Best amp for playing the blues.

[JefferySmith]

Okay, any Epiphone guitar will do. And yes, I know there is an amp forum, but I want the opinions of guitar aficionados and musicians, not amp guys.

 

I know that Epiphone makes a Blues amp for $549 (street) with two 12" speakers. And Feder and Peavey make blues amps. Anyone have the Epiphone Blues 12x2 amp? If so, what are your impressions?

[TWANG]

epi has a valve senior coming out... I guess october is the due date right now.. probably the olympics over there slowed down the boat.

more power, reverb, more tubes..

 

the blues custom gets good reviews from the few I've seen about it.

Haven't had a chance to try one.

 

fenders hot rod deluxe, despite it's rather untraditional electronics.. makes a very nice blues amp.

 

the classic 30 peavey also gets good reviews and has for a long time.

 

my valve junior is very nice blues wise. but not so much clean volume for onstage use..

I'll be getting a valve senior.

[JefferySmith]

My credit card may make it back to the surface in time for the new Epiphone amp to come out. I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks!

[Just Strum]

I'm repeating myself (amp section), but this is the info I received from Gibson when I inquired about the lack of info on the Valve Sr and the release date.

 

We don’t have a definitive release date at this time, but we are still hoping for some time later this year (possibly early winter). Here is the only info we have at this time:

 

Valve Senior Combo (also available in head/ cabinet version):

 

20 watt all tube, gain and volume for overdrive, Reverb is tube driven, 3 band eq with active midrange and presence, 6v6 and 12AX7 tube set, standby switch to allow tube warm up and cool down, high and low inputs, 4,8,16 ohm extension speaker outputs, 1x 12" 75 watt Lady Luck by Eminence speaker.

 

Does anyone know where this thing is going to be priced?

[layboomo]

"Okay, any Epiphone guitar will do. And yes, I know there is an amp forum, but I want the opinions of guitar aficionados and musicians, not amp guys."

 

Hmmmm never thought they were mutually exclusive myself? Since I consider myself both...I will opine....The Epi blues custom is a great amp for the money,but it's pretty heavy @ 70lbs.......I'd go with a fender blues jr or HRD for most playing situations.

[JefferySmith]

"Okay' date=' any Epiphone guitar will do. And yes, I know there is an amp forum, but I want the opinions of guitar aficionados and musicians, not amp guys."

 

Hmmmm never thought they were mutually exclusive myself? Since I consider myself both...I will opine....The Epi blues custom is a great amp for the money,but it's pretty heavy @ 70lbs.......I'd go with a fender blues jr or HRD for most playing situations.[/quote']

Yeah, the amp guys want giant enclosures that cause detached retinas in the audience. And leave you feeling like you have cotton in your ears for the next 72 hours.

[iansmitchell]

I watched a video about the epiphone socal 50 watt head, and I thought the presence knob was very responsive, enough so to get a good blues tone with some tweaking.

 

 

Anyway, I generally use my fender twin, on 50 watt mode, with the presence knob at notch -2. if i back it off much more, it gets really dark and jazzy, if i put it at about 0, it's just a bit too bright for blues, and if i keep rollin it to +2, I can get some really classic rock, +3 I got more modern, and at about 4+ it's all mid scoop metal scream territory with the gain up.

 

I'm very interested in the valve senior, though. There's a 4x12 fender cab in a kind of paleish color which I think would match on the semi-local craigslist for 200 bucks, so...

[bluesstringer]

OK, I know I'm sort of stating the obvious to some degree and will take some heat for this but you didn't say anything about them still being in production...... So

 

Any Fender Blackface, my personal favorites are the Deluxe, Twin, and Vibroverb, in that order.

 

I am also a Pevey tube fan. The Classic 30, 50, as well as others. I also really like the old Mace and Mace VT but they are LOUD, 160 watts for a 2X12 combo and heavy!!!

[JefferySmith]

OK' date=' I know I'm sort of stating the obvious to some degree and will take some heat for this but you didn't say anything about them still being in production...... So

 

Any Fender Blackface, my personal favorites are the Deluxe, Twin, and Vibroverb, in that order.

 

I am also a Pevey tube fan. The Classic 30, 50, as well as others. I also really like the old Mace and Mace VT but they are LOUD, 160 watts for a 2X12 combo and heavy!!![/quote']

I got a twin reverb back in the 60's, for about $400 I think. They would make them about $3,000 now, I'm afraid. I'll have to give it a look.

[Just Strum]

Apparently if you are playing in a small room, there is no amp to play the blues. Even 30w tube will blow your socks off if you want to get the proper sound. Hell, my 5w Epi Vjr, is too load, but manageable. Aren't there any smaller amps suited for small rooms?

 

And despite the "tube brigade, are any of the digital good for the blues.

 

IMHO, my AD30VT does a good job.

[charlie brown]

"Blues Tone," is based on the fact that most of the original "Blues" guitarists,

used old, and often inexpensive tube amps! (Even converted radio's)

That overdrive was the natural effect, of those amps, to get the volume they needed!

If you look at old photos, of those folks, they're often seen using little "Fender" or

Gibson tube amps (if they were lucky) and/or the Sears Silvertone "Twin Twelve"

piggy back amp, which has a nice "Blues Tone" to it. The "White boy blues" guitarists,

of the '60's, just upped the ante, by using Twin Reverbs, Dual Showman's, or the Marshall

Stacks. Now, with pedals, almost any amp, tube or solid state, can get that "blues" tone.

Beyond that, it's "personal preferrence." IMHO

 

One cool combination, I tried recently, was my Sheraton into a Fender Pro Junior.

