New (don't laugh) amp day

Discussion of Valve Amplifiers Vintage and Modern

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New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby lowenzz » 08 Mar 2009, 18:10

Well, I went budget shopping, Bestbuy was next door to the grocery store. 100watt EL34 power amp for $240 new. Peavey's take on a JCM800ish Marshall.
Has a ton of gain, seems to get quite buzzy when the gain is getting turned up high, way more than any 2203 I've ever heard. On it's own it does a decent kinda generic Marshall thing. I'm sure only the cheapest tubes and the best MDF cab wood :smash. It has my personal favorite cost cutting measure, "plastic jacks :ball kick "This thing is heavy as hell and physically huge. Very nice looking with the two-tone creme/black tolex. Dwarfs my 2266, I really won't be using the preamp at this point.

The fun part is that I'm only using the power amp. I'm using the stereo out of my DL8 delay in the loop of my 2266, and into the return of the windsor. The windsor has a low end resonance and pressence on the master. So it has an EQ of sorts. The loop is switchable so I can mute it with my VM footswitch till I get some sort of ABY switch. SURF, your killer switcher costs more than this amp. The power amp also has this tube texture knob that kinda warms up the power tubes, brings them into overdrive sooner. The pots seem smooth and tight, the master and preamp gain seem to have a nice progressive taper, no light switch type level jumps (surprising given the price point) The eq is also widely voiced and quite effective. Sound and function wise, it's overall a decent amp for $240.

The windsors tone is sharp, dry and tight. Where the VM is what I would call round, loose and very warm. The two blend really good actually. Using the preamp from my VM works killer on the windsor and makes it sound quite good actually.

Show me a new amp for the money thats better and I'll return this right now. Crappy Line6 amps cost more. This would not be nearly as cool if it didn't have an effects loop that basically lets me bypass the windsor's preamp. This I think will make for a very cool "wet" amp. This was a econo-experiment that I think I'm gonna keep. We'll see in a couple weeks if it catches on fire or anything.
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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby LivewireBlanco » 08 Mar 2009, 19:30

Best Buy sells guitar amps??? :think
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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby surfnorthwest » 09 Mar 2009, 18:24

Probably the most acceptable tone for a new amp under $40 would be the Peavey Valve King (although Peavey amps make my dick itch) :deney Having said that if you are looking to just use the power valves then I would go find a used MTS and load 6L6s in it. I have seen the MTS in good shape go on eBay for 250-275 and remember you have a 100/50 watt switch.

Another thing you could do is simply find a rack power amp, although you would be going from tube to SS it wouldn't color your tone any. Just a thought :think
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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby VMGravy » 09 Mar 2009, 20:22

perhaps tube to ss would make my dick itch a little too much.

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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby lowenzz » 09 Mar 2009, 20:49

No dick itching or runny discharge here. I'll give anything a chance. I only have about an hour on it so far, but I'm having fun with the stereo thing. It was a spur of the moment thing motivated by a recently scaled down budget, it's a toy and nothing more. I'm using it as an effect of sorts.

There were not any better used amps local, I looked quite a bit as just about anything would fill this need. I did find a couple sweet JMP's, but apparently they are worth their weight in gold. I don't think I will ever be comfortable buying used from ebay without being able to check it out first.
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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby VMGravy » 09 Mar 2009, 23:15

it kinda looks good, like a good women with bad intentions , or mabye a bad women with good intentions, her voice will tell all.

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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby VMGravy » 09 Mar 2009, 23:20

fuck theres a song in that somewhere

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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby lowenzz » 10 Mar 2009, 08:16

VMGravy wrote:fuck theres a song in that somewhere

agree'd :Bounce
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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby Tnjpekar » 13 Mar 2009, 06:46

If I remember right, Jerry Pinelli does some killer mods on those, fja mods in upstate ny. I have dealt with him in the past and found him to be a TOTALLY stand up guy

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Re: New (don't laugh) amp day

Postby lowenzz » 15 Mar 2009, 13:35

It's going back, it's not for me. I was tempted by the ultra cheap price. :crazy :dunno Was really trying to like it. But my ears hated it.
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