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I need to buy my son a combo amp before school starts. We’re heading to Dallas to shop this week. We will most likely end up with a Fender such as a ‘65 DRRI or ‘ ‘68 Custom. I know there are others that some of you might want to recommend. The DRRI is 42 pounds. I think that’s about as heavy as he wants to deal with. Any ideas?
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07-01-2018 01:02 PM
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Hard to go wrong with a Deluxe. It'll handle pretty much any gig if you don't mind a bit of dirt if playing with a heavy handed drummer. OTOH, some guys set their vol/tone on the guitar too far down for anything less than a Twin, but who wants to haul one of those monsters around??
Addendum:
If you go for a DRRI, you might find the reverb channel too bright. If so, it's a very simple matter of cutting one of the legs of the bright cap. Lots of info on the web on how to do so.
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What is the intended use of the amp? Personal use? High school band? College music program? What kinds of ensembles?
The only criterion the OP established was weight, max 42 pounds, so I'll guess that price is not a factor.
I can't recommend a Fender tube combo because I probably wouldn't buy one. That's not to denigrate Fender tube combos, many of them are wonderful amps.
Suggestion:
List out all of your criteria: weight, size, type(s) of music to be played, price. That will help parameterize an answer.
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Does he want 2 channels and a 12” speaker?
A/B against a Princeton PRRI might help clarify priorities—1 channel, same 6V6 array and reverb, 10” speaker, 34 pounds.
Pedals are so good now, too, that unless he is committed to Fender reverb, a reverbless amp might save even more weight while expanding tonal criteria.
(Here’s another modern option for A/B/C testing—the Carr Sportsman. 1 channel, 6V6-based, 10 or 12” speaker, and unlike the Fender reissues, handwired.)
Good luck/have fun.
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As a bassist he’s never used a pedal. Now he will need some sort of boost for solos. This is exactly why I asked you all to help out. I’m not that experienced and folks aways point out stuff I hadn’t considered. Would a pedal into a single channel amp or switching between channels be preferred?
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Oh, he’s a bass player? Throw all these amps off the bus! Call in the real bass players for proper amplification opinions.
Modern bass amplification is all about solid state power. Fender has offerings, but worth looking at makers that focus on bass amplification— Hartke, Ampeg, Eden... now the real bassists should chime in.
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"Bass?" Visit Talkbass.com for the serious answers.
Other thoughts, though: will the amp stay in one place (i.e., rehearsal room, dorm room) or will he have to lug it around campus every day? If the latter, then he needs a small and powerful combo. As with all gear questions, what is your budget?? Amps/cabs can go from $200 - 3000!
[FWIW, for bass I have an Aguilar TH 500 head -- that comes with a carrying case -- and a RevSound 2x8 cab -- very lightweight and powerful! I can carry my bass and the amp setup anywhere quite easily!]
Happy hunting!
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I’m sorry I could have worded that better. He plays upright in a city youth orchestra and school orchestra. He’s been playing bass guitar and upright with the High school Jazz Band as a freshman. The senior guitarist graduated last year with a pretty good music scholarship. My son has decided to learn a second albeit similar instrument to play(guitar) and take his spot. He’s attempting to walk into the first day of class as a sophomore and show his director that there won’t be any drop off after losing the senior guitarist. My job is setting him up with the best gear I can afford. The 52 Hot Rod and whatever amp we choose should sound plenty good I hope. I feel like we found a great guitar since he’ll have an Eastman archtop owned by the school to play also. I just have to figure out the amp question.
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Helpful context. Hope you can get advice from the big band players here.
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Interesting search thread. What amp was the former guitarist using in the school band?
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He had a Hot Rod Deluxe. He wasn’t entirely happy with it. From what I’ve read many have the same feelings towards that model. I think it runs around 3-$400 less that the reissues though. I’ll spend up to that $1100 mark but not much more.
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Solid state is out? I'd plump for a BOSS Katana Artist ($599 MAP) and pocket $501 of your $1100 budget. I don't think he'd have the time to mess around with tubes-and solid state amps are more reliable - in a schoolboy situation.
Do give it a good listen before writing it off.
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I’ve read many positive reviews on the Katana from musicians who claim to be very discerning about their tone. I’m sure they’ll have some at San Ash in Dallas. Heading over Tuesday. Long drive but what else can I do. Nothing much around home.
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What about a Quilter?
Originally Posted by Razorbackjazz
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Just did some reading. The Aviator Pro HD Combo looks very nice. Do you own a Quilter?
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Sorry, Aviator Gold HD Pro
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Okay the HD is probably overkill. Speculate as to which combo model might be best in a High School Jazz setting. Thanks
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Fender 65 Princeton Reverb Reissue. $999 w/free delivery and Fender 5 year warranty. If the big band is a loud big band, then the amp can easily be miked.
Fender '65 Princeton Reverb 15-watt 1x10" Tube Combo Amp | Sweetwater
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Buy a good silverface Fender, spent 150 on some tech work, enjoy it another 40 years.
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If I'm not mistaken, Sweetwater (and maybe others) also offer special editions of the amp with a 12" speaker upgrade for a similar price. I preferred the 65 over the 68 reissue by a long shot. And while tone is subjective, FWIW, I didn't care for the Katana I demoed. Other have also commented on the difficulty of dialing in a good tone with the digital bells and whistles - so operator error might have been my problem. But, hard not to find a good tone on a classic Fender design like the PRRI, might be a better fit for someone starting out. So cool that you're so supportive of your son's musical pathway, best of luck. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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I would not, ever, go to a big band situation with a Princeton - you don't have mics / PAs everywhere.
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Don't forget that it's pretty easy to get 15% off on new gear like this by simply asking a sales rep for 15% off. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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What about the George Benson amp for tube or Henriksen for solid state?
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I have an original Quilter MicroPro 200. I swapped in the same speaker they use in the newer HD model, just for further weight reduction. These days I primarily work big band, and pit orchestras for musicals. These amps can do almost any scene (including rock & pop), they are extremely portable, can toss it around with one hand, and he won't need any separate boost pedal. And they hold their value, just try to find a used original MP 200-12.
Last edited by Woody Sound; 07-02-2018 at 09:28 AM.
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I have a Henriksen and an Evans amp. I played in a big band at a local community college for many years. In my limited experience you need 100 watts or so, or more, to be able to keep up with the horns and to be clean. Neither a Princeton nor a Deluxe would be enough.
Also in my limited experience tubes make the most difference in the region where clipping and distortion are just starting, and many people believe that distorted tube amps sound pretty good. But distortion is not what one is after in this sort of a band setting.
If you're going to get just one amp for the player, I would strongly suggest a Quilter or a Katana, because of their versatility. The Henriksen and the Evans I have are very good purpose-built amps and do what they do very well. But they don't do distortion well unless you use pedals.. Quilters and Katanas seem to be designed more with more general music in mind and so can do reasonable distortion, but can also do cleans. (I've played Quilters but don't have one; and whatever I know about Katanas is from reading, so take that for what it's worth.)
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