Bruno Cowtipper 45 vs Two rock Classic reverb

[acupunk]

Hi

I am looking for an amp to go with my archtop guitar.
Has anyone tried these amps and have a recommendation?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I've haven't heard of either. But I have some general advice: provide more details.

1. What guitar(s) will you use?
2. What styles will you play? Any particular guitarist you want your tone to sound like?
3. Effects/Features?
4. $$$?
5. Weight?
6. Tube/SS?
7. How loud?
etc...

[acupunk]

a ribbecke archtop
I like a george benson type sound
want a good spring reverb
simple
home player weight does not matter
just want a good amp

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Ribbecke? Nice! For that classic jazz guitar sound, I vote a Polytone MiniBrute or the Henriksen JazzAmp, which can be called a newer version of the Polytone. I think the tube amps you mentioned are too big to play at home. Anyone else?

[bkdavidson]

Two Rock for jazz? Yowza. Just read your other post. For home? Yowza. That's a lot of money to throw down for a home amp. Or a first car for a 16 year-old, for that matter. If you want a George Benson type sound, get a Polytone. He's used one forever, and I think he's even got a signature model.

[rabbit]

Sorry, but I don't have direct experience with the amps you mention.

I can certainly understand wanting to match a fine guitar to a fine amp.

Don't be dissuaded from a good tube amp for your purposes at home;
possibly sublime results await. The conventional wisdom seems to
endorse cheap amps for even the best guitars but only tubes really
do it for me. Sure, if you're schlepping to a gig, that's different.

I had a guy sell me an Epiphone Zephyr, new in-store, that I liked.
Got it home, plugged it in to my very nice Deluxe Reverb II
(Rivera-designed) and couldn't get THAT sound. Turns out
he'd demo'd it for me thru a $2300 Carr amp.
This was nearly ten years ago.

Needless to say, I have a continuing interest in fine amps.

You're gonna have to travel to it and plug it in. Best of luck!

P.S.: Aside from Carr I'm curious about Rivera's stuff and
the possibility of a Mesa Walkabout Scout (intended for Bass);
my impression of Two Rock is "high-gain" not jazz, but I've
been wrong before, '58 I think it was, but heck, I was just a kid.

[jeffstritt]

+1 for Polytone or Henriksen.

Playing a tube amp at home you will get all different kinds of results. Tube amps react differently depending on the volume that you play them at. The tone structure, compression, and amount of distortion change as you turn the volume up. In my experience with tube amps at home, they are either too tinny sounding at a low volume or way too loud with a full sound. A solid state amp will give you even EQ and dynamics regardless of the volume.
Think about this, if you ever do gig, you may have a great tone at home, but when you get to the gig, you turn the amp up louder and you have a completely different tone. No Bueno.

Plus Benson uses a Polytone.

[acupunk]

the two rock classic reverb is a clean platform that sounds beautiful.
Taken from a Blackface fender. Two rock are known for there cleans
as well as Bruno. They are both the blackface fender platform
with great spring reverbs, When you play something like a two rock
it just is so responsive and clear.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

But playing at home? 50 or 100 tube watts? Yikes. For a Fender tube amp, a Princeton (18W?) is more than loud enough. I know MrBeaumont in this forum loves the vintage non-reverb Princeton he just snagged. (The vintage non-reverb model had less gain so delivers a lot more clean headroom.)

[Bill C]

how about this for a very nice "parlo(u)r amp"?

Soloway Guitars - Headstrong Amps

[Archie]

I can get a nice, smooth, clean sound out of my Tech 21 Trademark 30, but it's not as pleasing (to me) as the deep, rich sound I get out of my Princeton Reverb reissue (especially with the reverb turned up). That's not a traditional jazz-type sound, but it's great for surfy or Shadows-type music.

