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If any of those classic Fender amps came out as boutique models today dudes would be scrambling to lay hands on them.
Originally Posted by vernon
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02-16-2026 08:47 PM
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I have too many.
Ones I will probably sell:
Pre cbs Princeton reverb
tweed Harvard (yes original)
headstrong lil king
louis electric columbia
I really should sell my Gibson eh 185 too
my number one amp: pre CBS vibrolux reverb.
for gigging it’s almost always one of the milkmans and a cab. Sometimes a Henriksen bud.
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I have five. My main two are a Victoria Club Deluxe and a Tweed Deluxe Reissue. I could get by with just those no problem. The Victoria is smoother and more modern, the Tweed Deluxe nails vintage tones (perfect for Kenny Burrell sounds).
I also have a Mesa Mark IV combo. For gain sounds or anything the requires clean and gain this is my go to.
I have a 70s champ that sounds great, is very portable, and will get that exploding amp sound at not insane levels. Not essential, but fun.
And then my total luxury amp is a 73 pro reverb. It's too heavy to leave the house and can be approximated with the Victoria, but its spring reverb is the best I own and playing a 2x12 is really satisfying. Won't sell it unless I have to.
I think the first two amps cover needs (and I could probably get by with just the Victoria). The Mesa is close to a need because of the gain. The other two are for fun.
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In terms of what I actually have use for, two. A tweed Deluxe clone I built from a kit (Mission Amps, a really well-done cab I ordered from a guy on Reverb who builds them, Cannabis Rex) that sounds great; and a TOOB BG+/DV Mark Raw Dawg EG250 which sounds just as good and gets 95% of my playing time at home and away from home. I am really pleased with that setup tonally, over and above the transportability. Then I have four other amps, three of which are serving no purpose.
I have a Cube 60 COSM which stays at the home of the bass player in my band for rehearsals. Perfectly adequate amp, been reliable as can be for 20+ years and frankly on stage once the drums, bass, horns, etc., kick in hardly anyone can tell the difference. I like it on the "Tweed" setting. Brutally practically speaking, if it was the only amp I had it would be fine.
1974 Fender Pro Reverb built shortly before the master volume era. The 2nd amp I owned, I bought it in about 1985. It replaced a Crate 212 which was... not that good. Weighs about 80 lbs, I can hardly lift it any more and risk back injury if I do. Great sounding amp, outstanding for blues with a Strat or Tele. Hasn't left the living room in years, gets plugged in less than annually and should go. It should be used. My wife resents the hell out of this thing (it's in the living room for the last 32 years since we bought our house and got married) and she would be really happy if it moved on.
AI Clarus 2R Series III, maybe? Maybe S2, can't recall for sure. Great amp, as clean as clean can be, but don't use it any more since getting the DV Mark/TOOB, and it needs to go too. Raezer's Edge 12" cab (not Rich-built) also just sitting there. Both should move on.
Polytone Baby Taurus which doesn't get used any more and needs an overhaul to track down a sympathetic mechanical buzz that I just can't find.
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I recently sold my two largest amps, a Roland Blues Cube Artist and a Gibson Falcon GA-19RVT, primarily because they were too heavy to lug around and too loud for my needs.
Most of my playing out live is at local Live Houses, Jazz Cafes and other small venues that have their own backline amps, most commonly a Roland JC-120, 90 or 40, Polytone Mini Brute (usually at the older venues), a Yamaha combo and a more recent Fender combo.
A couple times a year, I might play out at venues where there are no amps, such as an annual outdoor Street Jazz Festival or a community event in an auditorium of some sort.
For those few occasions I use a Henriksen Blu Six, which is light and loud enough, and I also use at home to mess with pedals. This one is the closest to what I would say I need.
There are 4 others, none really needed but interesting or useful to have around for now.
Fishman Loudbox Mini (pre-Bluetooth model), which is hooked up to a Roland Karimoku piano in our living room and which can take either a mic or an acoustic guitar, plus AUX in for backing tracks, etc. Not needed but good for occasions when there are guests to jam.
Silvertone 1457 (made for Sears and Roebuck by Danelectro in the 1960s), which has a 5W tube amp with tremolo and speaker built into the case. Definitely not needed, but I got a thing for weird, quirky, bizarre guitars, etc., and so for now that one's a keeper.
Fender 1960s VibroChamp, not needed but I keep it around for well, just because.
Lekato tiny USB chargeable amp for my travel guitar carry bag, useful for travel.
I had a few other amps in the past, all of which I sold in the 1990s when I quit gigging to travel and study world acoustic musics. Those include a 1960s Princeton Reverb (my first amp in the 1970s, used in garage bands), a Peavy Mace with 4x12 cabinet for the louder rock bands (which is probably one reason why my ears are shot!), a Polytone Mini Brute for the jazz combo and big band gigs, and an Acoustic combo for the wedding band gigs.
