So I'm a pedal junkie, and have been for a long time. I've run them into a few different amps, but I sold most of the amps I have as time went on, and then I quit the band scene for a few years, so I didn't really bother with anything big.
Now I'm looking to get back into it, and I'm finding that I'm a bit stumped on what kind of amp to play through. I'm not stumped because I don't get the amp selection, or how they work, just more that I'm just not wanting to pull the trigger on anything, be it production or something I build myself, without it being perfect. ("perfect" here being amazing cleans, amazing dirty channel, FX loop, no lame reverb, etc and blah blah blah)
I figured I should ask you guys what you're running your pedals though right now, just to get a biased opinion, sure, but biased by a bunch of builders and hobbyists that also want to amplify their cool pedal tones. :)
I'm running about a dozen amps right now (Mesa Boogie, PRS, Traynor, Bogner, Egnater, Vox, H&K, Jet City, and a couple of others).
Best all around amp I own is the Traynor YCV-20. Both channels are really good, the clean one going from nice and shimmery to pretty thick and crunchy, and the dirty one goes from crunch to roar, and it has a footswitchable boost as well. Reverb is an Accutronics spring unit, very nice. Got an effects loop which is pedal friendly (I have other Traynor units which work well with rackmount but not pedals). Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. It's loud enough for smaller venues, great for home practicing and recording. Front end takes overdrives really well. The only drawback is that it has a shared EQ; if you want separate you can go with the 40W version.
Typically new they go for around $700, but you can usually find them used for under $400.
i have the little egnater 15w head w matching 112 cab. cute little thing. once i put some decent tubes in it i actually like it for pedals quite a bit.
Mesa boogie express 5:25 pretty neutral sounding.
Quote from: Haberdasher on May 14, 2014, 02:15:23 PM
i have the little egnater 15w head w matching 112 cab. cute little thing. once i put some decent tubes in it i actually like it for pedals quite a bit.
Which Egnater amp?
I run through two of the least intrusive amps out there.
Guitars: Quilter Aviator
Bass: Markbass Little Mark II
Modified Black Heart Little Giant combo at home and Modified Hot Rod Deluxe when I play out.
Egnater Tweaker 15 here. I have a combo, but the head and cab are awesome also.
Jacob
Fender Blues Deluxe, Egnater Renegade, Marshall JCM2555SL, Princeton 10w ss.
Quote from: neiloler on May 14, 2014, 02:31:36 PM
Quote from: Haberdasher on May 14, 2014, 02:15:23 PM
i have the little egnater 15w head w matching 112 cab. cute little thing. once i put some decent tubes in it i actually like it for pedals quite a bit.
Which Egnater amp?
it's the "tweaker"
i hate that name :o
i leave it on the fender tone stack pretty much all the time and i keep an mxr 10 band eq & pt2399 delay in the loop. anything i've ever put out front of it has sounded pretty good.
I have a 5e3 and Ampeg Gemini II chassis. Used to be a Fender Blues Jr. but I sold it. The 5e3 is pretty thick and round, the Gemini II is pretty stiff, clean, and reverby (5e3=cathode/GII=fixed bias). Building a Trainwreck Liverpool, which are supposed to be less pedal friendly due to their touch sensitivity...
(http://bigdippereffects.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/5/9/19596035/7812188.jpg)
TubeWorks Pro Value 60 Head through a Marshall 1960A with GT-12 75s. But I'll have to admit I do play through my old Red Bean Pod alot. Ok alot alot. My neighbors prefer it that way...
Small, house friendly (~3w) homebrew based on David Jones' Octal One which in turn was based on, i believe, the Fender 5C1 Champ. Mine's a 6sj7 (pentode) with selectable coupling caps, into a 6aq5.
http://www.freewebs.com/jonesamps/JonesOctalOne.pdf
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2918-1.jpg)
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2921-1.jpg)
Vox Night Train. Single channel and usually set clean. The new ones are 2 channel. Lab Series L5 that has a cool compressor on the power stage. Some home made mutts including a tweed champ and silverface princeton. An old Marshall with Torres mods that rarely leaves the house (mostly because it's big and heavy).
I don't have it any more, but I can give a +1 recommendation for the Tweaker 15. I just don't see how it can be beat for the price.
Fender Vibro Champ for recording
Used to use a Twin for gigs.
I'm novice player (and slightly embarrassed by the amps I've gone through in pursuit of the tone in my head), but here's what I'm running (all "low" wattage, so I can play them at home, mic'ed when I play with friends.):
- '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue with Billm Audio TO20 output transformer: beautiful cleans and edge of breakup pedal platform.
- Vintage47 replica National Supreme: little darker, awesome "blues" tone; really takes pedals well; very nice breakup with a clean boost (see http://youtu.be/HBZUKwF5zKE (http://youtu.be/HBZUKwF5zKE)).
