best amp

[mad dog]

One caveat on the vintage vs modern: Though my newer amps have yet to prove their durability the way the older ones have, they represent compelling choices, tonally. I'm thinking specifically of the Sewell Wampus Cat and '57 Tweed Twin RI. There are others, amps I'd own in a second because they have such distinctive, quality sound.

I will admit though, there is a depth and "lived in" quality to the sound of my vintage amps (Gibson GA40, Twilighter 260, Ampeg Gemini II) that the new ones don't have yet. Hard to say what that is exactly, but it's the tonal equivalent of slipping into that perfectly worn, amazingly comfortable pair of jeans ...

 

[MichaelK]

I feel there are amps made today that sound as good as amps ever did. I love vintage amps too, but this ain't like stained glass... there's no medieval formula that's been lost to history. Dr. Z, Carr, Rivera, Komet... these are as good as amps get, IMO. But NOS vacuum tubes definitely sound better to me, so I always replace the stock tubes in new amps.

I think new amps are generally more reliable... older amps did tend to be finicky, sometimes. Today if someone builds amps by hand they can take more time with them because they can charge premium prices. Back then amps were made by hand because they had to be. Speakers, tubes & fuses often blew. Amp repair used to be a booming business! Those vintage amps that are around today are, of course, the survivors.

Fender's blackface and tweed reissues sound darned good to me, though I have not compared new and old versions of the same models side by side. Vox's Custom Classic series is terrific, though mine required speaker upgrade before I loved it.

 

[Walter Broes]

Fender's blackface and tweed reissues sound darned good to me, though I have not compared new and old versions of the same models side by side.

Have quite a bit of experience with both, I'd take a well-maintained oldie with healthy tubes and speakers over a reissue any day.

 

[gusto]

If i had the money id get a Gomez G Verb amp. Its basically an improved Fender Princeton with a 15 inch speaker. All PTP hand wired and has a wicked deep and lush tremolo and beautiful cleans. Its a little pricey but you get what you pay for and definetly worth the price.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Michael; It isn't that new amps are bad, it's that vintage amps aren't necessarily unreliable just because they have some mileage on them. And, just for the sake of pulling your tremolo bar, I note you bought a 1963 T-100-D ... nice guitar! Careful ... binding might pull away, pots get scratchy, loose jack, cracked nut ... I wonder if you bought it because it had good tone and mojo too? If so, okay to buy an oldie amp for same reasons? Welcome to LTG! Best wishes; CJ

 

[MichaelK]

Hi Michael; It isn't that new amps are bad, it's that vintage amps aren't necessarily unreliable just because they have some mileage on them.

I agree with you, there's no reason why an amp that's been working great for 35 years should become less reliable over time.

I was saying something else, that new amps today seem less prone to failure and breakdown than new amps 35 years ago.

I certainly wasn't telling anyone what's OK or not OK to buy, nor did I say "mojo" even once.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Michael; be sure to post some pics of your new guitar when you get the chance. Best wishes, CJ

 

[mad dog]

On Reissues vs. oldies: I start off with doubts, then adapt as necessary. My first RI experience, a DRII, revealed some typical limitations. Especially when I got a '67 DR and played them side by side. It's been hit or miss ever since. Tried a RI vibroverb and RI princeton reverb at the Fender booth at an amp show. The Vverb was embarrassing. Dead, flat, nothing going on. The PR was real nice, maybe not the equal of the best BF princeton reverb I've heard, but a worthy amp. The '57 RI tweed twin might be the biggest exception of all. Maybe I just got a really good one, who knows. Good thing, as the originals are rare and super pricey.

One area where the oldies win hands down is SMELL. My runner up favorite is the Twilighter 260 ... it just smells wonderful somehow after being on for a while. Top dog in this department is the Ampeg Gemini II. That thing really cooks (tonally), and smells like the overheated TV/Stereo repair place I used to hang at so long ago.

 

[jp]

One area where the oldies win hands down is SMELL. My runner up favorite is the Twilighter 260 ... it just smells wonderful somehow after being on for a while. Top dog in this department is the Ampeg Gemini II. That thing really cooks (tonally), and smells like the overheated TV/Stereo repair place I used to hang at so long ago.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
I have to second that. All vintage gear seems to have that "old timey" smell. That gives me an idea mad dog. Wouldn't it be great to create a "relic'ing" spray called "That Vintage Amp Smell." A top seller would of course be "That Vintage Case Smell."

A comparison between vintage vs newer amps is futile without more input from X150, regarding price range, usage, feature needs, etc. It goes without saying that any $1000+ boutique amp will most likely be built to last as well as most properly serviced vintage amps. My original suggestions were aiming for the more frugal $350-$600 range, although some solid relatively newer amps like older Rivieras and the Mesa Boogie DC- or Subway series have become more affordable too. Lotsa good suggestions above to choose from, eh?

 

[MichaelK]

One area where the oldies win hands down is SMELL. My runner up favorite is the Twilighter 260 ... it just smells wonderful somehow after being on for a while. Top dog in this department is the Ampeg Gemini II. That thing really cooks (tonally), and smells like the overheated TV/Stereo repair place I used to hang at so long ago.

