Yet Another "Recommend Me Some Amps" thread

Great thread! It's fun when you get to see/read these pros share their insight. :cool:


There are two points that stand out, to me, as important tidbits to take home: 1) high gain amps, like Mesa/Boogie, draw much of their tone from the preamp stage and sound similar regardless of volume, and 2) PRS amps possess a boutique mojo -for lack of a better term - that is generally reserved for hand built, esoteric custom boutique amps (wait...that's pretty much the case with PRS :D). These are really important points and here's why.


Finding your amp is a lifelong endeavor. Seriously. Add to that your tastes change over time (because you get old and your hearing gets screwed up from playing in a loud rock band...blah, blah, blah) and you have a constantly moving target. Always buy more than you need, with room to grow. One trick ponies are fun for a while, but unless you play the exact same music jumbled around to make 40 songs out of 1 (yes, I mean AC/DC), that doesn't work well for long. You need something that will continue to inspire you.


Mesa/Boogie, Bogner, and surprisingly, Fender's EVH MkIII all do that for me on the modern side of the equation. But I don't play in a modern rock band now. The classic rock stuff revolves around the same amps...Marshall (especially Plexi), Fender (Deluxes and Twins), and Vox. Yes, there are dozens of others, but everyone in this genre strive for about the same thing. PRS takes that idea and runs...unique innovations with preamp/power amp combinations, switchable personality changes, masterful build quality and reliability. I strive to sound different than most other guitarists and PRS helps me achieve that, with style. :D (come on, it's fun to look good, too!)


There's something almost magical about a Dumble. Two Rock captures that vibe, too. Certain Marshall's and Fenders and Voxes, etc. get that, if you find the right one. That vibe means something different to many people, but once you hear it, you never want to be without it again. An amp without that "flavor" isn't good enough. You're ruined for life! I get that feeling with my PRS amp. I've heard it in several other PRS models, enough so to know it wasn't by accident. My special requirements may not be inherent in all of their models, but it's enough for me to now expect it from Doug's designs. He gets it. Go listen to Greg Koch's demos, or the PRS demos. For the money, PRS makes the broadest line of mojo-infused amps I've found.


Hell, now I want to go try an Archon.
 
Don't get me wrong: Aristotle, if I had a rehearsal area like yours (I'm gonna hunt you down next time I'm in DC:shakehands:), and a frequent live gig that could stand it, AND I DID'T HAVE TO CARRY THE DAMN THINGS, I would rock a 100 watt head and two 4x12 cabs all night long!

I love the way my Lonestar sounds on 50 or 100 watts, but I just don't want to carry that much a land only have the master at 9:00.

Sounds great! I'm serious about having a get-together if we can form a critical mass...

And no argument at all on the convenience factor. And besides the PITA associated with hauling the equipment, there are almost always physical space issues with the clubs we play.

And regarding Boogie's comments, that pretty much sums things up to me...
 
my 2 cents

The Bogner Shiva (20th Anniversary version even better!)
This is probably one of the best amps I have ever had the good fortune of playing. It covers cleans wonderfully and as far as metal goes I can get everything from In Flames to Pantera with little trouble

it takes pedals very well

The 20th Shiva is a beast. My favorite amp...easily.
 
When I bought an amp for home, I didn't go this route, but I wonder if I should have. So, I'll throw it out there.
Line 6 Amplifi. 100 w. about the size of a roll aboard, 5 speakers, and modeling controlled by an i-pad via bluetooth.
The guitar plugs into the unit, and the effects are controlled by the bluetooth. Doesn't break the bank, either.
 
The 20th Shiva is a beast. My favorite amp...easily.

I've had a few Shivas in the studio over the years, and I respect the heck out of Bogner. In fact, 30 Seconds to Mars went on an amp hunt for their This is War record, because their producer, Flood, wanted to get away from their older Mesa sound; my son Jamie told me that after trying a lot of amps, Tomo picked a Shiva and used it on most of the tracks.

