Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Phil that Kustom amp can't be all tube? Most likely it just has a preamp tube with a SS power amp section which negates the advantage of the tube to me. I would rather have a SS preamp with a tube power amp.

Dan: Yes a new amp is in that range, but there are a fair number of used Traynor YCV20's out there these days, some for half that price.

Bob - you're right. The little Kustom just has a solitary 12AX7 in the preamp, and the rest of it is solid-state. I'm not sure that you'll find anything that qualifies as a 'practice amp' which is the other way around.

I'll have to look for a used Traynor YCV20.

Dave I don't think you'll find anything like that for bass. I got that idea from using an old Crown SS preamp years ago with Dynaco Tube power amps for my stereo, sounded great. I like all tube amps myself and would check out the Traynors also. They were always good sounding reliable amps.

Weren't some of the Music Man guitar amps SS preamp, tube power amp?

David,

Yes indeed. My lead singer uses just such a Music Man amp. I think it's an RD50, single twelve inch speaker.

Kevin, My intention was to exchange the dead Vox with another. The salesperson got a new boxed Vox from the warehouse and I proceeded to unpack it. When I plugged it in it made a humming sound but it did seem to work. When I had originally taken the floor model, it did not hum and worked okay. I think I should have kept that one. At this point I'm probably going to get the Peavey Transtube 258 EFX just to have an amp. I don't want to deal with what might go wrong with the Vox right now and searching for a used expensive one will take time. If Vox's quality control was better I wouldn't think twice about getting another.

Dan,

Am I spacing out or did you edit your post? I thought I saw something in there about not being able to find a tech support email for Vox. Or was that in another message here...?

Kevin, Yes I edited my post because I found a support form on the Vox site.

Actually, Dan, if you're in the US, the best way to get support for Vox gear is via this email address: [email protected]

The Vox site is hosted in the UK, so I don't know how they go about forwarding the requests to the US team.

Thanks Kevin. Do you think the Peavey will be satisfactory?

Ah, you're asking the wrong guy. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Vox addict. And while I know that Peavey is a good American company, I just... Man, this is difficult. I don't want to bash Peavey because I really don't think their stuff is bad, but I've just never liked it.

I don't think I'm coming at that opinion from an objective and unbiased viewpoint, however. Hell, Paul Weller liked his Peavey enough that it was used on several Jam albums!

Paul Weller aside, though, my completely biased and unobjective opinion is that you should go with Vox above anything Peavey.

I may end up getting a Vox after all. I found that GC doesn't carry Peavey. They have 7 Vox AD15VT amps in stock. Maybe Peavey cut them off.

I think Im just gonna keep my Ampeg B2R and pick up an Aguilar GS-112 cabinet. I've been reading great things about these cabs.