James ODonnell Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I am interested in another amp, and was considering a JTM style circuit clone. It'll have to be custom built and take some time. But I might be better served if I try to get the Vibrolux (or Victorilux) I always dreamed of. What are some of the amps you favor for your luscious ES semi-hollow tones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Almost everything I have kept is 70s silverface/early 80s Fender valve. Vibrochamp, red-knob Super 60, Twin II, Dual Showman (in a 2x12 combo!)... But I used to have a JC120 and recently got a Roland Micro-Cube which has a JC simulation. Not bad at all for a tiny speaker. And must point out that my Gibson ES guitar is a 2013 Memphis ES175 with P94 s/c pups...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I work with a pair of mad scientist instrumentation techs (we engage in the science of flight test for our paying 'day-jobs'). In their off-hours, these two fellows build hand-made amplifiers and custom made-to-order pedals. My GOD what wonderful stuff they come up with. Anyway. If you live anywhere near Northern Alabama, let me know. I will hook you up with these cats. They will build you the amp of your dreams, and their prices are ridiculously low. Pictured is an all-tube headphone amp that the boys built for me. The wood is teak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Smaller Fenders are my personal preference. I use a '65 Reissue Princeton, but I'm also fond of Tremoluxes and the recent Supersonic 22s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 ES335, ES330 and ES137 in my experience sound good through.... Any Roland Cube Fender Deluxe Laney P65 Laney VC30 With or without a Boss ME70 in front.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoMike Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm getting great tone with my Dr Z MAZ 18. 18 watts of pure magic. I'm also pretty impressed with a Peavey Classic 30. For the money ($399 on sale a while back at GC) it really packs a punch. I had a Music Man 65 watt 2 10's that was also a joy to play with. So may amps, so little money. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm more of a Fender guy. I like blackface/silverface types and tweed types. Blackfaces are cleaner and punchier and tweeds are more dirty and gritty and have less headroom. There are Dumble clones. They're two channel with a Fender style clean channel and a cascading drive channel a la Santana/Larry Carlton/Robben Ford. I built some and they're funny. The drive channel can be super nice but it takes a while to figure them out. I got sick of the 50 watt one, but the 20 watt ones were super nice. Some were Marshall voiced and some were Fender voiced. Google "the ots blues box." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joevacc Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I am playing through a Vox AC15C1x right now and I really have no GAS for another amplifier. That said, the Vibrolux is a real peach of an amp and something I have always wanted. I played through one a couple of weeks ago and all of my assumptions were duly confirmed. The Vibrolux is like peanut butter and jelly with a 335! It does the Jazz thing like no other and is just a great Blues/Rock amp for my tastes. Of the two my Vox is much quieter than the Vibrolux; in that the Fender has some hiss, not a hum or anything... I doubt it would be noticeable to a live audience but if you do a lot of recording of subtle music it could be a consideration. These days I am really into the low wattage amplifiers. The Vibrolux is 40w's so it can really get up and boogie if you let it go. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlum Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 For use with semi -hollow electrics I prefer amps designed around 6L6GC output tubes and utilizing a tube rectifier. I also like the sound of these guitars coming out of combos / cabs with two or more speakers rather than one. Just personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Think Alvin Lee and you'd want Marshall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 In fact, I have a reissue JTM 60 combo from Marshall, my 135 is pretty killer in that. pretty killer in any thing I plug that into actually.. I could probably jam the cord up my butt, open my mouth, and it would still sound wicked good. oh wait,, was that too much of a visual for you guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 In fact, I have a reissue JTM 60 combo from Marshall, my 135 is pretty killer in that. pretty killer in any thing I plug that into actually.. I could probably jam the cord up my butt, open my mouth, and it would still sound wicked good. oh wait,, was that too much of a visual for you guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Best amp I have ever had is the one I have now - Mesa Maverick 1 x 12 black shadow speaker. I use mostly the clean channel. Fenders I also like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alais 345 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 For my 345 & 339, Fender Princeton '65 RI gets some use, but my Victoria 518 & 5112 just can't be beaten. To be honest, any guitar sound fantastic through this pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Everything depends on the genre and venue that you will play in. Outdoor Festival gigs: Marshall w/4x12, Fender Twin, Twin Reverb RI, Blues Deville, Blues Deluxe Indoor venue 300 capacity clubs Blues Deluxe Blues Deville Blues Jrs NOS (2) Small barsBlues Jr NOS But then in most outdoor venues, all the amps and drums have over abundance of mic's, and you can get by with a smaller amp. Most of the time the amp is there so you can hear yourself; and the mic is EQ'd to project outward with overall sound balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LefthandJoe Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 