very easy to use as well.

Another great option which I have as well is the Blug Amp one.
Anything from fender to Marshall to boogie tones. Very easy to dial in, you can record direct into you interface, and it’s analog except for the digital reverb.

Both I recommend highly.

But still, get the super champ looked at.
 
TalismanRich said:
I've got an old Peavey Transformer 112. It's a modeling amp that is almost 25 yrs old and still works. I think I got it in 2004. I don't use it as I have other amps, but years back, our keyboard player used it since it had a rotary speaker emulation so it played the part of a Leslie when he used his organ sounds, and when I used it for guitar.
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@TalismanRich
Thank you for reminding me that, just like you, I also had purchased a Peavy Transformer 112 right about the same time that you had bought yours. That amp has been sitting there beneath my desk for about 20 years. My bad. I do remember scrolling through the factory presets, but I never really experimented with the amp enough by creating my own "user presets". Nor did I take time enough to RTFM. 😒

Fortunately, I dug through my folder of manuals of equipment, and I found the manual. Page 9 of that 25 year old manual explains it that the Modulation Switch allows choices of Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, and last but not least, Rotary Speaker.

I have never used that amp to record with, but now, I am tempted to plug a guitar into the amp and dial up that rotary speaker effect.

And I will also Read The Fucking Manual.

Just goes to show you, Rich, that there isn't a day, here at HR, that goes by that I don't appreciate what old guys like you remember.;)
 
RFR said:
I had a song that some stuff that needed fixing. (Guitar track) only problem was I no longer had the Soldano I originally recorded the track with.

Long story short….. a couple of knobs turned on the 11rack Soldano preset and bam! Nailed the sound.
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Whatever works, right? 👍
 
Have you considered a Strymon Iridium? A very convincing Fender Deluxe Reverb (tone tweakable by design for classic tweed bassman tones!), Vox AC30, and Marshall Super Lead (with a lot more gain than a real super lead IF you need it) all rolled into one. Each amp is great on it's own - but all three take pedals well too.

Keep in mind - it is not meant to be run into an amp. You can use headphones (the Iridium has it's own headphones jack), run it into a mixer/monitor setup, or to an FRFR cabinet. <--- I do all three.

I am *very* happy with this setup. The Iridium is quite popular. Especially for those that want a little versatility without crazy menus, setup, and silly amounts of options - and a modest price.
 
I think my Champ might be suffering from a ground problem. As can be imagined, it's in my very modest home studio...along with:

PC tower
PC monitor
3 monitor speakers
RME Fireface
Room light
Air con
Multiple preamps, eq's and comps
Pedals

So there's a lot of things plugged in. I took it out to the kitchen and plugged it in and the noise from the Champ didn't strike me as problematic in any way. Just normal levels of hum/ hiss/ noise. The noise is clearly worse in my little studio. And that noise is compounded of course when a mike is on the grill. I could back the mike off a bit. I could also try using a big extension lead to plug the amp in from a different part of the house.
 
Monkey Allen said:
I think my Champ might be suffering from a ground problem. As can be imagined, it's in my very modest home studio...along with:

PC tower
PC monitor
3 monitor speakers
RME Fireface
Room light
Air con
Multiple preamps, eq's and comps
Pedals

So there's a lot of things plugged in. I took it out to the kitchen and plugged it in and the noise from the Champ didn't strike me as problematic in any way. Just normal levels of hum/ hiss/ noise. The noise is clearly worse in my little studio. And that noise is compounded of course when a mike is on the grill. I could back the mike off a bit. I could also try using a big extension lead to plug the amp in from a different part of the house.
Click to expand...
First off install a grounded plug on the power supply cord. A lot of the time a noisy amp is due to a bad cap or grounding issue. Could be a tube. After the amp warms up take a pencil and lightly tap each tube. If the tapping is amplified the tube is microphonic and needs replacing. Microphonic tube's can cause a lot of buzzing and humming.

Fender champs are great amps. I have an old vintage 1968 pro reverb...great amp as well. The thing about old fender tube amps is they are high matainence. A good amp tech who you know and trust, and who is reasonable on labor is crucial to being a happy owner.
The electronic components in those amps have long passed their expected life cycles. Caps, resistors, tube's, pots, and so in will have to be replaced in a regular basis is you want the amp to be in top form performance wise.
I'm lucky as far as an amp tech goes. One of the best I've ever dealt with keeps my amp serviced. He only charges $25 labor (total, not per hour) plus his cost on parts.
He just loves to work on those old tube amps.
That's the kind of guy you want if you can find him
 
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