Best amp for... ??

[dapmdave]

My Peavey Delta Blues 115 and my 91 SF-4 get along real well together.

Thanks! I see you have a Fender DRRI, and you prefer the Peavey for the SF4? The DRRI was one I was considering.

Dave

The DRRI is very good as well. I mentioned the DB because it is a more versatile amp (as you said you are looking for) that can be used for just about any type of music and can get plenty dirty at all volumes with the pre and post gain, or you can keep it clean and rely on over saturating the tubes to get your grit. The DRRI is a great amp, but without outside intervention it needs to be cranked up to 6 or 7 to begin misbehaving for you. Both are very solid options in my opinion, but for pure versatility I would go with the DB 115.

For me, the issue with some of the Fenders has been the need to really crank 'em up to get a nice tone. Following your recommendation I did browse through a lot of web pages featuring the Delta Blues amp. I wouldn't have otherwise expected a 1-15 combo to be the way to go, but they sound pretty good.

Thanks for your input.

Dave

 

[mad dog]

Dave:

It's such a personal taste thing. And a budget thing. I favor 1x15 combos, with an old Sewell Wampus Cat and much older Ampeg Gemini II being top of the heap. Another great choice if you can find one is an Allen Encore, David Allen's take on the BFVR with some extra tone treats. I have the head version. It's more typically found as a 2x10 combo. Which would be an equally perfect match for your guitar. My Allen Encore loves humbucker guitars and single coils equally. Great amp.

MD

 

[Bill Ashton]

Dave, on my short list of "Best amps ever heard, that are affordable by the common man" is the older Peavey Delta Blues with one fifteen inch speaker. Really, really nice. The downside is they are a bear to service should you need so, apparently there are two circuit boards that sit on top of each other...that said, a Rivera isn't a walk int he park either, at least my 55-Twelve wasn't...

You have two inputs on the Rivera, right? The one to the right should be padded a few db down to better accept humbucking p'ups...

 

[dapmdave]

Dave, on my short list of "Best amps ever heard, that are affordable by the common man" is the older Peavey Delta Blues with one fifteen inch speaker. Really, really nice. The downside is they are a bear to service should you need so, apparently there are two circuit boards that sit on top of each other...that said, a Rivera isn't a walk int he park either, at least my 55-Twelve wasn't...

You have two inputs on the Rivera, right? The one to the right should be padded a few db down to better accept humbucking p'ups...

Second recommendation on the Delta Blues 1-15 combo! Hmmmmm...

The Rivera has only one input, Bill. Marked "High Gain", however.

Dave

 

[jte]

I really love my SF 4 (ca. 2001) through both my Fender Blues Jr. and the Peavey Delta Blues 210. The Delta Blues is a great amp with either speaker configuration. The 115 has more highs than people expect from a 15 (probably based on the erroneous assumption that I fight with other bassist over that speaker size by itself really tells you anything about the sound...). The only things I don't like about the Peavey DB are that the reverb isn't as luscious as Fender's and the overdrive channel is pretty useless for me. Others love it, but it's just too grainy for my tastes. The Blues Jr. is a great amp, but I suspect the cabinet's too small as it has midrange boxiness that I don't like. It works very well with the Starfire, but it's harder to get a handle on the mids with the Strat.

The best sound I've ever gotten however was the night I used a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb. It's a 2x10 with two 6L6's in the power amp. You could think of it as a Super Reverb cut down to a manageable size (and VOLUME!). I hate gigging with guys who use Supers 'cause they're ALWAYS too loud. The CVR is VERY touch sensitive too. It was a joy to be able to control the dirt by how hard I played or how I used the volume controls on the guitars. Another very cool feature with the CVR is that the reverb works on both channels. I was able to set one channel for the Strat and the other for the SF and have the right settings when I switched guitars.

John

 

[dapmdave]

Lookee what just showed up on the local craigslist. I wonder how that would sound?

http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/msg/2372841101.html

Dave :shock:

 

[Bill Ashton]

:shock: Jump on that puppy, quick!

 

[dapmdave]

:shock: Jump on that puppy, quick!

Jumped. Puppy has been adopted...

Dave

 

[Bill Ashton]

Most excellent!

 

[adorshki]

I mainly need good tone and flexibility. (Like, who doesn't, right?)
Dave

You might consider a voice coach. And yoga. 8)

 

[fearless]

Make that 3 recommendations on the Peavey Delta Blues 115.
I used to have one and really liked it but changed to an AxeFX Ultra, partly for the extra portability. While some people scorn digital, I love it. I can use a variety of speaker cabs (real ones) and of course I can play through more than 40 different "amp" models. I cannot tell the difference from a valve amp. I don't think I'll ever buy another amp again! (nor effects, noise gate, tuner etc). My Starfire through the Fender amp models sounds sweet and there are many amp models I have never even tried.

