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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Much has been asked and answered about amp recommendations. We all have different experiences. Some OFC members have many years of playing and performing experience and, therefore, can make relatively informed observations. Others are still searching. I guess this question goes out to those of you who prefer to play plugged in, and not only with A/E models. Do you prefer tube, solid state or a combination? Big or small? Portability? Weight? Mass production or boutique? USA or overseas origin? Standard or upgraded speakers? Stacked or combination? With or without effects? Tweed, blonde, blackface or natural wood? Single or twin configuration? New or vintage? Simple or feature-laden? I’m partial to Fender products, so I may be missing out on alternatives. For the past few years, my favorite amp has been a 1966 Bandmaster stack. I would really love to compare it head-to-head with a vintage Bassman.
Anybody prefer Mesa Boogie? Vox? Marshall? Univalve? Roland? Crate? Line 6? Ampeg? Something more high end? If so, is your preference based on a long-term side-by-side comparison where all other variables could be reasonably controlled, including cost? |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I assume that you're talking acoustic-electric. (For the Brits that's Electro-Acoustic)
That would have to be a Trace-Elliot 100. Either that or a really good PA system. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I'd be inclined to concur with the Celebrated Mr.K. on the Trace's.
I had one that went bye-bye in the divorce that I miss dearly . . .
Doesn't sound quite as good as the P.A., but a hell of a lot easier t'set up in your living room. |
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August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | I like my old ('70s) vintage "Ricky" studio amp... 1-10"... very basic, warm tone...no frills..
..however, I'm getting more and more partial to using a mic instead of plugging in.... |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks Mr.K. and Cliff. I only tried a Trace for a short bit in California, and not against anything else. I also ran my 1651 split directly into a stereo PA (also called sound reinforcement systems) for a number of years before using amps in between. I was always more satisfied when plugged into the amp first, then on to the PA, although the size, weight and non-portability of the PA speakers probably had something to do it. |
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August 2004
Posts: 604
Location: Tampa, FL | Has anyone other than Temp done anything with the Bose PAS system? For ease of use and pure convenience, seems hard to beat. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | "Heard" 'em . . . haven't "Tried" 'em . . . still "Undecided" 'bout 'em . . . |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | The cost on the Bose turned me off. |
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April 2005
Posts: 331
Location: San Angelo, Texas | The Bose is kewl, but not worth the price....I had rather run to a good chorus pedal into house sound. If playing out by myself or with one or two others, I use a Genz-Benz Stereo Pro 200 into my Fender Passport system.
I've played through a lot of different accoustic amps, Fender, T-E, Marshal, Behringer, tube, solid state, combinations...and since getting my hands on the Genz-Benz, I have to say it is the best one I've ever heard. I have a G-B Shen Stereo 60 at home and the G-B Shen Stereo Pro 200 for gigs, both sound awesome! |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | For electric, Fender blackface deluxe reverb or blackface super reverb, along with a good overdrive pedal and a compressor. I've tried, but I can't get on with anything but Fender for electric guitar.
For acoustic I'm not a fan of so called "acoustic amps" though the big Trace 100 was killer. I don't like the smaller Trace acoustic amps. Their attempt at a full PA for acoustic instruments was really good. Didn't seem to work in the market place. I had a Gallien Krueger 200MV for years, which did a good job at the time.
The Bose L1 is worth EVERY PENNY, even at full list price. If I hadn't got a deal I'd have bought one anyway. Before I got the L1 I'd use a Mackie SRM450 with my Boss AD5. If the house monitors are good enough and the engineer isn't a halfwit I'm happy not to use anything apart from the house system for acoustic instruments. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Paul, is that the Bose pole? I heard one of those and they were great. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Yeah, We borrowed Mr Wong's for the
G-band booth at Namm and Bose gave us a deal. I claimed it and it now lives at my house when we're not using it for trade shows. I'm off to Scotland with it tomorrow for a bunch of gigs.
The really cool thing is the way it throws the sound into the room. It's almost omni-directional. Volume and tone are absolutely consistent no matter where you stand, and it doesn't "sound" loud, even though it is. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | Scotland??? It won't do you any good in Scotland... they don't have electricity there.... |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | I am partial to old Fender amps for my electrics. I go out of the box once and a while Trace velocette, magnatone, seymour duncan convertible, mesa, silvertone, danelectro, and the list goes on but I always go back to my vintage fenders.
As for acoustic I use an old trace 100 but have had good success with the genz shanandoah amps.
As for the Bose system, It is KILLER and worth every dime. Funny thing about quality is that you have to pay for it and the Bose system is expensive. I have never owned one but played through one on more than one occasion. Fantastic reproduced amplified acoustic sound.