- Weber "Maggie" kit built to Dave Hunter 2 stroke spec's (a tube-swapping 5F2A Princeton): my favorite, super versatile, great with pedals (see http://youtu.be/71tefFV5b-0 (http://youtu.be/71tefFV5b-0)).
My Tweed Twin works well with pedals. My JCM800 not so good.
Quote from: peAk on May 14, 2014, 06:57:03 PM
Fender Vibro Champ for recording
I have one of those as well, though I haven't used it for recording lately.
Jacob
fwiw, i am on my way to buy a new amp too. As i have checked out the market (tried some, checked zillions of demo videos) i have pretty much decided to buy a Suhr Badger 35 head and 2*12" cab (as i type, i wait for the quotation). I found it just being the perfect amp for my taste, my fingers and my ears. It is, however, one of the expensive bastards.
Might be worth checkin out for your as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6sEDWQG17o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6sEDWQG17o)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLdudta8C8g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLdudta8C8g)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yic3608-6lg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yic3608-6lg)
Cheers
Bengt
I recently bought a vintage Garnet deputy and it s amazing with dirt pedals .
I also own a Traynor ycs100 that one just dont need any pedals at all , maybe just a delay .
I also play with a blues junior , i like the sound I can het with a tubescreamer and with fuzz pedal .
- 5E3 tweed deluxe scratch built as a head
- "Baby Will" 18w built from a Valve Jr donor head
- Fender Pro Junior
- modified Ruby circuit x2 for stereo or mono built into a Hammond 1590D
I run the heads through an Egnater Tourmaster 2x12 currently loaded with 25w greenbacks.
EDIT: I forgot I also have Blackheart 5w half stack that I really don't play anymore and plan to sell. It does fine with pedals though.
Blackstar artisan 15 set to 5w mode normally.
It's just a lovely sounding affordable handwired amp (albeit overseas)
I really dig my highly modded Epi VJr head, with a 12AT7 for the Pre it gets lots more clean headroom and takes the pedal very well, from smooth OD to razor grinding fuzz.
The Tweaker seems to be among the favorites, i should look around for one of those aswell.
One thing, stay away from the JetCity PicoValve, I bought one because i had a great deal on it, modded the hell out of it trying to get it less sterile/more responsive.... nada... that thing does nada.... based on my personal experience of course, some might dig it but i have'nt been able to bound with it.
Pair of 5w MJW 6V6 Goldstars (Stereo set up with 1x10 combo and slave 1x10 power amp combo).
MJW Twang King (BIIIG BF Princeton clone, as of yesterday, with 2x10 cab).
Though most pedals we build are tested at Cleggy's mainly on a Martamp (MJW) 10W EL34 Goldstar (with 1x12). Sometimes on a Laney L20H Lionheart (2x12).
Ha, indeed, have a picture:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/10262012_542976242475767_5996261871231200869_n.jpg)
...and my tiny Goldstars:
(https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/995748_635942193083039_914012167_n.jpg)
Quote from: icecycle66 on May 14, 2014, 02:51:01 PM
I run through two of the least intrusive amps out there.
Guitars: Quilter Aviator
Bass: Markbass Little Mark II
mmmm.. I really want to try one of those Aviators. My Mesa Boogie is quite heavy and those sound really good in the demos.
Modded Peavey Classic 30 with a Weber speaker
Blackheart Little Giant
Modded Framus Ruby Riot
Quote from: davent on May 14, 2014, 05:21:41 PM
Small, house friendly (~3w) homebrew based on David Jones' Octal One which in turn was based on, i believe, the Fender 5C1 Champ. Mine's a 6sj7 (pentode) with selectable coupling caps, into a 6aq5.
http://www.freewebs.com/jonesamps/JonesOctalOne.pdf
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2918-1.jpg)
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2921-1.jpg)
Wow, that is nice! I can't believe no one has commented on this!
Josh
My main testing amp is Koch studiotone witch v30's, it's the best friendly-pedal tube amp.
I recently buy the marshall sl-5 for bedroom practise which also take pedals very well.
Quote from: gtr2 on May 15, 2014, 03:55:27 AM
Quote from: davent on May 14, 2014, 05:21:41 PM
Small, house friendly (~3w) homebrew based on David Jones' Octal One which in turn was based on, i believe, the Fender 5C1 Champ. Mine's a 6sj7 (pentode) with selectable coupling caps, into a 6aq5.
http://www.freewebs.com/jonesamps/JonesOctalOne.pdf
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2918-1.jpg)
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_2921-1.jpg)
Wow, that is nice! I can't believe no one has commented on this!
Josh
That is indeed, VERY cool.
Blues Junior with BillM mods
'67 Bassman drip edge with AA864 conversion done to it :)
I play through one of these. It triples as my bass amp, and vocal foldback.
http://www.jbhifi.com.au/pro-dj/alto/ts112a-12-inch-800-w-class-d-powered-speaker-sku-91112/
I use the emulated speaker output on my Blackstar HT-Dual, but I'm working on a *amp-in-a-box* that'll act as a front end for the whole thing.
