OT: Amplifiers!

[Larry]

Foggy I don't know if your in the market for a head and cab but Jim Frenzel has some very affordable low wattage all tube heads. They are all based of classic vintage Marshall/Fender stuff. I have a Frenzel Twin-Plexi Reverb from him which is simply amazing. You could very well get a head and 1x12 or 2x12 cab for under $850

Heres Jim's Website
FRENZEL Tube Amps
Here is Dave's site for Geezer cabinets
Geezer Sound Company Home

Both guys are great to deal with. Make sure to take time when flipping through Jim's website as there is alot of info on it. And they both ship to Canada.

 

[fogman]

Thanks Larry.
I'm looking at combos.

 

[the24thfret]

Foggyman, out of financial necessity (not willing to ship a lot of gear to and from Japan), I play my JP through a POD 2.0 into Behringer monitor speakers, which I use for just about everything. The sound is decent, especially for limited recording, but I absolutely itch for a real setup. Nothing can replace the power of a nice rig. That's not IMHO, that's the truth.

 

[koogie2k]

netmusicians.org - the guitar gear mp3 database

Not sure if anyone has seen this site. It is a great site to hear clips of many many amps. It gives you a good idea of what is out there and what it sounds like. The peeps who upload their mp3's even tell you the cab, mic, guitar and pup used. Very helpful...check it out Foggy and anyone else.

 

[fogman]

Very kool Koogs!
Thanks.

 

[lumberjack]

Very kool Koogs!
Thanks.

+1 Thanks for the link, koogie.

 

[GuitarHack]

+1 Thanks for the link, koogie.

That is cool, thanks, Koogie.

 

[lumberjack]

Foggy I don't know if your in the market for a head and cab but Jim Frenzel has some very affordable low wattage all tube heads. They are all based of classic vintage Marshall/Fender stuff. I have a Frenzel Twin-Plexi Reverb from him which is simply amazing. You could very well get a head and 1x12 or 2x12 cab for under $850

Heres Jim's Website
FRENZEL Tube Amps
Here is Dave's site for Geezer cabinets
Geezer Sound Company Home

Both guys are great to deal with. Make sure to take time when flipping through Jim's website as there is alot of info on it. And they both ship to Canada.

Very cool links, Larry.
Never heard of these guys before

Scott

 

[beej]

$2500 for a 20 watter! Ouch!!!!
I'm sure it's worth every penny though. If I were a seasoned player, I'd have no problems paying that.

It is expensive, though the retail price is less. Btw, I just sold my 20 watter- it's not bad but really can't touch the 100W head. Different animal altogether. I'd say the GT20 is more comparable to the Budda SD18 but with more neat features like a built-in mic & attenuator, etc.

There are tons of great non-expensive combos on the market. But figure out ...

- Do you need 2 channels? Or just 1 plus a good OD pedal?
- What voicing- Fender clean? Vox chime? Marshall grit? Hi gain?
- FX loop? If not, built-in reverb?
- How low volume do you need? How loud (for gigging later)?

If you can live with 1 channel and use a good OD pedal for some of your gain (assuming the amp can get some grit as well) then you have tons of options. Using the OD pedal means you don't need an amp with attenuator or power scaling, again increasing your options. With that in mind there are tons of amps in the few-hundred $$$ range that could suit you really well. Buy used and you can always flip it for the same price that you paid.

 

[CudBucket]

The last few months has seen me playing mainly through my Mesa Road King II or Carvin Legacy. I have a Micro Cube next to the bed for practice before I hit the sack. I also have a Tonelab and while I think it's an excellent modeller, I plugged into it for the first time in months and can't stand it anymore. Not even for recording.

On the other hand, I recently tried the Bogner/Line 6 amp and that amp is TONS of fun. I'd like to get the 1x12 for practice.

 

[adamrogo]

I've been through so many amps myself, it took me a while to settle down and be happy.

I've played every Mesa amp known to man, played the CAE 100OD, ENGL Powerball, given the Soldano line a shot.. The Atomic amps are OK, but they do not really sound like a tube amp no matter what you try to do.

The Mark IV is the most versatile amp in my opinion. It can nail every sound, though single amps seem to do each sound a bit better. I'm playing a rare Mark III Coliseum rated at somewhere between 150-180 watts, though it sounds perfect at any volume. The distorted tone is just sweet, I prefer it over the IIC+.

Buy a Mark IV, you wont regret it.

 

[fogman]

The Mark IV is the most versatile amp in my opinion. It can nail every sound, though single amps seem to do each sound a bit better. I'm playing a rare Mark III Coliseum rated at somewhere between 150-180 watts, though it sounds perfect at any volume. The distorted tone is just sweet, I prefer it over the IIC+.

Buy a Mark IV, you wont regret it.

I actually just love that amp! The problem is that it's way more amp than I'll ever need.

 

[adamrogo]

who says you dont need it? Look past the wattage, if it's the tone you want, then that's the amp you need.

 

[Colex]

If you don't have for an excellent guitar and an excellent amp, than:

a) If your playing and feel is more important than your tone, buy an excellent guitar and an mediocre amp/PC modeler.

b) If your tone is more important than your playing and feel, buy a mediocre guitar, and an excellent amp.

And that's it.


P.S. When I was to buying my gear in the first place, i choosed the second option, and later I realized that I was pretty wrong.

**** the tone, PLAY man, be a MUSIC man.

 

[Dizzy]

Check out the Koch amps Foggy.

I've been checking them out online for a while now, and there seems to be some awesome stuff there.

Massive bonus for me is I've just found out the Aussie distributor for Koch is only 5 mins up the road from me here in Perth. He's got all the Diezels too.

Gonna be some serious testing happening.

Looks like the BFR's going bye-bye.

 

[lumberjack]

Check out the Koch amps Foggy.

I've been checking them out online for a while now, and there seems to be some awesome stuff there.

Massive bonus for me is I've just found out the Aussie distributor for Koch is only 5 mins up the road from me here in Perth. He's got all the Diezels too.

Gonna be some serious testing happening.

Looks like the BFR's going bye-bye.

+1 Dizzy. My buddy Mike, at The 12th Fret is endorsed by Koch. He gave me a demo of their stuff. They have a very nice line-up. I was even impressed with their 20w studiotone.

Koch Amps - amps with an attitube

 

[candid_x]

No secret, I'm a Laney fan. While I've been playing the more classic LH and LC 50's, and love the GH50, it's the new Lionheart series that's got me jonzin', especially the little 5 watt 1x12 combo. If you listen to the sound clips, see which sounds best to your ears. Laney 40th Anniversary