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  #16  
Old 11-26-2017, 02:53 PM
aknow aknow is offline
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I've had a 1964 Fender B/F deluxe reverb since 1969. Two Mesa's, a Heartbreaker Combo, and a Blue Angel (EL-84's)......but Mesa's are quirky, can be hard to keep running cleanly. I got two Carr Skylark's about 2 years ago, the best sounding smaller amplifier I've had. They really compliment any guitar I use them with, or any pedal. I grew up with Gibson guitar/Fender amp sound in my brain. The Skylark is based on the vintage Fender Harvard amp.
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  #17  
Old 11-26-2017, 03:41 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Old Anglo View Post
Am playing through a Fender Champion 100 and the sound is so close to my old '68 Twin but a lot of weight off. Love it AND all the different settings I can concoct with it. Super buy!!.
Bought one of the last of the Fender "blackface Twin-style" Frontman 212R's for much the same reason - hauling a 65-pound '65 Super RI isn't conducive to either my long-term musculoskeletal integrity or marital bliss ; got a speaker swap planned for the near future - a pair of Eminence Cannabis Rex' should smooth things out and give it a more "blackface" tone...
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  #18  
Old 11-28-2017, 01:08 PM
Dwight Dwight is offline
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Originally Posted by aknow View Post
.......... I got two Carr Skylark's about 2 years ago, the best sounding smaller amplifier I've had. They really compliment any guitar I use them with, or any pedal. I grew up with Gibson guitar/Fender amp sound in my brain. The Skylark is based on the vintage Fender Harvard amp.
My friends are dealers for Carr and they all sound Great!
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  #19  
Old 11-28-2017, 04:15 PM
jdmulli jdmulli is offline
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I don't know if they are considered boutique, but I've owned/gigged several Dr. Z amps including: a Maz 18, Carmen Ghia, and Remedy. My favorite was the Ghia.
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  #20  
Old 11-28-2017, 05:21 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Looks like we're well represented here with boutique amp experience. I'd really like to try a Friedman.
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  #21  
Old 12-03-2017, 01:35 PM
Psyclone Psyclone is offline
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I have a hand-wired boutique amp made in my local area. It ia one of the best investments I've made.
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  #22  
Old 12-03-2017, 04:11 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by Psyclone View Post
I have a hand-wired boutique amp made in my local area. It ia one of the best investments I've made.
Cool. Who made it?

Chicago Music Exchange has a couple of Friedman amps. I was there yesterday but didn't get a chance to try it out. Perhaps in a couple of weeks I'll get a chance..
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  #23  
Old 12-03-2017, 08:47 PM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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I have a Lil Dawg 5e3 Tweed Deluxe and a Vintage Sound V-15. Both are terrific USA hand wired amps and highly recommended by me and many others. $ well invested IMO.
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  #24  
Old 12-04-2017, 11:36 AM
aknow aknow is offline
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Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Looks like we're well represented here with boutique amp experience. I'd really like to try a Friedman.
I haven't been able to try one of their amps. I use their BE-OD pedal. It's by far the most musical/melodic boost/drive pedal I've ever used. I am sure their amps are fabulous.
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  #25  
Old 12-04-2017, 11:46 AM
rob2966 rob2966 is offline
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I have played many boutique amps: Mesa-Boogie, Splawn, Soldano, Dr. Z, Matchless, Bogner, Suhr, etc. My general opinion is unless you MUST have that exact tone, to me, they aren't worth the price (especially since many of those are $3-5K). My preference for electric guitar is to get a great, solid, tube amp that has good clean headroom, and takes pedals REALLY well. Then you can play with boutique pedals . And although boutique pedals are still expensive, order of magnitude less than amps.

Later
Rob
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  #26  
Old 12-04-2017, 01:27 PM
jimmybcool jimmybcool is offline
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Originally Posted by TjthePhD View Post
Dru,

I have no experience with the ones you mention, but I can give you my impressions on the few that I have owned.

