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I got pain. If my back was that bad I'd still just keep my Twins and put some neo speakers in them for gigging. If it was still too heavy then I'd probably just quit.
Originally Posted by ruger9
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10-25-2024 03:39 PM
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Dawgbone:
Or, you could get a smaller amp, with say...1 12" speaker that could actually have great tone, put in a Neo spkr. and save your back and your tone. Y'know, those kind of amps do exist.
I don't say this to be snarky, but, I have had 3 Twins, some Bassmans, some Bandmasters, Concerts and some Princeton Reverbs.
I sold the Twins and everything else but I still have 2 PR's. One is a PRII with a great spkr. Tone and tone! And versatile while being compact. (20 watts). Yes, plenty of headroom.
Don't quit!!!!! And don't put your back through the (unnecessary) pain and ............
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I don't generally care for single 12" combos, they usually sound too boxy to me for the most part. A Deluxe kind of defies that since the cab is a larger, wider cab than the usual 1x12. I have a loud band though and a Deluxe doesn't have the headroom to compete with the drummer since I always hire heavy hitters. I could never make a princeton work unless it was mic'ed up and then run back to me through the monitor screaming loud. I like the Twin cause I never need to deal with getting a monitor level right that way. The only thing I ever run through monitors is my vocal and once in a blue moon I have the rhythm guitar in there but only enough so I can make out the rhythm guitar parts if I'm not catching it from his amp. I always have the bass and rhythm angle their amps inwards towards my mic stand so it's almost never an issue unless the stage sucks. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
Dawgbone:
Or, you could get a smaller amp, with say...1 12" speaker that could actually have great tone, put in a Neo spkr. and save your back and your tone. Y'know, those kind of amps do exist.
I don't say this to be snarky, but, I have had 3 Twins, some Bassmans, some Bandmasters, Concerts and some Princeton Reverbs.
I sold the Twins and everything else but I still have 2 PR's. One is a PRII with a great spkr. Tone and tone! And versatile while being compact. (20 watts). Yes, plenty of headroom.
Don't quit!!!!! And don't put your back through the (unnecessary) pain and ............
I have looked at the 50 watt Music Man 1x12's guys like Chris Cain use cause they got power but for whatever reason they shot way up in price the past few years whereas you can barely give away the 2x12 100 watt version. For reference when we play how we like I basically crank the Twin and the second guitarist is using a tweed bassman, also cranked way up.
I like the idea of quitting, it sounds kinda good. But then I wouldn't have anything to do and I'd have to do other dumb stuff to make up for the loss of cash. I've been doing it to long to quit now. I realized that earlier this year. I'm not young anymore so I can't just jump ship. And I'm kinda entrenched with a good group in the Austin area with gigs so I can't just pick up and walk. I realized I've now spent what will likely be the majority of my life doing it. I don't have anything else. Truthfully if I was going the light weight route I would probably get one of those UA modeler pedals and make the soundman get it right, which would probably work out to being more of a pain in the ass than just lugging a heavy amp on a dolly, lol.
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I totally get the dilemma, but it really doesn't have to be the two extremes, a mega heavy tube amp or a direct digital device, there are so many in between choices! I gigged for more than a decade with an Alessandro 1x12 combo with a neo speaker, 40 watts all tube and only 15 kilos! Or these days lighter tube amps like a princeton or a pro junior, analog solid state like all these new ones, then for direct there are analog interfaces that are much closer to what a tube player is used to than digital ones, etc..
I have tremendous respect for players that are extreme about good sound. The Hammond player in a band i play in is like that, he won't play unless he can use a real hammond and leslie. But, we play a lot less gigs as a result, and these days he is a hobbyist musician, so he has the luxury to do that, and also rest between very sparse gigs. Personally this summer period (april to late october here
) i'm looking at 6-7 nights per week playing mostly hotel and function gigs, so light gear really makes sense. Meaning Quilter Phantom block for a direct interface and ZT lunchbox reverb or Aer for when i need an amp for these types of gigs.
Even younger, the normal day would be a rehearsal or studio, then lessons or more rehearsals, then a gig at night. So using a heavy amp was always a luxury. I mean, everyone likes good sound, but being able to comfortably do gigs is also important, as is learning to sound good over different gear. Not hurting yourself is also important.Why contemplate quitting gigs over heavy gear? Try everything there is beforehand.
The guitarist in a blues band i sometimes play with is an avid gear collector. Between himself and his brother, both very active musicians for decades and well off financially, they have dozens of great vintage guitars and amps. Now in his 60s, I lent him my Zt lunchbox and he bought one, says it's the perfect amp for him now! He still sounds great, and both him and the audience enjoy his gigs..
