What Amp??

[Citrus]

Ok, so been trying my best to bond with my Buddah Superdrive 18 combo

When I got it I was told it had enough clean headroom, and would be too loud before breakup. Not for me.

I'm thinking 30 watt min, would love 6L6 instead of EL84s(not a must), still a combo. Ideally would have trem, but not a deal breaker.

I would rather go real clean and use pedals for dirt (OCD will take care of that)

Gonna put the Buddah up for about $750, so thats what the price range will be

[Steve Haynie]

If you try a class A amp on a clean setting it is wonderful. Orange has some combos like that.

Fender Prosonic amps had switchable class A, A/B settings.

[carfish7]

Fender Vibrolux?

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/msg/4701244415.html

Peavey Delta Blues?

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DeltaBlue115II?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=none&utm_term=DSA_-_Product&adpos=1t1&device=c&network=g&gclid=CPXQ64momcECFQaBaQodo1QAgg

[polara]

Fender Deluxe Reverb. Gold standrad for that kind of thing. It'll get pretty loud for only 22ish watts.

[G Man]

Another vote for the Deluxe Reverb, and if you are seriously concerned 22 watts will not be enough, look for a Pro Reverb, at 40 watts ir just might be exactly what you are looking for.

[carfish7]

Gonna put the Buddah up for about $750, so thats what the price range will be

[zenmindbeginner]

You want clean? Get a Gallien Krueger.

ducks

But seriously, if you don't mind hauling it around, the Fender Twin is the standard for clean headroom.

Weren't the MusicMan amps really clean too?

[velorush]

I think Zen's on the right path. Why not a Trademark 60? Very clean (if need be) and very easy on the back. Takes pedals like nobody's business!

[cmatthes]

I used a Boogie Studio 22+ for years. I'm currently loving the TM60 though. Can't beat the portability, and it sounds great too.

If I didn't have that, I'd be giving a Deluxe Reverb a long look. A Blues Festival I help run every year always has a pair of Deluxes and a pair of Twins in the backline. The really good players always seem to gravitate toward the Deluxes for some reason.

[atomicwash]

I play with a clean amp and use pedals for overdrive, fuzz, and effects.

I strongly suggest a 28W Carr Rambler or a 30W Carr Artemus. The Rambler is loosely based on the Deluxe Reverb circuit and the Artemus on the AC sound. Both are under 40 lbs, love pedals, and are super clean. Carrs are awesome.

For a solid state option, I'd suggest a Roland JC-77 or a JC-120 if you don't mind 70 lbs. Johnny Marr (Smiths), Billy Duffy (Cult), Will Sergeant (Echo & the Bunnymen), and the Edge (U2) all have used the JC-120. You can find these at very reasonable prices, especially at GC Used.

Good luck with the search and let us know what you fall for!

[tobereeno]

in my experience crystal clean and EL-84s ain't gonna happen. That sweet Class A EL-84 lead tone also makes for zero headroom cleans. I'm ok with an EL-34 clean, but for chime I prefer 6L6 or transistors (JC-120). For portability surely there has to be many options in this tech age?

[hamerhead]

The Vibrolux is great, but could be a little thin if you're used to 12s.

The SuperChamp X2 (hear we go again) stays clean through 1/2 volume and has that classic Fender sound, but at 15W you'll probably push it harder than that. On the other hand, running two SuperChamps in stereo gives you 30W and is a killer versatile set-up. It sounds big, especially when the effects/EQs are programmed slightly different in each one. And it loves the OCD.

The 120W Peavey JSX head (Satriani amp) can use 6L6s or EL84s and will stay clean until your head explodes. With 6L6s, the clean channel is as Fendery as I've heard from a non-Fender amp and WOULD NOT break up when pushed to the point of launching cones from the baskets The drive and lead channels are great in the sweet spot, but you'll go deaf getting there. That f***er is LOUD. The 50W combo may be better, but they're heavy little bastards at 85 lbs (the head alone is 54). If they'd have cut it in half (25W, 1x12), it would have been really hard to beat.

[Citrus]

Thanks all

Curious about running dual super champs, very interesting

[dragan]

dont know what type music you play , but its hard to beat a deluxe ( or two )IMO. all amps have a little different character to their voice so its hard to make a recommendation with out knowing what music and tones you like / listen to. right now I'm goin between 4 amps and like all of them in different ways ( alessandro el34s , princeton 6v6s, budda sd30 el84s and Dr Z maz 18 el84s ).getting the right sound at different playing levels for different rooms/ gigs is the trick , IMHO anyway.

[bubs_42]

Thanks all

Curious about running dual super champs, very interesting

Soldano Atomic 16, I know its EL84 but I was able to get 2 sounds with that amp that worked. 1st the the EVH All out dimed tone and the other was the Nashville Clean Tone. T-51 to a boost to the Soldano and it was chimey, spanky and sparkly.

[BadgerDave]

Here's a nice Vibrolux reverb at DGS in your price range:

http://davesguitar.com/products/fender/custom-vibrolux-reverb-2-10-combo-recent/

[tomteriffic]

Super Champ XD/X2 with an Eminence Ragin' Cajun will get you a bunch of extra loud and still stay clean.

