help me buy a new amp!

[pittster]

Hi there-
have a budget of £1400 (approx $2500)...just sold my Victoria 35210 due to size/power....
am looking for a small valve combo (1x12) 6V6 or el84 to give me that low powered bluesy OD but can still do clean...need it for small gigs (miked at bigger ones) and be able to use it without upsetting the girlfriend or terrifying the cats!!
use Fender CS strat and Anderson HDT T...
anybody got any ideas, importing from USA is an option am willing to follow...
thanks :)

[joe1962]

With that budget you have a lot of options. I love a Dr Z Maz Jr 112 for what you described. It's my favorite "blusey" amp with a single coil guitar.

[pittster]

I was thinking of one of those also...
so far my ideas have been
Dr Z Maz Jr 1x12
Dr Z Z-28 1x12
Aiken Tomcat 1x12
Germino Masonette 1x12
Bruno Tweedy Pie 18w 1x12
Top Hat Club Deluxe (I think, the 20w with the 6v6s)...
you can see my problem!!
hence me asking you guys for ideas.:eek:

[killerburst]

'64-'67 Fender Deluxe Reverb w/ an AC transformer to supply 110V/60Hz (or an export model) + a good OD pedal

[joe1962]

I've got a Germino Masonette too but if you need cleans it may not be what you want. Even though it's probably louder than a Maz Jr it hits the breakup point pretty quick. Of course that's what makes it so much fun. It's like the Marshall Plexi you can actually get away with cranking up <g>.

[pittster]

Joe-
can your Masonette clean up with guitar vol control?
am really keen on the Germino and Greg G. has been so helpful over past few days but do need a bit of clean as well as the dirt.

[andersonguy]

I have to stand up for the Bogner Shiva, sweeeeeeeet. Great clean, good for blues stuff too. I would consider the Shiva head and a seperate cab.

.02 worth

Good luck with your search.:)

AG

[joe1962]

Originally posted by pittster
Joe-
can your Masonette clean up with guitar vol control?
am really keen on the Germino and Greg G. has been so helpful over past few days but do need a bit of clean as well as the dirt.

It depends on how clean you need to get. Jazz, country or "80s LA" clean, probably not. Good old rock and roll or blues clean, yes. There are a couple of things you can do to the amp to get more headroom. JJ 6V6 power tubes gave mine more headroom, and I think Greg told me he was shipping the amps with them now. You can also run a 12AT7 tube in the phase inverter for more headroom, and use the low gain inputs. If you're only using single coil pickups you should be fine.

By the way Greg Germino is first class, and has helped me on several occasions with getting my Masonette dialed in the way I like it. Dealing with him has been every bit as much a pleasure as dealing with the folks at TAG, and we all know how great they are!

[John Price]

How about a Carr Mercury!!! this amp has Killer Tone!!
Carr (http://www.carramps.com)

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by tombo
Savage Macht 6
or
Savage Macht 12

I was just at the shop a week ago. I took pics of Peter Buck's (R.E.M. guitarist) new Macht 12 as it was burning in. Fine amps, not so long build time. I love my 12, but don't get a chance to fire it up enough.

http://www.savageamps.com

Hey, welcome back!!

[pittster]

Thanks for all the help guys, really appreciated...
tried a Carr Rambler...liked it a lot, but not enought to handle the 4 month wait...Steve Carr seemed a really nice guy though....

am leaning toward the Bruno 18w 'Tweedy Pie' 6V6 powered amp...
anyone else tried one before?

[John Price]

Another amp I would recommend is the Mesa LoneStar! I'm really impressed with this amp!


;)

[tunacaster]

Try a Dr Z , Z-28 6v6 tubes with an EF-86 on the front end. The EF-86 makes the amp very pedal friendly. 22 watts, sounds like a tweed deluxe, brownface deluxe, but with a lot more balls. I have a 1-12 combo with Celestion greenback. Dr Z recommended this speaker to me after I told him what I was looking for tonewise. Three controls, volume, bass and treble, the tone controls add more gain as you edge them up. I have heard on different forums that alot of Z-28 owners dime the tone controls and then turn their volume up as needed. Really cool amp, had the chance to compare mine alongside the new Fender Twin. While I really liked the Twin, I felt the Z-28 sounded just as good for what my needs are and was about $400 to $500 less. Email Dr Z, has always responded back to me very quickly.

Just noticed you live in the UK. The other route you could take is an amp from Dennis Cornell, he is over there and built the tweed amp that Eric Clapton uses. Check out the Voyager, I want one myself.

Heres a linky.

http://www.dc-developments.com/index.htm


Good luck

Tommy

[pittster]

yeh the Cornell looks nice, but £1750 is a little over my budget to say the least!

Dr Z sounds interesting....spoke to Mike Zaite via email...he's reluctant to supply a UK spec amp unless it's via the 'official distributer' in the UK....now a Z-28 is listed (i think) @ $1349 on the Dr Z website (currently about £750)...the UK distributer just changes $ to £....i.e. he quoted a Z-28 (1x12) @ £1349 which is $2420....now even taking into account import tax and VAT that is one hell of a mark up that makes me v. reluctant to buy via UK distributer.

[tunacaster]

I see your point. Have you looked at the Cornell Romany Plus? Don't know if it has enough wattage for you though. I don't know if a Marshall would fit your needs, but they are reissuing the 18 watt 1x12 combo and the Lead 20 head in a ptp hand wired amp. Good luck with your search. BTW, where do you live in the UK, I have a ton of relatives over there, Brighton, Aylesbury, London.

[pittster]

Many thanks for the input-
have bitten the bullet and gone for a Bruno 'Tweedy Pie' (18w 6V6 powered 1x12) - love the tweed sound and have been reliably informed that the Bruno really nails this sound....managed to get a demo model from Tony Bruno's shop-cabinet's made from finger-jointed light cherry hardwood - looks real nice!
lets hope Fedex/UK Customs don't ruin it!! :-(

ps live in the south-west UK - Devon.

[wodka]

I'd go with a THD Flexi 50. It can be very loud, but the master volume is very affective and doesn't hurt the tone. I play it at bedroom levels often and it sounds great through my Mohave 2x12. Plus, you can got nuts swapping tubes and it handles peddles very well.

[tunacaster]

Pittster, sounds like a cool amp. Over on the Gear Page, Bruno amps get alot of good reviews. I love that old tweed sound, good luck with the amp in shipping!

[pittster]

thanks. will post a review if/when I get it