Guitar Amp advice

**salty99** · 08-28-10, 04:15 PM

So right now I'm plugging into a Roland Cube 60 ss amp that appears to have some internal issues. Clean volume cuts in and out and all distortion (anything not clean) sounds like crap. I have been lugging it all over recently and I think some rain water might've gotten inside and caused some havoc. Sounds real thin a metallic when I play; very unsettling and just doesn't sound right.

Anyhow, I've been considering investing in a new amp for a while now, and now seems like as good of a time as any. I don't really need a stack/head as I don't really play at big enough venues. I'm looking for a good combo tube or hybrid amp.

My price range is around $800-900. Most likely buying a full-tone full drive or O.C.D. pedal with it unless anyone has a better suggestion.

I've been pricing and researching and there's 3 in particular that I'm deciding between. comments/reviews/oppinions/experience would be greatly appreciated.

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 40W 12" amp online average about $600 and around that price at some of the local shops as well

Fender Blues Jr 15W 12" amp. I have a connection at best buy who can probably get it down to maybe $400 for me

And lastly the one I don't know a whole lot about :

Vox AC15W 12" amp. run online for about $600

I haven't ever played on one but I hear some pretty great things about these hybrid amps

oh, and I play an Ibanez sa260:

Which amp would you guys recommend? anyone have or played on any of these? better suggestions?

**HeavyG** · 08-28-10, 04:51 PM

Some background on me and my opinion of guitar amplifiers:

I have owned countless tube amplifiers, mainly Fender, including the following:

Hot Rod Deluxe - 40w (With extension cabinet - sold it, but still have the extension cabinet)
Hot Rod DeVille 4x10 - 60w (Sold it... too heavy and too loud)
'65 Deluxe Reverb Amp Reissue - 22w (Still own... amp of choice for small clubs as it has a nice tube overdrive)
'77 Deluxe Reverb (Silver Face) - 22w (Sold it to buy other gear)
Custom Vibrolux Reverb Amp 2x10 - 40w (Still own... amp of choice for larger clubs/outdoor as it has a nice tube overdrive)
Fender Super Sonic Head - 60w (Still own and use with my Hot Rod 1x12 Extension Cabinet)

I guess it depends on the type of music you are playing. For classic rock and blues, I can't go without recommending the Deluxe Reverb or the Vibrolux Reverb amps, but you will pay close to $1000 for these amps new. A new amplifier by Fender that has me interested is the Super Sonic Combo 22w. I got to play on one at an open jam last week.

Supersonic 22w Video Demo
Specs from Fender Site

This amp goes for $999 at Guitar Center/Musicians Friend. Since it is new, you might be able to find some practically used ones at a great deal if the buyers weren't happy with the amp and couldn't return it. This amp blows away the Hot Rod Deluxe in function, sound, and features. The only thing it doesn't have on the Hot Rod Deluxe is 40w of power, but the 22w in this little amp is plenty loud. My preference is still the Classic Fender tone out Deluxe Reverb and Vibrolux, but this amp was really friggin cool and it sounded great. In my opinion, you are getting a lot of bang for your buck with this little 22w combo and it will suit many different styles and types of music.

As for the overdrive pedals, you can't really go wrong with an OCD. There are many different Tube Screamer pedals out there. I am personally using an Ibanez TS808HW hand wired pedal for my overdrive in combination with a Fulltone Fat Boost (original). The other overdrive pedal worth looking into is the Zvex Box of Rock.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any additional questions about gear. I have pretty much bought and sold everything over the years and I am a regular at the music stores each week.

**salty99** · 08-28-10, 05:15 PM

awesome! Thanks for the advice.

I'm also sort of (slowly) gathering pedals for a board. With my Roland Cube 60, I had most everything I needed built in;

I currently have:

Boss Metal Zone (don't really use it; can't get a sound I like from it)
Boss DD7 (love that think; the record and loop is really helpful for just jamming all by myself or when our other guitar player is gone)
Cry Baby Original Wah

With the amp I'm probably going to get a volume pedal (probably vox or something; I hear brand specifics don't make a huge difference on volume pedals)
A tuning pedal (got all sorts of tuners but one on a board would probably be best and keep things organized)
and either the OCD or the Ibanez + Fatboost combo you recommended.