I like a different sort of vibe in my clean tones, so the Shiva isn't my style of amp, but I do like the OD tones a lot. I had a Bogner Metropolis for a while that suited my tastes more for its clean tones, but it fell flat on the OD unless used with a pedal, where it proved to be a fussy, but superb with the right pedal, platform.

If you like the Shiva, stick with it, but my bet is that you'd be blown away by the Clean tones on a PRS amp, and find the OD tones right in your bailiwick.
 
Hi...

Amp talk is a weird endeavor.

This might be the strangest notion....but I stay away from amps that are made by a guitar company. Fender especially. It just feels like an "add-on"...

Well, I bought a Strat!

How about this Delux Reverb that we haven't changed the design on in 50 years?

I'll take it!


I go to companies that only concentrate on amplification.

For what the OP mentioned.....

I would say for solid state: Tech 21, hands down

I would say for tube: Hughes & Kettner tubemeister (varying sizes)

I recommend those because they are a departure from the normal crap same-old same-old Marshall....but not all boutique-y and insanely priced like Bogner, etc

Both Tech 21 & H&K are VERY versatile....that's important when you're trying to get the most bang for your buck



My 2 cents.


Tony
 
I now hate you, Les.

Denver has it's first Guitar Show in a couple decades going on today. I'm blown away by the quality of Colorado builders, both guitar and amp. I've known of a couple gems (Del Toro guitars, Bludotone), but found some more: Fluxtone, Toneville, Montarado.

Fluxtone uses an electromagnet in place of a fixed magnet on their speakers. You can control the magnetic impact on the speaker cone and voice coil, lowering the output by up to 25 db, without changing the amp's output signal. It works well and sounds amazing...and costs accordingly.

So, back to Les. I have a 100 watt Mesa Lonestar, but don't gig with it anymore. I played a 100 watt Marshall (JMP, I think) through a 4x12 with a combo of Fluxtone's modded Celestion Blues and Golds (again, I think that's what he said). OMG. It was glorious, and controllable down to rehearsal/small gig levels.

Now I want an Archon and a $4000 4x12 Fluxtone cab. I need more iron!
 
I might as well throw in my 2 cents also...

Bottom Line: I'm completely over and done looking for amps.

We've got two(2): 2000 Vibroking and 2011 HXDA(50 watt) w/2x12 Big Mouth V30's.

If we can't widest range of usable stage/studio tones and volume with these, without using any pedals, effects, or channel switching then I'm truly hopeless! LOL!
 
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Put me in the class of "everybody recommends their favorite amp." So check out the new Suhr PT100. I have the original CAA PT100. Google the Pete Thorn demo from a few years back. Beautiful cleans and a great platform for adding pedals. Channels 2/3 share an EQ but each has its own Vol. and Gain control. All foot switchable. Suhr also put out a PT50. Having said that, I echo one of Aristotle's recommedations, Marshall Vintage Modern.
 
You're joking, right?



No. Not at all. Worst amps I ever owed were Fenders.

As not to get "into it" with you...let's just leave it alone, K?

I see by your post count, you're "senior" around here...and likely, that translate to some weird "my opinion counts more than yours"

Doesn't quite work that way, my friend. Amps and guitars, being artistic tools, vary greatly...as does the taste of the people using them. Tastes differ.

That's why I spoke of VERSATILITY...in case that's what the OP was interested in...so he could cover a LOT of different tastes.

That's why at the end of my post, I said "MY 2 cents"...


Sorry, I'm in a bit of an ornery mood, and you're comment reads a little "stand offish"

Everyone's opinion will vary and everyone's opinion counts....

Have a good one, Serge....


Tony
 
It's my feeling that Hughes & Kettner's Tubemeister 18 and I believe 35(?) are very Marshall-influenced, especially in the overdrive department, though I don't see that as a bad thing. I haven't used a larger H&K in a long time, so I can't truly comment on them other than to say that when I last tried them they were very good amps.

Oddly enough, I've always seen Fender as more of an amp company than a guitar company, because I grew up on Gibson/Fender combinations from 1967 - the late 80s. Fender guitars were never really my thing, and I hardly noticed them. Plus Fender made amps for 5 or 6 years before they ever made guitars!

