[brybi]

I've been looking around online and so far I'm a bit stuck. I play through a MIJ Strat and have a USA Big Muff and Digidelay running to a half solid state w/ 2 6L6s old Peavey 2x12 combo that I picked up for 300$. It gets a bit muddy when keeping up with my band because my drummer hits pretty hard. We play modern rock like Chilis, Modest Mouse, Radiohead and screw around with some Explosions in the Sky-esque stuff when we're bored.

So far I've been looking at a Twin Reverb or a Orange Tiny Terror + 2x12 cab (might run be a bit more than 800$ though), but I heard the TR is mostly for cleans and the TT might not be loud enough. I want a good glassy clean but something that can do a nice punchy overdrive as well. Don't need to step into metal territory =P

 

[Guest]

You can't go wrong with a Twin or a Deluxe. The reissues have nice (but not 3D like the 60- and 70-era originals) clean channels and they take pedals really well. The TT is not really a great clean amp -- it breaks up pretty quickly and I personally think it's a bit of a one trick pony (EL-84 power tube OD).

Hunt around for a used Laney VC30 -- EL-84 based (but ~50W) and the clean channel on it is nice. Or a used Rivera. There are a bunch of Peavey's that can be had for around $800 used if you look long enough that are very flexible: the JSX or a 5150 or a 6505. Someone with more Peavey experience chime in here on the 5150 and 6505 -- there are definitely more desirable and less desirable versions of those amps, I just can't remember how to distinguish them.

I always say plug your cord into as many amps as you can. You'll never know how they'll sound when you're behind the wheel.

Edit: I kept typing 34 but meant 84. Doh.

 

[Big White Tele]

For that price range, Id go with a Hot rod Deluxe or a Blues JR. Good cleans, and nice reverb. The OD on the HRDX works great for some, some hate it. I think its OK, but od pedals work great with these amps.

 

[bRian]

Keep an eye out for a used Peavey Classic 50 too, I've seen them go for $400 to $500 in excellent shape. Stay away from the Hot Rod Deville's, I think they are plagued with reliability problems. I've seen a few 70's Silverface Pro Reverb's and Super Reverb's go for $1000 around here lately, well worth the extra $200. Have you ever tried the new Traynor YCV 80's??

 

[Chito]

Look into the Traynors too. Either the YCV40WR or the YCV50Blue then get the extension cab. I have the Blue and the clean is great while you can get a lot of gain on the lead channel.

 

[Mooh]

Lots of good advice here. The Traynor YCV50 has really performed great for me lately, with and without pedals, clean and dirty, humbuckers and single-coils, cranked or not. Haven't got the extension cabinet for it yet, but it was good too when I tried it in the shop.

Peace, Mooh.

 

[hoser]

peavey classic 30 + 112 cab = rock machine.

 

[torndownunit]

Twins are great sounding amps. But in my case I found one to be a complete pain in the butt to gig with. Even with casters on the amp they are a complete pain to transport around. Casters don't help much with stairs, or lifting an amp in and out of a car or on to the stage. The amp was great to have in the practice space, but that was about it. You can get easily get away with an amp that is half the power and half the weight for 90% of gigging situations. It's something to consider when contemplating a Twin.

I'd second the Traynor recommendations. The YCV line offers a bunch of different wattages and tube setups. Plus you can get them on the used market for about half of what they go for new. And in a lot of cases, still under warranty since the warranty is transferable.

Peavey Classic 30's are a great value too.

 

[srd1]

Check out the Heatseeker head at Mack Music Systems: www.mackamps.com

It will meet all of your requirments. In spades. Easily portable. Versatile. Loud enough to gig with. Plus it has the bonus of being point to point wired (reliable, easy to fix if something goes wrong). Shipping and service would be handy for you (Mack Amps is in Richmond Hill) and you'd be supporting a Canadian amp-builder.

Best of all, this is a great-sounding head. I've owned one for over a year and am still in love with it.

-Rob

 

[david henman]

I want a good glassy clean but something that can do a nice punchy overdrive as well.

...traynor, rivera (pricey), peavey classic 30 or 50.

-dh

 

[bagpipe]

Twins are great sounding amps. But in my case I found one to be a complete pain in the butt to gig with. Even with casters on the amp they are a complete pain to transport around. Casters don't help much with stairs, or lifting an amp in and out of a car or on to the stage.

Couldn't agree more with this observation. The guitar player in our last band had a twin and, while it sounded great, it was a total pain to carry it around anywhere. He could also barely get the volume above 1.5 before it was deafening. Unless you are in the situation where you can leave the amp in one place, or pay someone to carry it around for you, I'd be looking elsewhere.

 

[screaminking]

While I agree that Fender Twins are heavy, they're not really much more of a problem than any other setup. I'd keep mine if I was actually out and about gigging, but a new guitar is calling me. I think a Twin is a great choice for the bands that you're into. When I saw Explosions live a few weeks back, they actually had a bunch of Fender amps on stage.

If you're looking for an amp to take your fuzz or OD pedals, you really can't go wrong with any of the famous Fenders....Twin Reverbs included. There's a reason the Twin Reverb is basically Fender's flagship amp, it's a classic!

 

[Dave]

I think that the classic 30 is hard to beat in that price range.

 

[Fragile Man]

I have a mid-seventies twin and I love it, it sounds awesome and I will probably never sell it. But having said that, I am shopping for another amp that is easier to transport. The twin is a pain to get around.
My son just bought a '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue and it sounds great and is a nice size and weight to take to a buddy's basement.
I was thinking about getting a new Custom Vibrolux for something different, but after reading more than a few reviews I think I would be disappointed with the sound, so I guess it will probably be the DRRI.

 

[offkey_]

Cant go wrong with this: http://www.music123.com/Fender-Hot-Rod-DeVille-Guitar-Combo-Amp-i21321.music

 

[david henman]

...i recommend the traynor ycv series over the fender hot rod series. superior build quality, better design and a vastly superior o/d channel.

-dh

 

[Guest]

So how about an update? All these options and opinions. What did you end up with?