Fender Pawn Shop Ramparte 9 watt guitar amp

**ruger9** · 11-03-2013, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

I don't doubt that adding a Barber Barb EQ would make these amps much more useful but the need to add a $150 pedal to a $300 or $400 amp changes the terms of the discussion substantially.

Agreed....

$279 Excelsior
$150 TC Spark Booster (EQ pedal like Barber EQ)
$210 Weber Alnico 15" (Jensen P15N copy)
$12 12AY7 in V1

$ 650..... and it STILL doesn't sound as good as the Texotica Presidio, plugged straight in, no mods.... for $350 more. Sure it's more $, but you can't turn something like the Exy into something like the Presidio, unless you change the amp circuit itself. At that point, why bother?

Now, if you LIKE the tone of the Exy as-is, maybe with a V1 tube change, more power to you. It's all about what YOU want to hear. But buying cheap amps and attempting to make them as toneful as high-dollar amps is folly. Don't buy a Civic and add a loud muffler and fat tires and expect it to keep up with a Formula One.

**jorgemg1984** · 11-04-2013, 07:33 AM

I understand it's not very logical to get a 150$ pedal to use with a 400$ dollars amp but the Barb EQ is indeed spectacular... I am actually considering having a friend building me a 15 tube combo without any tone stack, I'll just use the Barber. With my Henriksen it sounds better than most Fenders I played and the mid knob actually works...

As a side note, can someone tell me where's the ignore button?

**ruger9** · 11-04-2013, 07:54 AM

Wow... all this over a cheap Fender amp made out of particle board?!?!?!

**SamBooka** · 11-04-2013, 10:12 AM

all this boils down to is frustration that fender discontinued the jazzmaster ultralight and have been ignoring this demographic ever since.

in other news.. dont feed the troll and stay off the grass (unless you are Rob Ford)

**jorgemg1984** · 11-04-2013, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by SamBooka

all this boils down to is frustration that fender discontinued the jazzmaster ultralight and have been ignoring this demographic ever since.

in other news.. dont feed the troll and stay off the grass (unless you are Rob Ford)

In a way... yes. They given up on "jazz amps". But their new custom silverface series or their RI series can be used for jazz (although I hate the RIs)... Why they don't make a something like this is actually a mystery for me, I think there would be high demand for it in lots of stiles

http://tube-tone.com/princeton-plus.php

**Daniel Kuryliak** · 11-04-2013, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by ruger9

Wow... all this over a cheap Fender amp made out of particle board?!?!?!

If if's made of cheap particle board..it's got the Fender name on it.
What's the saying, "Quality goes in before the name goes on"...LOL!

**Jim Soloway** · 11-04-2013, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Hugh Walter Jennings

Not sure where you are coming from there Jim. Both of your posts directed my way were a tad cold.

The Excelsior amp was being discussed and I commented from my experience as an owner of one and ended with the old "ymmv" type ending. If you disagree with any or all I said, that's fine. No big deal at all.

But if you want to hold me to some sort of standard according to your personal assumptions of what is acceptable posting and what isn't, here on this forum, you are probably going to be disappointed. I see nothing at all in my initial post you quoted that could be seen as off-topic, rude, sarcastic, or displaying any other sort of issue.

Don't put too much stock in anything I posted this past weekend. Yesterday was moving day and my entire life was turned upside down (yet again). I'm drowning in boxes and I haven't even been able to unpack a guitar yet. The only consolation is that at least this time it's a more permanent home that our initial apartment in Vancouver so at least we don't have to do this again for quite a while. As for the Excelsior, these sorts of amps aren't for me but if you can get some mileage out of them, however you do it, good for you. Seriously. (EDIT and please consider this to be my apology. I wasn't being very nice).

**petermelton** · 11-04-2013, 06:12 PM

Haven't read this thread yet but,

Played through one today. I like it. I think it has plenty clean head ro for small restaurant gigs as long as you don't have super hot pickups. Relatively light weight too. The stock speaker sounds a little boxy but overall it's a cool amp. Certainly functional.

