Your next amp

[Uncle E]

why don't you just have somebody build you a head case or a 112 enclosure for the Angel ?

The 4x10 Angel actually sounds really good. I don't like the amp nearly as much when I run it through a 1x12 Greenback. Besides, don't you know it's more fun just to get another amp?

Out of your above links the DrZ stands out head and shoulders imho, sorry to say.

Do you have any other recommendations along those lines?

[susiwong]

why don't you just have somebody build you a head case or a 112 enclosure for the Angel ?

The 4x10 Angel actually sounds really good. I don't like the amp nearly as much when I run it through a 1x12 Greenback. Besides, don't you know it's more fun just to get another amp?

Out of your above links the DrZ stands out head and shoulders imho, sorry to say.

Do you have any other recommendations along those lines?

Ok, fair enough !
-- How about a Maverick 112 then ?
4x EL84, clean channel very close to the Angel, plus a good OD channel.
-- The Studio 22s are little beasts, too - nobody said you have to go for that compressed Santana tone with them.
-- Obvious maybe, JCM800 single channel combos
-- GT Soul-O
-- the CC series Voxes sound crap stock, but with a good set of tubes and maybe a better reverb tank they can sound better than many older ACs.
Talk about night and day ...
Don't overlook the micro switches in the back, they make lots of difference in feel.
-- the more you're willing to spend the more options you have - the boutique market loves this type of amps, Dr Z, Matchless, Bad Cat, Hayseed to name the usual suspects, but there are many more
-- Unless you like extremely harsh tone , steer clear of the HK Statesman, I didn't like the Hayden amps and never particularly enjoyed the Fender Blues- / HotRod series.

Of course only personal opinion, ymmv,
susiwong

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Black Cat Panther

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Bad Cat sorry Panther



Guess what brand of amps Kurt.B guitarist and fine engineer and mix engineer from Converge uses (he also does engineer and mix other bands also). It will make susiwong cry the way they get abused...Check out his fine collection at his 'Godcity studio':

http://www.myspace.com/godcitystudio/photos

Nice

[susiwong]

Bad Cat sorry Panther



Guess what brand of amps Kurt.B guitarist and fine engineer and mix engineer from Converge uses (he also does engineer and mix other bands also). It will make susiwong cry the way they get abused...

Fwiw, I don't think so.
He seems to value his equipment, that's ok with me.
I just hate it when fine (vintage) stuff with limited supply is getting butchered, just like I hate it when guitars get locked in bank vaults.
Even a person who can't play but collects these things because he enjoys them as pieces of art is perfectly allright in my book.
And you should know by now I'm not afraid to use a drill or soldering iron against standard equipment.
Ymmv,
susiwong

[Uncle E]

-- How about a Maverick 112 then ?
4x EL84, clean channel very close to the Angel, plus a good OD channel.

Are they really similar? I've never compared them side-by-side but the Mavericks I've played seemed to have stiffer response. Feature-wise, a Maverick would be fantastic and I could certainly live without the 6V6's.

-- The Studio 22s are little beasts, too - nobody said you have to go for that compressed Santana tone with them.

We've actually got one here already. It's cool, just super compressed and midrange-heavy. "Santana tone" is actually the perfect description, IME.

-- Obvious maybe, JCM800 single channel combos

I would if they weren't so overpriced now.

-- GT Soul-O

We've got a Soul-O 45 that nails the Plexi sound and feel when it has all 12AX7's installed. Unfortunately, this causes the reverb to distort, I need to install the 12AT7 and 12AU7 as spec'd to see if that fixes it.

-- the CC series Voxes sound crap stock, but with a good set of tubes and maybe a better reverb tank they can sound better than many older ACs.
Talk about night and day ...
Don't overlook the micro switches in the back, they make lots of difference in feel.

Agreed! I was surprised by the 30 and the 15 is the perfect size for me. Thanks!

-- the more you're willing to spend the more options you have - the boutique market loves this type of amps, Dr Z, Matchless, Bad Cat, Hayseed to name the usual suspects, but there are many more

That MAZ would've been great.

-- Unless you like extremely harsh tone , steer clear of the HK Statesman, I didn't like the Hayden amps and never particularly enjoyed the Fender Blues- / HotRod series.

That's good to know about the Statesman. I've got a Hot Rod Deluxe that sounded really good after I did some simple mods on it, including removing some clipping from the drive channel, removing the filtering from the reverb, and removing the negative feedback. With those mods performed, the amp had a more lively feel, two clean channels (both of which drove nicely when boosted), and a dense, vintage sounding reverb. Unfortunately, Yellowjackets fried the amp and I haven't gotten it working again since.

[hibidy]

@BadCat: WANT!

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Yeah i would love a Bad Cat Panther as Kurt.B from converge makes them sound Bad Ass. I think he also uses another Bad Cat model but i can not remember it. The stuff in his studio picture is mostly just studio gear from a Doomriders session. None of his Converge rig is pictured. Maybe they were in rehersals when the pics were taken and so his Bad Cat rigs were left there also. Cab wise he don't use Bad Cat cabs just the heads through more regular cabs (at a guess a 1960 and a Recto Standard)

Have not seen that Bad Cat Pre-Amp yet which i really want to try out, they were promising every Bad Cat sound out of it (though that i presume is power-amp pending of course as it would not sound the same through say a Marshall 20:20 or 50:50...etc.) The thought of a 'boutique' pre-amp like that fed into any amp one feels like is a lovely thought

If anyone has had the chance please spill the beans ?

