AMP HELP - Wurlitzer EP / Guitar - do i ask the impossible?

[hunterchristy]

hey all!

I wonder if any of you can help point me in a good direction. I just scored a Wurlitzer 200, and I love it! That warm bark is just amazing. I'd like to get an amp for it...and to make matters more complicated, I'd also like to use the same amp as a guitar amp. (I only have an old silvertone 2x12, that I love, but it's so noisy that I usually only use it in more dense recordings, and I don't think it'd do so well for the Wurly's subtleties and a really shitty yamaha amp that i don't use for anything except when i need the world's shittiest distortion sound as an effect). I'll primarily be using this in the studio, or very small / low volume shows if i ever take the Wurly out.

In the research I've done so far, it seems pretty obvious that Fender tube is the way to go. I also see that, aside from the obvious Twin and the Blues Jr (the guy I bought it from mentioned this), people tend to favor 10" speakers. I also see a lot about closed back cab designs. The guy I bought it from also mentioned the Bassman head/cab version.

The twin is too heavy, loud, and expensive (though who doesn't love that Fender clean?!). The Bassman concerns me a little because, again, I don't need 4x10's and it only has low and treble eq on the head. The blues Jr is appealing, but it's a 12". The princeton reverb is appealing too, as it's a 10" AND it has reverb and tremolo, but IF i gig with it, I'm not sure 1x10 is enough...

So, Tape Oppers, I pose this to you: is there a Fender tube amp in existence that 1. sounds good on electric piano's 2. will work great doubling as a guitar amp, 3. doesn't weigh 8 tons 4. isn't so loud that people across town will be calling the cops, 5. has TWO 10" speakers, 6. has low/mid/hi controls, and 7. has built in trem?

or am i asking the impossible?

[Snarl 12/8]

Can you wire up a second speaker to the Princeton for gigs?

[kslight]

With keyboard amps you're going to want more power for clean headroom, especially gigging. 100 watts would really be ideal. Too loud for the cops? Turn it down. I don't think a Princeton or a Blues Jr is really going to cut it for you unless you want super distorted EP.



There are several different iterations of the Bassman out there, it seems a lot of the heads go for peanuts. Most are 50 watters, but there is also the Super Bassman for 100 watts. No on-board reverb/tremolo, obviously. But as far as bare bones amps go, they sound great on almost everything. I had a 59 Bassman 4x10 combo that sounded great also, but I prefer heads and closed back cabinets so it had to go. I kept instead a 70s counterfeit point-to-point wired "Fenler" Bassman head, which sounds raunchy and broken and amazing in a way that Bassmen never do unless cranked.

The Carvin X100B is a great sounding head, even if you only care about the clean channel its worth it for what little these sell for. The clean channel I found was a good substitute for the Bassman, and the dirty channel is similar to a JCM800 (or so I'm told). Channel switching, extensive EQ-ing, built-in spring reverb, attenuator, output impedance switching, balanced direct out, FX loop?I'm not aware of any better options for the money. Pair it with the cabinet of your choice. Oftentimes you find these WITH the factory 4x12 cabinet for between $300-400, if you get the footswitch to change channels/reverb off/on then its a steal (these are often missing though?I had to hit eBay to find one). The factory cab is decent, but I use a custom oversized Goodsell 2x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s instead.

As a third option, the Roland JC120 IMHO is really great if all you care about is clean and built-in reverb/tremolo, no reason you need tubes for that. I used to have one of these also, before I settled on the Carvin.

[hogfish]

I have a Wurli 200. These are the 3 amps that I use, in various situations. Princeton. the PERFECT Wurli recording amp. You can get any sound you want from it. 2. 60s Fender Bface Tremolux. 35 watts 2 10 piggy back. Great for recording with headroom, or for the gig. 3 Musicman 210/65. Ive been using this one on everything since I bought it about a year ago. Tons of every thing you could ever want from a Wurli. They are cheap. Mine cost about 600 dollars AFTER a recap and change of a few dodgy resistors. Look for one with the tube PI. A great amp for many things.........

[drumsound]

Fender Vibrolux is a great 2-10" amp.

[standup]

Just a thought: Aren't Roland Jazz Choruses on the cheap side these days? Big loud cleans, and an enclosed cabinet. Might work. I know you want tubes, but it's something to think about, maybe.

[kslight]

Just a thought: Aren't Roland Jazz Choruses on the cheap side these days? Big loud cleans, and an enclosed cabinet. Might work. I know you want tubes, but it's something to think about, maybe.

Super cheap on my Craigslist?like under $350 for an average JC120 combo.

And they are loud and clean?why I recommended them earlier.