1 volume, 1 tone control, 10" speaker. Amazing sound!

 

CB

[JefferySmith]

Eric Clapton mentions in his autobiography that the got his distinctive sound by always turning up the amp to the max volume. I wonder how his hearing is these days.

[bluelake07]

Any of the tweed clones, wattage your preference.

[charlie brown]

Eric Clapton mentions in his autobiography that the got his distinctive sound by always turning up the amp to the max volume. I wonder how his hearing is these days.

 

Well, as you noticed, he uses much smaller rigs these days. But, his preferrence for

running them "flat out," is valid...imho. Better to use a smaller amp, wide open...than

trying to get that tone, from a monster amp that you simply cannot turn up loud enough,

to get to that "Sweet Spot!" Of course, it will depend on where you're playing, and the tone

you want, obviously. But a good Fender Deluxe Reverb, and a "Dot" or LP/SG combo is

pretty sweet! Tweed "low power" (40 watt) Twins, are great too, but "pricey!" I love

the "warmth" (for lack of a better term) of a semi-hollow body guitar, for blues. But,

that's MY preference...others may/will differ.

 

CB

[charlie brown]

I also used my Casino, with a rental "black face" Deluxe Reverb, at a rehearsal studio in LA,

and it sounded so good, it gave me "Goose bumps!" The volume was on about 4.5, too...

so there was lots more "headroom" if I would have needed it. Amazing little amp, the Deluxe Reverb!

 

CB

[JefferySmith]

At $330, this Fender Frontman looks like a very good value. Solid state, but I doubt that I could drive a tube amp loud enough to get distortion without getting all of my neighbors on my back.

 

[iansmitchell]

Apparently if you are playing in a small room' date=' there is no amp to play the blues. Even 30w tube will blow your socks off if you want to get the proper sound. Hell, my 5w Epi Vjr, is too load, but manageable. Aren't there any smaller amps suited for small rooms?

 

And despite the "tube brigade, are any of the digital good for the blues.

 

IMHO, my AD30VT does a good job.[/quote']

The 0.5 W blackhreat ant killer will fic that right up.

[iansmitchell]

At $330' date=' this Fender Frontman looks like a very good value. Solid state, but I doubt that I could drive a tube amp loud enough to get distortion without getting all of my neighbors on my back.

 

[img']http://images.guitarcenter.com/products/optionlarge/Fender/535534jpg.jpg[/img]

 

No...

The speakers in those things aren't quality.

You'd be better off buying a valve senior(when they come out)and putting it on a 2x12 cab.

Also, the epiphone blues custom is 220 more bucks, and is 12x12, custom voiced speakers, all tube, tube revien spring reverb, the whole shabang,

[JefferySmith]

Got it. You get what you pay for, I guess.

[timmyinpajamas]

a sad amp

[layboomo]

OK' date=' I know I'm sort of stating the obvious to some degree and will take some heat for this but you didn't say anything about them still being in production...... So

 

Any Fender Blackface, my personal favorites are the Deluxe, Twin, and Vibroverb, in that order.

 

I am also a Pevey tube fan. The Classic 30, 50, as well as others. I also really like the old Mace and Mace VT but they are LOUD, 160 watts for a 2X12 combo and heavy!!![/quote']

 

You are of my vintage my friend! You wanna see a scary backline of peavey maces check this out! Molly Hatchet sound check circa 1984.

[lostindesert]

It's between your ears and in your hands to make a amp a ''blues'' monster....lol.

Using a Ibanez Tube Screamer can turn a tranny in a blues amp imo.

But any decent 15 to 40 watt tube amp with as little as knobs on it is a good starting point.

 

Peter

[rafaelh]

Eric Clapton mentions in his autobiography that the got his distinctive sound by always turning up the amp to the max volume. I wonder how his hearing is these days.

 

I would also think you would need to check where his guitar volume is at too...LOL..and how far from his amp he is.

 

Anyhow I've pushed a tube amp no matter what the wattage was up around 7 or so depending of my mood, sometimes higher, and back off the volume on the guitar so low you could still carry a normal conversation....really great sounding too.

 

Then again the amps I normally favor stay clean all the way to 10, mostly single channel fender blackface, and prefer to get the grit form pedals.

 

BTW and FWIW...you can pick up a brand new 65 Twin Reverb RI for about 1200 bucks...allot cheaper used.

 

Even though I seem to gravitate towards Fender, I'm really curios about this Epi Sr that you all keep speaking about.

[mrjones200x]

Best ive heard myself is the epi valve junior! I love that amp so warm!!!!

 

Also heard a nice room amp at 0.5watts. The Nano head all tube!

 

There web is http://zvexamps.com/amp_view.html

 

Couple of sound clips from there amp are as follows. (Not sure on the blues tho but it has potential i reakon)

 

http://media1.zvex.com/sounds/nanohead%20voxcabclean.mp3

 

http://media1.zvex.com/sounds/nanohead%20clean.mp3

 

http://media1.zvex.com/sounds/nanohead%20mellow1.mp3 (Bit of blues at the end)

 

http://media1.zvex.com/sounds/nanohead%20dirty.mp3 (My favourite sound!) :-

[Dr. Killmore]

I get some nice Blues sounds out of my Fender DeVille 212. I read that Peter Green plays through the 410 version of the DeVille these days. I would have prefered the 410, but I got such a good deal on the 212 ($450) that I could not pass it up. These amps have the richest bottom end and three seperate channels. Clean, drive, and more drive. It breaks up at fairly low volumes, which I like (some do not). The only down side of the DeVille is that the reverb is a little too overbearing. It goes from nothing to way too much at around 2 or 3.