Need 2X10" amp recommendation for a friend

kakerlak

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Have a friend who is looking for a 2x10" all tube combo. He is a long time Super Reverb fan and looking for something fairly light weight and portable with a similar sound. I know he's had a 4X10" Blues Deville in the past and was never fully satisfied with it. I'm thinking he's looking for something with a fairly simple circuit, point to point wiring is a plus, but not a must.

I suggested the 2x10" Vibrolux reissue Fender made in the mid 90s. Also suggested the 2x10" Peavey Classic 30 from similar vintage (though it's more of a Vox kinda amp w/ the EL84s). I've not stayed up to date on amp offerings and am pretty happy with my modded SF Super Reverb and R12 Ampeg Rocket, so I thought I'd throw it out here and see if there are add'l amps he ought to be looking for.

Anybody have any recommendations? The caveat here is that he's working with a budget that precludes pricey vintage and boutique stuff.

David is an extremely talented professional guitar player and is currently working with a Godin guitar and Roland amp combo that has synth/modeling function. I think he's looking for something a little more honest-sounding and not as heavy as the Roland amp and a little livelier sounding than the Blues Deville was. Really, I think he'd be 100% happy with the sound of a properly functioning Super Reverb, but is looking for something that's not as big and heavy as a Super would be.
 

Walter Broes

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Re: Need 2X10" amp reccomendation for a friend

The most logical answer would be an older vibrolux reverb, blackface or silverface, doesn't matter that much as the vibroluxes never went through any major changes.

The twin speaker setup and much smaller output transformer effectively makes these a baby Super Reverb - only problem with them is they got very expensive - and the so called "reissues" are really not that great at all.

A tweed Super (clone) would be worth looking into as well - even though they don't have reverb and trem. I have a clone, and while mine isn't all that high quality, it's a great design/circuit. If you keep the tone controls lower, you can get almost blackface clean out of them, turn everything up higher, and the amp goes toward blues/typical tweed/early Marshall tones. More versatile than you'd think, and worth looking at used boutique clones on Ebay, you can get really lucky with second hand Victorias etc..

Speaking of Victoria - their Victoriette and Victorilux designs both come in a twin ten combo as well, and can be gotten at reasonable prices used, keeping the extremely high quality in mind. the ones I've played combined some cool Blackface, tweed, and brown Fender traits, very nice amps.
 

caveman

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Re: Need 2X10" amp reccomendation for a friend

Nice thread. I'm looking for something like that myself. Have been playing a prosonic 2x10 combo from a friend for a while, but the clean channel doesn't have that typical vintage sound, and the OD chanel I'll never use. Reverb is also much more subtle than on the old Fenders.

mmmm... a second hand Vicky 8) Call me if you see one cheap, Walter !
 

crank

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I just picked up a 1975 Music Man 65 watt 2 X 10 amp from a guy on Craig's List. The amp sounds absolutely great. I paid around $300 for it. Do a google search for the music man 65 x 210 and you will be surprised at how well regarded they are and who has played these amps. I got mine because I jammed with a guy who has one and he had wonderful tone. I swore then and there that if I found one for a reasonable price I would grab it.
 

capnjuan

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crank said:
... I just picked up a 1975 Music Man 65 watt 2 X 10 amp from a guy on Craig's List.
Hi crank: like this one? Good score!

MyMMtopfrontweb.jpg


MyMM210-65backopen.jpg
 

mad dog

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Crank's music man tip is right on. These are way undervalued I think, a whole lot of amp for the money. On a budget, I'd be looking for one of those, maybe for one of the early 90s Fender RI of their 2x10 vibroverb. Crappy stock speakers, but excellent sound, 35 watts, no reverb. Might be hard to find.

Were money less of an object, I go right to David Allen for one of his "Encore" amps. They're very much in the vibrolux reverb camp, only with various speaker configurations, also upgradeable xformers for headroom purposes should you choose.
 

capnjuan

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Hi Michael; I chased down those MM pics following crank's suggestion. The MMs have transistor preamps and I guess either 6L6s or EL34s ... some of the thread yack elsewhere also suggested that the preamp resistors ... if one is damaged, have to both be replaced. One poster elsewhere said the type/make of transistor is hard to find .... of course, another guy said they weren't but I once passed on one of these in favor of a Fender 75; it was a mistake. J
 

guitarslinger

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I don't know if power and stage voluum are concerns. But, a great amp for me is/was a Blues Jr with a custom 2x10 cab by JD Newell. Two 10" Jensens. After selling the original Blues Jr cab and 12" speaker it was a very economical project. Blonde over wheat looked great too. Two 10's gave more focused bottom end and smoother break up.
 

fungusyoung

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What about a Dual Showman Reverb head with the 2x10 cab with his speakers of choice?

The Dual Showman Reverb is basically a Fender Twin in a head. They can be had very reasonably. If he was that in love with the Super Reverb, I'm guessing he wants & needs headroom... this would give it to him in spades.

