looking for ultimate boutique amp for my style

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:38 am

hey all, need some help. upgrading all of my gear this year, in the process of deciding the options on a carvin tl-60 i am ordering. i need some pointers on buying a boutique amp. i'll be working on about a 2000 dollar budget for the head, been thinking of getting the mesa mark v though i have never been too impressed with the rectifiers i have played, though the tonal options on the mark v seem awesome. i already have a 59 bassman but i need something i can hook a tube screamer up to and really hear it scream. so i guess what i'm saying is in your experience, what are the most responsive and clear sounding amps in this price range, maybe in the area of about 30 watts? by the way, as far as tonal inspiration, kurt balllou, zappa, omar rodriguez lopez and duane denison all come to mind. thanks in advance.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:47 am

'59 Bassman, eh?

Jealous. It doesn't scream?

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:53 am

tube screamer.
"ultimate" boutique amp.
"scream"

hoo boy.

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:55 am

oh it screams in a different way. i'm thinking i need to get a new speaker cab for it so as to make it more suitable for me (i got it for free and it has a 2x15 enclosure with it) that's more a clean tone/ country sort of amp for me. i'm looking for something that is hi-gain without being nuclear reactor-esque, low noise and a lot of clarity.

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:58 am

sorry, i know that is an overused adjective

but obviously the tube screamer is the one of the best dist pedals you can own. as far as ultimate amp, i mean ultimate for me, i just want to find tone that sends those chills down my spine and i am finally able to make that possible so don't be mean because i want the best

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:27 am

I won't get into the hate, and believe me it's coming like a freight train.

You haven't said anything about what kind of sound you want other than an overpriced/boutique amp.
Dr Z has an amp out that is his version of some blackface fender that sounds great TO ME but with that kind of money you would be a fool not to try it out first. Check out the Egnator Tourmaster head, it's VERY well featured and can cop a lot of sounds.

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:37 am

will look into those amps, i am aware the hate is coming, haha. i'm not some spring chicken buying his first amp. i'm looking for the best tone to dollar ratio possible. i'm looking for an amp that works well with pedals but has some balls of it's own, the mesa's and marshalls i have played are a bit too sterile for me. i've looked into ceriatone but i don't trust the company for some reason, and i don't trust myself to wire one.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:38 am

borrowedworld wrote:oh it screams in a different way. i'm thinking i need to get a new speaker cab for it so as to make it more suitable for me (i got it for free and it has a 2x15 enclosure with it) that's more a clean tone/ country sort of amp for me. i'm looking for something that is hi-gain without being nuclear reactor-esque, low noise and a lot of clarity.

*faints*

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:51 am

Its really hard to beat the tourmaster on function/price ratio
heres a ridiculously large picture http://guitare.playback.fr/produits/EGN ... _docus.jpg

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:28 am

if i had 2K to blow i would get a HIWATT

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:35 am

i was actually thinking hiwatt after seeing the jesus lizard live and just being taken aback by duanes tone. tone like that requires aluminum necks, however. and in the past year i have gotten the bassman, as well as a 1974 guild s-100 for free. karma owes me, my two best friends both sold my gibson sg and my tele last year, as well as my father selling my amp to make rent a while back, i will admit, stupid luck though.

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:40 am

robroe wrote:if i had 2K to blow i would get a HIWATT

+1
you can not get a better clear-sounding, pedal-friendly amp.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:45 am

not trying to be a jerk, but if you need to drop a couple g's on an amp to get a pedal to sound good, maybe the pedal is the problem.

Post by **Doog** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:20 am

Reece wrote:tube screamer.
"ultimate" boutique amp.
"scream"

hoo boy.

+1, plus lols.

borrowedworld · Post by **borrowedworld** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:43 am

the pedal is not an issue. it's an awesome pedal. fact is that it works best at sending an amp that ALREADY sounds great into the stratosphere. played it through a friends bogner and it ruled ass HOWEVER, doesn't sound awesome through the bs combo amp i am working with at the moment. and since i'm being semi-mocked for my use of adjectives, i will be a little more clear. i like my tone to be a bit grating at times, i mean i play noisy music. so i would think that "screaming" would probably be a good description for what i'm looking for, not in a blues-rock sense, more in a grating noise influenced sort of post-punk way. end rant. thanks for the advice on the hiwatts. now the question is where can i go to try one out.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:58 am

Regarding grating noise doesn't albini use a Blackface in tandem with a solid state for his noises? Recieved wisdom is that the Harmonic Perc is only the source of the really crazy distortion bits and not the default tone.

Okay there's a TBean in the mix but then again I don't think thats as huge a factor as people make out - he didn't play it in Big Black did he and that sound is in the same ballpark.

Also no offense to OP meant but when I read that first post I did wonder if it was a shartscale regular doing a fake account to troll hard for the lulz!

EDIT: Not to imply that your post is in any way trolling (welcome fella) - the thing is just that forums tend to grow a particular culture and one of the reasons I love shortscale and the folks here is that it is largely the antithesis of that guitar-shop snobbery and utter bullshit that is just about one-upsmanship and gear wars between 'musicians' who never ever go on to make any music of any major cultural impact and seem to live in this nebulous world of seeking the ultimate in tone to wank over with their bloos solos

Post by **Mike** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:28 am

THE STRATOSPHERE

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:32 am

Mike wrote:THE STRATOSPHERE

AND BEYOND!

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:40 am

65 AMPS SOHO! Lole.

MrJulius · Post by **MrJulius** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:38 pm

You should check out the Mesa Lonestar

Kick the drive channel on that plus a TS and man, you have some amazing tones. You aren't going to get a metal sound without pedals, but the best thing about the Lonestar is it has one of the best (if not the best IMHO) cleans. Plus, it takes pedals amazingly.

I'd check it out.