Help Me Find My Tone - Amp Recommendation

[chrisf]

I want to start over and find a tone I am happy with and also understand how to find tones. I've always used Amp Modeling devices like Line6 stuff and recently got a Rocktron Prophesy. These can produce some great tones but are a little complicated at times.

I just want to start over and get a real amp. Start by getting familiar with the amp itself and then slowly buy a pedal here and there to develop my tone... getting familiar with the pedal and understanding what it does and how it works.

I like everything from Jazz tones to 80's Hair Metal so I'd like to get an amp that is Versatile and can take pedals well. I already have a Marshall JCM 900 Lead 1960 4x12 cab that I can use.

Any suggestions? Let me know if I need to provide more info. Thanks!

BTW,this will be for bedroom use. I would like to use the 4x12 because I like to have a full tone but a combo will work too.

[markD]

rivera. the only one you should stay away from the Knucklehead Reverb. it is insanely loud. my first and foremost recommendation would be an M60 or an M100. they were designed for the kind of felxibility you are looking for. from there i would look at a first generation knucklehead (the little grey one). after that any of their venus amps would get the job done.

[chrisf]

Thanks markD! I can't seem to find one of these anywhere... Do they still make them?

[markD]

the M60, M100, and the grey knucklehead - no. but be happy about that. when i bought my M100 head in 1990 it was $2300. i can get a used one for around $800 - sometimes less. the venus amps - yes, they are still made.

http://www.rivera.com/

you can find a dealer, check out specs, and view some videos.

while i am currently gigging an egnater tweaker 40, i used riveras live for 23 years. i still have 3 heads and 4 cabs. their products are excellent!!

[Nightbat]

Perhaps try a Randall RM100 which can use various (tube-)preamps and different output tubes (though not tube rectifier possibility)
to give you an idea of what characters of amps you'll enjoy
Initial cost for the amp and preamp modules may be somewhat high, but it beats trading in an amp for another and then
not having a reference to what you played before

[roodyrocker]

Perhaps try a Randall RM100 which can use various (tube-)preamps and different output tubes (though not tube rectifier possibility)
to give you an idea of what characters of amps you'll enjoy
Initial cost for the amp and preamp modules may be somewhat high, but it beats trading in an amp for another and then
not having a reference to what you played before

That's a good choice and they aren't as expensive as you might think. I bought my Randall RM 100 used a few years back and it was around $875 including 3 MTS modules and footswitch, including shipping! If the price doesn't scare you away, the Bogner Ecstasy 101B is as good as it gets for a 3 channel head! Might want to look into that one too.

[chrisf]

Maybe I should have said that this is going to be for bedroom use. Will I be able to play these 100 watt amps at bedroom level and get the full tone out of them?

[markD]

the rivera M60 and M100 allow you to change the power output depending on how the pentode/triode and half/full power switches are set. for example, my M100 can be set as:

1) pentode/full power = 100 watts
2) pentode/half = 50 watts
3) triode/full = 25 watts
4) triode/half = 12 watts

when paul rivera designed the M series amps, he was specifically going for expressive amps that were made for the studio. when they were new, you had studio guys like lee ritenour, jay graydon, steve lukather, larry carlton, and even chet atkins using them. some of the hard rockers that used the M series amps were rudolph and michael schenker, skid row, saigon kick, and motley crue.

i use the M100 at home with NO volume issues. now, i do play loud at home, only you know how loud you can crank the master - but the rivera M amps were designed to give more power tube saturation at a reasonable volume, so you don't have to crank the amp stupid loud (like a JCM800) to get a good tone.

[Nightbat]

That's a good choice and they aren't as expensive as you might think. I bought my Randall RM 100 used a few years back and it was around $875 including 3 MTS modules and footswitch, including shipping! If the price doesn't scare you away, the Bogner Ecstasy 101B is as good as it gets for a 3 channel head! Might want to look into that one too.

Ah, it was just a heads up that an 'empty' head isn't all there is to it
also the better modules closer to the originals they mimick (though there are a few great Randall ones) are those modified, and those seem to command quite a few dollars still

[Larz]

What's your budget?

You can't really get the tubes cooking on a 100W amp at bedroom level, barring an attenuator. Probably not even a 20W tube amp.