An other vote for the Victoria 518 (Fender Tweed Champ clone) Plenty of noise for the livingroom. And yes, it will make you get to know the neighbors if cranked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brantobrien Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I know most would not say this, but Soldano 50W Lucky 13... Just stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senojnad Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I have owned a Standel 25L15 for several years, and my ES335 sounds wonderful with it. The guitar also plays well with my Carr Skylark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James ODonnell Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Wow that Standel, really something. I am kinda speechless at the moment. If you had to describe that amp in one word, if you were to name that amp something other than 25L15, what word first comes to mind? For me its something like Plush or maybe Paradise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I have owned a Standel 25L15 for several years, and my ES335 sounds wonderful with it. Is that with a 15"? Like Wes had! (EDIT) Not quite....I just found their site - didn't realise they are still in business. Wes had a solid-state one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 My own preferences, for a ES-335 is a Fender Twin Reverb (or Deluxe Reverb, for lower volume/smaller venue applications.) Marshall "Plexi" models are Great, too! I tend to stay away from the really "High Gain" amps, with ES models, and try to use the volume and tone knobs, for the dynamics needed, for rhythm and "lead" applications. But a nice moderate OD pedal is great, now and then, as well. BUT...that's just Me! To each his/her own. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 My 335 sounds very good through my 2X12 Hot Rod DeVille....but thats just me. The DeVille is NOT my favorite amp...thats a '73 GBX Super Bug...but alas it can barely speak anymore, so its successor the DeVille is now the one I use most on large and outdoor gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brantobrien Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 My own preferences, for a ES-335 is a Fender Twin Reverb (or Deluxe Reverb, for lower volume/smaller venue applications.) Marshall "Plexi" models are Great, too! I tend to stay away from the really "High Gain" amps, with ES models, and try to use the volume and tone knobs, for the dynamics needed, for rhythm and "lead" applications. But a nice moderate OD pedal is great, now and then, as well. BUT...that's just Me! To each his/her own. CB A good Plexi is probably my 2nd favorite. ES guitars, in my opinion, sound best when approached with minimal pedals between the guitar and amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James ODonnell Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 A good Plexi is probably my 2nd favorite. ES guitars, in my opinion, sound best when approached with minimal pedals between the guitar and amp. When I first got my first Eventide (7500) I had it between pre and power sections and received holy hell from friends. For a guy who swore off pedals in the 80s, I was taken back with said accusation of being too digital. I ended up removing it altogether, sold it, and plug straight into everything. I had to put the EMGs away, buy several expensive Gibson guitars and almost swear off effects entirely. But then I found an Orville (Eventide) which is a dual processor version of the 7500, like having 2. During the recession, right after Xmas I lobbed my bid, last second, and won. This time I was determined to implemented effects without putting it into the chain. I tried wet/dry/wet (and loved the dry) but it wasn't until I started getting into mic preamps that I discovered the solution. Feeding the Orville signals from the recording interface let me stay completely dry. I mic up a pair of Celestions and send a pair thru the Eventide using digital AES/EBU, some format converters, and the optical I/O on a RME Fireface. Now I can mic up anything and retain the incredible personality that this offers. As such, now I want all of those featureless amplifiers that I had lost interest in. The JTM circuit, not much on features but heavy on classic tone. The Lucky 13 was all I watched for 3 days, and he almost had me sold. But when I heard the Standel and did the read-up on the company I am very intrigued by the 25L15. I can't affort it. A fully loaded Bogner Ecstacy is also out of bounds. Maybe the head, but without that 15" speaker voiced specifically for the amp, I would be wasting time trying. But no matter which amp is used, there will be heavy dose of effects implemented in post. Like a Vibrochamp, simple class A amp with no features sounds incredible when recorded, mono, but bold. If a simple reverb patch is used, reality is blurred, ambience recreated. The tone purists among us will still cry foul because the reverb isn't natural ambience, the echoes are not bouncing off the nearby buildings. But as I spend 99.9% of my time listening to monitors, not amps, a bit of trickery is required to add realism. I would be interested in the most simple circuit versions of amps from now on. No loop, no effects on it, and I'll plug straight in and push the speakers. But that doesn't mean I don't like effects. I love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny V Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I have four amps I use with my ES335. My order of preference, Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Fender Twin Reverb, Vox AC15C, and finally a Fender Bandmaster VM. You can't go wrong with a clean sounding tube amp. There are a bunch out there. It all depends on ones budget. I have an real interest in the Supro Saturn and Tone King Imperial, Kenny V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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