This in the "workshop" for designing, breadboarding, and testing:
(http://midwayfair.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/in-its-new-home.jpg?w=600)
It's a hot rod deluxe in a cab built by my dad (it also has a replacement speaker and it had a touch up by a local amp tech, but it's otherwise stock). If it sounds good through that, I know it'll sound great through my main amp (Tone King Imperial), and I also know that it's a fairly common amp, so I'm not designing something that'll only sound good through an esoteric piece of gear.
That is a great looking amp, I love the styling!
My primary amp is a Fender Twin Reverb RI and I use my '68 Fender Bassman with matching 2X15 cab from time to time when I want a HUGE sound.
Cody
I have a Guytron GT20 that I bought used from a buddy. They make amazing amps but they don't keep their website updated. Alas, I fall in love with this amp on a weekly basis. It is a two channel amp that sounds phenomenal in both channels and takes pedals well. It also has an effects loop that doesn't tone suck, a built in sennheiser speaker mic with XLR out, a knob to cut speaker volume by 50,25, 10% or off and a XLR direct out of the head. I mean, this thing has it all. It's one of the most amazing amps I've ever seen. It's a shame they haven't really gotten out much more. Did I mention that I love it? I would hump it if the inputs were big enough. :o :o
This has been a great thread to follow, plenty of great input, thanks all!
I traded a bit and I've got a Egnater Tweaker 15 coming to my house soon. For the price I got it at, I can afford to even do snobby things like drop MercMag or Classic Tone transformers in and still be less than new.
Vox AC30 CC2 w/ Lyle Caldwell mods and the London Power power-scaling kit (allows power tube saturation at lower volumes). I also dropped in some Weber Blue Dog 30Ws. It's awesome.
I also have a Lab Series L5 that's a ton of fun as well - I played through that one exclusively for maybe 6 years before I got the AC30 earlier this year.
I use my trusty Mesa Boogie MKIII. Buyed it second handed and it's been my one and only tube amp. It works marvelous for cleans, though it is time to change tubes....
Nowadays I find that I need something less heavier, less powerfull and with less controls and I'm already saving for building a Carmen Ghia clone or an Uraltone Jr. Kit
My trusty go to is a Jet City 22H through either a Randall 4x12(rehersal, live) or a Jet City 2x12(home).
(http://i.imgur.com/qur9sozl.jpg)
Killer toan.
I have a cheap little rogue practice amp and a Marshall with a Preamp tube that I've been known to play pedals through during testing/repair.
Quote from: Clayford on May 18, 2014, 06:23:22 AM
My trusty go to is a Jet City 22H through either a Randall 4x12(rehersal, live) or a Jet City 2x12(home).
(http://i.imgur.com/qur9sozl.jpg)
Killer toan.
I have a cheap little rogue practice amp and a Marshall with a Preamp tube that I've been known to play pedals through during testing/repair.
Pretty soon we should see a similar pic but with an extra peg on the headstock?
Right?
I usually test circuit ideas through a Randall RD20. It's the cleanest clean channel I've ever heard, and the loop is made for instrument-level effects. I also run stuff through a Univalve and a Valve Jr.
I'm thinking about getting a Marshall DSL40 combo so I'll have a push-pull EL34 amp to test with.
I use a runoffgroove ruby for initial testing just to make sure I don't blow something expensive up. (I'm probably just being overly paranoid but better safe than sorry)
But the amps I test through are
Marshall DSL50 head with Mesa 2x12 cabinet
Mesa DC10 combo
Fender Vibrolux Reverb combo
Surprised there arent more Vox people.
I run a Vox AC50CP 2x12 combo. The clean channel is essentially a basic AC30, the gain channel is awesome. At 50 watts, I gotta crank it to get true tone, but I love it.
Cool thread!
I've been doing most of my pedal testing through either a Valve jr head with a 1x12 or a '66 Vibrochamp.
The 'real' playing happens through a '66 Bassman, a '68 Super Reverb (w/ JBL E-130) or a '83 JCM800 2203 using a '70s Marshall 4x12, a 4x10 w/ EVM10/JBL E-110's or a 2x12 w/ EV's.
I'm also in the process of restoring a '66 Super Reverb and planning to do an 18w type build.
Surprised there aren't more people here who DIY amp stuff....
Most my stuff gets played through my tweed champ clone (with princeton tone stack and other mods).
I'm after another amp though. My Orange OR15 just doesn't get used that much (bit of an impulse buy to be honest) :(
I think I've finally come to the realisation that I'm a Fender amp guy... pedals tend to sound good through Fenders too.
I usually run my pedals into a Marshall Class 5 head or a mesa boogie .50 cal plus into a Bogner 2x12 cab
The little Marshall is really great with fuzz pedals and overdrives and the mesa is great using the clean channel for anything.
I run a class 5 head too, into an orange 1x12. I did the VVR mod into it to where I can get it dirty at lower volumes. It takes pretty much any pedal I throw at it and sounds great.
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