I need amp finding an amp!

[ajay315]

Hi everyone!

I'm on the lookout for a good lower/medium gain amp. I like the clips of it I've been able to find. Seems like it's cover Malcolm Young/"Electric"-era Cult rhythm crunch, and likes pedals so I can get more gain if I need to. Heck, if the amp has more gain on tap than I'm looking for...that's cool, too!

Basically, I'm looking for a lower watt (18 to 20) head with a British edge to it, 70's levels of crunch and takes to humbuckers & single coils equally well.

At present, I'm eyeing the MAZ 18 "NR (No Reverb)" head, and an Avatar 1x12 with a Hellatone 30 speaker. A bonus is the I"retube yourself & start playing again" aspect of it (cathode biased).

Experience with the MAZ 18? Anything comparible or even better suited to my needs? Please let me know! Clips and website links appreciated!

Budget: I'm planning on paying $1199 for the MAZ 18, and $225 for the cab shipped, so I figure a budget of $1500 or less.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[gwayne]

I had a Maz 18 1-12 combo with the Cel Blue so keep that in mind. I don't think you're going to be happy with it based on the tones you're after. It had a great swirly clean to it. IMO it had what I see referred to as a 3D clean. I guess I'm not an EL-84 kinda guy because I just couldn't bond with it and I never got it to sound right with humbuckers.

It did sound GREAT with an OCD in front. Nice and glassy, if you know what I mean. But on its own, Angus and Co. were not to be found. Cult? unh-uh, no way. It's a nice amp, but it's not for me; it just didn't fit my style of playing.

But.....I just picked up a Mesa Stilleto Ace combo and it sounds EXACTLY like your description. Granted, it's 50 watts but it's easy to tame and get good lower level crunch. It's all about AC/DC, Free, Zep, etc. Sonic Temple era Cult? In spades baby. You owe it to yourself to give one a listen. I never would have believed Mesa could out-Marshall a Marshall, but they did. This amp has the best crunch tones I've ever heard. You like Slash? G'N'R's Appetite tones are all there.

[MCChris]

Bruce919 is fixin' to sell his Valvetech 25/50 head and 2x12 cab on the FS board. Definitely worthy of consideration. Chances are that whole rig will come in within your budget.