:lol: :lol:

I know exactly what you mean...!! Never had a Gemini, but I remember my old B-15 gave off an odor of slow-roasted insulation, or whatever it was. And you're right, it was not unpleasant at all. Boy, do I miss that amp...

(btw, I lived in Montclair 70s - early 90s)

 

[mad dog]

Wouldn't it be great to create a "relic'ing" spray called "That Vintage Amp Smell." A top seller would of course be "That Vintage Case Smell."quote]

I believe we have a winner here!! What an excellent idea JP. In the interests of science, I'll donate the Ampeg Gemini. The case thing I'm not so sure on. Have a few that are rank, rather than "toasty and not at all unpleasant." MichaelK, don't hesitate. go out and find another Ampeg. Use your nose ... they're everwhere!! BTW: Montclair is a very cool place, at least it was 'til I moved in in '91.
MD

 

[msofman]

A few of you have just triggered a new round of depression: I sold my Ampeg Gemini II for a couple hundred bucks, 25 years ago. I needed the dough then, but I wish I had that amp now. There's no way I can spring the dough to buy another G-II right now, but they are probably under-priced compared to Fender amps of similar vintage. Back in 8th grade, circa '68, my guitar teacher cut me a sweet deal on the G-II at $190 bucks and my T100D for $135 - I had to mow a lot of lawns and shovel quite a bit of snow to attract my mother's "matching grant."

 

[mad dog]

msofman:

Ampegs are so underpriced next to comparable Fenders, it's a joke. They are out there, and not expensive. I've seen totally mint examples of the Gem II for 700, for example. Mine was anything but mint, but had the 6L6 and bigger PT I wanted. After a buyer kickback (long story), got it for 350 bucks. 200 bucks later, this old dog can bark with the best of them (the amp, I mean.)

You could probably trade your way into one. They sit on shop floors for years. It's inexplicable.

 

[bieke]

or you could just go amp hunting and find a nice vintage amp, doesn't have to be that expensive but will always give trouble at some point (and a good amp techs are hard to find as well)

I have to respectfully disagree with that - none of the vintage amps I've had has ever given me serious trouble, and every modern pcb based amp I've ever had turned out to be unreliable.

speaking from personal amp adventures
my Fender Twin reissue crapped out on me, it's PCB based
and most of my vintage amps needed work, in my case, it has been the built-in reverb and tremolo that needed repair
the tube trem and tube reverb in my Farfisa needed a complete overhaul
the trem in my little Dynacord had been bypased by a previous owner, the trem circuit had been tampered with
it took me a while to find an amp tech that could help me with both these amp problems
and that did a great job on restoring both amps
same guy has also been working on my Meazzi and Dynacord tube tape echoes and some vintage pedal effects as well
recently he decided to quit ...


on the other hand, my Mesa Mark I (it's from 1981, so not really vintage) never let me down, aprat from a blown speaker, and a broken switch ...

also, I have to admit, I'm not really pampering my amps, they get thrown around a lot, left in rehearsal spaces when it's freezing cold, that Fender Twin has been riding down a stairway once, smashing through a door ... nobody was harmed
I also hit my Mark I with my car once ...

 

[capnjuan]

Hi bieke; our BBer X-150 has probably decided we're all a bunch of idiots. It seems to me that what kind of amp to buy depends on what somebody wants to play and how they intend to play it; it isn't as simple as old v. new. Some amps are better at 'clean' while others ... not so much and some 8 - 15 watt tube-driven tone-kings probably should never leave the house .... either because they are aged and infirm or because they're $2,500+ boutique or collector amps. Best wishes, CJ

 

[MichaelK]

MichaelK, don't hesitate. go out and find another Ampeg. Use your nose ... they're everwhere!! BTW: Montclair is a very cool place, at least it was 'til I moved in in '91.
MD

I used it as a piano/electric piano amp. This was back before anyone even thought of making an amp for keyboards. Bass amps (or a Twin or Super) were the way to go. I loved that B-15, though... it had huge balls. And a great smell.

I do have an Ampeg now! A rackmount SVT preamp that I use as a DI. But it doesn't have that smell.

Sounds like it's a good thing I moved out of Montclair in '91... Hey, maybe you bought my house...??

 

[mad dog]

Sounds like it's a good thing I moved out of Montclair in '91... Hey, maybe you bought my house...??

Were you a retiring congregationalist minister?? I didn't think so. Good thing they moved far. I had this place deep into the trailer park zone in about a year. Interventions were staged ...
MD

 

[MichaelK]

Were you a retiring congregationalist minister??

Well... no. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

We sold to a very nice yuppie couple who actually did all the fixing-up we had thought about doing for six years. I think the house had quintupled in value when they sold it a year or so ago.

 

[MichaelK]

Back on topic... I think the best amp in the whole world EVER is a Carr Mercury. That's how I feel right now, anyway. Ask me tomorrrow and it'll probably be something different.

 

[Zachary]

I echo the Ampeg love that's been going aroud this post. I have a '63 Jet as well as an old Gemini I. Love, love, love them. Not a whole lot of grit, but beautiful amps for archtops & single coils. And cheap!!!! I paid less for both of those amps than I would for a Deluxe.

I now have a line on an old Silvertone 5 watt job...a model # 1481. Little 8'' speaker...great break up. I "need to have it because my Ampegs play so clean".