My first boutique amp was a 65 Amps Li'l Elvis. I loved the tone but even with the volume scaling I had a hard time getting it down to true apartment volume levels with the best tone, and as I lived in an apartment at the time, that was a problem.

I had a Carr Mercury and a Carr Raleigh, along with a Tone King Falcon; none of them really fired me up, though the Mercury had very usable low volume tones. Carr has substantially changed the Mercury since. I also had a Swart Space Tone which I was never able to bond with.

I owned a Reinhardt 18 for a good while; it sounded great on both channels and was indeed usable at lower volumes, but it had a buzz somewhere that I simply could not find or fix (it wasn't an electronic buzz; something somewhere was loose). I traded it back to the dealer for a Carol-Ann OD3r which I really liked; being a head & cabinet setup it had a large footprint, but it had great tones clean and dirty even at lower volumes. Carol-Ann has among the best volume scaling I have heard. I had it for several years, but I fell out of love with the 6L6 tone, and with 6V6 tubes it just lacked something (the tubes can be switched without biasing).

What I have had now for the last couple of years is a Vintage Sound Amps 22sc ("single channel") - basically, the tremolo/reverb channel of a Deluxe Reverb with a few additions, like a mids control, a reverb dwell control, and a switch to "snip" the bright cap. It has the classic Fender cleans without the classic Fender noise, takes pedals very well, and cranked (which I can now do, living in a house without very close neighbors) it sounds awesome. I play a McCarty 594 with coil-splitting, and it sounds great with both. What is more, as handmade, point-to-point wired Fender clones go it is relatively inexpensive - but it still ain't cheap.

These are my tastes; what appeals to you will likely be different. I hope this helps nonetheless.
Nice choices. I've had a few similarities in my former tone chase.

I also started with a 65 Amps London model. Surreal tone in a 2x10. Shimmering. I still own it and have it on consignment but it's been a while and I think I'll keep it.

I went through a vintage Fender stage. Blackface mostly. A couple of 64 Deluxe Reverbs, a Vibroverb, Pro reverb. I bought a Vintage Sounds 22 in a cherry cabinet and I still have that.

Actually th Vintage Sounds and my Mesa Boogie Mark IV seems to cover all the bases. Others I've had Supro and Matchless Lightning reverb (shoulda kept) and Dr Z and Redplate.

Pretty much down to the Mesa and Vintage Sounds. I guess that's the tonal palette that works for me. It was a fun chase even though I suck as a rocker. At least I sucked with great tone.
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  #27  
Old 12-04-2017, 01:49 PM
DukeX DukeX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rob2966 View Post
My general opinion is unless you MUST have that exact tone, to me, they aren't worth the price (especially since many of those are $3-5K).
Agreed, many boutiques are priced out of a lot of folks range, including mine, but just for balance, many boutiques are not near the price range you quoted.

A Lil Dawg 5e3 Tweed Deluxe, for example, will cost less then $1,200. My Vintage Sound V-15 cost $1,500--not that much more than I'd pay for a new PRRI, IMO, and well worth the extra expense.
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  #28  
Old 12-04-2017, 05:58 PM
loco gringo loco gringo is offline
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SWART Mod 84 is a killer little amp. I love mine. Not really a Vox clone, though it is an EL84 amp. The player and the guitar are pretty killer in this video, too.

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  #29  
Old 12-04-2017, 06:42 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by aknow View Post
I haven't been able to try one of their amps. I use their BE-OD pedal. It's by far the most musical/melodic boost/drive pedal I've ever used. I am sure their amps are fabulous.
I watched Phillip McKnight (YouTube channel) demo the BE-OD vs the Dirty Shirley. Both seem like great pedals. $200 each, although MF had it $40 off a few days ago.

What amp are you using the BE-OD with?
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  #30  
Old 12-05-2017, 08:05 AM
redir redir is offline
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The first record I recorded with my band I used a Soldano Super Lead. It was a great amp but I remember wishing that I just used my Twin. The very best sounding amp I ever remember plugging into was a friends Carr. I think it was a 20 watt amp and it really just was that eye opening good in tone.
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