My sound I'm looking for is more of a blues/classic rock/surf/modern mix. Nothing too hardcore

kinda growing out of my metal phase. haha My guitar teacher of 5 years is a huge country/bluegrass/jazz player so I mostly take after him these days.

**Kraker Jak** · 08-28-10, 05:35 PM

Pure tone? Dr. Z...but they are pricey.

For your metal, I may recommend a tripple rectifier Mesa boogie...when it comes to hardcore thrashing, to me, Nothing beats a Mesa....

I wouldnt recommend anything fender accept older silver/black face twins....

**HeavyG** · 08-28-10, 06:54 PM

Dr. Z makes great stuff... as does Mesa, but nothing under $1000. Fender makes good "affordable" amps that are quite versatile and have a world renowned tone. Personally, unless I have some sort of sponsorship or make a great deal of money gigging, I would not bring a $2000 or more amp. My Deluxe Reverb that I paid $750 used works great. I would mic it if I needed more volume.

**Kraker Jak** · 08-28-10, 07:52 PM

not so much about volume as it is tone. Tubes and tone make all the difference. The more watts, the less your tubes work, the warmer the tone, the richer the sound...innevitably the louder it is

(I know heavey knows this, just pointing it out for salty)

If you are using pedals for your over drive effects, i recommend getting any TUBE amp over 30 watts...you are going to need the head room...

**salty99** · 08-29-10, 02:27 AM

I found a good deal on a 65 Deluxe reverb reissue and will most likely end up going with that. Hey Heavy, how's it compare weight-wise to the hot-rod Deville? Our other guitar player used to play on one and that thing was pretty heavy. I'm hoping it's a bit lighter than the Deville but have heard too many great things about it to pass it over simply because of the weight.

**Kraker Jak** · 08-29-10, 09:12 AM

I have ownd and gigged with a tweed (deluxe) and 65 twin reissue...the twin is H.E.A.V.E.Y! I actually built a case for it with wheels hahahha....the Twin does sound good though, no question about that....plenty of head room, 45 watts I believe...

**HeavyG** · 08-29-10, 02:02 PM

The 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue isn't the lightest amp ever. Fender says it weighs 42lbs. Compared to 50lbs of the Deville 410, it is actually a pretty heavy amp considering how big and bulky the DeVille is. Believe it or not, the Deville 212 weighs almost 55lbs! The Fender Twin Reverb weighs 64lbs and the Super Reverb (4x10) is at 65lbs.

One thing to keep in mind with this Fender amp (or any newer Fender amp):

Fender has been using printed circuit boards in their tube amps since the '80s. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it is allowing Fender to pass some savings down to the consumers, but the quality of the circuit boards is an issue. The tubes in these fender amps are plugged directly into a socket on the circuit board. Tubes are hot. The circuit board will warp. It isn't a question of "if" it will warp, but more a question of "when" it will warp. Once the board warps, you will start running into problems with the amplifier. If you send it to a Fender tech, they will most likely tell you to replace the board, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

Not to say that printed circuit board amps are for shit. Hell, even Dr.Z amps are on printed circuit boards... the difference is that Dr.Z uses military grade boards that are much more heat resistant. Again, another reason why Dr.Z amps cost so much more than Fender amps. You could avoid this by looking into a real vintage black face or silver face hand wired Deluxe Reverb, but I have not had good luck with those.

