Amp Recommendations Please

[nussbajh]

Been a long time since I posted on here. I know there is a lot of brain power in this group though and would love everyone’s input. I have several PRS guitars, but only one amp, Vox AC15C2. I like the Vox and am itching to get a new amp. The Vox is clean and sparkles, and works well with my pedals. It doesn’t however allow for an easy switch between channels, lacks an fx lop, and I now have a baby in the house so I cannot play at the levels I once enjoyed. I like a good warm clean and would love the plexi drive if possible. I’ve been checking around online and reading up on amps, but could use your recommendations since I cannot go out and try things in a store due to the pandemic. What will give me those classic tones at lower volumes, can be switched back and forth by foot, include a n fx loop, would be my dream amp? I we really hoping to go HX/DA, but i understand it needs volume. Also been looking at Mesa Boogie Mark V: 25 or 35, Egnater Tweaker 40, Fender ‘65 Twin Reverb, and some used PRS Custom 20 2-channel amps.
Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Rider1260]

Since this is a PRS site I will say I do love my PRS H ( Custom 50 ) I'm sure the 20 sounds killer also.
That said the MKV 25/35 have the cab clone included so headphone are always available and like all Mesas I have ever owned the master volume to top notch and lets you get killer tones at stupidly low levels.

 

[andy474x]

I’ve had reliability issues with Egnater amps, I would be cautious there. Which is a bummer, because they sound good, unfortunately at that price what you gain in features you lose in quality.

Honestly, any of the other amps you listed are good sounding, quality amps, but you’ll be choking them down so far in volume that they won’t shine. If you want to get them to do their thing, grab an attenuator or a load box/IR solution like the OX box or Captor x. I went load box/IR also due to having babies in the house, and it’s some of the best money I’ve spent in gear in a long time, very useful for much more than just being quiet.

 

[László]

At first I felt that my HXDA sounded great only at higher volumes, but I've since learned to dial it in just fine at lower volumes. Single channel, but I can easily control the gain with the volume control on my guitar and get sparkling vintage clean tones. The drawback for your requirements? No FX loop (doesn't bother me, I don't use effects loops, l prefer to go into the front of the amp). Still, if you can find one, it's a pretty darn sweet amp!

I'm not familiar with PRS' current 20 Watt amp because I haven't been in stores in a year due to COVID.

The DG30 is my other #1 amp (yeah I have two #1 amps). I love it, but again, it's single-channel and doesn't have a loop. Again, a very sweet amp if you don't need a loop.

However a Mesa Fillmore might be a great alternative choice for classic tones. It has a good master volume, two identical channels (set one as you like - I usually set mine to "clean with an edge of grit when pushed" - then set the other any way that suits ya - mine's usually set a bit crunchier), and an FX loop.

I've recommended it to a couple of pals with requirements similar to yours, and they very much like theirs. I still think my PRS amps are in another league, but the Fillmore is pretty darn nice. I even ordered mine with a leather covering instead of vinyl, because I'm that guy who's a complete sucker for a fancier leather covering. I didn't go with the Fillmore cab, I got a Cali Tweed cab, and had them match the head, because I prefer the amp with the alnico Blackbird speakers.

 

[tiboy]

I’ve been enjoying my Suhr PT15 IR for a few months. Clean channel. Channel 2 can be dialed in for plexi tones. See the Pete Thorn video for how to do that. Channel 3 is identical to channel 2 but has a separate volume and gain control. All three channels have a normal and bright switch. There is a loop. There is also a headphone jack if you want to rock out while the child sleeps. Foot pedal moves you seamlessly through the channels. The bright switches are manually operated on the head. The downside to the amp is cost. I only pulled the trigger because I stumbled on a fair deal for a mint pre-owned.

 

[Ovibos]

That said the MKV 25/35 have the cab clone included

Is that the original (much derided) Cab Clone or the new one (rebranded TwoNotes)?

 

[CandidPicker]

@nussbajh:

Most any reliable EL-84 tubed amp will get you into that territory, though you may wish to be selective at to what will suit your budget and tastes. There are numerous lower cost EL-84 tubed amps available on a variety of retail sales websites that are comparable to your Vox, but without stepping over into a questionable area that doesn't involve PRS amps, you might need to do your own research beyond PRS in case PRS might prove to be more than your wallet will allow.

If it were me, because this is a PRS-centric website, you might easily ask a retail sales rep (Sweetwater.com's sales reps are a reasonably good place to begin) what your needs are, your budget, and they can virtually match your needs to several amps within your price range.

Sweetwater in Indiana is a good place for new gear, Dave's Music in Wisconsin is a good place for used gear. I've purchased from both myself, and like many, can vouch for their excellent customer service.

