Amp recommendations, please

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:31 am

Good choice - Ricks really spit fire through Marshall amps! One of my friends has a Vox AC-15 reissue that's great too. But then I tend to like smaller amps. The AC15 sounds awesome when we play live, but it can be a little spiky with my guitar. More so than with his Rick for some reason.

I'm curious about the new Reverend Goblin 5/15. Looks like a pretty sweet little amp! It's all tube, can do Fendery and Vox/Marshally sounds, and has switchable wattage and it's gotten great reviews so for. Goes for about $550. That might be my next new amp.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:33 am

Anyone gotten one of North Coast's Beatle Voxes?

Seems like an incredible deal at $1699.00 plus shipping...

And it ain't a honky combo, either.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:49 am

I knew my 'honky' sentance would cause a small backlash. I am certainly not saying combos sound bad, but a 4x12 has that underlying sub bass that combos just don't seem to have & when you get used to it, it's difficult to give up. Closed back combos are better, but open backs, you can tell a mile away. Ethans 'spikey' is a good word for small combos. Not bad, but 'spikey', none the less.

paul_shover · Post by **paul_shover** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:22 am

Tony, I know what you are saying about 4x12 having awesome bass response, but I am always have a Shure 57 in front of my amps now. When it was just my amp pushing the room, I really loved my half-stack. But I haven't played that way in 10 years. The first couple of years, I still used the half stack approach and then miked it. We always tape ourselves and I would go back to the tape and listen to my tone. A couple of time I had to use a smaller tube amp, and it sounded great on tape, and sounded really good in the mains as well. I started realizing that when you are using a single mic for live application, it mostly just picks up the speaker anyways and not all of that awesome bass response. I also feel when you are going through the mains with everyone else, you got to kind of cut your own sonic niche. If you don't, you might not cut the mix. Even though I could get a great full sound with the half stack, when the bass player kicked in, he/she would cover up most that wonderful bass tones my half stack was putting out. I felt that I needed to focus on getting a great mid-range/treble tone and stay above the bass player. That is when I started looking at combos more. I know you probably know all of this, but it fun to state one's philosophy. I sold the half-stack and I really miss it. If I was ever allowed to just push a room with only my amp, I would go back to a half-stack, but I don't see that happening. Oh one last point, Rics really do cut through the live mix the best.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 3:10 pm

Hey Paul, you're absolutely right about it being a great discussion point. When asked about my occupation, I simply state musician, but in reality I spend about 80% of my time in studios as a producer. You cannot imagine the crazy amount of hours I have devoted to gtr/amp/mic combinations & the amount of hours I have listened to comparisons of various setups to get the very best sound. I could write pages on my findings, my ideas & my mic techniques, as this is a subject that really interests me & I have worked very hard on it, but the only thing I would add to your comments are....( I am talking about a micd up studio situation here)you can only EQ the frequencies that are available to you. You can't add/subtract/modify frequencies that are not there in the first place. As a result, the sub bass of a 4x12 can easily be sorted if needed & you are left with a very rounded tone.
The real fact is, that if you are talking about modern, releasable standard recording, then only a handfull of amps are capable of it anyway. The best stacks do it & the very best combos can do it...it's your (& the producers)choice. I have a saying...to get world class out, you have to put world class in & there ARE some world class combos out there, but I would still plump for a stack!

By the way John...NICE collection. I too use 360s as my workhorses.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 6:25 pm

Music123 has a limited run of Fender Tweed Deluxe Amps that have an incredible sound. I play my Capri thru it and love the tone. It's a Tube Amp with a 3 stage I.C. rectifier that's foot switchable and it will sit right on an AC-30 stand perfectly.

spencer · Post by **spencer** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:41 am

Yes - those are great amps Dale. I was just playing a Ric through a new reissue tweed Bassman the other day and it was incredible.

And as far as stacks go - I went through all of that. Had two Marshall stacks and one half stack, sold them for a Hiwatt stack and kept that a while, etc...I just don't see the need anymore. Maybe back in the day of ****** PA systems and stadium concerts, but not now.

Combos are all you need, really all you need is to be louder than the drummer. I've got a Mesa Boogie Maverick and that thing is super loud, everytime I played a gig with it, people would ask me to turn down. It's 30 watts class A and will blow your face off.

Also, it sits nicely on an AC30 chrome stand, at least until the real thing arrives.

That's all this honky has to say.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:16 am

Nice one Spencer!
All I would say is...try a stack & a combo side by side. If you like the combo for any other reason than price or portability...then buy it!.
I really respect what you say, but a stack vs combo has nothing to do with volume. Stacks are relatively uncommon now, but I challenge the combo players to play a same gig with a band with stacks & come off better in the sound stakes. I have seen this comparison time & time again. The musicans notice the difference & so do the punters. A case in point was my recent attendance at a Walter Trout concert. The support band were superb with their Strat/2x12 Fender combo sound. A great pro sound. Walter came on with his Strat/Boogie stack & the difference was there for all to hear & not only because of his playing!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:31 am

And just imagine if either would have been playing a Rick instead of a Strat!

beatcomber · Post by **beatcomber** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:59 pm

I have found that my Ricks sound awesomely chimey through my new Traynor YCV40WR, especially since I swapped the stock Sovteks for a set of matched JJs.

Put a quality compressor in front (I use a Jacques Fat Burner) and the tone is incredibly rich and creamy.

ricjock · Post by **ricjock** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 3:10 pm

What amp under $300 would you recommend for a Ric 330? I don't think my 10W Peavey practice amp does the guitar justice. I'm looking for vintage sound since my guitar has toasters and is strung w/ Pyramid flats. I want an amp 30 watts or under. Would it get best response from tube, modeling or solid state or does it matter?

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 3:49 pm

Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes

You might try a Fender Blues Jr. If you had a little more to spend, I 'd look for a second hand Mesa/Boogie DC series combo. I have a DC-2 1-12 combo that I paid $550.00 for and it is very versatile soundwise and is built like the proverbial... well worth the money as a long term investment.

Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes...Tubes

And nothing but tubes!

ricjock · Post by **ricjock** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:29 pm

Thanks, JPS
I've been leaning toward a tube amp since I'm "old skool". I have tried the Blues Jr. and can pick up a new one for $399. I played one in Louisville last Thursday in fact. I'll check out the Mesa Boogie and the Fender on E-bay.
(I really want a twin reverb, but...-$$$$$)

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:34 pm

The M/B can do the Twin Reverb thing and a whole lot more!

longhouse · Post by **longhouse** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 6:20 pm

Gary, if you're up for a slight drive, feel free to drop by and try my Traynor one day.

Noel