Fractal have just released AxeFXII so there are no doubt a fair number of the first versions available used at reasonable prices. I'd recommend the Ultra as it has the extra processing power needed for the latest firmware.

There is a bit of a learning curve to going digital and getting great tone. If you don't go that way, I understand that the Peavey Classic series are very good too. Very similar circuit to the Delta Blues.

 

[dapmdave]

Make that 3 recommendations on the Peavey Delta Blues 115.
I used to have one and really liked it but changed to an AxeFX Ultra, partly for the extra portability. While some people scorn digital, I love it. I can use a variety of speaker cabs (real ones) and of course I can play through more than 40 different "amp" models. I cannot tell the difference from a valve amp. I don't think I'll ever buy another amp again! (nor effects, noise gate, tuner etc). My Starfire through the Fender amp models sounds sweet and there are many amp models I have never even tried.

Fractal have just released AxeFXII so there are no doubt a fair number of the first versions available used at reasonable prices. I'd recommend the Ultra as it has the extra processing power needed for the latest firmware.

There is a bit of a learning curve to going digital and getting great tone. If you don't go that way, I understand that the Peavey Classic series are very good too. Very similar circuit to the Delta Blues.

Thanks, fearless. I ended up with a Peavey Classic 115 cab hooked up to the Rivera. It sounds pretty good. But then, as I went overboard on the amp thing, I found a local '65 Deluxe Reverb. That just makes everything sound wonderful, including the SF-4.

Dave

 

[dallasblues]

If you're considering a Deluxe Reverb, I'd recommend trying a used silverface Deluxe Reverb before you buy the reissue model. They can be found for around the same price as a new DRRI, but have a much livelier sound. In my opinion (whatever that may be worth), you won't find a more versatile amp than a Deluxe Reverb.

 

[mad dog]

Back to this Allen Encore. It's David Allen's take on the original BF Vibrolux Reverb, which always struck me as one of the most versatile and pleasing of all the later Fenders. I've been playing the Encore lots lately. It starts VR, but doesn't end there. Has a two knob reverb, for one, plus a most beautiful bias vary tremelo, way better than the original fender variety. It also can take 6v6s with a rectifier swap. Biggest difference is the "Raw" control, which dials out the tonestack. This knob turns out to be incredibly useful. Used with a light hand (to no more than 2), it starts turning the blackface sound more tweedy, thickens tone. With a touch of this, plus selective use of the master volume, the amp is very flexible for lower volume work.

Another amp in the same zone is the Gries 35, about which I've heard nothing but good stuff.
MD

 

[dapmdave]

If you're considering a Deluxe Reverb, I'd recommend trying a used silverface Deluxe Reverb before you buy the reissue model. They can be found for around the same price as a new DRRI, but have a much livelier sound. In my opinion (whatever that may be worth), you won't find a more versatile amp than a Deluxe Reverb.

Thanks dallasblues. Actually, I found a real 1965 Deluxe Reverb locally. Not a reissue. Sounds like a host of angels.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25913

But thanks for the post!

Dave

 

[Charlie Vegas]

I demo'd a new Fender "Blues Deville" ... comes in 2 versions 40 watt and 60 watt.

Sorta... the Blues Deville (4X10) is 60W, the Blues Deluxe (1X12) is 40W.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

She's saving it

That's what all of my girlfriends told me.

 

[lavern23]

Find you a good used Musicman amp. I have a hd130-212. It's a twin on steroids. This model has a switch where you can play at 130 watts or 75. They are a real bargain IMHO.

 

[jte]

The thing with the Music Man amps is that they've got solid state pre-amps. Some of the early ones have a single 12AX7 driver to the power amp, but that doesn't affect the tone-shaping (and was removed in later versions because if the 12AX7 went bad, it took the whole power amp section with it). It's NOT the same as what you get with a Fender-style tube pre-amp at all.

Now if you want massive clean at high volumes, a HD-130 212 is great! But if you want some pre-amp overdrive, the Music Man won't do it. I had an HD-130 head for a LONG time ('77 until 2000) but I'm a bass player. It was OK for guitar, but for MY TASTES, it wasn't good. Just too clean and when you did get it to overdrive it was kind of harsh.

So, it really depends on what sound you're after. One of the smaller Music Man amp, like the 65-210 (a very popular LA studio amp in the early '80s) is great for clean jazz and funk stuff. But if you're after tube overdrive, like the Larry Carlton ES-335/Deluxe Reverb sound on his classic recordings with Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and the "Hill Street Blues" theme, I suspect the MM won't deliver that sound.

John