quick guitar amp question

[kristopher612]

okay if you had to choose between the ampeg reverberocket reissue, or the new traynor 40W tube amp, which would you go with and why? i think there's all of 5W difference in the output of these amps. i like the sound of these ampeg reissues, but ihaven't heard ANYTHING about the traynors. only thing i don't like is that the power amp tubes are some wierd model, and all the tubes in it are sovtek, whereas the ampeg comes loaded with groove tubes, which are of a slightly better quality from what i understand. just thought i'd get an opinion, and if anyone has heard the new traynor, lemme know whats up.thanks
km

[Eric Rottmayer]

go with the Ampeg. i wouldnt buy anything from Traynor anymore.
not anything new anyway. heard some horror stories from the gear repair place here.
just my opnion though.

but i would actually skip both of those amps and look into a Deluxe reverb.
that's just what i want now.

eric

[dwelle]

ampeg's reputation of late kind of stinks too, depending on who you ask. why not just get the real mccoy? i've never played a reissue amp (esp. fenders) that live up to the original. now they may sound good, but not like the originals. i've actually got a '60's jet or rocket (can't remember what it's called) that is just like the reverberocket w/o reverb. it's one of the best amps i have for recording.

maybe it's just me, but i don't trust amp reissues. there are so many components that just can't be replicated to sound like the old ones. new amps are fine, but if you're after that sound, maybe consider gettin' a real one?

[gravy boat]

For what you'd spend on the ampeg or the traynor, you can get a lot more amp for your money. I logger a year in hell at guitar center and we had nothing but trouble with the ampeg reissues. The new traynors sound kinda funky to me, but thats a subjective sorta thing. I'm cheap/broke so i play a couple of sovteks, a mig 50 and a mig 60. Don't laugh, but some Peavey amps are a steal. So are vintage club crates.

[ottokbre]

yeah, Sovtek's sound great! Kindaofa rock amp tho.

Mig 50 = Bassman
Mig 60 = Marshallish Bassman
Mig 100=Marshall JMC

If I can't land that bluesbreaker, I'm going for the Mig 60 with some scary mods (KT66 anyone?) on a THD 2x12 Cab for live work.

But back to Ampeg, I don't like the reissues. Something fishy 'bout em.
I have no experience with the Traynors, but the older ones come highly recommended by many a fan. Check out old Benson amp heads too.
Nice Jazzy Twin vibe.

[justinf]

Why not an older amp? The 70s/80s Traynors and Music Mans crush the reissues at a cheaper price--I use both. They rule.

[geardood]

those all tube traynor pa heads from the early 70s make killer guitar amps, as do the tube bogen pa heads. you can find 'em around for dirt cheap- it's worth checking into.

all amps have their bad seeds, but ampeg has a lot more than most it seems. i've worked in guitar shops on and off over the last 10 years and have seen many of the newer reverberockets and superjets in for repair. the older 60's ampegs are a different story. if you can find an ampeg gemini II...yum. sadly, the newer stuff is sufferring massively in build quality and design.

in that same price range, i'd take a listen to a peavey classic 30. heck, the classic 20's are cool too! throw a good drive pedal in there and you've got some rawk happenin'. heheh.

[clodock]

while it might be a bit much to say all reissues suck, with $500 to spend, I wouldn't get one. the others here have a good point, there's way too much classic stuff to be had for that. I would say that if you put good tubes and speakers in a reissue, they can sound quite good (at least the fenders). The problem is repair. They are not like the originals in that they use printed circuit boards that make them harder to work on and more expensive to repair. With what you're talking about spending, a music man combo, or a real vintage ampeg should be gettable. look around, you will never regret it. I got a 66 blackface bassman head not too long ago for around $250. It's more of a pain to find, and it helps to know a good amp guy to get it fixed, but a real deal will be worth it in the long run and is probably cheaper to maintain. also, the old 50watt traynors are essentially bassman copies and are usually dirt cheap if you can find them.

YMMV

[Catoogie]

The Peavey Delta Blues with 2 10's are great!! 40 watts with reverb and tremolo. I got mine at Sam Ash for $325 out the door. Most likely you won't get that deal but you can if you can haggle.

I've a few Music Man amps and I was nver really jnto them, transistor power amp with tube pre, overdrive was kinda lame. But then again both Eric Clapton and Albert Lee used them for a long time. Those Crate Vintage Club amps are GREAT!!!

Godd luck!

[A.David.MacKinnon]

If you are planning to tour or travel with your amp I'd stay away from any new tube amp with circuit boards. Older tube amps (even the cheap ones) were wired point to point which means they are all but indestructable. The new reissues usualy break down when they get banged/dropped/stomped on by baggage handlers. The problem is usualy a cracked curcuit board.
For the money you spend on a new Traynor you can get an old Traynor that will sound better and out live the reissue.
I have a soft spot for Traynors (I'm from their home town). The legend goes that when Pete Traynor made a new model of amp he would test it by throwing it out the third story window of his shop. If it still worked (once the tubes were replaced) it was rugged enough to go into production.
Try that with a reissue.

[Flight Feathers]

yes, what everyone else has been saying. you are better off buying an older classic. i got my fender twin for $450, and every tech on earth knows their way around that amp. i just got a old school traynor head for $40, don't know how it sounds, but for $40 bucks, how bad could it be right?

ayan

[mikedaul]

for $500, I'd say try out a used hellhound: http://www.reverenddirect.com/reverend/ ... 40_60.html

I think they are great amps...

[Catoogie]

Yeah the Hellhound is a great amp!!!

I would think that Pete Traynor would have removed the tubes before throwing the amp out the window. Sounds fishy.

As for amps with printed circuit boards being unreliable, tons of bands are using those Fender Deville amps and they seem to hold up. If you're traveling you need a case or handle the amp with extreme care. That goes for any amp.

[teleharmonium]

Ampeg reissues are made by SLM, they are basically Crate amps with better cosmetics. They don't sound much like the old ones and I think you could do a lot better for your money than those or the Traynors. The old Traynors from when Pete was actually making them were incredibly sturdy cheap workhorses with point to point wiring, the new ones aren't like that at all.

I heartily recommend an older Ampeg, you can get one for less than that amount and still probably get it serviced within that budget. The best deals seem to be had on the Jet, Reverborocket II and III and the various Gemini models. The models that use 6V6 and 6L6g or 6L6GC tubes are more disposed to rocking out, whereas the (later) ones with 7591, 7868 or 7027 power tubes will be cleaner. Sano amps are also a good value but really want to stay clean unless it is an older tube rectified model.

[kristopher612]

cool, it seems that i should shop ebay instead, or is there somewhere else online that these amps can be had at. i need somethinmg that gets pretty good definition, and doesnt even have to have more than one channel, or an fx loop. though i'd prefer an fx loop. i really don't wanna spend more than 600 total on a really good, clean, with a little grit when called for amp. 40-60W. these all sound like they could do the trick. problem is, buying something and ending up unhappy. but i guess it's a chance you take. i guess i could always make do with my crappy crate gfx-65.