I tried to get Genz Benz amps for the tour so they could be used by the OFC membership Unfortunately by no fault of my own, the ball was dropped on that one. I was thinking of Getting Bose to bring out the L1 system next year for a demo and test drives. I think they would jump at that opportunity. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Scotland??? It won't do you any good in Scotland... they don't have electricity there.... It's OK, Cheevers is from Memphis, he knows how to rig it to work on Propane. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | Cool. Let Cheevers know that we did Memphis Til Monday and didn't butcher it too badly.... |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I'm gonna send him the DVD! |
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January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | For me its the Fender Twin Reverb. I first played through this amp in the late 60's and amps haven't improved much. For acoustic, well plug it into a good PA. Electric Acoustic that is. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | For electric, my '66 blackface Princeton.
Backup would be my THD Univalve w/2 x 12 cab. |
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May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Like Temp and Al, I'm into vintage Fender tube amps for electrics, with my two Princetons ('55 tweed and '62 brownface) being the current favourites.
For acoustic, I play through a Fender Passport portable PA...I would hardly call it a favourite, it just happens to be what I have these days.
Wayne |
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December 2001
Posts: 7237
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Tougher question than I initially thought.
A ran combinations of one or two Roland Bolt 60's for years. In fact at one point I sold them both, and guess what... I have two again. I just kept going back to them. I haven't played a lot lately, but in recent years I have become very fond of my Velocette 2x10 or my Carvin Anniversary stack for electric. For acoustic, my little Trace Elliott seems to do the trick, but I don't normally plug in my acoustics. |
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March 2005
Posts: 2791
Location: Atlanta, GA. | This is an easy one for me... since its all I have.
Peavey ED-100. 65 watts RMS, 15" Scorpion speaker + horn for the hi-freqs.
I know it was designed for electronic drums, but I got it new at a 'blow-out' price many years ago. |
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August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | Bose L1! |
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June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | I'm partial to the Trace 100RWD, but I have just played a friend's Trace 100 Concert, which replaces 2 of the 5" drivers with a 12"..
sound was great. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I think that I’d need to spend a little time actually “using” the BoseL1 before formulating a full-fledged opinion of it. I’ll admit that it’s absolutely astounding in the way that it just FILLS the farthest reaches of the room with a seemingly even level of volume, and for applications such as MasterTempleman’s (using it in-lieu of an acoustic amp) I think it works great. I just can’t seem to see it (hear it, rather) as a viable substitute for a PA). I’ve heard it a few times now in applications where people have used it for multiple guitars/vocals, and there’s something about the overall “tone” of it (especially in close proximity and/or in small confines) that I just don’t like. It just seems a bit “brittle”.
Jeanette and I were discussing the sound of it at a club some time ago, and I just couldn’t find the right word to describe it. She suggested “annoying”.
It’s a logistical “Dream” in regards to convenience and portability, but I’d be inclined to just use it where I could possibly get away with an acoustic amp (1 mic/1 guit). A PA it ain’t.
(But the “question” posed DID state “amp”, so I guess it fits the bill here.) |
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September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | My favorite amp was an Alamo Fury Bass amp, made in San Antonio. Haven't been made since the late 60's early 70's. Not a pure tube amp., had a 15 inch speaker, could play either electric or acoustic with an in hole pickup.
No effects.
In one of those stupid fits of disgust where you trade a bunch of stuff for something of lesser value, I got rid of it three years ago. A friend of mine then bought it and looks like I will buy it back next week. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Blackface Deluxe Reverb. 22 watts of pure heaven. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Seems the general consensus among those of us who play electric, that the early vintage Fenders (blackface/brownface) under 25 watts are the weapons of choice. |
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June 2006
Posts: 29
Location: Port Angeles, WA | Fender Twin Reverb I bought in 75 was my favorite amp. I sold it and my wonderful Gibson SG when an old bandmate put cash in my hand in the early 90s during a weak moment...a sale I've regretted every day since.
:( |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by cliff:
A PA it ain’t.
( Cliff, I can assure you that you're wrong. I've just got back from a couple of trio gigs. I was playing my nylon viper, book mando and a squareneck dobro, Bob on guitar and vocals plus a perc player. Last night's show was sold out and the room was way too full and the crowd a little rowdy. The L1 had no problems whatsoever, and I had a lot of positive comments about the sound from people in the audience. I made a point of sitting out on a couple of numbers so I could check out the sound around the room. It sounds completely different to a conventional system and takes a little adjusting to, but it just works. For shows where I have to haul my own sound I can't see myself ever going back to boxes on tripods. I would suggest that the people you heard using the L1 hadn't "read the manual" Also The L1 needs 2 bass bins to develop any guts for mutiple inputs at respectable volume. That's no hardship, the Bose L1 bass units are tiny and light as a feather. |
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What is your all-time favorite personal amp?