Small SS head for reamp recording

[VitalSigns]

I tend to record DI for my album projects and then reamp later. This gives me more flexibility than
having a constant setup or isolation cab. I'm fairly happy with my gear to reamp: RE20 and R-121
mics into a BG1 mic preamp and an EV cab, but the guitar valve preamp (Seymour Duncan Classic Twin)
and SS amp from a small amp maker (Ameson) can be a tiny bit hissy - not a problem live, but I'd really
like a more hi-fi, noiseless? amp for recording. My sound spectrum is between clean warm to blues crunch.
I've tried plugins but they seem to cater for more distortion and the clean amp sounds don't do it for me.
I wonder if anyone has had any luck with a small solid state head for recording?

[Woody Sound]

What is small to you? Price limit?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Your mics are 'way above your SD preamp in quality. I've never used an Ameson amp, but as I recall they're decent tube amps that have the background hiss common to many. If I were you, I'd get a decent DAI for recording. Even a Focusrite Scarlett is porbably going to be quieter and sound at least as good. You can run your mics in stereo through a 2x2 if you want to mic your amp / speaker, or you can run your guitar directly into it.

If you're looking for a higher quality DI, the Reddi ($1k) is about the best one I've ever used for guitar. It's tube, it's silent, and it sounds fantastic. Add a good O/D pdedal like a Zen, a Wampler Tumnus, or a Smokin' Amp Company Zensation (my current favorite) for your bluesy crunch. If you don't need a power output stage, you could go the route I've been using for a few years now. My DAI is a TASCAM DR-40x digital recorder, which has 2 balanced XLR mic inputs and very nice, silent preamps despite its low price.

I also record using my Quilter Supeblock US as the front end. The balanced XLR line out is great for recording, and the SBUS even does a decent bluesy crunch by balancing the gain, volume, and limiter settings on it. It's also mighty close to silent - I can't hear any noise at all in my recordings (or using it as an amp head).

If you want a clean little high quality combo amp you can mic, a DV Mark Little Jazz (about $350 list, often on sale for $250 or less) and a Henriksen Blu 6 ($1100) are the high and low end of the range for most of us. A Quilter Aviator Cub is inbetween these and another great choice for a recording amp.

[st.bede]

I had a Seymour Duncan Powerstage (700). It was a great SS poweramp. When it comes to preamps, I sometimes used a JHS Clover. Those two together sounded what I would think of as hi-fi. I also used an Origin RevivalDrive. That was really flexible, but, I use it for more of breakup thing, then the Clover. Other Origin preamp pedals look really nice to me.

[VitalSigns]

The Ameson is a solid state amp which isn't inherently noisy, but the loop can pick up noise occasionally;
I use Radial J48/X-Amp DI pedals which are pretty good. The Seymour Duncan preamp pedal can generate
some noise. I reamp into Samplitude via the BG1 mic preamp into an RME soundcard - these are quiet too.
I've tried Quilter amps in a shop before and was impressed - they seemed to get a Pat Martino Clarus sound
on the ones I heard. Can you use one of those Superblock pedal amps as a preamp? It'd be useful if I could
get something I could also use live.

[VitalSigns]

I looked at some reviews and I can see that the Superblock and the DSM & H Simplifier
are basically little amps in a pedal. I don't really want a different amp, I want a way to
record my chosen amp and speaker, but with adding a bit of extra warmth to the
clean sound and adding some overdrive when I want it. I have Prism and Sparkledrive
pedals which I like live, but they didn't sound as warm as the SD tube preamp in reamping,
in the way the DV Mark cabinet sounds good live but didn't record as well as the EV cab.
I guess what I want is a preamp which gives me the warmth but without the hiss, possibly
solid state. Any ideas?

[st.bede]

Origin Effects has some good preamps.

[VitalSigns]

Thanks for all the tips. Looking at the video reviews, the Kingsley Maiden D seems to
be the sort of thing that would be an upgrade from the Seymour Duncan Twin-Tube Classic.
I've read there's a bit of a wait to get one - I'll see what they say.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The Ameson is a solid state amp which isn't inherently noisy.

The only Ameson amps I remember were tube amps. If there’s now a SS version, I know nothing about it.

[VitalSigns]

Michael Ameson built a few dozen of these - I bought 2. He used a high quality hi-fi transformer.
I had the loop changed to pre-fader to sort out some noise problems - it's more like 100-120W.
Check out MAJ Electronics.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Michael Ameson built a few dozen of these - I bought 2. He used a high quality hi-fi transformer.
I had the loop changed to pre-fader to sort out some noise problems - it's more like 100-120W.
Check out MAJ Electronics.

Interesting! I’ve never heard of these. Almost no SS amps use output transformers. Are you referring to the power transformer?

[VitalSigns]

Yes I think that was it. I tried three different models over at his workshop, but the SS head was
by far the classiest. I asked him what was the difference and he said how a lot of the cost was
due to the transformer. It didn't sell and I don't think he retooled to make another batch after the
first run. Maybe if they'd called it the "Rock" 90..