Shopping for a new amp - Opinions needed

Keyzer

I'm looking for opinions on a couple of amps I have been looking at over the last couple of weeks.

Basically, I am willing to spend up to €1400 (not a penny more).

I play blues, blues rock, vintage rock etc etc. Creedence, Hendrix, Kings of Leon (Yeah, I know they're a recent band but they sound vintage to me) etc. Old stuff...

My axe of choice is a Fender Stratocaster Custom Shop 1960 Relic.
I also have an Epiphone Sheraton.

Anyway, I put together a few contenders, see below.
I'm not interested in buying a kit amp to save money as I don't have a clue about complex electronics.

Let me know what you think and what you would choose or recommend.
Feel free to recommend an amp that isn't on the list but meets the pricing requirements.


1. Fender 65 Super Reverb - http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_65_super_reverb.htm

A fine amp from the accounts I have read on the web. Glassy clean fender tones, loves strats and plays like a demon.
45 watts, means I can crank it up a bit to get some natural overdrive, when the missus goes out that is.

2. Fender 65 Twin Reverb - http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_65_twinreverb.htm

Again, a fine amp from the accounts I have read on the web. The super clean fender tone is in adundance here.
100 watts, might be to powerful to fully enjoy this amp in a home environment although would be excellent for a live performance.

3. Ampeg Reverberocket - http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ampeg-R12R-Reverberocket-Amp?sku=481768

Availabilty might be a problem here. From my research, this amp produces nice vintage tones and sounds excellent.
Used by the lead guitarist in Kings of Leon.

4. Vox AC30 - http://www.thomann.de/ie/vox_ac30_cc1_gitarrencombo.htm

The famed "British Blues Rock" amp of choice in the 60's. Had a lend of one of these for a while and was very impressed.
Very nice clean tones and nice overdriven. Would need new speakers off the bat as the stock speakers are not great.


Let me know what you guys think...

novarock

All i know of all of the above is that the new chinese AC30's have reliability issues, the fender twin is the only amp that i have played that is similar to the ones above and that was a great amp. If I were you i would look into the second hand market, you can pick up some really classic amps that way.

Ger the man

Dont know anything about Ampegs, the VOX will need to be cranked loud to be appreciated (plus its made in China). I would go with either of the Fenders, your strat will sound amazing through either of these plus they will hold there value.

Eoin Madsen

I heard good feedback about the AC30CC when it came out, though I haven't been in the loop for a while.

For what you describe, my inclination is to recommend one of those Fenders, probably the Twin R.

I'm not familiar with the Ampeg, but none of the other three can be driven hard at a volume that the missus will be happy with. A cranked AC30 is deafening from three metres away. Make the decision based on tone and don't think about the wattage.

For bedroom playing, you'll have to get yourself an attenuator or something like that no matter which way you go.

Voodu Child

Cant say i'd bother with any of that shortlist, the Fenders and Vox are overpriced, cliched and boring. Don't have any experience of Ampeg so can't comment.

I'd be looking at something much more interesting like Rivera. They make lots of nice amps, plenty of them vintage-flavoured. The Clubster/Chubster series have Fender style cleans and Marshall overdrives, great build quality, very nice amps.

Eoin Madsen

Ger the man wrote: »

Dont know anything about Ampegs, the VOX will need to be cranked loud to be appreciated (plus its made in China).

Despite the erroneous rep, most of China's manufacturing industry kicks the crap out of everyone else's. And I genuinely don't recall anyone on the old amp forums knocking the CC - quite the contrary. Nothing is a JMI, but last I heard, the Custom Classic held it's own with the Korg, which would make it the next best thing to the original.

It also has a PPIMV which makes for a much better happy-girlfriend/spouse/audiologist : nice-cranked-tone ratio.

Ger the man

Just try them all out to get the tone you want.

padraig71

This may be controversial, but here goes…

Why be stuck with one amp sound? Also, do you really want to be messing around with attenuators and stuff to get a decent sound at home at low volume?

For that money you could get a rack-mounted Pod XT Pro and a 50W Atomic tube amp. I have a Pod Pro that I picked up half price in a stock clearance a few years ago for £200 sterling when they were upgrading to the XT models. It's great for recording because it has a SPDIF digital out (plus loads of other connections), and it's great live cos you can just select the amp sound you want.

Atomic amps are quite new - they are designed to give some tube amp warmth to front-end digital modellers such as the Pod. If you use one of the kidney-shaped Pods, it sits in the top of the amp and is powered direct from there without the need for a separate wall wart. Check out www.g66.eu, their European distributors, and their home page, www.atomicamps.com. I've had one of these amps for about three months and it rocks. I gig with it every week, playing everything from Led Zep to Johnny Cash.

If you look on eBay for a Pod and a floorboard to go with it (or one of the all in one jobs, I'm not up to speed with all their models), and spend €650 on an Atomic, you could have a great live rig for under a grand. (The Atomic also comes in a 2x12 version for about another 100 bucks.)

Some people will tell you that digital tone sucks etc. Try before you buy, make up your own mind.

BostonB

padraig71 wrote: »

...
..
Some people will tell you that digital tone sucks etc. Try before you buy, make up your own mind.

Hearing is believing. Going to be hard to demo that rig in Ireland. Or anywhere for that matter. If I had this budget I think I'd get a cheap flight to London and spend a day trying out gear there. Lots of quality 2nd gear over in London. Bring the missus over for some shopping. Everyones happy. I can't imagine your going to get the tone you want at the volume you want with these big amps. Unless you need it to gig with I'd go with a small quality valve practise amp, and an attenuator so you can crank it. Lots of samples on youtube to give you a little idea of what they sound like. Depends on your playing and the gear you have though. I'm more of hard rock guy but I liked these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX47uWpunYY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeUdWxuLVc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LPLFgcHo4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK5dzFwbfS8

Kinda best at one sound unless you mod them etc.

Eoin Madsen

You'd need an attenuator to drive the valve stage in one of those Atomic Amps anyway. At low level, with a digital modeller that's trying to emulate valve characteristics already, you'd be better off with a solidstate output stage.

Keyzer

Thanks for all of the responses guys, much appreciated.

I'll mull over it for a while longer, I'm in no rush to splash the cash right now.

I think the super reverb is the front runner at present though...

lev

padraig71 wrote: »

This may be controversial, but here goes…

Why be stuck with one amp sound? Also, do you really want to be messing around with attenuators and stuff to get a decent sound at home at low volume?

For that money you could get a rack-mounted Pod XT Pro and a 50W Atomic tube amp. I have a Pod Pro that I picked up half price in a stock clearance a few years ago for £200 sterling when they were upgrading to the XT models. It's great for recording because it has a SPDIF digital out (plus loads of other connections), and it's great live cos you can just select the amp sound you want.

Atomic amps are quite new - they are designed to give some tube amp warmth to front-end digital modellers such as the Pod. If you use one of the kidney-shaped Pods, it sits in the top of the amp and is powered direct from there without the need for a separate wall wart. Check out www.g66.eu, their European distributors, and their home page, www.atomicamps.com. I've had one of these amps for about three months and it rocks. I gig with it every week, playing everything from Led Zep to Johnny Cash.

If you look on eBay for a Pod and a floorboard to go with it (or one of the all in one jobs, I'm not up to speed with all their models), and spend €650 on an Atomic, you could have a great live rig for under a grand. (The Atomic also comes in a 2x12 version for about another 100 bucks.)

Some people will tell you that digital tone sucks etc. Try before you buy, make up your own mind.

...or maybe just go for the new Spider Valve - looking forward to hearing some first hand reviews of it, and someone has to be first to take the plunge