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I am a person who is on/off, all or nothing, do/don't. It doesn't do me many favors but that's who I am. 6-7 gigs a week sounds great. It's been a while since I was that busy. The only thing at this point that would make me reconsider a Twin is if I was booking dinner gigs routinely and had more than one flight of stairs to deal with on a regular basis. I generally avoid extra low volume affairs but my loudest gig is also my quietest gig if the weather is bad since they put me downstairs. But at least it doesn't get canceled and the club and club owner have been beyond great to me. Originally Posted by Alter
I have been able to dial in a Twin to sound pretty good even at very low volume so it covers all my bases without having to buy more gear. Gear is just tools for a job, so I try to look at it in utilitarian terms rather than constantly lusting after the latest goodies.
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Same here. Emphasis on “try”. I’m a work in progress. Originally Posted by DawgBone
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I also had a Twin that i just used at home for years, glorious amp! Never gigged it though, although it's great when a club has a twin. Never understood why people prefer smaller amps for home usage, even the 1 watt Marshall head (0.1 watt attenuated) is too loud for a small room if you want amp distortion. But my Twin, Blues Deluxe, Vibrolux, Super Reverb, 50 watt Marshall head, Alessandro, Mesas etc.. there are all gone since my 40s, which was about a decade ago.. Should have kept the Vibrolux!
Then came years where i tried all small Fender ones, and i ended up with a vintage Princeton reverb and a pro junior.
However, soon moving to a house from an apartment, a bigger Fender for home playing comes into play again.
And it's a good era to shop for big tube amps, nobody seems to want them!
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Look for a Fender Concert from the early 80's, the Rivera era model. I had one with 2 10's in it. It was like a smaller Twin at 60 watts, and 10's, or a beefier Vibrolux !
I got great tones out of it. 2 Neo spkrs in it would have helped in the weight dept. but I kept one stock Eminence 1078 and a Tone Tubby in it. A great combination in a great amp. It sounded glorious at home too at LOW volume.
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Yes, I own one. The Concert 1x12 combo. Great Amp, one of the best clean sounds among the Fender amps. Just swap the stock Eminence speaker. I put in a WGS G12C which enhanced the great sound of this amp. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
But keep in mind those Rivera era amps are now 40 years old and might need some servicing.
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"But keep in mind those Rivera era amps are now 40 years old and might need some servicing."
Well of course. We all know that, just like the car needs tires and brakes etc. etc. But what a sound! And when they are serviced, they sound even better. Make sure you have a "good" tech.
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Also a classic solution for a lighter Twin is the Pro reverb, that is lighter and about half the Twin power (but still quite a heavy amp)..
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Gee, we couldn't tell. Originally Posted by DawgBone
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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LOL, yeah I reckon so. Originally Posted by ruger9
@Alter I found the pro reverb to be much squishier with much less headroom than a Twin thanks to the tube rectifier and of course lower wattage. To me it was more like a Super Reverb with 12" speakers but I didn't like it as much as a good Super, which is an amp that would probably be next on my list if I was buying something other than a Twin.
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@DawgBone: I appreciate your allegiance to the old school stuff, after all I still have my Harley-Davidson Shovelhead (which I bought brand new in 1983). I have always loved Fender and Mesa tube amps myself. But my almost 67 year old back is willing to make the trade off to lighter amps, so Quilter (I know you hate them) and Milkman amps have replaced the Fender and Mesa amps for me. I am not ready to go digital with the Tonemaster amps yet, but that day may come.
There are two things that could get in the way of your love for a tube Twin Reverb:
An aging back (get ready, it is coming) and/or:
The lack of available tubes (you better stock up while you can).
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I'm hoping some kid will bring me my bourbon and carry my amp for me by then. I can get a few more miles out of my back. Otherwise I'll just take the ultimate destination all digital routes lead to and let a machine play the guitar for me. There's my disgusting thought for the day. Good morning, lol. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Tubes will still be around in our lifetime and probably the next.
I still gig my '67 Twin weekly and if I need to carry it more than 50' I have a great little collapsible cart.
You're just not gonna get THAT sound any other way.
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Is there a neo speaker to get that prewar sound? Is that called low efficiency? I wouldn’t mind making the blues jr lighter and getting a more Charlie Christian tone.
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Agreed. I have a 69 and a 72 both blackfaced inside and they are both great sounding amps. Cheap, reliable, versatile, powerful. Pretty much everything but light. My 72 is 94lbs. I call that anti-theft protection, lol. It kinda feels like it's screwed to the floor. It's still easier to get into the back of the bluesmobile than a Super Reverb cause it's compact. I travel with a drummer so we always have a dolly. The fifty foot rule you have is pretty accurate. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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A hemp cone would be your best bet. Those hemp cones sound old out of the box, I love them. They don't make a Neo one yet. You'd have to settle for one of the ceramic versions from Eminence, Celestion, or Tone Tubby. The Eminence Cannabis Rex has been one of my favorite speakers for years. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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Yes you'd want to find an inefficient neo. Maybe 97dB or so. Good luck and lemme know what you find out there. There just isn't that much reliable info on real world Neo performance. I really wanted to try some EM12N's and was also looking closely at a couple other sets for the Twin but just not a lot of available feedback out there on them so pure dice roll on very expensive speakers when I can get something tried and true. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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