Versitile Tube Amps That Are Super Clean

[mechanicalmastering]

Looking for a very clean tube amp that is versatile and takes effects/pedals/distortion well, any suggestions?

[wren]

As a guitarist who manages to overload any tube amp he's ever used, I have to say: in my experience, there isn't one. The closest I've come was a Fender Twin that had been modified (and practically rebuilt from the ground up) by a friend of mine to be as clean as possible, but even then I was able to overload it; it was just that it was far less often and far less obvious.

The whole point of a solid-state "clean machine" that takes pedals well (IMO, anyway) is that it is solid-state. I'm not going to head down the ss vs. tube debate path either, but for the purpose of a "clean machine that takes pedals well" amp, I've never found something with tubes in its signal path that worked for me. YMMV, obviously, and as previously stated I do have a freakish ability/playing style that can and will overload any tube amp I've ever used.

[kslight]

Not judging but...if you want to stay clean solid state makes a lot of sense.

Wanting to go tube for super clean is like ordering a Big Mac and a large fries with a diet Coke because you're trying to watch your weight...seems counterintuitive to me! At least if you care about playing super clean with volume! The JC120 is one of my favorite amps, don't judge an amp by its tubes (or lack thereof). If I had to pick only one amp, I would probably dump the rest for the Roland...and I have some fairly nice Fenders to choose from... You owe it to yourself to check one out in person and not read bullshit online opinions before going on a (futile?) quest for the ultimate clean tube amp.

THAT SAID, if you would like to spend substantially more money than a JC120 would run you, I would look at a Fender Super Bassman 100, or there are some other really high wattage Fenders that were souped up Twins and Bassmen as well...don't remember the models. I can tell you right now a 50 watt Bassman won't get you there...100 watt potentially if you set it up with the right tubes for less gain, and biased it relatively cold. If you can settle for a hybrid there are also Musicman and AMS models out there... These are all vintage of course.

[mechanicalmastering]

Thanks for the awesome replies guys, sorry I changed the post to avoid conflict.

The closest I've come was a Fender Twin that had been modified

You know, my friend had a Fender "Evil" Twin with red knobs and tons of routing options, that kinda comes to mind as well.

[standup]

Fender comes to mind. I've got a Showman -- quite the big, clean amp. The higher wattage Ampegs probably do it OK too. A friend of mine has piles of Ampegs, and they rival the Showman for sure. But it's the bigger ones that do clean sounds. 20-40 watt Reverbrocket types.

What about a Bassman tube head, and a cabinet of your choice? With the right pre and power amp tubes, you could probably set it up for big clean sounds at a reasonable cost.

I've got a 5watt Champ clone from Frenzel that does clean better than dirty. Frenzel makes clones of a bunch of vintage tube amps, and prices seem pretty OK.

[E.Bennett]

If you need a small, clean ,tube, studio amp, the Webster Chicago 66-1A is what you're looking for. This amp is a real hidden gem.

[blungo2]

for super clean i'd go with a fender twin. I may be missing something but i'm not sure i fully get the idea of a super clean tube guitar amp. A twin will def get you there though.

edit: or a dual showman if you don't want the verb.

[standup]

And BTW, the 'red knob' Twin's I recall didn't seem to do much of anything very well. I'd look for a silver face twin from the 70s if you want to go that route. They're half the price of Princetons and Deluxes, it seems like. If I was speculating on tube amps, I'd buy a garage full of Twins because they seem cheapish now and ripe for rediscovery. Or a Showman like I've got, basically the same amp as a Twin.

Or maybe a Concert from 70s/80s, I think they're going for OK prices. Not as great sounding, maybe, but maybe OK.

I pulled two tubes from my Showman and subbed in "Yellowjacket" tubes to cut the power to 1/4 what it started with and let it overdrive more easily. It's still a clean amp at heart. Also put in a 16 ohm Weber speaker, which I read on the internet will offset the strain on the transformer from pulling one of the two pairs of tubes. It's still a loud amp, I run it mostly on 2 1/2 or 3 on the volume knob.

[cgarges]

The Fuchs amps are astoundingly good-sounding clean tube amps.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[jgimbel]

I've got a '72ish silverface Bassman 50, and I like it because it's clean and works nicely with pedals. It can be a little too clean for me without pedals. I'd definitely recommend something like this for what you're looking for. Solid state's fine, though I prefer tube amps even for clean sounds - I don't think the only reason tube amps are nice is because of the overdrive.

I once walked away from buying a Twin because it was just too clean for me. Very much like the Bassman 50 that I ended up with, but the Bassman has a bit more low end and is just a little thicker sounding, not much trouble with ice pick high end. I'd imagine if you just want pure clean for pedals, a Twin is the one.

Some tube amps with solid state rectifiers have nice clean sounds. I'm pretty much always down on Crate amps, but I had a Crate Palomino V50 for a time and that was one of the rare amps that I ever felt was really solid all the was from crystal clean to pretty heavy overdrive. Definitely loud enough to be both loud and clean.

The Twin is what I'd be looking for though.

[mechanicalmastering]

Awesome posts guys, keep 'em comin'!

[mjau]

I've got a 100 watt Fender "The Twin" amp that I've never been able to overload, even when cranking on ten. It gets a bit bark-y when run not, but definitely not overdriven and/or smooth.

[lysander]

+1 on the Ampegs, especially the V-series amps. They're starting to get more expensive again because the 7027a tubes have been reissued, but they're still a great deal. Built like tanks, clean headroom for miles, and a fantastic eq section with those rocker switches. My V2 is louder than my blackface Twin, and has better bass response.

[jgimbel]

My '66 Ampeg Reverberocket II overloads pretty easily. It's got one of my favorite clean sounds of any amp I've used, but it's gorgeous and thick, not what I'd want for a perfectly clean base for pedals. It also overdrives when it's past around 12:00.

The V4/V22 was recommended to me when I was looking for (and ended up with) a Bassman. I've definitely heard they've got a great clean and are pretty similar to a Bassman, also in that they work nicely for both guitar and bass. I haven't tried to many Ampegs, but I've loved everything I've ever heard from them. Recorded a blue line RI SVT once, best bass amp I ever heard for the heavier music they were doing. I love my Reverberocket. My next bass amp is going to be a Portaflex 350 or 500. I'd bet a Bassman or V4/V22 would be perfect for a not-sterile base for pedals, or the Twin if you want something even cleaner.

[vvv]

Musicman, as mentioned above.

I have a HD130 and I've always said it sounds better than any Twin I've ever played (eh, about 3? ) through a open-back 2x12".

It's 4x 6L6 with a 12AX7 inverter and an S/S pre.

I am currently using it for bass in my little combo, but used it for years for recording clean guitar sounds.