**jazzbow** · 11-04-2013, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by petermelton

Haven't read this thread yet but,

Played through one today. I like it. I think it has plenty clean head ro for small restaurant gigs as long as you don't have super hot pickups. Relatively light weight too. The stock speaker sounds a little boxy but overall it's a cool amp. Certainly functional.

Much kudos to you brother, you've more or less answered the first post.

**zizala** · 11-04-2013, 07:20 PM

I apologize for entering this thread earlier and causing an unintentional distraction......distilled down it was supposed to be a silly humorous aside about those of us that accumulate "stuff". I tend to drift on the fringe and sometimes need to realize that not everyone can read my mind.
(either way its disconcerting to think about)

On the subject at hand and to create some relevance to my earlier post .....

.......I've never had the opportunity to play one of these new Fender 9 watt pawn shop amps, so can't really have a useful opinion other than commenting on the idea of what this amp is supposed to be from some of the posts here.
From some of the discussion I can say that just like the Fender, those old Gibson amps in the photo I posted have very little in the way of tone controls, or none at all depending on the model. Each has a unique and singular voice and might play differently or have strengths or weaknesses when matched with different players, guitars and pickups. At their best each tends to do one thing very well.

Those of you that have posted about EQ pedals in the past......I thank you, as I've learned how using EQ can expand the utility of some of these amps far beyond what I could have imagined. So beyond looking good in the living space, the addition of some optional tonal tweaking can steer them into some very interesting sonic places. Not just historical curiosities.
But there are times, spaces and combinations where the unaltered voice is "the one" and needs nothing more.

I do understand those that feel that one of these simple amps will not likely suit their music and needs.
Thats why I have a bunch of them!

z

**jazzbow** · 11-04-2013, 07:29 PM

So Ziz, have you tries the Trace Elliot Vellocette?

**zizala** · 11-04-2013, 07:38 PM

Jazzbow.....

No....I haven't had the opportunity.
I've heard some good things about them from likeminded friends and would love to play one.

**3625** · 11-04-2013, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by zizala

I apologize for entering this thread earlier and causing an unintentional distraction......distilled down it was supposed to be a silly humorous aside about those of us that accumulate "stuff". I tend to drift on the fringe and sometimes need to realize that not everyone can read my mind.
(either way its disconcerting to think about)

I thought it was a hip post (on several levels) - keep drifting on the fringe!

**petermelton** · 11-04-2013, 08:47 PM

Glad I could help. I manage and select inventory for a music store and just spent some more time with ours. I won't mention what store because I like to keep my forum business for personal matters. I tried running the amp through a few different speakers and they make a huge difference in the tone. I'm not much of a Vintage 30 guy, but I must say this amp sounded great through one. With a tube upgrade and a speaker swap this could totally be a gig-able amp for guys. Both inputs work well and serve their purpose. On the hot input this thing gets a surprising amount of crunch. It gets to Marshall land easily.

**Philco** · 11-04-2013, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by ruger9

Wow... all this over a cheap Fender amp made out of particle board?!?!?!

That sounds like a kazoo.

**Hugh Walter Jennings** · 11-05-2013, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

Don't put too much stock in anything I posted this past weekend. Yesterday was moving day and my entire life was turned upside down (yet again). I'm drowning in boxes and I haven't even been able to unpack a guitar yet. The only consolation is that at least this time it's a more permanent home that our initial apartment in Vancouver so at least we don't have to do this again for quite a while. As for the Excelsior, these sorts of amps aren't for me but if you can get some mileage out of them, however you do it, good for you. Seriously. (EDIT and please consider this to be my apology. I wasn't being very nice).

Not necessary, but thanks Jim. My apologies to you and the rest of the members for making more of it than I needed to. And apologies to the OP as well.

It's just easy to forget that message boards are different than sitting in a room chatting with someone. In person, we can clarify what we meant or whatever if there is a sense of friction building. On a board, we don't have that luxury.

Cheers

**jazzbow** · 11-05-2013, 05:15 AM

So play nice!

