Franz p/us ... picky about amps?

[mad dog]

I think so. I try both my old Guilds ('62 X-50, '61 X-175) with every amp I can get my hands on. And do the same with P-90 equipped archtops, thinline hollowbodies. I figured, Franz p/us being rather P-90 like, that they'd be as accepting of different amps as P-90 equipped hollowbodies are.

So far, not really. Maybe it's just me, how I hear things. Here are the amps that really shine with the Guilds:

1. Evans E150 1x15
2. Princeton Reverb '65 RI
3. DV Mark Micro 50 CMT w/oversize 1x12 pine cab

Other amps I expected to work well were OK, but not ideal. A SFDR in a 1x15 cab. Magnatone non-reverb varsity. Fender Excelsior. Gries 20 (a boutique DR essentially), Allen Encore.

Speaker choice might have a lot to do with it. The 3 winners have excellent ceramics. It's also reinforcing to me the differences between P-90s and Franz p/us. They may look much the same, don't really act or sound the same. Still, I'm surprised sometimes at how picky Franz p/us can be. Anyone else here have that experience with them?

 

[Neal]

They definitely like old hand-wired tube amps from the ‘50’s.

 

[zizala]

I like my Franz Guilds through a variety of old tube amps, so my experience agrees with Neal.

'69 Princeton Reverb and'69 Princeton Amp.
Fender 5E5 Pro Clone
'60 Ampeg Rocket
'58 Guild '66J
'55 Gibson GA-20
'47 GA-25 and '48 GA-30

I haven't spent any time with them through anything more recent, but I'm sure there are many current production amps that would sound great.

I do use an Empress ParaEQ sometimes to dial in some of the older warmer toned amps in to my needs.
But the Franz pickups do sound great through those, and so do DeArmonds and P-90's.

I do sometimes prefer Franz pickups to most of the old P-90's I've played.....the extra brightness they have is welcome on my single neck pickup hollowbody guitars and its easy to roll that off if that's what you want.

As amazing as some of those old 50's amps can be, if I could have nothing else I'd keep the two '69 Princetons!

 

[Neal]

My ‘53 X-150 sounds pretty good through my Fender Pro Junior as well. Too loud for the house, though!