Your Favorite Clean Amp

[fritzreiser]

If your were going to buy an AMP HEAD specifically for the clean tone, what would you get?

[Twisteramps]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

Depends on the wattage I'd need... Matchless amps have a really unique clean due to the first tube being paralleled.

And it's a channel switcher, but the clean on my Budda Superdrive was awesome. I'm not much for a fender bright clean though - I prefer a voxier roundness vs the fender spank. Maybe even an AC30.

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

Carvin Legacy
Carvin X100B
Carvin MTS3200
Mesa Boogie Nomad
Mesa Boogie Mark IV
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

My MTS was nice, but I also like the way that Orange cleans and Vox cleans sound too. I even like the Roland Jazz Chorus.

[jgcable]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

Does the Jazz Chorus come as a head? I have never seen one.

[fritzreiser]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

I had a Budda Superdrive 30 for a short while. I thought the clean was awesome and the overdrive was great for hard rock. I just couldn't figure out how to get the volumes of each channel to get remotely close to each other.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

I've seen Jazz Chorus heads before...James Hetfield and Robbin Crosby both used them. I don't think they make it in a head form anymore though.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

I can't say I've played any heads that I really enjoyed their clean in any amazing way. Many were quite passable though.

I'm spoiled to the clean on my CAE3+se preamp, very 60's blackfaced Fender sounding, but better in a way. I relly liked the Roland Jazz Chorus 120 combo a lot as well, it had a lot going for it. Neither are heads though... Sorry.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

Fender Bassman or Twin!!

[Twisteramps]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

[ QUOTE ]
I had a Budda Superdrive 30 for a short while. I thought the clean was awesome and the overdrive was great for hard rock. I just couldn't figure out how to get the volumes of each channel to get remotely close to each other.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's why I got rid of my SuperDrive 18. Jeff Bober at Budda has a mod that will fix that - I think it's like $150 or something in that area. At the time, I didn't want to send my amp off.

I also have built a few pedals that channel switch and allow you to control the amount of volume going to the amp per channel... Dreamland Rebel has one that he uses w/his Boogie - it has the same problem.

Pete

[Wayniac]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

JC120 did come as a head for a short time.. I think it was called the JC120 H. That is my favorite clean tone, followed closely by a MkIIC+ and Fender (not sure what model it was, but it was an older 60's or 70's)...

[jgcable]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

The Galien Krueger RL250 (rack mount) has a great clean channel too. So does the Ampeg SS140. I heard the Polytone amps have a great clean tone but some people can't stand them.

[Endrik]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

Fender Twin-Reverb
heads?...hmmm, some Boogie Mark model maybe.

[Tetsuo]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

the Fender Dual Showman was an awesome clean head IMO

[markD]

Re: Your Favorite Clean Amp

i like old fenders for clean. currently i have a 1963 tremolux head. VERY nice. 40 watts, tube rectifier, bass and treble tone controls, vibrato...add my tube reverb box and it is glorious.

but for super loud clean sounds i like mid 70's fender bassman 100 heads with the master volume. i have always had one until recently, and i'm sure i'll get one again. that amp will not break up. it is so loud also. i like to jump the bass and normal channels and blend the two for more tonal variety.

of course my rivera s-120 and m-100 heads have great clean channels also, but still not as good as the fenders. rivera clean channels are so flexible that you do reach a point where something gets compromised. usually it's in the upper mids or the higher treble settings.

oh yeah, i had the JC-120 head a long time ago, maybe 89-90. i didn't like it. the chorus was great as was the reverb, but i though it sounded "dead" compared to the fender bassman 100.