[chrisf]

Around $600 or so

[ZL1hawk]

Splawn! USA made and very well crafted. Great cleans and a few of their amps have multiple over drive, or gears, to use so they have a nice versatility. They can be adjusted for half power or full, ohms can be set at 4, 8, or 16, and they do very well with pedals. You can bypass the FX loop or use it and adjust its decibel levels per taste. The Quickrod is a popular amp or you can go with a Supersport which has lower watts and is easy to use, or go with a monster like the Nitro.

Their options for customizing are amazing. Everything from tolex color to piping to a plexi style head or JCM and that extends to their cabs as well which are highly rated. Your choice of speakers and cab size. You can deal with them directly and tell them exactly what you want and they will build the amp for you.

Here are their customizing options. http://www.splawnguitars.com/custom08.htm

There are plenty of clips to listen to and they are accurate to what you will get. http://www.splawnguitars.com/clips.htm

Here is a gallery of pictures that show what customers have ordered. Some extremely cool stuff. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3&l=009bb100b7

A list of their amps...http://www.splawnguitars.com/amps08.htm

I consider Splawn a solid blend of fashion and function. Quality amps with great tone and plenty of personal choices to make to get you where you want to go. Getting an 80's metal tone is easy with them and more if you like and I would rate their cabs to be on par with Mesa Boogie. Many players order a 4x12 with a mix of speakers in an x-pattern for eample 2 V30's and 2 Celestion Small Block speakers and they offer slant, straight, and a hybrid cab.

I use a Splawn Nitro and a Mesa Boogie Rectifier with Splawn and Mesa cabs. The Splawns are worth good consideration and would match up nicely to what you are wanting.

[Venomboy]

The Randall MTS series is cool. Salvation Mods can convert a module to just about any type of amp you want:

http://salvationmods.com

I've seen MTS heads for about $500 with modules lately.

The new Randall 667 is crazy amazing. 6 Channels, 6 modes per channel. It looks like a metal amp but can do anything. $2499 street.

The Rhodes amps are amazing as well: Colossus and Gemini. Multiple channels and modes. $2500-$3000 street.

I have a Framus Cobra and love it. It's very versatile despite the metal look. The Framus Dragon is a bit more vintage voiced but can still scream if necessary.

Can't go wrong with a Splawn either.

[zeegler]

He said his budget is $600, so that eliminates many of the amps that people have mentioned. In that price range, there are many options if you buy used. I certainly wouldn't recommend a hundred watt head, or even 50 watts if it's only for practicing in your bedroom.

Number one on my list would be a Mesa F30 head. you can find them used for $500-600, they have a fantastic clean channel, and a really nice fat gain channel. I had one, and sold it, but I've regretted selling it ever since. At 30 watts, it's loud enough to jam with a band, but still sounds good at bedroom levels.

Beyond that, it seems that every amplifier manufacturer has their own lunchbox amp out, usually 20 watts, and many of them allow you to adjust the power amp output so you can use a much lower wattage. The Egnater Rebel goes from 1 watt up to 20 watts for example. Check out what's available on Ebay, and then go to Youtube and listen to soundclips. You'll find something that works for you.

[zeegler]

Here's some possibles

Egnater Rebel

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Egnater-Rebel-20-20-watt-Guitar-Amp-Head-/251432151661?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8a862a6d

Jet City JCA20H

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jet-City-by-Soldano-JCA20H-Tube-Amplifier-Amp-Head-JCA-20H-20-Watts-/350985692951?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b860a717

Randall Diavlo

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Randall-Diavlo-Series-RD20H-20-Watt-All-Tube-Amp-Head-Guitar-Amplifier-/251324034359?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a84146d37

Blackstar HT Studio 20H

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blackstar-HT-STUDIO-20H-20Watt-Tube-Amp-Head-with-Reverb-Authorized-Dealer-/281225662636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item417a5b10ac

Diamond Positron

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-Amplification-Positron-18-Watt-All-Tube-Amp-Head-/321253910050?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acc39a622

Vox Nighttrain

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vox-Night-Train-NT15H-G2-15-Watt-Tube-Head-G2-15W-New-Free-Shipping-/161144925391?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2584fc6ccf

By the way, these are all tube amplifiers.

If you're looking for something a little more flexible, look into the Bogner Alchemists, or the Yamaha THR series. The Yamaha is a super cool little unit.