Tube Combo Amp

[amonte]

Hey,

I'm looking into two combo amps and I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on them. The first is the Reverend Hellhound 40/60 and the other is the Ashdown Peacemaker 40. I play indie rock in the vein of Guided By Voices, The Strokes, Wilco, Luna, etc. I use two DeArmond guitars mainly, a Starfire Special and an M75-T. I want to get that chimey ringing sound, with a little bit of crunch. I guess I am looking for that Vox-like tone, without the Vox-like price. Currently, my main amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, which I love, but I want something different as well.

Thanks.

[dimebag]

Well sorry, but I can't offer any feedback on those two amps, but I can say that the Peavey Bandit 112 is a superb combo. It really rocks and has ****loads of variety to it. The Peavey Modelling Amp is also very good. Of course living in the US you've probably not heard of Peavey I dunno, but they make great amps. The Bandit is a transtube, which gives it the feel of a vavle amp too, so you can get variety out of them. Of course there's the option of the Line 6 Pod2 modelling box, but getting something like the Peavey is a better option. You could always try out a Fender Twin as well.

Hope that is remotely helpful. Let me know what you decide.

[amonte]

hey, thanks for the reply. actually, I am very familiar with peavey - I am selling a Peavey Classic 30 to pay for this amp. Not too familiar with the Bandit, but I know the sound I am after can't be had with a solid state amp. I'm looking for tubes all the way. Something that can be a little crunchy, but still have some sparkle - some of the early Who records and early Jam tunes come to mind.

I actually have a POD 2.0 as well - I think they're great in the studio, but I've tried playing it live and it doesn't work to well for me. There's a certain "dynamic" between a live guitar and an overdriven amp that the POD can't recreate. For starters, there's no feedback from a POD, which may sound like an advantage, but it takes away from that great saturated tone that only a live amp can get. I also noticed that the "decay" of a chord isn't 100% realistic - ringing chords just kind of die out in the POD (at least in the settings I use). The POD gets you about 85% of the way to perfect tone, but it just can't mimic some of the aspects of a real amp.

[guitargeek]

hey

those peavey classic 30s are great! i sold mine a few years back and have regretted it ever since. although i can't say i miss how many preamp tubes i blew threw tho' :)

man i abused that thing...

guitargeek

[amonte]

It amazes me how many people love the sound of those Classic 30's...I guess that's why I finally got one. It never sounded bad, but it never sounded anywhere near as good as the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Mine seem to have a weird honking quality to it - epsecially with the mids cranked. I changed the tubes from the Sovtek to JJ's and that did help, but I think to REALLY get rid of that honk and get a great sound, you need to swap out the stock speaker...

btw - if anyone's interested, I have my Peavey Classic 30 up on eBay. It comes with the footswitch, all the documentation, the original set of tubes (in full working order) and the brand new set of JJ tubes.

[guitargeek]

i had the same "honking" thing going on with my classic 30 but it ended up being microphonic tubes. a disgusting sound...

honk!

guitargeek

[purplejesus]

If you're looking for a Vox-like tone, what you want is a class A tube amp. Laney makes a pseudo Vox AC-30 that looks like a remodelled and updated AC-30 physically. Can't really vouch for one as I've never played through one. The basic spec on this is it's a single channel 30 watt class a tube amp w/ footswitchable gain, three band eq, fx loop, bright switch. The amp is powered by 4 EL84s. They also offer various speaker combinations: 1x12, 2x10 and 2x12.

I've been looking for a new amp and have been seriously considering Laney based on reviews. They're well regarded as making a solid and rugged product. Basically cutting the 'right' corners to create something that has the features that the boutique amps offer but at a fraction of the price. I've seen these things retail for under $800, used you can find them for less than $500 on occassion. They generally are regarded as coming close in tone and features to more expensive amp manufacturers products, but also have their own unique characteristics that set them apart.

Most of the complaints with tone come down to the stock Laney HH Invader speakers which some people like or they don't. If you want to go for completing the Vox tone you can try getting some Celestion Alnico Blues if you get a 12" combo. The other complaint is pretty typical for a lot of out of the box tube amps: the tubes. Both of these things are really the two things that affect tone that are easiest to change and are also the most subjective as far as what sounds 'good'. Some people like Celestion Vintage 30s, some people don't. Some people think Svetlana EL34s are great tubes, other swear by NOS Mullards. Really it all comes down to your ears.

Either way, the only advice I'd have is to go find a dealer of of Laney's website in your area and see if they have one in stock that you can try out. Always test drive before buying an amplifier. Like I said, I've never played through one but based on reviews of other Laney amps and the 'tone' you're looking for this might be a nice priced option. I've got my eye on a VH100R.

The only other thing to note is that their US distribution is a bit spotty and getting support is a bit half hazard. They're a british manufacturer so you'd more than likely have to call a UK number. But I've heard stories from people having done so talking to an engineer who worked on their amp and getting Laney to replace broken foot switches.

[nobody]

Another option is putting some Yellow Jackets in place of the 6L6 tubes on your Hot Rod. Yellow Jackets are "adaptors" that have EL84s and essentially puts your amp in Class A operation. Using the EL84s also can give any 6L6 amp Vox-like tone for little money.