[Latif]

I've had a 50w two rock custom non reverb for about 6 years. Big loud punchy cleans and a reverb unit through the effects loop sounds great. It's mostly sat idle for three years when I turned towards jazz. I'm now playing a Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno. It sounds good through the Two rock but I much prefer my Carr Rambler 12" combo. It's in the mid 30's weight wise, 2-6l6's, 28 watts with a 14 watt triode setting and is a fantastic clean platform with great spring reverb and tremelo.It takes OD pedals well and can be had used for around $1400 and up. The TR CR will be much more used and way more new. The two rocks are great amps but I find mine too much punchy power for what I'm looking for.

Latif

[jeffstritt]

Not to sound like a jerk, but... (Directed to the OP)

Do you just want to have an expensive amp for the sake of having an expensive amp? Based on what you have described the amps you mention are in almost no way suitable, in terms of size, tone, etc. I can't for the life of me figure out why anybody would want a big boutique tube amp for the purposes of playing at home. Have you ever owned a 50 watt tube amp? That is not even close to being suitable for a play at home amp.

I understand if you have the money that it is cool to show off for your friends, but if you are actually wanting this for playing enjoyment, there are millions of better choices. If you are going to get a 50 watt tube amp, you might as well get a Marshall stack... too.

[acupunk]

I have always found low wattage amps to not have
a fullness to them and clean headroom. A 50 watt two rock classic reverb amp also has
a half power switch down to 22 watts.
So when I do play out in the future I would not need to go get a higher
powered amp.
There is a response you get from a really good amp.The expression out of your fingers is alot easier to get. Since I have a really really good guitar why would I not want to match it with a really really good amp?
I know Tony Bruno does a cowtipper with a jazz circuit. I was jsut wondering if anyone has experienced playing one.

[Tom Karol]

For tube amps, you should definitely check out Rivera's myriad of offerings.

Never played through a Bruno Cowtipper (What a great name!), but it's one of my favorite amp models on my VOX ToneLab ST.

[Latif]

I've heard clips of Bruno's Cowtipper and they are indeed rich and deep in the cleans dept.He makes them in 22w, 35w and 45w versions.There's an abundance of boutique tube amps to choose from as well as the standard fare.The 28 watts of the Rambler is a great middle point, with lots of clean headroom. I found the 50 watts of my Two Rock to bring feedback sooner with my hollowbody which may or may not be a good thing depending upon your sound desires. A lot depends on the direction you want to go. If you're going toward old school dark warm jazztone then I think the TR is overkill. As a bedroom amp, way overkill as they need to be turned up to get the goods despite the fine master volume that TR uses. If you're looking to find new sonic territory then who knows, the TR might be just the ticket.

Good luck on your search,
Latif

[acupunk]

it is interesting but tony bruno recommends 90 watts for jazz players.
It is the one he makes for jazz guitarists.
Jazz players are not loud players. so I think it is for the richness in sound.
I also do recording and two rocks and bruno's go to tape beautifully.
At ultrasound studio's in NYC Bruno' s are in there jazz rooms.

[jeffstritt]

Originally Posted by acupunk

it is interesting but tony bruno recommends 90 watts for jazz players.
It is the one he makes for jazz guitarists.
Jazz players are not loud players. so I think it is for the richness in sound.
I also do recording and two rocks and bruno's go to tape beautifully.
At ultrasound studio's in NYC Bruno' s are in there jazz rooms.

Wow, seriously? Just admit that you want to be a big shot and spend a bunch of money. Don't kid yourself.

1. The guy that sells amplifiers recommends buying a bigger amplifier? Really? Are you buying this? You said yourself that jazz players don't play loud so why in the world would any Jazz player need a 90 watt tube amp?!?

For what styles of music does he reccomend a smaller less expensive amp?
... yeah I didn't think so.

Also, since this is the amp that he reccomends for jazz players, do all jazz players play the same type of guitars at the same volume with the same pick attack? There is a big difference on how you would amplify a Wes Montgomery vs. a Mike Stern vs. a Charlie Byrd vs a Freddie Green.

