Z

Not sure what style of music you play or the tone you are seeking, but:

The Orange Tiny Terror is pretty cool for the price...$549 Head new.

Also the Vox Custom Classic AC30CC2 2x12 Combo is great at $999, Head only is $849

The Fender Deville is one of the finest amps around...every track on our new record was split between a Marshall Plexi and a Deville 4x10...I highly recommend it.

I love my Peavy Delta Blues.
But I have also played a couple of those new Epiphones and they sounded pretty sweet.

Yuppers, I was going to suggest the Epiphones too. A lotta bang for the buck.

One should realize that most tube amp circuts are mostly the same. Depends how much power you need and how much weight you want to handle if you are transporting it from place to place. You may want to go to a music store and do some hands on comparing. Fender Amps have been around forever and probably will suit most anyone. There are only a few tubes that are used and they have been in use for many years. Good luck.

I have a Fender Hot Rod Deville 212, an old 1974 Fender Pro Reverb 212, A Marshall 100 watt, and a Rivera 5512- Rivera is the guy who designed some of the Fender amps, I choose it most of the time, the reverb on it is the best, and it has a boost channel that kicks it into a sustain similar to a Mesa sound, I found it used for like $725. Hot Rods are about $600 or a little less used. Vox makes a good amp too, but I don't have one so won't endorse it here. The 22 watt Fender Deluxe has long been a favorite of some of my friends, which I will vouch for a couple of them sound pretty friggin' good every time I go hear them. Don't end up with something nobody's ever heard of, go with something somebody you trust recommends , and go play it yourself, fall in love with the way it sounds without any effects hooked up to it, effects will come and go, you are buying an amp, I don't recommend buying something that blows you out of the building when you turn it up, as tubes have the warmest tone when they get hot, and to get 'em hot, you gotta turn 'em up, so be able to turn 'em up and don't forget you have a volume knob on your guitar too....good luck...MJ

I had one of those Peaveys, the 210 model...loved it, wish I still had it.

A friend of mine has a Vox AC-15 and loves, loves, LOVES it.

Post deleted by gpsongwriter

another vote for the fender deville..the 40 watt version, not the hot rod,.,
i used the two twelve inch speakers onboard..i had a peavey 4 10 cabinet that i used occasionally but usually i stuck with the two twelves..

damn thing just got too heavy..when i bought my new amp i was gonna let the deville go...still got her...

Bob

I like my Ampeg Super Jet for nice bright clean tone - like half a Twin Reverb. It has 1 - 12" speaker and two 6L6 power tubes and is not too big and heavy to carry around.

You have to turn it up loud to get much overdrive so plan on pedals for overdrive or effects. I think the acoustic would sound good through the Ampeg too.

If you want smaller and lighter but still loud enough to keep up with a drummer and bass player, a Fender Blues Junior is a good choice.

Some of the amps mentioned above with multiple speakers are really heavy if you plan to haul them to gigs. Be sure to consider that!

C

late to the party...but I have a Fender Blues Junior...tweed cover and "special" Jensen speakers. They were produced specifically for Long & McQuade's 50th anniversary....L&MQ is a chain of music stores.


Great sound, versatile, light....


BTW...if you're planning to play your acoustic electric through the same amp....you can't......you need an amp specially desdigned for an acoustic\electric guitar....

I'm kinda partial to Fender amps too. I have a Blues Jr. thats nice and light to carry, that Deville sounds like a good one.

Find an old Blackface Twin for $1000...

anyone ever try any of the Carvin tube amps?

I play a 30 watt Carvin Tube Amp that my buddy owns quite a bit. He has this Harley Davidson party room set up at his house , pool table, flat screen, bar, it's almost like a small club. He throws several parties during the year and has a P.A- drums-bass rig- and 2 guitar amps set up in there ready to rip. It's alot of fun, he'll have 40 -50 people over and half a dozen of us are players in bands and we'll throw down- the other amp is a hot rod deville and I already have one of those myself, so I always plug into the Carvin, it's warm, has a nice bump on the lower end, not quite as tinny as the fender is about all the difference I notice- at 30 watts it's more than loud enough. Moker

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe... hands down, at 45 pounds it only half breaks my 55 year old back, sounds great... and besides every other guitarist I've been playing with for the last two years seems to have one.

My suggestion is to think "flexible", as opposed to "best".

Are you going to gig with it? Do you play rhythm, lead, or both?

If you answered yes to those questions, then I would suggest that you look at one of the aforementioned Fender combo amps (25> watts)that allow for channel switching.

You could also look for a used Marshall, Mesa, or Vox combo amp that provide similar functionality.

If you are only using the amp at home, for practice or recording, you might consider a low power tube amp like the Fender Princeton Recording, Champ, or Blues Jr.

Can't really qualify what I say as advice.
The closest I can come to is a PA.
But I always wondered about taking an old tube amp, placing the sound into a computer and home stereo and out through my old cassette karoake players. And then funneled through a 50 to 100 watt speaker system for small clubs.
Could'nt picture "musicians" going through that with gigs.
But it makes me wonder what the more consumate musician might have at hand.

Any silver face fender amp.They are hand wired and made a lot better than any of the generic amps mentioned.You will have an amp that will last forever and is easily serviced.They are VERY easy to mod and upgrade and built to last (not to a price point).

JJ

I can vouch for the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

I have one and they have a nice, medium gain sound. Great clean too. I did a little mod to mine: Replace the stock speaker with a Celestion Vintage 30. It's a popular mod and warms up the sound of the amp. They run about 110.00. You can find a used Hot Rod Deluxe for 400.00 on e-bay. I used it on most of the songs currently on my music page (look in my signature).

I have another amp that I LOVE: Ready?

PEAVEY CLASSIC 20

I know - Peavey, but it is a sweet, all tube 15 watt wonder. They don't make them now, but they are available. They go for 300.00 sometimes as they are considered a desirable and rare find. But if you find someone who doesn't know about their popular status you can get them for 100-200.00 It's a 10" speaker, and small. It will, however handle playing with a reasonably contained drummer and band for coffee shop gigs, or practice.

And I must say that MESA makes some of the finest amps out there. I recently got a "Lone Star Special" which has 2 channels, but each has a "solo" foot switch, so it's like having 4 channels. It's a 30 watt, but each channel can be switched to run at 15 or 5 watts. As a home recorder this is a boon, as you get that sweet tone at low levels. Now, the amp is 1,700.00 new but it's totally worth it, but you also ccan get good prices used. Just google Lone Star Special and see all this amp can do! It will be the last amp you ever buy. http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Lonestar/LonestarSpecial.htm

I also have a silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb, and those are very sweet, just not terribly versatile. You can get a new '65 reissue for 850.00 street for this 22 watt beauty.


There's my 2 cents on the amps I own. My advice with any tool for your music: Get exactly what you want at any cost. It will save you money in the long run because you don't have to buy any other amps. Don't let a few hundred dollars come between you and your dreams.

Chadfish

If you don't mind clones, I think Nik at Ceritone makes some of best value amps on the market today. All handwired pre-built kits with custom add ons for right around $1000 with cab or less without the cab. Even with shipping from the Far East it is a deal.

www.ceriatone.com