Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: CaffeineJunkie on February 19, 2007, 07:08:36 PM
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hey guys
eventually managed to get through most of my january exams without losing any major limbs, so i figured i'd treat myself to a new amp... at last :D
i've been looking at a couple of different amps, primarily vintage-style marshalls:
1987x 50w Plexi reissue - £650
JTM45 30w Reissue - £625
2061x 20w Handwired reissue - £799[/list:u]
Originally i had my heart set on the 1987x as it was a smaller version of the 1959 plexi which is the classic rock/blues amp, but then i looked up the other two, and i know can't decide between them
also, what does the rectifier do to the sound?? as the 2061x has solid state rectification and the JTM45 has valve rectification, and i have no idea what this means !?!
cheers
James
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valve recto gives a softer bass end that compresses as you turn up the amp - nice for blues. most AC/DC solos are recorded with a plexi JTM45 to give you an idea.
Will you be using this mainly in the house or to gig with? if it's the former, don't buy any of these amps. if it's the latter, I'd go for the 50w plexi reissue (1987) if you MUST have a new amp.
fwiw, I wouldn't buy a new Marshall at all - you can get an old JMP 2204 (50w single channel master volume) for around £400 - these are MUCH more useable at ANY volume and have enough gain to deal with any indie/rock right upto metal if you use a SD-1.
:twisted:
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kool, isn't the 2204 the early jcm800???
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kool, isn't the 2204 the early jcm800???
the 2204 and 2203 were introduced during the JMP-era, some of the very earliest ones were in 1975 but are very rare. they went into heavy circulation around '76 or '77 and many people think the JMP-era master volume amps are superior to the JCM800 counterparts (including me).
Try to find a '76 as you'll get one with the metal 'panel' swicthes and the thin box-style - just because I like the old head-cab look.
:twisted:
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hmmm... sounds good, does it have lots of gain, or is it fairly clean/low gain breakup sound??? (excl. pedals btw)
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well, it's got 'lo' and 'hi' gain inputs that offer lots of tonal variation by themselves. you also have a gain pot so you can get those old plexi clean/breaking up tones upto an AC/DC Back In Black tone.
8)
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hmmm.... not sure
personally i think that the handwired 2061x would be better, as it's a lot smaller, and probably better suited to my style of playing, as i primarily use only just enough gain to make my picking and volume controls decide how overdriven the sound is
it is also for home use primarily, although i might take it to uni with me if i feel so inclined at the time
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please yourself, but I'll warn you that any of those non-master volume amps are WAY too loud to use at home. I've gigged with 20w valve combos before, they are still LOUD.
Try one in a music store and you'll get an idea of what they can do at what volume.
I personally wouldn't buy new either - you've lost around a third of the amp's value soon as you walk out the door.
:twisted:
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Have you considered an Orange Tiny Terror? I kinda wish I waited and got one now, after hearing all these clips from a guy on HC -
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=608016
Sounds really good and its not too expensive, plus it comes with a snazzy carry case :lol:
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please yourself, but I'll warn you that any of those non-master volume amps are WAY too loud to use at home. I've gigged with 20w valve combos before, they are still LOUD.
Try one in a music store and you'll get an idea of what they can do at what volume.
I personally wouldn't buy new either - you've lost around a third of the amp's value soon as you walk out the door.
:twisted:
i was just looking on ebay and there is one going for about £500, so if that hasn't sold by the time i get paid then it looks like a reasonable deal
only problem with trying one in a music store is that the only fairly good music store in my area doesn't keep any decent amps in stock, only the newest range, and they don't like you cranking any amps at all, so i can't really try it out
as for the orange TT, from those clips it sounds like it has a lot of gain, which i'm not really after .... hmmm *ponders*
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You can lower it you know ;)
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You can lower it you know ;)
yeh, but if it naturally has a high-gain voice, then it won't sound as good for what i want to play, for example, you wouldn't pick a JCM800 if you wanted to play clean/slight breakup all the time
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Are you sure the Tiny terror will be loud enough for rehearsal + small gigs?
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Are you sure the Tiny terror will be loud enough for rehearsal + small gigs?
I dont see why not 15w valve is pretty loud.