If a bit lower wattage is an option, Dr. Z makes some fabulous 2x10 combo options. If buying used, you can find some great Z's out there at decent prices.
 

crank

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capnjuan said:
crank said:
... I just picked up a 1975 Music Man 65 watt 2 X 10 amp from a guy on Craig's List.
Hi crank: like this one? Good score!

MyMMtopfrontweb.jpg


MyMM210-65backopen.jpg


Just like that but mine looks like hell. The guts have been gone through recently and it sounds really nice. I have a Fender HRD which I like a lot and has been by gigging amp for a while now, but the MM is just better IMO. I am planning on restoring the cab and these pics are providing inspiration. Thanks
 

capnjuan

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crank said:
... but the MM is just better IMO. I am planning on restoring the cab and these pics are providing inspiration.
Hi crank; no denying the Fender influence in these; caps in the doghouse to facilitate replacement and open the chassis up, reverb can in a bag, the shield for the power tubes, and the generous-sized output transformer ... a lot to like about MMs; good luck with yours. CJ
 

jp

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You know fellas, but I had a Music Man 2-10 65 and it just never did it for me. Perhaps it was the SS preamp section, but it never had any real standout tone for me. Granted I was young and clueless about gear, so perhaps fresh tubes, servicing, and a better speaker might have changed my experience. . . now a Vibrolux . . . 8)
 

capnjuan

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Hi JP: one of our foremost BBers (and I think you know who I'm talking about) once pointed out that the French government has registered 246 types of cheese. I've mentioned (over and over) the Fender 75 I had; it would do this and it would do that and it had this and foot-switchable channels that and ... blah blah blah ... but it didn't have any character of its own ... it was built to do something ... not be something.

(I prefer Gouda.) :wink:
 

jp

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capnjuan said:
Hi JP: one of our foremost BBers (and I think you know who I'm talking about) once pointed out that the French government has registered 246 types of cheese. I've mentioned (over and over) the Fender 75 I had; it would do this and it would do that and it had this and foot-switchable channels that and ... blah blah blah ... but it didn't have any character of its own ... it was built to do something ... not be something.

(I prefer Gouda.) :wink:
Such a timely note, my dear capn, as I find myself divested of a certain, highly versatile, complex, and sophisticated Swiss Army knife of an amp, of the Carlos Santana variety. One might think, "How thrilling and intriguing! Might it be a manchego?" Hmm? I seemed to have come to regard it more as a type of highly processed, even-tempered flavor, suitable for many situations--perhaps an all-round cheddar. The Italians may even label it "industriale."

The buyer was thrilled, expounding its wonderful tweakable nuances, many of which I realized I had not tasted. Upon his exit, to my surprise, I found that I was not waxing acidic. No bad aftertaste whatsoever. And upon my bench there remains a tidbit of vintage aged goodness, small but mighty, though not yet ripened to perfection. I do hope it will endure and that I may some day sample the mysteries of its hidden personality.

Until then I will have to satisfy myself with a bit of Deluxe American and be happy that cheese comes in so many flavors. 8)
 

tele4tone

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capnjuan said:
Hi JP: one of our foremost BBers (and I think you know who I'm talking about) once pointed out that the French government has registered 246 types of cheese. I've mentioned (over and over) the Fender 75 I had; it would do this and it would do that and it had this and foot-switchable channels that and ... blah blah blah ... but it didn't have any character of its own ... it was built to do something ... not be something.

(I prefer Gouda.) :wink:

I recently owned a Fender 75. After refusing to pay $150 for original footswitch I built one on my own. I could never get that thing to ever sound the way I wanted. I finally sold it for $200 because no one would buy it on craigslist.
 

capnjuan

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Hi T4T; saw that gorgeous tele in the other thread; very fine. I've told this Fender 75 story here before so apologies to anyone whose already heard it but I bought mine in a local amp shop ; did a cap job, new faceplate, re-built the bias section, and got it running pretty good. I fooled around with it for awhile but I'd bought it as a project and it wasn't getting my attention. I took it to a small shop run by a semi-pro musician up in Stuart; left it there on consignment.

The shop didn't get any foot traffic and a couple of months later, he said he was shutting down and would I come and get the amp. As he and his father were vacuuming the place out, I asked him to shred / play through it for a while. He bangs away with it for 10-15 minutes ... running through his licks and doing a good job. I know what I heard but I wanted to know what he thought. He said: "Sounds like a Fender" ...... that was it ...... "Sounds like a Fender".

More ike a Fender PA system ... all power and no warmth or character .... but I did like the reverb. Mine was missing the footswitch too but I went to Pharoah Amps ... Paul Rivera's site and bought one for $50-odd which, considering the channel-switching and the LEDs, I thought was a ok price. I sold mine through a friend on eBay ... did better than you but the prices for these things are all over the map. Tough enough to push down the stairs but ... I didn't find much to like either. John
 
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