clean amp head recommendations

[ekwatts]

i don't give a shit what you get but don't listen to the 30 or so people on here that are going to get in here and spout off about how rad thier Peavy classic 30 is.


peavy sucks. the sooner people figure that out, the better the world will be.

Says the man who stacks stereo speakers on top of each other.

[Billy3000]

I really don't like solid state cleans except at low volume. I don't get why people are suggesting them. I have a solid state princeton chorus, and it does sound nice enough at low volume, but i prefer cleans on tube amps 100%

sorry but the cleans from a solid state roland jazz chorus is probably the best clean tone you'll ever from either SS and tube amps.

yeah, but that's one single amp, that's quite famous for that reason.

Agreed. That amp is an exception. For the most part I'm just not a fan of solid state guitar amps at all. I do actually like playing my guitars through my solid state Orange Crush bass amp though. Since it's tone is tailored for bass it has a really nice warmth and enough low end definition for electric guitar. I love it as a bass practice amp too, and honestly I think it's just as good as a guitar amp as a bass amp.

So I agree with whoever suggested a solid state bass amp. My only experience is with my orange practice bass amp, but it sounds awesome, so I imagine that bigger ones would sound awesome too. I've heard good things about the 70's acoustic amps for both guitar and bass. And those can always be found cheap.

Also, Rob, what's your beef with the Peavey Classic 30? I love those amps. The classic series all sound really nice. I owned a Triple X 112 and it sounded awesome for clean and the regular drive channel sounded nice too, the 3rd super heavy distortion channel was garbage, but the rest of it was awesome. Peavey gets shit on by a lot of people but they really do make some really nice amps for pretty cheap. I would stay away from their really cheap tube amps though like the valve kings, those sound like garbage.

[johnnyseven]

Bassman heads are always solid choices, but UK prices are a little high. Try some Spider amps out, clean headroom ALL the way up and most have celestian speakers.
sidenote>if you turn off the effects then hold down that channels button for 3 seconds, it will flash and save your current settings.

Keep you eye out for a Bassman. I bought mine for £450 with a 2x15. I later sold the 2x15 for £200 so that amp only cost me £250 and it rocks!

[Fran]

By a good vintage Solid State. Why pay valve prices if you don't need breakup?

Exactly this, I like my Crate PB for clean and being loud, I just don't use the master volume and then use the gain control so I get the maximum amount of headroom.

Fair points.

[othomas2]

i don't give a shit what you get but don't listen to the 30 or so people on here that are going to get in here and spout off about how rad thier Peavy classic 30 is.


peavy sucks. the sooner people figure that out, the better the world will be.

Says the man who stacks stereo speakers on top of each other.

Haha, I think it's only Ekwatts and I that own them on here... on what basis do you think they 'suck' ?

They're small, loud and extremely reliable. They suffer a bit at lower volumes but when cranked they sound incredible.

Enjoy your hifi speakers.

[Dingus]

I own a Hot Rod Deluxe (the MIM one, which I think is Version II) and an older Roland JC-120. I owned the JC-120 first and fell in love with the Hot Rod Deluxe afterwards because it has such a beautiful/warm clean channel AND takes pedals better than the JC-120, which doesnt sound nearly as rad as it should with a Big Muff pumping through it.

[ekwatts]

Haha, I think it's only Ekwatts and I that own them on here... on what basis do you think they 'suck' ?

Seeing as it's Robroe, I'd say the basis of his reasoning is "ignorance" with a helping of "haha TROOOL". He hates Peavey because of the logo, because it looks like an eighties throwback (because it is) and has therefore written off all Peavey products. I assume this means the T60 guitars and basses as well as the valve amps. Peavey were one of the very first companies to use CNC routers to make their guitars, something that went on to become a standard practice throughout the industry. While Fender were still getting highly paid workers in the 70s to cut corners on Robs beloved Mustangs so they could shoot them out at lower prices, Peavey was kicking out fully equipped "adult" guitars for similar prices. For years throughout the eighties as valve amps became more and more expensive, and solid-state amps were all over the place, the Classic series was an affordable link to Fender history, a tweed-covered valve amp. It's been in continuous production for almost 20 years. Not bad, really, when you think about the "big" amps and guitars from the "big" names.

[Nick]

I really don't like solid state cleans except at low volume. I don't get why people are suggesting them. I have a solid state princeton chorus, and it does sound nice enough at low volume, but i prefer cleans on tube amps 100%

Noob

[Nick]

My friend has one of those, it sounds SO good.



I own this, while it doesn't get louder than a practice amp for some reason, the cleans are awesome.



Just because Fender never did Solid State good doesn't mean you can't get awesome sounds out of one.

[Nick]

Going back to the original qualms with the Hot Rod Deluxe, what about trying different tubes?

[johnnyseven]

I had a HRD once and the clean channel sounded great. I did change the speaker to a Vintage 30 though and it made a world of difference, maybe a different speaker would sort you out.

[othomas2]

Haha, I think it's only Ekwatts and I that own them on here... on what basis do you think they 'suck' ?