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Maybe this should be a desert island amp thread...
To make it easy I have the amps I need, if I get more obviously I need them!
Works with guitars too.
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I personally have zero. I don't really play gigs anymore, and if I do, I use a digital modeller and whatever PA they have or borrow my partner's FRFR speaker.
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What I'm holding, and what I need, are two very different categories! Originally Posted by Stringswinger
I'm holding two guitar amps, both of which work very nicely for traditional clean jazz guitar sounds:
- a 1980 Polytone MiniBrute III
- a 2005 Acoustic Image Focus 1 Series II head into a Flite Sound 1x12 cabinet loaded with a mid-60s Altec-Lansing 601 speaker that got reconed in 1980 as a fullrange driver
But I don't just play traditional clean jazz guitar sounds, and especially when working in the studio the bulk of my guitar sessions lean towards pop, rock, and funk.
And those two amps I'm holding suck for most pop, rock, and funk.
As a band-aid solution I often drive the Polytone with a Line6 POD Pro, or a Tech21 SansAmp GT2, or a Scholtz Rockman Sustainor. It gets the job done, but it's really just a facsimile of the objective.
So what I really "need" for my studio work is
- a silverface Fender Twin Reverb
- a blackface Fender Deluxe
- a tweed Fender Champ
- a Marshall #1959 Plexi with the #1960A cabinet
- a Roland JC120
- a Vox AC30
...yeah, like that's ever gonna happen. :::wistful sigh:::
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So is this a trick question? Because as a consumer the answer, As many as possible!
And as a starving Jazz Guitarist the answer, The one I’m borrowing!
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Testing Toobs gives me an excuse for owning quite a few. The current herd includes the following guitar amp heads: 3X Quilter SuperBlock (one is always on loan to an up-and coming jazz guitarist), 2X DV MarkMicro 50, a Raezer's Edge Luna 200R, a VOX MV50 Clean and a Kyro Dulo. On the bass side, 2X TC Electronic BAM200 (for all thinkable purposes), a Warwick Gnome and a Darkglass Microtubes 200, which gets the most air time. There are some more on the PA, historic or experimental shelves.
A solid-state guy since 1966, I have owned seven Quilters so far and will probably order a 202 over the next few days. It will definitely be my very latest amp...
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I have the early Quilter8 micropro 200 with the 8" speaker and I have the 12" extension speaker. I use a pedalboard and just need a clean tone from an amp and the Quilter does that just fine and is all I need. Backup is a Quilter microblock 45.
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[QUOTE=My wife resents the hell out of this thing (it's in the living room for the last 32 years since we bought our house and got married) and she would be really happy if it moved on.[/QUOTE]
If this was my house, I would have already been divorced for 31 years!
The only amp she thinks is cute is the Little Jazz- but not in the living room!
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Two. One that I use and one that I don’t use. Ever.
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Amps that I've been using this past year:
Peavey Studio pro - stays next to my desk for home practice.
Peavey Special 130 - this one sat unused, for years, in my closet... so when I got a few students I took it to that studio room to use (def. overkill size-wise for a small room lol but I prefer the smaller Peavey at home).
Fender Champ XD - lives at the church sanctuary, I use it weekly.
AER Compact 60 - for gigs.
So I guess I need 4 amps.
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-Are there any benefits of owning/playing more than one specific guitar? or alternatively; -What are the disadvantages of playing just one specific guitar all the time?
Your answers to these questions would indicate your attitude to the subject title of this thread.
It obviously depends on who you are and your context, but musicians typically would have to address a number of common situations.
Artistic considerations (playing performance and tone)
- We acknowledge the fact that the amp and speaker is part of the instrument, i.e responsible for your musical and artistic performance.
Sound system scaling (what output requirements do you need?)
- Optimal power depends on venue
- Sometimes you're supposed to plug into the "house PA", sometimes there is no PA.
Continuity planning (your process to ensure that your gear remain operational)
- Real time backup solutions (the show must go on. If you break a string you know what to do. If a fuse is blown you don't heat up your soldering iron on stage.)
- Maintenance routines (when your gear is in the work shop, you need backup gear).
Edit: If you just play at home, you don't "need" amplification, but you probably enjoy the sweet sound of a good amp.
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Warren Nunes said that it's best to play only one guitar.
Of course, he had an L5.
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I have a few that aren't going anywhere:
Mesa Mark IVa ministack (1x12 combo and 1x12 Thiele) - It sounds great for anything you want to do.
