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Hey everyone.
I'm looking into getting one, maybe two guitar amps. I won't be able to afford both anytime soon but it would be nice to know what some good options are. I have a Gibson Les Paul studio that I use for the more important gigs and my first guitar, a Yamaha Pacifica (I love that thing for some reason).
I play in a melodic punk band. You don't have to be familiar with the following bands to add your input, but we play stuff along the lines of Alkaline Trio, Jawbreaker, Lawrence Arms etc. I'm currently borrowing my bassist's Peavey Valveking (100watt? not sure) combo amp but I find the tone to be pretty brittle and I don't think the speakers "resonate" a rich enough tone. I'd like something with a thick distortion without such a grainy quality as the Peavey 5150 for example. I have a notion in my head that this gigging amp has to be a half stack, but if there was a combo that sounded as good and was easier to lug around I'd be all for it. The Valveking is too damn heavy man...
So you can get an idea of our sound:
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The second amp would be for smaller gigs and for portability. I am currently playing jazz in my college's ensemble and using a pretty lame solid state Crate combo amp. It's meant for a beginning bassists but I'm using it with my Yamaha. I need for this tube combo amp to be versatile in that it's lightweight, has a really good tone, has the option of distortion/reverb. I've only just begun thinking about this, but something like a little Vox amp.
I know quality amps are expensive, but I will not be able to afford anything over $2000. Ideally I could get both amps for that amount or less. That is my approximate budget.
Thanks for reading my novel! Good day and thanks.
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11-01-2009 03:46 PM
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A jazz forum is always the best place to find advice on an amp for melodic punk music. We know everything!
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For the bigger amp, check out the Traynor YCS-50, or 100. Both are very versatile.
How much smaller do you want the combo to be?
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The Traynor looks interesting...
The combo would have to be like half the size of that and probably much lighter.
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Sticking with the Traynors, the YCV series (20, 40, and 50) are worth looking into.
I use a 15 watt YCV-20 (original model) that's been retubed with a full set of jj's from eurotubes.com and had the speaker replaced with a Weber 30 watt ceramic Blue Dog. Gorgeous little amp.
The newer ones have a DI out, ext. speaker jack, and a headphone jack. The Wine model gets a Celestion Greenback in place of the stock Rocket 50.
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+1 for the Traynors. I have the YCS-50 and a YCV-50. The YCS has the possibility to be used at 15W or 50W. For jazz, you have a lot of headroom for a good clean tone even at high volume, and you could be surprised by the very nice overdrive (I know, it's a matter of personnal taste !).
Very versatile amps, superb construction, all made in Canada and around 800$ - 900$ (canadian). Weight around 45 to 50 pounds. Almost no noise on the dirt channel (this was the element that made me choose the Traynors vs the MesaBoogie Express 5-50 wich, also was twice the price !)
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LOL!
Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
Yeah, we can advise on a wide range of topics from the use of antibiotics to the best toilet tissue. The two issues are not directly related, of course!
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11-07-2009, 09:03 AM #8Archie Guest
Hey, if you want to know about the use of iambic pentameter in Renaissance drama, I'm your huckleberry!
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Pencil me in re: Pre-Columbian lobster bibs.
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Guys, guys, guys! Did you miss the part where he says he might get two amps and that he also plays jazz in the college ensemble?
Tubes? Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue. But SS would work for that, too. A used Polytone (check out eBay!) or a Henriksen JazzAmp
Maybe the college should spring for a house amp!
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The Fender Blues Junior NOS is a really good small amp, with decent distortion and excellent clean sounds. I have one I carry to the church when the Baptist Blues Band is performing during the service. Thirty-one lb, a nice lacquered tweed, and a Jensen speaker. Mine has a Ruby Reverb, which improves on the original.
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So many great suggestions. For jazz, man that Hendrickson amp sounds fantastic! Makes me wonder, is it versatile or is it a "one trick pony?"
Anyways, thanks a ton. Keep them coming. This is really good info.
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I have a Henriksen JazzAmp112. It is definitely a 'one trick pony' in my opinion, but boy does it nail that trick!
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Hey everyone. How do you guys like the Henriksen jazzamp head with a pretty standard cab? Would having a different speaker other than the jazzamp's built in speaker hurt the sound?
Having little money at my disposal, I am only concerned about these amps being versatile enough. As I stated, I play in a rock band too. As newbish as this will sound, I'm still wondering if this thing could sound good with distortion pedals or not. I know these sound fantastic for jazz, and even if it can only do jazz/blues I might still buy it, but I'm curious as to if it could more than "get me by" in my other musical endeavors such as rock and indie bands.
Thank you for the help.
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I'd like to also mention that I own a few guitars. The ones I play on a regular basis are a Yamaha Pacifica (which was my first guitar I received about ten years ago and have been using in my college jazz ensemble because it is pretty sturdy) and a newly bought Gibson Les Paul studio. I use the Gibson for gigs with my loud ass melodic punk band, but the guitar would also likely sound great through a Henriksen jazzamp.
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OK, I have a JazzAmp112. It sounds great for Jazz with any of my guitars. It sounds great for pop (not hard rock) with my A/E hybrid and a VOX ToneLabST. With my Tele, it can do jazz, clean blues (think B.B. King), and classic country. But for Rock and Blues with my Tele, I use my Cube 60 on the Tweed model. A Henriksen head with the speaker cab of your choice should be no problem (ask Mr. B and others). I haven't tried the Tele with the ToneLabST through the Henriksen yet - I've got the VOX's patches all programmed for my jazz/pop duo with the A/E hybrid guitar - but maybe I should!
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Well, I did try the Tele with the VOX ToneLabST into the Henriksen - for the last 3 hours! It was really impressive. I've cleared 12 slots on the VOX for Tele-only sounds. The Henriksen may now be my #1 for everything.
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Buy a Crate. It'll sound great, but the snobs will hate on you.
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I' ve posted about this on other thread, but I'll drop my two cents:
Portable amp for jazz:
-Fender Blues Jr
Great little amp, portable, nice for blues/rock/punk and it loves mods (I'd start with a retube kit... JJ tubes are nice). Instead of reverb, I'd add a delay pedal around 50-80 ms to thicken the tone or even a subtle chorus (think Mike Stern).
For the punk band:
The Traynors are nice, especially the YCV40WR (I have one). It's a bright sounding amp so it will get along better with humbuckers. Get the extension cabinet if you can, it will 'open' your tone.
IMHO 100 watts RMS on a tube amp is overkill. Even 20 watts will be as loud as a trumpet player blowin' hard! My first tube amp was a Fender Hot Rod Deville 60W, 2x12 which I could never turn up around 7-8, it's so damn loud.
Tubes need to be pushed hard to sound their best. I've seen too many guitarist use high wattage tube amps with dist pedals to get the dirt at low volumes. They are missing power tube distortion and speaker distortion, those will give you that solid punk rock tone... you need to crank your amp up for this. Some guys use power attenuators but you will lose your 'clean' channel.
If you can afford just ONE amp, I'd go for the Blues Jr and save the rest of your money for your next purchase. And don't forget to use the best quality cable you can.
There's lots to be told about tubes & distortion, but I'll leave it here, it's already a long post.
Peace!
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