Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Nowadays i use a 1981 Rickenbacker 360 as my main instrument (i was a Telecaster dude before). The Music Man 210 sixty-five amplifier has stayed with me all the way, and it did a good job with the Tele, but not that good with the Ric.

I think i want something even cleaner than the Music Man, to get a good jangle and a cleaner sheet for my FX, but i don't want to go Roland Jazz Chorus... Now you think: Twin Reverb, of course. But is there anything else worth checking out?

super reverb, bassman

grazioso wrote:super reverb, bassman

Yupp, that is two nice amps. Not sure they are any cleaner though...

I have played through those two, plus my '68 Dual Showman, and personally don't think that Fender amps are the best, although the Super is the best of the trio. Based upon this, I'd say an early Tremolux could be worth trying out.

Typically people will get on that "AC30" bandwagon. Mine sound best through my RIC SS amp, and through my VOX AD 100 VT. I've also got an old Baldwin "Willie Nelson" amp that sounds real clean and jangly. It's early SS, as well.

faustus wrote: Now you think: Twin Reverb, of course. But is there anything else worth checking out?

Nah.

Not a big fan of Ricks through Twin Reverbs or any of the bigger Fenders. The Super--with 4-10 inchers, seems to have the cleanest sound.

I've never had the chance to do this, but has anybody played a Rick guitar through one of the larger Rickenbacker tube amps (the gray ones) from the late-'50's and '60's? I would think that they'd have voiced their amps to sound good with their guitars, and vice-versa. When I had my 450 guitar in 1970, I ran it through a particularly thin-sounding Twin Reverb, and it sounded horrible! The 381 that I had in about 1990 sounded pretty good through a Peavey Triumph 60 tube amp.

An old Vox AC-50 may be worth checking out... simple and clean and reasonably cheap (if rare), or a Boogie - similar headroom to a twin reverb but with the ability to get snarly if that is ever required.

Jimmy, I found my holy grail amplifier in a Fender Super Sonic. It's basically a 3 channel amp: Vibrolux, Bassman, and (yawn) modern.

I keep it set on Vibrolux 75% of the time -then switch to Bassman when I want some serious 'thunk'.

The clean headroom is almost as open as a JC120 -but the tube tone is the opposite of sterile.

Give one a tumble!

...and let's not avoid some good old marshall,orange, hiwatt amps, sound city...and their modern clones mostly represented by 18watt movement e.g. aiken - invader, and 33-36watt clones...those are some great amps that are new and they would require no attention from serviceman unlike their old predecessors...if the money is big problem i would look into fender amps from 1979-83..rivera period... they are not crazy $$$ and sound great - concert II, (superchamp - i'd think twice about this one since one of the tubes is not being made any more) , 81-83 fender deluxe reverb II .. and jahns - fender 30, fender 75 ... new fender super sonic is kind of continuation of this sound..in modern world

grazioso wrote:...and let's not avoid some good old marshall,orange, hiwatt amps, sound city...and their modern clones mostly represented by 18watt movement

+1


I'm in the "non-jangling" minority, I like some crunch. I think the Marshall 18 watt layout are some of the best amps ever made.

Lots of amps here! I have to google some of them. I have never been a fan of Vox, too crunchy in the midrange for my taste. Heard somewhere that you can make a Fender sound like a Vox, but not the other way around...

I tried to use another cab for the Music Man, and boy it really made a lot of difference. It was a 1x12 Celestion vintage 30. It sounded wider and richer than my unidentified 2x10 speakers. Does anyone have some clue what 10" to put in my cab to get that cleaner, wider sound?

I have a Deluxe Reverb, very happy with it. I'd cast my vote with that, if you want something for home and studio use. I do like Twin Reverbs, but they're too powerful for the non-actively gigging life I lead. Right now, I really want a Tweed Bassman or a Super Reverb. Sadly, no guitar stores from Mandeville to New Orleans have any Super Reverbs, but International Vintage has a Tweed Bassman...

Never played a Ric through an AC-30, but I hear that's a match made in heaven. One of Vox's AC-30HW2 amps is what I really want to try.

A Marshall Bluesbreaker or Hiwatt Custom 50 combo would be interesting to try with a Ric, but, unfortunately, I've never done that.