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You can lower it you know ;)
yeh, but if it naturally has a high-gain voice, then it won't sound as good for what i want to play, for example, you wouldn't pick a JCM800 if you wanted to play clean/slight breakup all the time
you've clearly never played a jcm800 - i consider it to be an EXTREMELY low gain amp. especially if you're going to be using it at bedroom volumes. use the lo-gain input and set the gain to 5, and it's on the edge
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You can lower it you know ;)
yeh, but if it naturally has a high-gain voice, then it won't sound as good for what i want to play, for example, you wouldn't pick a JCM800 if you wanted to play clean/slight breakup all the time
you've clearly never played a jcm800 - i consider it to be an EXTREMELY low gain amp. especially if you're going to be using it at bedroom volumes. use the lo-gain input and set the gain to 5, and it's on the edge
ok, but would you go and buy one if you were going to use it pretty much entirely for blues??
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to be honest no i wouldn't - unless you're meaning slash-style blues rawk.
For bedroom use i think you should be looking more in the fender blues junior, matamp minimat, cornford harlequin vein.
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ok, so what amp would be best if i wanted to play blues and then kick in a overdrive/fuzz pedal and play something a bit harder, i.e. muse style
jcm800? or would the 1987x handle that? or even the jtm45?
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I sold my 40 watt Traynor a couple of months ago as it was too loud for home practicing. I then bought a 5 watt PTP hand wired amp from Swart Amps (one of the best amps I've ever tried) in the US thinking it would be a lot quieter but I was wrong! You should check out the Plexi range from Cornell:
http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_plexi.htm - particularly the 18/20 watt.
You can switch between valve or SS rectification and even switch from 18/20 watts for gigs down to 5 watts for home practice!
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I sold my 40 watt Traynor a couple of months ago as it was too loud for home practicing. I then bought a 5 watt PTP hand wired amp from Swart Amps (one of the best amps I've ever tried) in the US thinking it would be a lot quieter but I was wrong! You should check out the Plexi range from Cornell:
http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_plexi.htm - particularly the 18/20 watt.
You can switch between valve or SS rectification and even switch from 18/20 watts for gigs down to 5 watts for home practice!
oooo .... that cornell looks nice, bit expensive, but very, very nice ...
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*does sums*
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should be able to afford one in april, provided i don't go out drinking, or buy anything during the next month or two..... or eat..... hmmmm..... *ponders*
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http://www.ampmaker.com/ak01x.asp
might be worth considering making an amp - looks quite straightforward, and would be a lot of fun - with a lot of satisfaction for sure.
I think a minimat would suit you - also you can choose between an el84 and a 6V6 power valve... my minimat responds fantastically to pedals. Especially my friend's Fuzz Factory!
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There is one on Ebay for a lot cheaper but it doesn't have the power reduction or valve rectification:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200079162107
Cornell makes amps for Eric Clapton as well!
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There is one on Ebay for a lot cheaper but it doesn't have the power reduction or valve rectification:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200079162107
Cornell makes amps for Eric Clapton as well!
yeh already seen that one, but i'd want the valve rec
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http://www.ampmaker.com/ak01x.asp
might be worth considering making an amp - looks quite straightforward, and would be a lot of fun - with a lot of satisfaction for sure.
I think a minimat would suit you - also you can choose between an el84 and a 6V6 power valve... my minimat responds fantastically to pedals. Especially my friend's Fuzz Factory!
lol when I was reading this thread I was going to suggest exactky the same thing. I was thinking of getting those amp kits. Looks good and a lot of fun, plus you will learn what does what in an amp (if you decide to modify it). Minimats are supposed to be great and I heard you could get them to do a custom job for you if you ask and buy direct from factory (e.g lower/higher gain, bright/dark voicing etc).
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http://www.ampmaker.com/ak01x.asp
might be worth considering making an amp - looks quite straightforward, and would be a lot of fun - with a lot of satisfaction for sure.
I think a minimat would suit you - also you can choose between an el84 and a 6V6 power valve... my minimat responds fantastically to pedals. Especially my friend's Fuzz Factory!
lol when I was reading this thread I was going to suggest exactky the same thing. I was thinking of getting those amp kits. Looks good and a lot of fun, plus you will learn what does what in an amp (if you decide to modify it). Minimats are supposed to be great and I heard you could get them to do a custom job for you if you ask and buy direct from factory (e.g lower/higher gain, bright/dark voicing etc).
only problem with that is that i've never soldered in my life and i really don't have the time to build it unfortunately
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I would seriously look at the Cornell range
I have seen bads using them and they have a better Plexi tone than almost anything I have ever seen (I used to have a 1965 JTM45 - so I have to say almost)
You could always contact Dennis and he will make whatever variation of his amp that you like.