There is nothing like a hand wired Fender amp. To me, the sound is better and you don't have to worry about the heat issues with the circuit board. The disadvantage is that the more you play on the vintage hand wired amps, the more shit breaks, and the more you are having to take the amp in for repairs. I had my '77 silver face in and out of the shop so much that I finally had the thing completely re-wired to the factory schematics and ended up selling it for $1600 (paid 800). But within the 2 years of owning it, I spent about $800 getting it repaired, so I pretty much broke even in the end... just a lot of unwanted stress. I had the amp take a shit on me once during a gig... thank god I had the Cube 60 in the truck for backup.

Either way, you should be very happy with your Deluxe Reverb Reissue. If you want some even better sounds out of it, replace the Fender Groove tubes with some JJ tubes.

http://www.eurotubes.com/
http://thetubestore.com/

Always buy your tubes online as the local shops will rip you off. I have been dealing with eurotubes.com for the past few years. They have great service and prices. Read through the site as they teach you how to properly install the tubes (how to properly bias the amp for new tubes, clean the tubes with contact cleaner/lubricant, how to handle the tubes, etc). If you are not comfortable working on the tube amp yourself, you should take it to a local shop. If you are swapping tubes to a different tube brand/type, you should always have the amp biased as not doing it will shorten the life of the tubes.

Tubes are like tires... if you don't install them and balance them properly, they are gonna blow before the normal 30k mile mark. A properly installed tube should last a long time.

**Kraker Jak** · 08-29-10, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by HeavyG

The 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue isn't the lightest amp ever. Fender says it weighs 42lbs. Compared to 50lbs of the Deville 410, it is actually a pretty heavy amp considering how big and bulky the DeVille is. Believe it or not, the Deville 212 weighs almost 55lbs! The Fender Twin Reverb weighs 64lbs and the Super Reverb (4x10) is at 65lbs.

One thing to keep in mind with this Fender amp (or any newer Fender amp):

Fender has been using printed circuit boards in their tube amps since the '80s. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it is allowing Fender to pass some savings down to the consumers, but the quality of the circuit boards is an issue. The tubes in these fender amps are plugged directly into a socket on the circuit board. Tubes are hot. The circuit board will warp. It isn't a question of "if" it will warp, but more a question of "when" it will warp. Once the board warps, you will start running into problems with the amplifier. If you send it to a Fender tech, they will most likely tell you to replace the board, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

Not to say that printed circuit board amps are for shit. Hell, even Dr.Z amps are on printed circuit boards... the difference is that Dr.Z uses military grade boards that are much more heat resistant. Again, another reason why Dr.Z amps cost so much more than Fender amps. You could avoid this by looking into a real vintage black face or silver face hand wired Deluxe Reverb, but I have not had good luck with those.

There is nothing like a hand wired Fender amp. To me, the sound is better and you don't have to worry about the heat issues with the circuit board. The disadvantage is that the more you play on the vintage hand wired amps, the more shit breaks, and the more you are having to take the amp in for repairs. I had my '77 silver face in and out of the shop so much that I finally had the thing completely re-wired to the factory schematics and ended up selling it for $1600 (paid 800). But within the 2 years of owning it, I spent about $800 getting it repaired, so I pretty much broke even in the end... just a lot of unwanted stress. I had the amp take a shit on me once during a gig... thank god I had the Cube 60 in the truck for backup.

Either way, you should be very happy with your Deluxe Reverb Reissue. If you want some even better sounds out of it, replace the Fender Groove tubes with some JJ tubes.

http://www.eurotubes.com/
http://thetubestore.com/

Always buy your tubes online as the local shops will rip you off. I have been dealing with eurotubes.com for the past few years. They have great service and prices. Read through the site as they teach you how to properly install the tubes (how to properly bias the amp for new tubes, clean the tubes with contact cleaner/lubricant, how to handle the tubes, etc). If you are not comfortable working on the tube amp yourself, you should take it to a local shop. If you are swapping tubes to a different tube brand/type, you should always have the amp biased as not doing it will shorten the life of the tubes.

Tubes are like tires... if you don't install them and balance them properly, they are gonna blow before the normal 30k mile mark. A properly installed tube should last a long time.

I agree with this one hundred percent salty, take it with heart...