Amp Head Suggestions (under £1000)

Crazed_Fandango

I've been considering a Victory V40 amp, but wondering what other options are out there.  I did consider the Bargain Jet City Amelia, but have been put off as the FX loop seems problematic.  The V40 fits my needs, but there is nowhere nearby to hear for myself and I'm a little worried about dropping a wedge on an amp when I have to rely on YouTube demos.

I play mainly classic rock and blues; using pedals, I am looking for a pedal-friendly amp, at least 30 watts (pref around 50).  I currently have a Fender HRDiii, which I like the sound of, but no longer trust as it spends more of its time being repaired than played.  

roberty

How about a used Marshall 2204 or clone? They are 50 watts. Or a JTM45 reissue which is 30 watts. The older Marshalls are supposed to be good pedal platforms if you use the low sensitivity input

I was considering a V40 but now I think I'll go down the classic Marshall route and see what the fuss is about

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/232890584680

djspecialist

I had a V40, which I used as a clean pedal platform for Americana / classic rock stuff. I loved the form factor, but after a while found it sounded a little dull.

I bought a H&K Puretone head, A/B'd it with the Victory and found the Puretone had a much richer sound, so moved the V40 on. The Puretone is rated 25W when run into a 16R cab (which mine is) - but it must be the loudest 25W ever because I gig mine with the volume on about 2!

I read that the V40 Deluxe has more presence than the previous model, but haven't ever heard / played one myself.

olafgarten

I thought the Amelia had a correctly functioning FX Loop (designed for pedals, not for rack gear)

Dopesick

Been eyeing up some of those old Marshalls on eBay myself. Victory Sheriff 44 looks the business as well.

...or I am selling a Matamp GT1 which would also be perfect (yes yes shut up at the back!).

Adji

I have a H&K Trilogy currently for sale. 100 watts as standard but the two outer power valves can just be pulled to reduce that to 50 watts (I did run it like this for several years).

Someone else mentioned the Puretone, which is also outstanding.

H&K generally are great, people often say they are a bit of a 'jack of all trades,' but I prefer 'versatile.'

I've not tried a V40 but heard a few in the flesh, and they do sound great.

ICBM

Crazed_Fandango said:

I currently have a Fender HRDiii, which I like the sound of, but no longer trust as it spends more of its time being repaired than played.  

Find someone who can repair the Hotrod properly. They are not unreliable amps, and unless you've been very unlucky with unrelated faults I would suspect that it’s something that’s not been fixed right.

simonk

You might be, or you won’t be far off being, able to bag a used Boogie MkV:25 for that... cracking little amps.

Dominic

Brunetti Pleximan ........very flexible, very good value especially secondhand 
see the Pleximan thread to read the comments

markj

djspecialist said:

I had a V40, which I used as a clean pedal platform for Americana / classic rock stuff. I loved the form factor, but after a while found it sounded a little dull.

I bought a H&K Puretone head, A/B'd it with the Victory and found the Puretone had a much richer sound, so moved the V40 on. The Puretone is rated 25W when run into a 16R cab (which mine is) - but it must be the loudest 25W ever because I gig mine with the volume on about 2!

I read that the V40 Deluxe has more presence than the previous model, but haven't ever heard / played one myself.

I’ve got a Puretone head it’s a fine amp but loud. It’s easily controllable, it’s my home practice amp.

rockmonster

EVH 50 5150 III used- job done!

thomasw88

H&k statesman head. The drive channel is fantastic particularly with humbuckers, plus you get two boosts via footswitch. The clean is perfectly good enough  as well. 

darrenp

I had a V40, which I really liked, though they can sound a bit dark at times. Judicious use of the EQ sorts it though. I now have a V40 Deluxe, which I much prefer. Definitely has more presence and bite to it, plus there's more gain available if you need it, though I use mine clean with pedals. The tremolo is lovely.

Might be worth checking out the V30 Mk2. Haven't heard one yet, other than in videos, but general comments are that the clean channel takes pedals really well and you have the added gain channel and crunch mode. RK50 could be another option. Pretty much a V40 on steriods.

Crazed_Fandango

All sound like good options to me.  It's a shame it's the same old amps in music shops.