What's your FAVORITE small amp

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jcooke
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What's your FAVORITE small amp

Post by jcooke » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:49 pm

I searched the board and didn't find a discussion on small amps. I'm currently looking to buy something that will fit nicely underneath my fender rhodes 73. I'd like some opinions on good small tube amps, mainly for guitar. I want to get a sweet tone without blowing out my eardrums.

Jeremy

P.S. I think I remember reading on the old board that a lot of people liked the gibson skylark w/ tremolo.

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Re: What's your FAVORITE small amp

Post by 3db@1K » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:31 pm

jcooke wrote:I searched the board and didn't find a discussion on small amps. I'm currently looking to buy something that will fit nicely underneath my fender rhodes 73. I'd like some opinions on good small tube amps, mainly for guitar. I want to get a sweet tone without blowing out my eardrums.

Jeremy

P.S. I think I remember reading on the old board that a lot of people liked the gibson skylark w/ tremolo.
Fender Pro Jr. Two knobs Volume and tone. Turn them both all the way up and damn. Great little amp.

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Randy
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Post by Randy » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:50 pm

I think you are looking for a Fender Champ. Simple Fender tube tone. Should not be expensive. With a Rhodes, you might want to get a Champ with Vibrato. Nice combo.
not to worry, just keep tracking....

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Post by r0ck1r0ck2 » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:20 pm

anything that isn't fender will be cheaper...
i'm a fan of almost any off brand crustie old small watt tube...
everyone amp different...you gotta try them...
magnatone...epiphone...

and fender amps are cool too...
homemade amps are the KooLest..menthol KooL

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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:35 pm

Musicman stuff can be had for low dollar to watt ratio. I just picked up a 1970s 65 (head only) and it sure breaks up real nice. Also, not too many knobs to worry about.

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Post by Slider » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:37 pm

tweed deluxe.
ac15.

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Post by cwileyriser » Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:54 pm

Silverface Princeton Reverb. There's no difference between a 70's silverface and a blackface except for a ground switch on the silverface.

As old as mine is and as horribly as I've treated it (haven't done anything to it, ever, except replace a tube that got crushed in the van on tour 10 years ago and put tube clamps in it to keep the tubes seated), it still specs out on the bench good as new. I've played guitar, banjo, and keys through it and it sounds great to me, and it's great for recording. And it's nice and small for gigging - for some people it might not loud enough if you like a LOT of stage volume, but it's never been a problem for me.

The best part is that silverfaces can be had for much less than the crazy prices for blackfaces.

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Post by s00p3rm4n » Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:48 pm

Fuck Fender.

Gibson Skylark GA-5t. Tremelo that would make Morricone hard. Nutritious overdrive at tasty volumes.
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Re: What's your FAVORITE small amp

Post by RefD » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:23 am

3db@1K wrote:
jcooke wrote:I searched the board and didn't find a discussion on small amps. I'm currently looking to buy something that will fit nicely underneath my fender rhodes 73. I'd like some opinions on good small tube amps, mainly for guitar. I want to get a sweet tone without blowing out my eardrums.

Jeremy

P.S. I think I remember reading on the old board that a lot of people liked the gibson skylark w/ tremolo.
Fender Pro Jr. Two knobs Volume and tone. Turn them both all the way up and damn. Great little amp.
Fender Pro Jr. can be nice, but it needs to be retubed (and maybe have the speaker replaced!) as soon as you buy it.

my $0.02 + GST.
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Post by bplr » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:34 am

cwileyriser wrote:Silverface Princeton Reverb. There's no difference between a 70's silverface and a blackface except for a ground switch on the silverface.
really? I have a '78 and the volume knob is also a gain pull knob, which adds a whole separate gain stage. It was 'blackfaced' (for what it's worth) by removing the gain stage, but it still doesn't sound as good overdriven as my friend's blackface. It's damn fine, don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty sure they're not entirely the same. The biggest difference was the price (600 vs 850, though now they're much more).


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Gibson

Post by fitterbkw » Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:56 am

Hello,
Try a Gibson GA8T

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Post by linus » Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:14 am

Favorite at any price or best bang for the buck?

Anyprice? vintage Vibrolux Reverb.

Bang for the buck? new Epiphone Valve Jr. 5 watts, class A, 8" speaker, one knob (vol), 12ax7 and EL84. 119 bucks new. Sounds great out of the box but can be tweaked by switching out the tubes. If you are truely obsessive you can switch out the speaker or do a simple mod to the power supply. But like I said, sounds great out of the box.

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Post by KennyLusk » Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:26 am

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curtiswyant
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Post by curtiswyant » Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:36 am

Silverface Champ or Vibro Champ. There's a certain irony with this "anything but Fender" business. The once "secret, sleeper" amps like Gibson skylarks are now going for big $$$ on ebay while I got my champ for less than $250. I would try going to your local guitar center 'cuz mine always seems to have a bunch of vintage tiny amps at decent prices.

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mingus2112
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Post by mingus2112 » Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:19 am

cwileyriser wrote:Fuck Fender.

Gibson Skylark GA-5t. Tremelo that would make Morricone hard. Nutritious overdrive at tasty volumes.
Awe man.l . .see. . .you had to go and do that. . .See. . .i happen to hate Gibson guitars. . .i think they're overpriced and they don't feel good to me. . .but i don't knowck them like that. . .they're STILL great guitars and they just sound and feel different. . .you get what you want. . .get what sounds good. . .

my choice for a SMALL amp would be a fender blues JR or an 18 watt marshall. ..the marshalls will run you a pretty penny (custom built) but they're worth it. . .
s00p3rm4n wrote:Silverface Princeton Reverb. There's no difference between a 70's silverface and a blackface except for a ground switch on the silverface.
HALF true. The EARLY 70s silverfaces were the same as the blackfaces. Fender switched over the cosmetics in late 1967 but didn't CHANGE the circuit MUCH until 73 to 75 (depends on the amp. . .i know twin reverbs were changed in late 1974). late 1967 to early 1969 silverfaces, though, are REALLY the same amp. (you can tell by the aluminum trim around the grill) After that (and before the mid 70s) they were changed slightly (ground switch. . .master volumes. . .etc) After the mid 70s, though, the silverfaces had totally different power transformers and were UBER CLEAN MACHINES. You can tell by the higher wattages and the total inability to break up at human volumes. (an example would be the twin reverb. . .blackface and silver trims were 85 watts. . .early silverfaces were 100watts. . .then the later ultralinear silverfaces were 135 watts of pure clean power)

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