 

[RickP]

The HX/DA is a great amp, even at lower volume, but considering your concerns, the Mesa California Tweed might be a better fit. With the ability to switch between 2, 10, 20, 30, or 40 watts, you can get any volume needed. It’s single channel, although a simple drive pedal can be your “2” if needed. Mine is a head and 1x12, but combos are also available. Not a raging metal machine, but if Fendery tones are your thing, this does it. It does have a loop.

One other amp you might look into is the Mesa Nomad. It’s been out of production a while, but you can find them, an it offers a lot. Three completely individual (and footswitchable) channels with individual reverb per channel, a master output level, a master solo level (footswitchable), a headphone output for quiet playing or recording (with out without speakers, as there is a mute switch) and my 55 watt version can use EL34s or 6L6GCs. Oh, and an FX loop with mix control. That’s hard to beat for an all-around tube amp! Short of a Road King II, you won’t find more options in one great sounding amp. Mine is a 4x10, basically a Super-Super Reverb. But they can be had as a 45 (EL84), 55 or 100 (6L6 or EL34 interchangeable) as a head, 1x12 or 2x12 combo, or the aforementioned 4x10 combo. Make sure you get one with the footswitch. You can find a Nomad for well under $1000, sometimes as low as half that. It’s a screaming good deal for what you’re getting.

Of course, there are modeling amp options, which is a whole other thing. The Fractal Audio Systems Axe Fx is king of the hill here, IMHO, but there are lots of choices these days, and more coming out as we speak. I’ve been gigging an Axe Fx of one model or other for a solid decade now, and they’re bulletproof.

 

[Tone-y]

Playing at home with kids? There's always the Yamaha thr10 options.

I've just been looking into Revv amps. Their D20 & G20 amps might suit you. I wish the G20 had a reverb as it would be something I'd seriously consider at the moment too. I've been looking at the boogie 5:25, but I've been reading that it's hard to get it to play quietly - the volume comes on suddenly and is hard to dial in quiet. I hear the full 90 watt version is easier to dial in quiet but that is far too much amp for my needs

 

[nussbajh]

You guys do not disappoint. I love all the information and recommendations, especially about the Egnater Tweaker since I was leaning that way due to options and price tag. Now my problem is that I want a couple of amps. Is that a problem? I still really want an HX/DA some day, and love Schefman’s input. Maybe I can put something for one of those together by the end of the year. The Fillmore has also peaked my interest since his post.

CandidPicker’s recommendation of Dave’s webpage is also big on my radar now. They have a great selection of used gear that I might be able to afford with my educator’s pay.

Can anybody tell me more about Andy474x’s recommendations of load boxes and attenuators? I’ve gotten good and buying guitars, but am stupid when it comes to amps.

Thank you again to all that weighed in.

 

[The Guitar Hunter]

I live in an apartment and have a young kid, so I'm always looking for good low wattage amps. I used to have a Tone King Gremlin because it had a built in attenuator and it worked great. I now have a Marshall Studio Vintage Combo and a Tone King Iron Horse which is a stand alone attenuator. It works great and would highly recommend if you need an attenuator for amps up to 30 watts. They also make one for higher wattage amps if you're interested in that as well. I recently picked up one of those Orange Terror Stamps so I could plug in some headphones and play on the couch and that works great too. Yesterday, I disconnected the speaker cable from the Marshall and ran that into the Terror Stamp and it sounded great. It allows me to get some more crunch and distortion than the Marshall can provide, while still keeping things at a low volume.

 

[RallyFanatic]

I loved my Tweaker 15 but reliability wasn’t it’s strong suit. Transformer went after about a year. Replaced that and it was good for another year, now it always sounds like a power tube is dying even after swapping them out. It’s still around the house somewhere but I gave up on it.

Twin reverbs are loud. I have a deluxe reverb I love, but even that is ear splitting when the tubes are glowing bright. Great clean tone though. I had a 68 Princeton that did sound great at any volume, and a 68 deluxe that also sounded great except for some inherent hiss. The ‘tone master’ series may be worth trying out, I thought the deluxe was very convincing, maybe 90% as good as the tube version. It has built in power scaling as well.

I love my AC10 - just a rowdy little guy always looking for a fight, but probably too similar to your AC15. My favorite overall and low volume option though is my Helix.

 

[goat-n-gitter]

How about an attenuator to tame your volume and a nice hot plexi style drive pedal like a Friedman BE-OD or something similar? I have a Two Notes Captor X and love it, although when I use it with my AC-30 I can only use it silent, as the Captor X is strictly 8ohm, so I have to defeat the internal speakers and switch the external speaker output to 8 ohms. I'm pretty sure your AC-15 would work the same way. They do make a 16ohm Captor X now, but then you're limited on other amps to run it with.
My main amp is a Mesa MK V 90 watt, and the Captor X works incredibly well with it.