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If you want 'blues' out of yer Marshall, gotta be JTM45 all the way - they just have the voicing for it. the Bluesbreaker combo is the same amp but with tremolo added.
I personally prefer 4x12s so I'd go with a JTM45. I also had a Bluesbreaker for a while that I used with an old Marshall 2x12 - that was a 'best of both worlds' rig :D
Alternatively, I think old Selmer amps slay ANY reissue Marshall - these are what I used after the Bluesbreaker rig since the Selmer was very similar but had a punchier tone with more harmonic complexity. Best bit is that you can pick them up on ebay for £150 all day. They're point-to-point wired and totally bomb-proof. Spend another £50-£100 and get a revalve and cap-job for a solid gigging amp.
:twisted:
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actually, if you want a combo this one is REALLY nice... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELMER-Thunderbird-Twin-30-amplifier-early-60s_W0QQitemZ270091735873QQihZ017QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Bernard Butler used these for recording quite a bit - they're sort of halfway between an AC30 and JTM45. If it stays at £400 then it's a bargain but in that condition I wouldn't be surprised to see it clear a grand easy. Worth keeping an eye on.
:twisted:
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actually, if you want a combo this one is REALLY nice... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELMER-Thunderbird-Twin-30-amplifier-early-60s_W0QQitemZ270091735873QQihZ017QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Bernard Butler used these for recording quite a bit - they're sort of halfway between an AC30 and JTM45. If it stays at £400 then it's a bargain but in that condition I wouldn't be surprised to see it clear a grand easy. Worth keeping an eye on.
:twisted:
looks kool, i was just looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Selmer-Truvoice-TV6-Popular-Guitar-Amp-1959_W0QQitemZ140086629683QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
unfortunately i don't know which models are good and which aren't
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actually, if you want a combo this one is REALLY nice... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELMER-Thunderbird-Twin-30-amplifier-early-60s_W0QQitemZ270091735873QQihZ017QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Bernard Butler used these for recording quite a bit - they're sort of halfway between an AC30 and JTM45. If it stays at £400 then it's a bargain but in that condition I wouldn't be surprised to see it clear a grand easy. Worth keeping an eye on.
:twisted:
looks kool, i was just looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Selmer-Truvoice-TV6-Popular-Guitar-Amp-1959_W0QQitemZ140086629683QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
unfortunately i don't know which models are good and which aren't
they're nice, but a bit quirky with the elyptical speaker. it's only got a single EL84 too so you're not getting much mileage with it. otoh, it WILL do a great blues tone if you only want it for the bedroom. If the original speaker goes then it's gonna be a pig to replace (or repair)
I'd stay with the Treble & Bass model Selmers, can't go wrong with 'em (I've had two mkI crocskin heads and another two mkII 'vox' style ones with the cloth front). These are the best T&B models imo and you shouldn't pay over £350 for either. The mkIII and mkIV heads are pretty ugly but are still point-to-point wired with the same circuit and sound great.
:twisted:
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actually, if you want a combo this one is REALLY nice... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELMER-Thunderbird-Twin-30-amplifier-early-60s_W0QQitemZ270091735873QQihZ017QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Bernard Butler used these for recording quite a bit - they're sort of halfway between an AC30 and JTM45. If it stays at £400 then it's a bargain but in that condition I wouldn't be surprised to see it clear a grand easy. Worth keeping an eye on.
:twisted:
looks kool, i was just looking at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Selmer-Truvoice-TV6-Popular-Guitar-Amp-1959_W0QQitemZ140086629683QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
unfortunately i don't know which models are good and which aren't
they're nice, but a bit quirky with the elyptical speaker. it's only got a single EL84 too so you're not getting much mileage with it. otoh, it WILL do a great blues tone if you only want it for the bedroom. If the original speaker goes then it's gonna be a pig to replace (or repair)
I'd stay with the Treble & Bass model Selmers, can't go wrong with 'em (I've had two mkI crocskin heads and another two mkII 'vox' style ones with the cloth front). These are the best T&B models imo and you shouldn't pay over £350 for either. The mkIII and mkIV heads are pretty ugly but are still point-to-point wired with the same circuit and sound great.
:twisted:
hmmm... i might just get an epi valve Jr, or the modded one on ebay : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Highly-Modified-Epiphone-Valve-Junior-5W-Class-A-Combo_W0QQitemZ250084994712QQihZ015QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem