Perhaps some of the more "tonally inclined" folks can provide direction regarding a minor problem. It's probably best to start this off with some background info, so here goes. I'm a bassist currently gigging with some great players; folks I've known musically for 30-some ought years. Our guitarist, while being a truly outstanding player, has never been overly concerned with the tone of his amp. To top it off, with guitar being his first love, his day job nets an extremely modest budget so there's little if anything to work with.
Currently he's using an early tweed Peavey Classic 50 with 2x12s... the oddball model that has a solid state preamp and tube power section (from the late '70s I think). Typically he sets and forgets the volume level on his amp and guitars, relying on a couple of Boss pedals for all adjustments: mild distortion, reverb etc. He does great slide-work but we're playing mostly straight-ahead bluesy rock (think Little Feat). This amp is an old friend to him, but sounds sterile and lifeless to my ear. My main and underlying concern is our overall sound as a band.
I thought that I might assist by picking up a reasonably priced amp on the used market. He would accept this gesture in the manner in which it was intended - simple assistance as opposed to meddling with his personal formula. If I *did* manage to get him interested, I'm hoping that he might also start to experiment with preamp gain, the volume controls on his guitar(s) and rely less on his pedals.
The recent all-tube Peavey Classic 50 2x12" (tweed only!) seems to be about right. Unfortunately most of the ones I've seen lately have been pretty beat up, but they apparently do go on forever based on experience with his current amp.
Are there alternatives to consider? All polite advice is welcome.
Currently he's using an early tweed Peavey Classic 50 with 2x12s... the oddball model that has a solid state preamp and tube power section (from the late '70s I think). Typically he sets and forgets the volume level on his amp and guitars, relying on a couple of Boss pedals for all adjustments: mild distortion, reverb etc. He does great slide-work but we're playing mostly straight-ahead bluesy rock (think Little Feat). This amp is an old friend to him, but sounds sterile and lifeless to my ear. My main and underlying concern is our overall sound as a band.
I thought that I might assist by picking up a reasonably priced amp on the used market. He would accept this gesture in the manner in which it was intended - simple assistance as opposed to meddling with his personal formula. If I *did* manage to get him interested, I'm hoping that he might also start to experiment with preamp gain, the volume controls on his guitar(s) and rely less on his pedals.
The recent all-tube Peavey Classic 50 2x12" (tweed only!) seems to be about right. Unfortunately most of the ones I've seen lately have been pretty beat up, but they apparently do go on forever based on experience with his current amp.
Are there alternatives to consider? All polite advice is welcome.