On a personal note, I love and play the PRS amps. I think they're the best amps out there for my needs, or I wouldn't use them. But it's all a matter of taste.
 
Have a good one, Serge....

I wasn't questioning your taste in amplifiers at all, nor was I trying to pull some post-count = awesomeness sh!t.

You'll notice I only quoted your statement about your opinion that Fender amplifiers feel like an "add-on" to the guitar line, which struck me as odd considering Leo was building and selling amps long before the guitars came along. When you consider that pretty much every guitar amplifier manufacturer that ever existed has built amps based of Leo's designs or modifications of Leo's designs that were later modified again.. You might see why I thought you were just foolin' around.

I do however agree with your selections about the Tech21and H&K stuff though, and I do value your opinion so I hope I don't scare you off by being a D-bag about it.

Pleas accept my apology for offending you.
 
Hi...

Amp talk is a weird endeavor.

This might be the strangest notion....but I stay away from amps that are made by a guitar company. Fender especially. It just feels like an "add-on"...

Well, I bought a Strat!

How about this Delux Reverb that we haven't changed the design on in 50 years?

I'll take it!


I go to companies that only concentrate on amplification.

For what the OP mentioned.....

I would say for solid state: Tech 21, hands down

I would say for tube: Hughes & Kettner tubemeister (varying sizes)

I recommend those because they are a departure from the normal crap same-old same-old Marshall....but not all boutique-y and insanely priced like Bogner, etc

Both Tech 21 & H&K are VERY versatile....that's important when you're trying to get the most bang for your buck



My 2 cents.


Tony

Hmmm.... That's an interesting perspective. I'm not sure I agree, but I'll admit that I'd have a bias in the reverse direction (I'd be pre-disposed to not take a Marshall guitar very seriously for example) so I understand the sentiment. I guess the two big examples of a guitar company building amps is Fender and PRS. In the Fender case, if you're not looking for a classic tone, then I suppose you're right, and a young player looking for innovation in an amp might not find much that he couldn't get cheaper and better some place else. I happen to really like the 100W Supersonic, but I'll admit that I like it for it's vintage channel (switchable between Bassman and Showman modes) than I do for the high gain side.

In the PRS case, it's also true that stuff like the HX/DA and MDT are really twists on classic tones.....but I really do think that they are fantastic takes on them. Derivative maybe, but there is enough "there" there to make them worthwhile to me. The DG30 and the Archon really are something new and stand on their own in my opinion though. Pricey though in comparison with H&K, so I get why many might choose the Tubemeister over the Archon for example. For my tastes though, and I know it isn't an apples to apples comparison, the Archon really has something over the Tubemeister 36 for modern gain tones. On the other hand, the Tubemeister 36 does have more flexibility. On the third hand, the Archon is pricier by about $500. On the fourth hand, the construction techniques are very different.

I guess I understand the bias if you're looking at Fenders and you're saying that they're stuck in the past pushing out re-issue after re-issue when you're not interested in that stuff. I think that the difference with PRS amps from my experience with them at least is that since they haven't been in the amp business for 60 years, they aren't a slave to some past glory. Sure, they are putting out some modern takes on classic tones, but the line taken as a whole seems pretty creative to me.
 
I'm having the opposite problem, I already have a 100w 2-12, I'm shopping for a small low watt single for home and travelling. About narrowed down to a Blues Junior or possibly a Marshall 5. BTW my Peavey VK212 has a built in attenuator that takes it down to about 40 watts, I still can only play it between 1 and 2 on volume, but I am able to crank some gain and get it a bit overdriven, od pedals do the rest.
 
If you like the Shiva, stick with it, but my bet is that you'd be blown away by the Clean tones on a PRS amp, and find the OD tones right in your bailiwick.

I don't use the clean channel, but I do like it. I stick to the dirt channel and vary the gain and mode switch on the 20th to get all of my base sounds then roll volume back for cleans. But yeah PRS makes wicked good amps.
 
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