**yebdox** · 11-08-2013, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by zizala

Those of you that have posted about EQ pedals in the past......I thank you, as I've learned how using EQ can expand the utility of some of these amps far beyond what I could have imagined. So beyond looking good in the living space, the addition of some optional tonal tweaking can steer them into some very interesting sonic places. Not just historical curiosities.
But there are times, spaces and combinations where the unaltered voice is "the one" and needs nothing more.

z

I agree with this completely. I think, having followed this forum for a while, that Jorge and I have similar ears. Although I have the Boss EQ pedal as opposed to the Barber, (I haven't really done much investigation) I think an EQ pedal is an essential item to have early on, in retrospect, as it creates so much versatility for amps that may not express the voice that you hear in your head. I wish I had not spent so many hours struggling with gear tweaks, when a simple EQ pedal would have likely sufficed much of the time.

I have some nice amps by Dave Allen and Vintage Sound among others, and, while they are wonderful amps, I can usually find some really nice tones with the use of an EQ pedal that I have been otherwise chasing through tube swaps, speaker swaps, extension cabs, strings and picks. Additionally, I have found that running this pedal through the loop on a ZT Club takes it from a mediocre sounding lightweight amp with a weird midrange, to a fairly versatile lightweight jazz amp that I don't mind playing through in a pinch and that will travel well in a large suitcase.

I have heard nice things about the Barber EQ, but it looks to take more pedalboard space than the Boss and has only three bands available, so still is limited to the frequency choices made by designer.... But maybe those were the right ones:-)

Maybe some of you get frustrated with wanting one guitar or amp to do it all, as I frequently do. If I can get past my "purist" tendencies and add a small piece of gear to get the tone I hear in my head, I would likely spend more time playing and less time agonizing over gear :-)

**jorgemg1984** · 11-08-2013, 09:14 AM

I agree with everything you said.. to me it was funny, one day I am with my tech - he's the nicest guy you can imagine - and just tells me "man I know you're really serious about tone chasing, just take my Monte Allums GE-7 and try it". It changed my life... Since then I had a lots of eqs and they are a simply amazing tool if well used.

The Barb EQ is more a preamp than an eq... it's made to impart an am's sound on a flat frequency device (which most amps are not). The GE-7 is sort of the opposite, a flat eq to make changes on an already colored amp.

**yebdox** · 11-08-2013, 09:19 AM

Jorge, I know we would be good friends if we didn't live on two different continents :-)

What's one more pedal? After I get the GE 7 modified (analogman) I will take a look at the Barb, as I've heard good things. Thanks!

**Clamps** · 11-08-2013, 09:37 AM

The guitar shop I teach from has a ramparte, I'm planning in giving it a go tonight. Watching a video and living the 'real thing' ought to clarify a few things.

Ps
What's up with the 'tone' of this thread?

**jorgemg1984** · 11-08-2013, 09:38 AM

I am sure we would get along very well, maybe one day will be in the same place

Considering your amps I think an upgrade from the GE-7 would be a parametric eq... the barber imparts blackface or tweed sounds, and your amps already should be in that ball park. The parametric will allow you to choose the center frequency and how large you want the Q to be.. But if you're happy with the GE-7 maybe it's not worth it. The Empress is probably the best one available but it's expensive, not enough Q control and 3 bands is a lot for guitar. I was lucky a local guy made me a BYOC parametric eq with just the first two bands (first one was modded to 100hz-500hz range), a few more mods - for just 100€. It was a no brainer

**jazzbow** · 11-08-2013, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Clamps

The guitar shop I teach from has a ramparte, I'm planning in giving it a go tonight. Watching a video and living the 'real thing' ought to clarify a few things.

Ps
What's up with the 'tone' of this thread?

Well clamps, the tone was lowered very early on

**Jim Soloway** · 11-08-2013, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Clamps

The guitar shop I teach from has a ramparte, I'm planning in giving it a go tonight. Watching a video and living the 'real thing' ought to clarify a few things.

Ps
What's up with the 'tone' of this thread?

It was at least partly my fault (for which I have already apologized). Not an excuse but I was in the mist of moving and with my life turned upside down I was just plain grumpy. With my guitars all packed up I was apparently willing to take it out on the keyboard.