Wake up dude. If you want to spend a bunch of money and live out your Spinal Tap fantasy than you can just buy a wall of Henriksens, that might look just as cool. Or you could by an Ibanez a Marshall stack and some leather pants. Your call...

[rabbit]

First:
Not to sound like a jerk, but... (Directed to the OP)

Then:
Wow, seriously? Just admit that you want to be a big shot and spend a bunch of money. Don't kid yourself.

You don't sound like a jerk. That's too kind.

[Rallius]

How about a TR jet? It's a lower wattage TR at 35 watts. I have one and like it better for Jazz applications than my Classic Reverb

[fumblefingers]

i have owned 100 watt tube amps and played them at home with no problems. they sound just fine when playing them up against a loud stereo when playing along with great recordings etc. and if you are playing in a high school or college big band on stage, and are taking a solo, you will need some power. worked for me.

so whats the big deal? sounds like some economic envy going on here. but that's typical. everybody gives advice based on what they themselves can afford. if you can afford something they cant, they get their noses bent out of joint.

tube amps sound great. buy what you like.

[Charlie X]

I am a jazzer and have a number of high wattage tube amps..TR, Dual Showman, Fuchs and others...its not about volume, its having the 'authority' of a lot of watts that can make a great tone and not be too loud in the house. For me..the very minimum amp i would even plug into must have at least 50w...and i dont play loud at all. I can see wanting the watts. These 18w bedroom amps dont cut it at all. Id love the tone of a Carr, but when you get into heavy chording, they fart out and forget it with a drummer if u do decide to take it to a jam. I have been looking at the Victoilux...seems like a maybe at 45 w.

[jasonc]

Bruno probably recommended the 90 watts for the headroom. There is a reason the Fender Twin is a classic jazz amp. Another amp you might want to look at is the Alessandro Italian. It sports an octal front end which will give you a fatness that noval tubes don't quite have. Spend what you want and get the amp that does what you want. Guitarists have it easy but like to bitch the most about the prices of gear. The average cost of the instruments in a student orchestra at any major university would make most guitarists heads explode.

[Hammertone]

Originally Posted by acupunk

Hi

I am looking for an amp to go with my archtop guitar.
Has anyone tried these amps and have a recommendation?

Can you feel the love yet?
To answer your question, and since I have played both of these extremely fine amplifiers, my preference would be the Cowtipper. It's a much simpler amp in terms of tonal flexibility, and I found it easier to dial in (all the switching options on the Two Rock dazed and confused me), but the clean sound felt better to me - maybe it was the tube rectifier, or maybe it was the bacon I had for breakfast that day.

You didn't mention configuration - I believe both amps come in a few head/cab configurations. I'd go for a 2 x12 combo version if you have the choice. My 2 cents.....

[Jabberwocky]

This thread was started in July 2010. I think the OP might have got his amp by now.

[Hammertone]

But this is the intertubes, where old threads never die, they just go off-topic.

[accokeek88]

I'm a rank amature but I love the sound I've got. I started with a Fender 410 and then hooked up an extension Fender Bassman cab with 2 JBL K 120's. Thats 60 watts and set at 1.5 volume.. maybe 2. I played a vintage twin reverb today and when I came home I was so much happier with my sound. Why would someone want so much power at home? It sounds great even at low level! The best amp I've played is the Two Rock Studio 35. It costs more than my amp, extension speaker and my guitar! But that doesn't stop me from wishing that I could afford it. I haven't played any of the other amps on this thread but Two Rock..I love it. The guitar ,by the way, is just an Ibanez AF100 and guess what: it sounds better than all kinds of other way more expensive guitars..vintage or not. There, I feel better now.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by Hammertone

But this is the intertubes, where old threads never die, they just go off-topic.

[cosmic gumbo]

I'm thinking about getting a car to make the 1/2 mile drive down to the Chicken Shack at about 30mph. Should I get a Corvette, or would a Porsche be fine?

[Cobra]

Zombie thread re-animates...

Bwains!!!