who makes a true 35w blackface fender clone?

**jzucker** · 06-25-2019, 04:18 PM

i saw that. A new Marsh springfield is almost $700 less!

**iim7V7IM7** · 06-25-2019, 04:35 PM

I have zero experience seeing, playing or hearing any of Mike Marsh’s amps. I guess I always thought of them as being akin to Mojotone and Weber. I have played and heard a number of Lou Rosano’s amps and all sound great within the vintage tone paradigm, hence the recommendation.

Good Luck

Originally Posted by jzucker

i saw that. A new Marsh springfield is almost $700 less!

**jzucker** · 06-25-2019, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bbmaj7#5#9

Hi Jack!

Earlier I mentioned Music Man amps as good substitutes but I saw you didn’t like them. For a while ago I recommended Blackstar Studio 10 6L6 on another thread. 1x12" Celestion speaker, 10 watts (unfortunately not 35 watts), reverb and effects loop. Here in Europe it costs generally between 600-700 €.

I've owned the music man HD amps several times and never really bonded with it. I think they do things backwards, i.e. solid state preamp, tube power amp. Many modern amp designers like milkman, alembic, demeter, kingsley, fuchs and henriksen are now combining a fender based tube preamp with a SS poweramp. I think that's the way to go for hybrid.

However, for me, I'm looking for the fender sound. The blackstar doesn't really get that and 10w just isn't enough for me. Even 40w struggles with certain drummers I play with but it'll work so 35w-40w based on a real fender circuit (not "improved" like allen, morgan, fargen, carr) is the way I want to go...

**Greentone** · 06-25-2019, 05:04 PM

Jack,

The stuff from Marsh is good stuff. I have built a couple of their kits with good results. Good quality and good sound as a result.

**KirkP** · 06-26-2019, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

for me, reverb is such an integral part of the fender sound I need the reverb to be there. I hate being dependent on a pedal for that basic function

I love spring reverb too, but it adds a lot of weight for the extra transformer, tube, pots and tank. My old Boss RV3 is a poor substitute for a spring reverb, but aren’t there much more convincing digital reverbs on the market now?

**jzucker** · 06-26-2019, 12:58 PM

it doesn't add that much weight. A medium pan, 2 tubes and transformer are under 2 lbs

**Little Jay** · 06-26-2019, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by KirkP

I love spring reverb too, but it adds a lot of weight for the extra transformer, tube, pots and tank. My old Boss RV3 is a poor substitute for a spring reverb, but aren’t there much more convincing digital reverbs on the market now?

The Boss FRV-1 does a great spring reverb emulation; I can’t hear the difference with my Twin Reverbs spring reverb!

But it means carrying an extra device and power supply with you.

**iim7V7IM7** · 06-26-2019, 07:51 PM

Not what you’re looking for Jack (i.e not a BF clone), but I am more adding to the topic based on the tube reverb/weight/size discussion.

I chose to exclude tube reverb on my “grab-n-go” 30 lb., 40w, 6L6, 1 x 12” (Jensen Jet Tornado Neo) combo amp. The weight multiplier for a reverb was more than just the parts that you mention. A tube reverb also required a 17” chassis vs. the 15” chassis that I have and a larger cabinet as well. It actually added about + 5 lb. in my particular amp. I have been happy using a pedal (Neunaber Wet Reverb) in my effects loop (post pre-amp). I personally prefer time domain effects after the pre-amp particularly if I push the amp a bit.

**jzucker** · 06-26-2019, 09:51 PM

We all have different tastes. I hated the FRV-1 pedal. I thought it sounded plasticy and nothing like a real fender reverb. The source audio and ventris true spring are the only 2 pedals that I have liked as much as spring reverb (in the abstract) but having the reverb inside the amp and between the preamp and power amp just sounds so much better to me than having it in front of a fender amp that even if the reverb is great and practically indistinguishable from real spring, the real spring wins.

Originally Posted by Little Jay

The Boss FRV-1 does a great spring reverb emulation; I can’t hear the difference with my Twin Reverbs spring reverb!

But it means carrying an extra device and power supply with you.

**KirkP** · 06-27-2019, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

... but having the reverb inside the amp and between the preamp and power amp just sounds so much better to me than having it in front of a fender amp ...

Putting a reverb in an effects loop should accomplish that, but I understand your other objections.