Discussion - Worst Sounding Amp You've Ever Owned...

[gtone]

Sears SilverTone tube amp my folks bought me for my 13th birthday. White noise generator that convinced me tube amps were the devil.

After owning a couple of solid state amps that weren't any worse than the SilverTone, I bought an awesome sounding Garnet Rebel II that showed me what a tube amp was supposed to sound like.

[coolfeel]

The second worst sounding amp I ever owned was a Peavey Reknown - not as bad as the Fender Stage Lead but damn close...I am not sure if it's possible to get a more shitty sounding distortion channel...

[bubs_42]

Genz Benz El Diablo 60. Just sounded so sterile. Love their cabs and I hear good things about the Black Pearl.

[JohnnyThunders]

Started with my 67 Traynor YBa-1 which I bought used in 72 and a big muff and a Marshall 4x12 which I had for years and sold. When I started back up late 90's started with a fender champ and then got into buying better amps. The worst of that category probably was a toos up between a TopHat Emplexador and a Savage Macht 6. The Tophat was suposse to be a a cool new take on the Marshall sound. My Aiken Invader were much better. The Savaght Mach 6 was one of the many amps auditioned for that great sound at bedroom volume phase. ugh!

[HAMERMAN]

Peavey Backstage Plus. No matter what you did with the knobs there was always an unpleasant layer of icepick sitting on top of it all - even on the clean's. That one amp made me a bit of a tube amp snob for many years until I finally heard some good solid state (Tech21) and hybrid amps (Hughes & Kettner).

[gtone]

Started with my 67 Traynor YBa-1 which I bought used in 72 and a big muff and a Marshall 4x12 which I had for years and sold. When I started back up late 90's started with a fender champ and then got into buying better amps. The worst of that category probably was a toos up between a TopHat Emplexador and a Savage Macht 6. The Tophat was suposse to be a a cool new take on the Marshall sound. My Aiken Invader were much better. The Savaght Mach 6 was one of the many amps auditioned for that great sound at bedroom volume phase. ugh!

Holy feck Johnny - if those were the worst sounding amps you've owned, what in the heck were the best sounding ones???

[JohnnyThunders]

Toss up these 2, but you had to turn them up.

[coolfeel]

Yah Matamps are pretty farging bassass. David B played through one on some songs we recorded together at Mitch Easter's studio - his guitar never sounded better...

[woodpile]

Forget who made em but they were covered in tucked and rolled metal flaked vinyl kinda like a cheesy car interior. If I remember right, the cabinets were unusually skinny and tall. Always sounded like you were playing through some sort of instant signal decay pedal.

[coolfeel]

Kustom?

[woodpile]

Kustom?

http://www.vintageguitaramplifiers.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/-99411205900965080.jpg

Found it. Was a "Plush".

[coolfeel]

Looks kool though!!! lol

[unfun75]

Kustom?

http://www.vintageguitaramplifiers.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/-99411205900965080.jpg

Found it. Was a "Plush".

I had some PA cabs that looked like that. "Earth" was the brand. They were awful but looked cool!

[Montelovesco]

Does the Fender Grate count as an amp? If so, here you go. After the first good impression it is nothing more than an overrated lunch box with a speaker...

[marcnorth]

I have to go with a 70's Peavey, Don't remember which one but it sounded terrible.

[Kurt L]

Went through a bunch over the years but sometimes it's hard to know how much blame goes to a crappy sounding amp and how much goes to me!

But if I had to pick one, it might be my old Pignose. It was still cool, though.

Genz Benz El Diablo 60. Just sounded so sterile. Love their cabs and I hear good things about the Black Pearl.

I can vouch for the Black Pearl 30. Really like mine... never tried the Diablo.

[LordOfTheThighs]

My first "real" amp. It was called a STAGE 720, or something like that, iirc. The brand was actually a rebranded Univox. Heavy as lead, and tone of a $20 transistor radio.

[crunchee]

Worst sounding amp I had was an old Fender Vibro-Champ (the one with tubes)...I was messing around with it one day, decided to compare the fuse from it with one from a bigger amp, then I put the fuses back in. Unfortunately, I got the fuses switched, so the Vibro-Champ got the larger value fuse. BIG mistake...I'm playing through it, and the amp started getting quieter and quieter, yet more and more distorted...then the sound quit, and it started smelling REALLY bad. Well, so much for THAT transformer. Lesson learned!

[HSB0531]

A peavey solid state bass amp from around 1978. Got rid of it in 24 hours. POS.

Funny, I actually told that to Hartley Peavey at a NAMM Show when he asked if I'd ever tried a Peavey.

I had the same Peavey in 1978.

Had a fuzz tone that never shut off and a Peavey 2-15 cab.

Crap.

[JES1680]

Late 70s Peavey Backstage 30. On the plus side there was no overdrive channel but for a kid into Kiss this pristine clean country amp did not impress. But hey Mom and Dad bought it for my birthday so who am I to complain. A Boss super overdirve helped until I saved up to buy a Peavey Special 130 which compared to the backstage sounded awesome. That's how bad the backstage was. ugggg.

[stobro]

Another vote for a Sound City 120. It was loud and lifeless at the same time.

[Sneaky_Pete]

Another vote for a Sound City 120. It was loud and lifeless at the same time.

I had a Sound City combo that sounded like a cheese grater after a while - never could get a decent sound out of it. Had a Carlsboro combo before that - smaller than the Hornet, but with some insect name - bought because I joined a working band and needed something in a hurry. That was pretty nasty. Also Telecaster through Roland Cube is not a good combination.