Heres more info. THD Yellow Jackets (http://thdamps.com/products/yellow_jacket.htm)

I wanted to add that I play a DeArmond T-400 which has the same pickups as your two DeArmonds and I think they absolutely shine when played through a vintage Fender amp. The pickups just sound fantastic with that Fender sparkle.

[Lord Tone]

I got a 12 watt Auble 1x10 last week. I found it for $450 in mint condition, 1/2 of what it costs new....I made out like a bandit. It's only 1 channel, with a volume and tone knob, but it sounds absolutely huge. I could not believe how great it sounded. Mine is a 6L6, but I have heard the EL34's sound incredible as well.
www.fatsoundguitars.com
Stu at Fat Sound is a nice guy, he could help you out.

[Chris The Brit]

Just to add a little about the Peavy Classic, I got a classic 50 4x10 for $200 in poor condition, I Rewired the head and added all new pots and rebilt the cab leaving out two of the speakers, I managed to cram the amp chassis and two 10" speakers plus reverb tray, into a cab about the size of a small Mesa Head.

In fact when I use it on stage people ask me where is the cab?

I love it, I use mine for jam nights, or small gigs, I would never part with it. Just my opinion anyway.


CTB

[doug deeper]

get an early 70's selmer treble and bass 50....there look awful but it has the same guts as the 60's ones that the who used on there first stuff...i see them all the time for about $300!!! and they sound ****ing great!!!!
douglas deeper

[newSlang]

I dig almost the same bands you do, and had pretty much the same criteria when I was searching for a new amp a few years ago. Basically, I was looking for a poor man's Matchless.

Luna uses Matchless. GBV (in the studio, anyway) is a lot of overdriven AC30s (live it's Marshalls and Mesas). Wilco uses a lot of AC30s.

I went with a Trace Elliot Speed Twin C30. Think of it as a MEsaBoogie based off a Vox AC30 rather than a Fender Princeton. Very modern facilities, nice vintage tones (even the ludicrous gain settings). The clean sounds like a cross between an AC30 and a blackface Deluxe Reverb, the drive channel goes from Vox to Marshall. REally nice. It'd be right up your alley...

...if Trace hadn't been shut down by Gibson this year. There may still be some stock in stores, but they had spotty distribution even when they were in business.

Ashdown was started by former Trace Elliot employees. The Peacemaker you're looking at is very similar to the Speed Twin - I'll bet dollars to donuts they share a common ancestor no more than one or two design generations back. I would think that's an amp very worthy of your consideration.

I've also heard very good things about the Hellhound, but it has a more American lineage - being 6L6-powered and all. I'd wonder if the overdriven sounds can get the same chime and detail that you get from cooking EL84s in class A.

Frank

[amonte]

Hey Frank,

btw - I like your screen name - I assume that's a Shins reference?

Yeah, I kinda knew that about the AC30's - all of my favorites (which you listed) use them, as does Britt Daniels of Spoon. But it just wasn't in range...

I was very interested to try the Laney and the Ashdown amps, but simply put I couldn't find one to try. I ended up giving the Reverend a chance and ended up loving it. Surprisingly, it does a really good job of nailing both the Fender-esque sound in the US mode and gets very close to Vox country in the UK mode. There are some differences, but in general, it sounds real good. Sounds pretty good at low volumes, but at high volumes it sounds great. Still, I wish I had heard the Ashdown and the Laney before ordering the Reverend - just to be sure...part of me wants to seek them out.

[ben murphy]

that peavey classic series from the nineties is a really underrated line of amps. i've known a bunch of folks who have owned the 4x10 combos and they've all really sounded pretty darned good.

[newSlang]

hey Amonte

yeah, that's a Shins reference alright. Luv dem Shins.

Congrats on the REverend, I've heard lots of good things about them and having played some of his earlier designs, I know Joe Naylor makes a good amp. I've never played one and likely never will, since they sell almost exclusively direct on-line and there's probably not many used models kicking around Toronto.

Laney has always had abyssmal distribution in North America. Hard to find a dealer and when you do, they don't seem to stay dealers for long. A pity, really. The same went for Trace Elliot, even after Gibson bought them and drove them into the ground. Hopefully Ashdown is going to do a better job of getting their products on the streets.

Enjoy your Hellhound, I'd be keen to try the little Goblin amp if it ever gets released.

Frank

[marshall-artist]

The Classic 30 is a great amp, but I agree that for what you're trying to achive it probably isn't the best. Somebody mentioned the Laney VC30 which is a great amp. I think that it would be a good choice.

My favorite is the Marshall JCM601. I know most people think of high gain metal when you say Marshall, but this one is a more classic sound (think The Who, Cream, Hendrix) It's small, sounds good, and has a lot of useful features. Great for just about any style of rock except for the really hard stuff.

[cin]

I had a jtm 60 combo, which I loved, except for the speakers in them, but I just built a 212 cab loaded with vintage 30s, and it cured that. :)

I've played one of the peacemaker amps, they sound great, but a little pricy here I think.

[3D Steve]

hey amonte...

hows that hellhound working out for you volume wise...
i really dig those amps.
i only got to play em like twice before they switched to direct sales and my nearby store sold its last...
so...is she loud enough for a small gig unmic'd

i'm also looking at the sunn t-50c, but that's a bit expensive

thanks