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  #31  
Old 07-28-2020, 06:56 AM
Pnewsom Pnewsom is offline
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Default Advice on Getting a Pro-Level Amp

I've gigged in bands for the last 45 years on large and small stages. Over the years I've owned quite a variety of amps, most of them tube powered. As well, I worked with Strats, Tele's, Gibson LesPaul, 335, 355, and a full body Archtop guitar. After all this time it is clear to me that no one amp is great for every guitar type or stage situation, though two or three can cover a lot of it.

Another thing that I’ve found to be true is that you can’t judge the effectiveness of a guitar/amp combination until you get it on stage with band. What sounds beautiful and lush in the store or at home can be almost invisible, or too piercing, in a club with a rocking rhythm section(bass, drums, etc.) Midrange strength is the key to getting your sound out there. If I fire up my amp without changing the controls the next day after a gig, the sound I finished with the night before will be much brighter, with more midrange and less bass than what I would like just playing alone. I find this to be true in the rock, country and r&b bands I've worked with over the years.

The best amps I have worked with, in no particular order are:

Mesa Boogie Mark4: can sound great, but, too heavy, too loud, and very complicated to dial in?

70's Fender Silver Face Deluxe Reverb: excellent tone, but runs out of steam in louder situations.

67' Blackface Vibrolux: classic Fender sound that hits the sweet spot for a Telecaster or 335, with just enough power unmic'd in medium sized clubs, not too heavy to carry.

64' White Knob Princeton: lovely vintage tone, just about perfect in small pubs and at home, where you want to sound good unmic'd but not too loud. Very easy to carry.

The Vibrolux and the Princeton are what I work with these days. Larger festival stages almost always come with a back line of amps, Fender Twins, Super Reverbs, Marshalls, etc., so unless you are a featured artist with special needs to be catered too, you really just need your guitars and pedal board.

Hope this helps!

Last edited by Pnewsom; 07-28-2020 at 07:08 AM.
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  #32  
Old 07-28-2020, 08:29 AM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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Me ,,, I would definitely consider calling up Daniel Klein at Port City Amplification ( Hand made in US and very reasonable price for the great quality ) and chat with him. He is a total pleasure to deal with. And will take the time to try to get you exactly what need and want

IMO he offers some of best Amps and Cabinets on the market today.
His patented Wave design speaker cabinets give you very clean sound and his OS (oversize) design gives you the output of much larger cabinets

I would talk to him about either his 20 watt Merino Head $1599 (modeled on the Fender Harvard 5F10)

Or for more clean headroom the Pearl 50 watt $1995

I prefer heads and cabs but he does Combos as well

Since I prefer a vertical cabinet If I was gigging would go with either the 2 x 12 OS Wave vertical, or probably the slant 2 x 12 OS Wave .
Because I no longer gig I opted for his regular 2X12 Wave cabinet for my home use and am thrilled with the sound.

Tell him Kevin from Wyoming sent you

https://portcityamps.com/

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Last edited by KevWind; 07-29-2020 at 06:36 AM.
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  #33  
Old 07-28-2020, 03:16 PM
jab.phila jab.phila is offline
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OP here. These comments have been life-giving, truly. I have a lot to wade through, but feeling very encouraged by all the great options I was having a hard time making any headway on. More comments welcome if you have any. Thanks!
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  #34  
Old 07-29-2020, 07:10 AM
clintj clintj is offline
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Fellow 335 player and tube amp enthusiast/builder/repairer here. Out of all the amps I've tried my 335 with, nothing has caught my ear like the blackface Super Reverb. Yes, they can be really loud but even at a modest 3 to 4 on the volume and using the guitar volume to keep things reined in the sound is quite lovely.

https://youtu.be/1puRgoSCDE4

Is this the kind of tone you're thinking of?
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  #35  
Old 07-29-2020, 09:18 AM
M Sarad M Sarad is offline
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Lately I have been playing my PRS and LP Special through a 1980 Blackface Deluxe Reverb using my Zen Drive. I had tried a Blues Driver fir a week before plugging in the ZD.

What a combination.

Total cost was about $1,100.

The DR is handwired with a Ted Weber Signature 12” speaker. With the ZD, I only turn it up to 3.
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  #36  
Old 07-29-2020, 06:12 PM
The Old Gaffer The Old Gaffer is offline
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Another vote for the Fender Super Reverb - big, heavy, and glorious sounding. Others I would look at are the Carr Slant 6V and the Tone King Imperial.
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  #37  
Old 07-30-2020, 03:52 PM
jab.phila jab.phila is offline
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Thanks for all the input. After looking up a million YouTube videos on many of the amps yous guys suggested, I am landing a Morgan JS12 early next week on really good terms from Sweetwater. If a collaboration by Josh Smith and Joe Morgan doesn't produce amazing tone, then everything I've ever learned about guitars might well be a lie. Grateful for the collaboration happening on AGF every day.

Jake
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  #38  
Old 07-30-2020, 04:37 PM
Nama Ensou Nama Ensou is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jab.phila View Post
Thanks for all the input. After looking up a million YouTube videos on many of the amps yous guys suggested, I am landing a Morgan JS12 early next week on really good terms from Sweetwater. If a collaboration by Josh Smith and Joe Morgan doesn't produce amazing tone, then everything I've ever learned about guitars might well be a lie. Grateful for the collaboration happening on AGF every day.
Where's the review?!?! Oh yeah, next week.
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  #39  
Old 07-31-2020, 03:03 PM
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rcolosi rcolosi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jab.phila View Post
Thanks for all the input. After looking up a million YouTube videos on many of the amps yous guys suggested, I am landing a Morgan JS12 early next week on really good terms from Sweetwater. If a collaboration by Josh Smith and Joe Morgan doesn't produce amazing tone, then everything I've ever learned about guitars might well be a lie. Grateful for the collaboration happening on AGF every day.

Jake
Congrats Jake! Definitely post a review...that is a fine amp!
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