Seeing as it's Robroe, I'd say the basis of his reasoning is "ignorance" with a helping of "haha TROOOL". He hates Peavey because of the logo, because it looks like an eighties throwback (because it is) and has therefore written off all Peavey products. I assume this means the T60 guitars and basses as well as the valve amps. Peavey were one of the very first companies to use CNC routers to make their guitars, something that went on to become a standard practice throughout the industry. While Fender were still getting highly paid workers in the 70s to cut corners on Robs beloved Mustangs so they could shoot them out at lower prices, Peavey was kicking out fully equipped "adult" guitars for similar prices. For years throughout the eighties as valve amps became more and more expensive, and solid-state amps were all over the place, the Classic series was an affordable link to Fender history, a tweed-covered valve amp. It's been in continuous production for almost 20 years. Not bad, really, when you think about the "big" amps and guitars from the "big" names.

Didn't know a lot of that. I really think Peavey guitar related products are quality, at good prices. Ignorance is probably the best word for it.

I remember as a young guitarist Peavey was everywhere... and it really cut the mustard, you could drop it down stairs and it'd keep going and going.

For the record I love the Peavey logo, but then again I adore the 80's hahaa.

[dots]

Bass amp?

this. bassman.

[Fran]

Haha, I think it's only Ekwatts and I that own them on here... on what basis do you think they 'suck' ?

Seeing as it's Robroe, I'd say the basis of his reasoning is "ignorance" with a helping of "haha TROOOL". He hates Peavey because of the logo, because it looks like an eighties throwback (because it is) and has therefore written off all Peavey products. I assume this means the T60 guitars and basses as well as the valve amps. Peavey were one of the very first companies to use CNC routers to make their guitars, something that went on to become a standard practice throughout the industry. While Fender were still getting highly paid workers in the 70s to cut corners on Robs beloved Mustangs so they could shoot them out at lower prices, Peavey was kicking out fully equipped "adult" guitars for similar prices. For years throughout the eighties as valve amps became more and more expensive, and solid-state amps were all over the place, the Classic series was an affordable link to Fender history, a tweed-covered valve amp. It's been in continuous production for almost 20 years. Not bad, really, when you think about the "big" amps and guitars from the "big" names.

Didn't know a lot of that. I really think Peavey guitar related products are quality, at good prices. Ignorance is probably the best word for it.

I remember as a young guitarist Peavey was everywhere... and it really cut the mustard, you could drop it down stairs and it'd keep going and going.

For the record I love the Peavey logo, but then again I adore the 80's hahaa.

Over the years i've noticed studios and rehearsal spaces always have Peavey gear lying around, two reasons; it has stood the test of time and can cope with abuse from clueless musicians. I like the affordable workmanlike ethic of Peavey, even down to the guitars.
Its not a sparkling brand that people tend to lust for but there are some gems in there.

[lorez]

I remember as a young guitarist Peavey was everywhere... and it really cut the mustard, you could drop it down stairs and it'd keep going and going.

virtually every indie band I sound engineered for in the late 80s early 90s all had peavey bandit of some sort and loved them (with their boss chorus pedals ) the only time they didn't want to use them was when they were trying to use my vox 100 watt solid state amp. then when they made some dosh they all bought jazz chorus' . At that time it was hard to find any valve amp that wasn't considered blues or metal and so much stuff was solid state. in my book peavey were always great utilitarian products that stood the test of time.

[Bacchus]

I've always thought of Peaveys as a working musicians brand. They aren't flashy or desirable, but they're reasonably cheap and solid. There was a great article in a guitar magazine about seven or eight years ago about Peavey. It had a massive interview with him and everything. Good story.

[gaybear]

I own this, while it doesn't get louder than a practice amp AS IT'S SOLID STATE, the cleans are awesome.

[Billy3000]

I've always thought of Peaveys as a working musicians brand. They aren't flashy or desirable, but they're reasonably cheap and solid. There was a great article in a guitar magazine about seven or eight years ago about Peavey. It had a massive interview with him and everything. Good story.

Agreed. I've always appreciated Peavey because their solid state amps sound pretty decent, and are durable as fuck. If I needed an amp to last me through a nuclear apocalypse I'd get a peavey. When I was in high school, pretty much everyone I knew that played guitar, including myself owned a Peavey Bandit. I had a Fender princeton 112 plus which was the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. The Bandit was awesome, it sounded decent, was durable as hell, and I personally liked the super 80's looking logo too! I only sold it because I jumped up to the Peavey Triple xxx 112. I sold that bandit to my friend and he still has it. I don't own the Triple xxx anymore either, I sold it because I needed to pay some bills a few years ago but I miss it.

[Bacchus]

Yep, I remember Bandits fondly, as I'm sure a fair few posters here will too.

But crucially, they don't make blue amps or guitars.

[h8mtv]

Ampeg Micro bass head. Loud, clean, reliable. I plan on buying another. Mine is 3 or so years old and it has been a champ.