What guitar amplifier are you presently using?

[P.J.]

Attachment 30007Another one of my amps, is the THD Univalve, and I have it coupled with an Avatar bottom with an Eminence 12 inch Private Jack.(ceramic magnet, and both my guitar PU's are ceramic, too,,ferrite) This amp is capable of pushing,,literally 'pushing' sound out, in a way I've not heard with other amps, and what I like about it is that it will produce very powerful clean tones. Single ended Class A, with only 3 tubes,(2 preamp, one power,,has an EL34 at moment) it can be very low maintenance, and it is self biasing(I've mentioned it before), so you can try different preamp and power tubes without any hassle. I'm not a big fan of the arch top, more muffled tone, tho don't like it distorted, either, at least, especially for jazz, and even fusion, and it can yield sustain on clean settings if you're near enough to it, for like, fusion, etc. Is rated at 15 watts, but is 22 with the present power tube,,it's so loud it's ridiculous,,need more volume,,take a line out into the PA,,should be loud enough for most venues, short of VERY large. It is too loud for my ears, if pushed, and that's my metric.

I have a Univalve with an Avatar cab also, but mine has a Celestion Blue. Love my Uni!

[guitarbard]

So you know. Cool.

[Max405]

Sorry I am late to the party. I am currently smitten by 2 new amps.
Medblues sent me a really nice Polytone Mini brute2. I always wanted one. It's amazing how powerful and clean this amp is. Today, I moved the amp to its permanent place in my living room. I love it.
The second amp is a mind blowing Henriksen Jazzamp 112. I was supposed to get one in trade for some studio demo work I did, but the studio owner changed his mind and disappeared on me. I can't say I blame him. So my boy Vinny came to the rescue and sent me one. I am amazed how efficient and perfected this amp is. the Henriksen is essentially a Polytone that has been perfected. It's that simple.
When I'm not playing through these 2 amps, I take comfort when I go back to the warmth, and spaciousness of my Fender George Benson, Hot Rod Deluxe. The sound of a Fender tube amp with a big open back cabinet is really tough to beat.

They are all great, and I am really fortunate to have them. Thank you Vinny and Medblues.

JD

[Moonray]

My main amp is a Fender Concert [1X12 configuration.]
Great Fender tone....only has treble and bass controls but the mid is set at
a nice place for giving up a fat jazz sound.
Luscious reverb too ..... ....sounds like I'm trying to sell it....no way.

It's from the Rivera time....s/n would put it early '85.

I got the ace tube amp guy in our town to work it over, new caps, tubes suited to the application [Svetlanas]

It's the first time I'd had a tech ask me what I was wanting from my amp....for me...max headroom.
Got me to play for him through my amp and then some others he had.
Now giving me 60.5 watts RMS @ clip point .....112 watts RMS max.

So the often mentioned "Rivera Concert = 3/4 of a Twin" is about right.
It's got a larger open back cab and breathes beautifully....nice spread of sound.
Don't dig boxy cabs..... That sounds slightly off ....but you know what I mean.

Backup is a Fender solid state Deluxe 90 plus.
It's a very loud 1X12 .... while it won't take over from the Concert,I like the way it sounds pretty
much the same at any volume setting. Whereas the tube amp has to get to 3.5 vol before it sings.
Also it's only about 30 lbs while the Concert is more like 50 lbs.

[cosmic gumbo]

Fender Super Champ XD. Loud enough for big band, and a tone machine for everything else. Used it at some big outdoor gigs with a line out to FOH. Handiest amp I've ever owned.

[guitarbard]

Have long wanted one of those Peavey Delta Blues 30 watters with the 1 15 in it. The Kendrick version is a little high priced.

[silverfoxx]

Current line up:-
Fender 65 Custom 15. ( weight 64lbs)
Mambo 12 ( "Eighteen" speaker similar to EV)
Henriksen Jazzamp 112ER
Evans AH 200 head paired with a custom Mambo
2x8 Beta Spkrs , part open back cabinet)
or a REStealth ER 12" closed back cabinet

The Mambo combo, Mambo 2x8 and Evans Head
were acquisitions suggested to me by a friend on
this forum,without which I might never have been
aware of the Mambo.
In the opinion of users it is the natural successor
to the Polytone , sadly out of production , and a
superb jazz amp , regarded in its day as the
benchmark by which others were compared.

[jorgemg1984]

Current line up:-
Fender 65 Custom 15. ( weight 64lbs)
Mambo 12 ( "Eighteen" speaker similar to EV)
Henriksen Jazzamp 112ER
Evans AH 200 head paired with a custom Mambo
2x8 Beta Spkrs , part open back cabinet)
or a REStealth ER 12" closed back cabinet

The Mambo combo, Mambo 2x8 and Evans Head
were acquisitions suggested to me by a friend on
this forum,without which I might never have been
aware of the Mambo.
In the opinion of users it is the natural successor
to the Polytone , sadly out of production , and a
superb jazz amp , regarded in its day as the
benchmark by which others were compared.

Silverfoxx I completely agree with you on the Mambo! If you have the chance one day try it with a real EV... I know it's expensive and heavy but it's a thing of beauty, really.

[silverfoxx]

Jorgemg1984
Thank you for that suggestion , I will try that idea
when the opportunity arises , your recommendation
is interesting, an A/B comparison with the Fender 15"
might prove the point, although the Fender has massive
Headroom the Mambo has a better tone IMO , I presume
that you suggest a 12" EV speaker ?

[jorgemg1984]

Yeah, the EVM-12L. When I had my Mambo head I also tried it with a EV Force 10 and an EV Force 15, always with excellent results but the EVM-12L was the clear winner. Today I use a digital rig but with my Polytone preamp pedal I still go with an EV digital cab.