Fender TM Twin Reverb - Sounds great, loud AF, and 33 pounds! I use this mostly for the piezo in my JP6 and play the pickups through the Boogie.
Hartke Hydrive 210 - My bass amp - I've spent $400 fixing this $400 amp so I may sell it and replace it with something different while it's still in perfect running order.
'68 Drip Edge Bassman 50 head - this isn't really working and needs an overhaul. I was told it was "Marshall modded" as the 2nd input of both channels is now a pot.
'80 Acoustic 100watt 1x12 combo - great jazz sound but nearly 100 pounds. I rarely use.
I don't play out, but I work with 2 cover bands (dad rock, easy stuff) that I occasionally fill in for on guitar or bass, and I don't want to give that up just yet.
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Used to: Originally Posted by jim777
A fabulous rig that weighed 135 lbs, which I sold as soon as I started gigging with this:
which weighed 40 lbs, but now I use this
which weighs 17.5 lbs.
Danny WLast edited by Danny W.; 02-18-2026 at 10:26 PM.
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Ones I regularly use:
Musicman 65RP
MiniBrute III
Crate Limo (battery amp)
Ones I rarely use:
TeenyBrute
GDec 3 30
Ashdown 1x15 bass combo
Ones I never use:
2002 Twin Amp
90s Sessionette 75
80s Sessionette 75 (taken to rock/pop gigs as a spare)
H&H 1x15 bass combo
JCM 800 4104
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Throughout the years many players were associated with a specific guitar that became their signature model. Sometimes they had to play that guitar (or a copy of it) to please the crowd. The fans expects "Mr 335" to play his 335. The fact that he played numerous other models on stage as well as on record will be forgotten. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Fact remains: every working musician needs backup instruments and most also like to alternate with different instruments that got different voices.
This applies to the amp and speaker system as well. Some players got a signature amp (which obviously doesn't mean this was the only amp he ever plugged into).
Triviality:
I used to play one individual guitar all the time. The biggest problem with this was that whenever I tried to play a different guitar I never felt "at home". I liked to believe that this was because my "signature guitar" was better than all the rest, an idea I later could dismiss. Same thing applies to the amp and speaker system.
Assume the player just want to concentrate on playing, making music, and that gear is a necessary evil...then remember he won't be able to make music without gear. Whether he "needs" amplification or not is a question about if he plays an electric or an acoustic instrument. Nobody "needs" to play electrics at home for the purpose of being loud enough, but we all enjoy the sweet sound of a good amp and speaker. "The sound in the room" the real, live sound, is the only sound that counts for the performing musician. (The recording musician got another set of rules, but that's a different story).
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‘Need’ is a flexible term. You can always borrow or rent an amp. In this day and age, with so many options to go direct, amps are not a necessity (unless there is no PA at all). Having said that, personally I play a lot better if I use my fav guitar with my fav amp. For me the amp is just as much part of my instrument as my guitar. Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, etc. I have two main amps: a Carr Sportsman which is my dream amp for plugging a guitar straight in and it’s the one I use for jazzy stuff. And a Brunetti Singleman for everything else. Then there is an old, beat-up ENGL combo which flat-out refuses to die despite all my efforts to the contrary, which I use as a spare and as a speaker cabinet if I want to try out a head. Finally there’s a little Spark Mini which is just so awesome on the go.
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I own 5 amps, with no plans to acquire any more, and maybe selling one.
Reeves Custom 50 head/cab
Two Rock Vintage Deluxe 40W head/cab
Bartel Starwood
Louis Electric Columbia Reverb
Carr Telstar
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Yes, and therein lies the rub. Certainly a lot of musicians I have known have been in the recording biz, (I was primarily in NY and LA), even if they were mostlyy jazz players. In times past, it was considered totally typical for a jazzer to be in the studios and expected to play a variety of instruments and styles. The only exceptions were folks who created a name for themselves and became jazz "stars", like Wes, Joe Pass etc. Originally Posted by JCat
That's primarily why I accumulated different guitars and amps back in the day. They weren't just GAS acquisitions. Players were expected to play rock, funk, show tunes, acoustic guitar, even nylon string guitar, not to mention esoteric ethnic instruments if you were doing things like film and TV work. It wasn't easy to put together the dough to keep different sounds together.
Nowadays I can get away with a jazz guitar and amp probably, and the other stuff is still hanging around. However I did get a call to produce a funky Stonesy track last year, and the old gear came in handy. So you never know!
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I think Mick Taylor does, but I haven't seen him post here in a while. Originally Posted by Hammertone
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iirc -- and, given that it's been ~55 years since I was well-versed in this sort of trivia, I am probably not r-ing c -- Taylor's preferred Ampeg was the V-9...otherwise known as the SVT (bass amp) Originally Posted by John A.
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