[it's me HHB]

Get a tophat or I'll spray ya with chemical

[carfish7]

I strongly suggest a 28W Carr Rambler or a 30W Carr Artemus. The Rambler is loosely based on the Deluxe Reverb circuit and the Artemus on the AC sound. Both are under 40 lbs, love pedals, and are super clean. Carrs are awesome.

Let me know where I can get one of these for $750, will ya?

[cmatthes]

Oh - Makebelieveland has them all day long for $750!

[JohnnyB]

Oh - Makebelieveland has them all day long for $750!

He'd only have to come up with another $1780 if he sticks with basic black.

Oh, wait! They're so much cheaper used.

At the OP's budget, that Fender Vibrolux Reverb looks mighty fine.

[atomicwash]

Oops, missed the $750. I have seen the Artemus go in the $1100-1200 range.

[TBP]

I'd also look at a Deluxe Reverb or even a Princeton Reverb. Blackface-circuit based if you really want pristine clean; tweed-circuit based if you want a little growl. Besides Fenders there are a few independent builders around I'd consider. (I was going to say a 70s Silverface Princeton Reverb but I just looked at the prices for those on Reverb.)

While I don't have personal experience with Li'l Dawg amps, In your position I'd be seriously tempted by this: http://www.littledawgamps.com/the-wonderdawg/ .

It'll be over $750 but I think we're still in the very reasonable range for a hand wired amp. Of course resale will be an issue if you don't like it.

[Biz Prof]

Oh - Makebelieveland has them all day long for $750!

He'd only have to come up with another $1780 if he sticks with basic black.

Oh, wait! They're so much cheaper used.

At the OP's budget, that Fender Vibrolux Reverb looks mighty fine.

Steve builds these about 1/4 mile away from one of the campus locations for my institution, hence the slogan "Manmade in Pittsboro, NC". He's such a nice guy and has both an artist's approach to aesthetics and design to go along with the engineer pragmatism; but like the other boutique amp builders, his stuff is really, really, really expensive for what it is. I'd be honored to own a Mercury or a Rambler and thus "buy local", but, I simply can't justify it. Of course Terry McInturff's shop is only 15 minutes away from Steve's, and I can't afford his guitars, either!

[dragan]

these are still available around under $400, maybe not clean enough but great vibrato

and sound great with an OCD , only draw back IMO not very loud

[JohnnyB]

Oh - Makebelieveland has them all day long for $750!

He'd only have to come up with another $1780 if he sticks with basic black.

Oh, wait! They're so much cheaper used.

At the OP's budget, that Fender Vibrolux Reverb looks mighty fine.

Steve (Carr) builds these about 1/4 mile away from one of the campus locations for my institution, hence the slogan "Manmade in Pittsboro, NC". He's such a nice guy and has both an artist's approach to aesthetics and design to go along with the engineer pragmatism; but like the other boutique amp builders, his stuff is really, really, really expensive for what it is. I'd be honored to own a Mercury or a Rambler and thus "buy local", but, I simply can't justify it. Of course Terry McInturff's shop is only 15 minutes away from Steve's, and I can't afford his guitars, either!

I have owned a Top Hat Club Deluxe for 16 years. I also owned a Mesa/Boogie DC-10. I have had personal experience with the small Matchless amps and have heard copious testimony in forums about Dr. Z, Carr, and Alessandro. In short, the are worth the money if you scrape it up and it does just what you need. That extra money buys much better parts, better wiring, better cabinetry, more meticulous design and testing, etc. etc., at least with the ones i've used and heard. Having the Mesa and Top Hot side-by-side for several years was very telling: The Top Hat's tone controls had far more range than the Mesa's. The tone was more transparent. It was easier to play the amp rather than twiddling knobs and sliders and switching channels. It's not that the Mesa is a bad amp--far from it--but with standard parts and PC boards, it plays by the same mid-level rules we're all used to. The boutique amps give you more volume per wattage, have sweet OD distortion, and can be tone-shaped with the B-M-T knobs. My Top Hat also has a pull-boost which turns it into a screamer. It's a single 1x12 powered by two 6V6GTs making around 18 watts, and it's plenty for a club gig for up to 300 people.

I was at a jam in 1999 where three guitarists showed up w/50-watt tube amps powering 2x12s or 4x10s (Fender Hot Rod series and a Bandmaster. The fourth guitarist had a Matchless 1x12 (DC-30?) and I brought my Top Hat. Our little amps easily took over the room, cut assertively through the noisy mix (we also had bass & drums), and had obviously superior tone and more expressiveness. When the jam was over we walked out with our 25-lb. combos while the other three struggled with their big cabs and separate heads. When I mentioned this to the Matchless owner, he informed me he was running his at 1/3 or 1/2 power in triode mode.

OTOH, purchase of my Top Hat was a no-brainer. Top Hat was a just getting started and deployed their first production run at loss-leader prices. I got my class A all-tube handwired PTP w/UK-made Celestion Greenback for $690 in 1998, about the same price as a Hot Rod Deluxe.