[susiwong]

-- How about a Maverick 112 then ?
4x EL84, clean channel very close to the Angel, plus a good OD channel.

Are they really similar? I've never compared them side-by-side but the Mavericks I've played seemed to have stiffer response. Feature-wise, a Maverick would be fantastic and I could certainly live without the 6V6's.

-- The Studio 22s are little beasts, too - nobody said you have to go for that compressed Santana tone with them.

We've actually got one here already. It's cool, just super compressed and midrange-heavy. "Santana tone" is actually the perfect description, IME.

-- Obvious maybe, JCM800 single channel combos

I would if they weren't so overpriced now.

-- GT Soul-O

We've got a Soul-O 45 that nails the Plexi sound and feel when it has all 12AX7's installed. Unfortunately, this causes the reverb to distort, I need to install the 12AT7 and 12AU7 as spec'd to see if that fixes it.

-- the CC series Voxes sound crap stock, but with a good set of tubes and maybe a better reverb tank they can sound better than many older ACs.
Talk about night and day ...
Don't overlook the micro switches in the back, they make lots of difference in feel.

Agreed! I was surprised by the 30 and the 15 is the perfect size for me. Thanks!

-- the more you're willing to spend the more options you have - the boutique market loves this type of amps, Dr Z, Matchless, Bad Cat, Hayseed to name the usual suspects, but there are many more

That MAZ would've been great.

-- Unless you like extremely harsh tone , steer clear of the HK Statesman, I didn't like the Hayden amps and never particularly enjoyed the Fender Blues- / HotRod series.

That's good to know about the Statesman. I've got a Hot Rod Deluxe that sounded really good after I did some simple mods on it, including removing some clipping from the drive channel, removing the filtering from the reverb, and removing the negative feedback. With those mods performed, the amp had a more lively feel, two clean channels (both of which drove nicely when boosted), and a dense, vintage sounding reverb. Unfortunately, Yellowjackets fried the amp and I haven't gotten it working again since.

So send Robben the bill, I heard he played with the Yellowjackets !
Sorry to hear, but that should be fixable.

The Maverick, like the Angel, depends a lot on tubes. Finding a good set (not even starting substitution) goes a long way.
It's not exactly the same, but I like it quite well personally, and I hate stiff amps too.
The Studio22 can do lots more than that obvious, '70s tone.
As a starting point, keep the 1st volume down around 4 and lead gain around 2 and you'll get some nice mild breakup tones. It might not be loud enough however when set that way, think Deluxe Reverb.
Reverb worked fine on all Soul-Os I tried, great amps imho, though I don't have enough hands-on experience with them.

One thing that works very well for me with a Fender style clean amp is a HK Tubeman (the old, blue one) as a 2nd channel, just slightly dirty, which you can then mistreat with ODs and stuff, it takes them much better than most Fenders.
Those gizmos are typically dirt cheap over here, don't know about US.

Anyway, like you said, this stuff is fun (and pretty addictive, too !)
Cheers,
susiwong

[Uncle E]

Yeah i would love a Bad Cat Panther as Kurt.B from converge makes them sound Bad Ass. I think he also uses another Bad Cat model but i can not remember it.

The Hot Cat is sweet. I've pulled some amazing clean distortion (where it sounds mostly clean yet sustains forever) out of that amp. Too bad it's so expensive.

[susiwong]

@BadCat: WANT!

Sorry, forget it.
Like Matchless and co they only get alive turned up above half, and that is plenty, even with a small 15W combo.
The good news however : The step up to 30, 50 or more Watts doesn't bring that much increase in dirty volume any more, it's about clean headroom and overall feel more than anything else.
Just saying,
susiwong

And Dean, that Bad Pre is only a prototype yet afaik, and like you said, the power amp designs are "it" mostly.

[hibidy]

Well, then how bout an EMU of the bad cat then? (hello, IK, anyone there????)

[Uncle E]

The Studio22 can do lots more than that obvious, '70s tone.
As a starting point, keep the 1st volume down around 4 and lead gain around 2 and you'll get some nice mild breakup tones. It might not be loud enough however when set that way, think Deluxe Reverb.

Is that on the distortion channel?

One thing that works very well for me with a Fender style clean amp is a HK Tubeman (the old, blue one) as a 2nd channel, just slightly dirty, which you can then mistreat with ODs and stuff, it takes them much better than most Fenders.

Love the H&K pedal tones (the Replex is the luscious and the Tube Factor is Slash-in-a-box), hate their 15V AC adapters.

[Uncle E]

Like Matchless and co they only get alive turned up above half, and that is plenty, even with a small 15W combo.

Good point. That Hot Cat was ear bleedingly loud when it got that amazing tone. Similarly, the hand-wired Vox's are literally pain inducing for them to open up.

[Uncle E]

Well, then how bout an EMU of the bad cat then? (hello, IK, anyone there????)

An emu of an emu???