[add4]

i'm surprised by the amount of polytones in the answers. i was under the impression that most people moved away from it with the henriksens, fenders and other mambos available.

personally i A/Bed the henriksens against the polytone and found them very compressed compared to the polytone. even if musical in their own way

[silverfoxx]

Yeah, the EVM-12L. When I had my Mambo head I also tried it with a EV Force 10 and an EV Force 15, always with excellent results but the EVM-12L was the clear winner. Today I use a digital rig but with my Polytone preamp pedal I still go with an EV digital cab.

Jorge ,
I recall an old pal has an 80,s model Polytone with a
15"Speaker ( closed back) in your opinion would this
Combo equal the Mambo with a separate 12" EVM-12L
In a closed back cab? I know that I could wrest the
Polytone from my friend at a reasonable figure .
Your thoughts would be appreciated please.

[jorgemg1984]

What I can say is I love 80s Polys... they're great amps. Their speakers sound very different from the EV but are an excellent match for the amp. Maybe this is not your kind of sound, but here's a clip of a 15 Polytone

So, I don't think it will be comparable to the Mambo with an EV sonically but at the right price it could be an excellent purchase!

I guess you also know Chris (Franz1997), he would be a great source for you, a true expert on Polys and Mambos!

[silverfoxx]

Thanks again Jorge, yes I will approach my friend ,try out
the Polytone & if possible also give an EV a whirl to compare.
Your guess is correct too, I know Chris quite well.

[lawson-stone]

i'm surprised by the amount of polytones in the answers. i was under the impression that most people moved away from it with the henriksens, fenders and other mambos available.

personally i A/Bed the henriksens against the polytone and found them very compressed compared to the polytone. even if musical in their own way

The virtues most Polytones on the used market is that they don't cost $1000+

You can get a solid, good sounding (if you like Polytones) Minibrute for $400 +/-

[silverfoxx]

Joe,
I must agree with your views on the Fender, like your GB, my '65 Custom "15" is beyond compare
its huge 'airy' sound is unique. In fact I used my newly acquired Pat Metheny 200 last night and it
was a perfect match. To be fair its pretty awesome through any of the amps,the Mambo 12 in
particular. I strongly recommend them , very much in the Polytone ballpark. The Henriksen isn't
too shabby either. Vinny is extraordinarily helpful , and a great friend .







Alan

[osvi]

Coming soon....



Elmuz MV3H 30 w + cabinet Elmuz with Jensen G 112 AlNiCo P12n and Tweeter Beyma CP16.
Wowwowwowwow

[Top of the Arch!]

I use a Rivera Clubster 25 with a Webber Blue Pup ALNICO 10" or a DV Mark Little Jazz . The Rivera is only 25 watts but is quite loud enough for any gigs that I did and has great tone to boot! These days I only play at home just to keep from getting too rusty and the DV is perfect for that. Bob

[Max405]

Joe,
I must agree with your views on the Fender, like your GB, my '65 Custom "15" is beyond compare
its huge 'airy' sound is unique. In fact I used my newly acquired Pat Metheny 200 last night and it
was a perfect match. To be fair its pretty awesome through any of the amps,the Mambo 12 in
particular. I strongly recommend them , very much in the Polytone ballpark. The Henriksen isn't
too shabby either. Vinny is extraordinarily helpful , and a great friend .

Alan

Hey Buddy, I'm glad you feel the same way about the sound of nice open back Fender Amp. They make any room seem bigger. And warmer.
Yes Vinny is a great friend. And the Henriksen I got from him is an extraordinary amp. It makes me want to play out again, just so I could have an easy time bringing my stuff home every night.
And one other thing about the Henriksen.. The Reverb, why is it so shunned? I happen to think it is great. The decay and depth and shimmer is exactly what I would adjust it to if it had the extra knobs. I think its perfect, just like the amp itself. Perfect..

PS, I'm glad your lovin the PM.

[GNAPPI]

I'm easy to please I guess. For everyday practice I use Fender Champion 110 with a MONSTEROUS EV 10" speaker and a pedal for reverb because someone at Fender forgot what reverb should sound like :-)

For recording I have my Music Man 210 hd with a Marshall 2x12 ext cab. Lots of other amps here but all are for sale, well maybe not my early production SF super reverb.

[reefer_man]

I use a Fender hot rod GB, went to a store and tried nearly all of the fender line and some other brands, polytone and many others. the hot rod gb was to me the best sounding amp. really truthful to the sound of the guitar . Great thing about this amp is that it also sounds beautiful at low volumes so it's magnificent as a practice amp, top class tone at stage volume


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[Vladan]

Keep in mind I'm a rank amateur, not playing much by any standard.
In past over decade, generally I go from "Boss SE70" multi FX straight into mixer, PA (via DI) live, as well as for recording, but occasionally, for rehearsals mostly, I do use all of the following:

Aztec Solar X-32 (Vermona)


Melodija Solist 61


Acoustic 230 (with self made cabinet/ 15")


For recording sometimes I use Marshal SM-2

[ibbyjazz]

I use a Fender hot rod GB, went to a store and tried nearly all of the fender line and some other brands, polytone and many others. the hot rod gb was to me the best sounding amp. really truthful to the sound of the guitar . Great thing about this amp is that it also sounds beautiful at low volumes so it's magnificent as a practice amp, top class tone at stage volume


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

I had one and let it get away, great amp.

[ibbyjazz]

I use a Fender hot rod GB, went to a store and tried nearly all of the fender line and some other brands, polytone and many others. the hot rod gb was to me the best sounding amp. really truthful to the sound of the guitar . Great thing about this amp is that it also sounds beautiful at low volumes so it's magnificent as a practice amp, top class tone at stage volume


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

I had one and let it get away, great amp.

[bohemian46]

1979 Lab Series L5
Custom Blues Jr.