 

[nussbajh]

Wanted to thank everyone again for their input. I was able to work a great deal with Dave’s Guitars as @CandidPicker recommended on a PRS Custom 20. It will be my first PRS amp and I am excited about it. If it holds up as I hope, I think I will start saving for an HXDA, and maybe pick up an Orange Terror Stamp like @The Guitar Hunter recommended. Then another, then another.

Thank you again for everyone’s help.

 

[The Guitar Hunter]

@nussbajh the terror stamp is portable and versatile...but also definitely get that HXDA too

 

[elvis]

The whole world has gone to virtual cabinets via the Torpedo/Captor, CabClone, Ox box, etc. I use a Torpedo Live and an IR and am super happy with the sound. It also gives me the ability to run the amp as loud as I want and run the volume as low as I want, or use headphones (I actually use IEMs). It's a much better way to go than an attenuator in my experience, and it opens up a lot of opportunities for gig volume, direct recording and more.

 

[andy474x]

Wanted to thank everyone again for their input. I was able to work a great deal with Dave’s Guitars as @CandidPicker recommended on a PRS Custom 20. It will be my first PRS amp and I am excited about it. If it holds up as I hope, I think I will start saving for an HXDA, and maybe pick up an Orange Terror Stamp like @The Guitar Hunter recommended. Then another, then another.

Thank you again for everyone’s help.

As an owner of a Custom 50, I think that’s a great place to start. The Custom is a great “utility” amp - and by no means do I mean it doesn’t sound good, it’s just the best way to describe it. Doesn’t sound like any other major amp flavor specifically, but the clean channel is great on its own, and plays well with pedals, the lead channel is an excellent platform for sculpting your sound, though it has a lot of gain, it’s also very transparent in a sense, and you can shape the tone with the guitar, boost pedal, etc. that you have in front of it. Plus the many options, reverb assign, depth, mid shift, lead boost, all very useful.

The whole world has gone to virtual cabinets via the Torpedo/Captor, CabClone, Ox box, etc. I use a Torpedo Live and an IR and am super happy with the sound. It also gives me the ability to run the amp as loud as I want and run the volume as low as I want, or use headphones (I actually use IEMs). It's a much better way to go than an attenuator in my experience, and it opens up a lot of opportunities for gig volume, direct recording and more.

+1!

 

[CandidPicker]

You guys do not disappoint. I love all the information and recommendations, especially about the Egnater Tweaker since I was leaning that way due to options and price tag. Now my problem is that I want a couple of amps. Is that a problem? I still really want an HX/DA some day, and love Schefman’s input. Maybe I can put something for one of those together by the end of the year. The Fillmore has also peaked my interest since his post.

CandidPicker’s recommendation of Dave’s webpage is also big on my radar now. They have a great selection of used gear that I might be able to afford with my educator’s pay.

Can anybody tell me more about Andy474x’s recommendations of load boxes and attenuators? I’ve gotten good and buying guitars, but am stupid when it comes to amps.

Thank you again to all that weighed in.

@nussbajh:

If attenuators are your thing, either the Ox Box, the Suhr Reactive LoadBox, or the Two Notes Captor are quality pieces. Although I've own none of the above, I have owned a Two Notes CAB (older, larger model) and Two Notes Live Loadbox rack unit. The Live unit was useful with the "speaker out" of my amp head, and the throughput to the cab.

Note that the Captor is available in either 8 or 16 ohm models (why they didn't put a switchable option, I don 't know)

All of these are in varying price ranges with varying degrees of learning curves.

Many folks appreciate their Ox Boxes, but the initial price is a tad steep. Yet, if quality is your thing, you can't go wrong there.

 

[nussbajh]

Custom 20 from Dave’s Guitars came today. Worked a great deal. The front screen of the amp was damaged a little in shipping , but it is minor and the amp sounds great (only got to play for 15 minutes when wife left before me to take the tot to daycare). Hoping to get more time with the amp this weekend. Will have to check out attenuators at a later time. Anyone have any recommendations for dialing in a Custom 20? I know it is all subjective, but I know people figure out tricks for certain types and styles of amps.

 

[CandidPicker]

Custom 20 from Dave’s Guitars came today. Worked a great deal. The front screen of the amp was damaged a little in shipping , but it is minor and the amp sounds great (only got to play for 15 minutes when wife left before me to take the tot to daycare). Hoping to get more time with the amp this weekend. Will have to check out attenuators at a later time. Anyone have any recommendations for dialing in a Custom 20? I know it is all subjective, but I know people figure out tricks for certain types and styles of amps.

There will be more folks who can answer this question better than I can. Only thing I can say is to try setting your EQ neutral to begin with, and if the 20 has a volume/master, to try to find the edge of breakup, where the sweet spot of overdrive resides. Your ears will play a large role, since everyone has differing tastes in tone. If the amp sounds too fizzy, reduce the treble. Doesn't cut through enough? Increase the mids a little. Need more thump but not too flubby? Add some bass.

Think of how you might demo an amp in someone's shop...and that's a decent guide...