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Best Combo amp for £1,000 or less

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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    Image result for charlie brown good grief
    Image result for charlie brown good grief

    Image result for charlie brown good grief
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    edited December 2016
    I know its not a combo but it is compact, a second hand Victory V40 and matching 1x12 cab can be had for under £1,000. (There's one here with the 2x12 for £900 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Victory-V40-Amp-and-2x12-Cab-/122281949842?hash=item1c78927a92:g:LFIAAOSwo4pYXW58)

    it does loud cleans to mild crunch. It can be a little dark sounding at low volume but sounds very good with the master volume opened up a bit. Is perfect for blues and a great canvas for pedals of all kinds.

    It has in built attenuation through power reduction so can be easily tailored to home, stage or studio.


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  • IvisonGuitarsIvisonGuitars Frets: 6838
    tFB Trader
    Anyone else think @Voxman might be taking this a little too seriously?!... :-)
    http://www.ivisonguitars.com
    (formerly miserneil)
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  • TrudeTrude Frets: 914


    For straight up blues I'd look for a 5f4 tweed super style amp. An original late 50s one might be out of the q but for a grand I reckon you'd find a decent replica / built kit.
    I have exactly this - a Flynn Amps Tweed Super 1x12. Thinking of letting it go to fund some recording gear. 
    OP - send me a PM if you'd like to find out more.
    Some of the gear, some idea

    Trading feedback here
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  • Lez325Lez325 Frets: 82
    TheMarlin said:
    How much power were you after?
    30- 40 watts ideally
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  • Lez325Lez325 Frets: 82
    Richardj said:
    Has to be a Hot Rod or Blues Deluxe really.

    I have an 18/30 and it's very nice indeed, but it isn't as good as the Hot Rod and Blues Deluxes I had before.  A '68 Custom Twin sounds epic, but you need a carefully chosen drive pedal unless you are playing a stadium. Oh and a fork lift to move it around.
    I did have a Blues deluxe - sadly I sold it and had the 68 Princeton, did'nt get on with that a little too much bass for my taste
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  • Lez325Lez325 Frets: 82
    edited January 2017
    Voxman said:
    I'm always amazed that based on such little info, folk just jump in with their 'recommendations'.  It's like trying to recommend someone a car with no real feel for what they want it for and what they need from it - eg economical, fast, load carrying or sporty, 4WD, manual, auto, depreciation/resale considerations, will it fit your garage, sat nav etc 

    All we know is its for "blues" and that "lovely cleans are essential" and budget is "up to £1,000" and that the 18/30 Bassbreaker has been looked at.  

    But even that needs a bit of clarification with examples of the tone Lez is seeking - how clean is clean? Are we talking a clean with some break up, crystal clean ala certain Fenders or even JCM120, bell-chime clean ala Vox AC30?  

    There is of course no 'best' - only what's right for your needs. Personally Lez, I'd like to know a lot more:
    1. Are you looking to buy new or used?
    2. Where and how are you going to be using the amp - home, smaller club gigs, big gigs, recording, direct, miked up through the PA?  With a band and if so what other instruments are there?
    3. How loud do you need it to be (rather than 'power' which can be confusing - more watts doesn't always mean more volume)
    4. Are you looking for high headroom before the tone starts to break up? 
    5. Do you use external effects? If so, what (eg stomp pedals, MFX, mixture)
    6. What features do you need?: Single or dual channel?  If dual, do you want independent EQ or is a shared EQ OK?  Do you need an FX loop and if so do you have a preference between series or parallel? Do you need a built in reverb?  Do you need any built in effects eg tremolo? If you do need a built in reverb, does it have to be spring or is a digital reverb OK? Do you need foot-switching facilities between channels? Do you need extras eg a 'bright boost' or 'gain boost'?
    7. Is weight/size an issue? (eg for me weight's a problem nowadays for me as I have back problems) 
    8. Do you have some examples you can post of the tone you're looking for?
    9. What guitar(s) do you mainly use?  (that's because crystal cleans are easier with single coil teles/strats etc as opposed to h/b guitars like a LP or SG)
    10. Do you always intend to run the combo on its own, or do you want flexibility to run external cabs with/without the internal speaker(s) on?  Are you looking for a 1x12 or 2x12 or something else (eg 2 x 10)?
    11. Just a sense check that a combo is the right way to go or might a head plus cab be more flexible for you re cab options and (potentially) ease of carrying (some combos can be very heavy and awkward to transport?  Reason I raise this is I bought a 2x12 combo years ago but in hindsight I should have got the head and cab.  
    I'm sure I've not covered everything, but hopefully answers to the above will help both you and us come up with the right type of amps for you to try.  
    Ok heres the answers
    1. No preference
    2.  pubs and small clubs un mic'd
    3.Must be able to cut through a rhythm guitar, a bass and a ;loud drummer
    4.yes
    5.yes. MXR Dyna Comp-  Boss SD1 OD pedal - Mooer 90 phaser
    6.long question - in brief spring reverb a must EQ no preference. FX loop NO. twin channel nice but not essential.Bright Boost or gain boost no
    7.Not an issue
    8.No sorry but Gary Moore is a big influence for me
    9 USA Strat with 57/62 pick ups- USA telecaster original pick ups
    10. Have always had combo's ( Fender Blues deluxe- 68 Princeton reissue -although, I did consider a Bassbreaker 15w head and a 2x12 cab

    Hope this helps?

    Les 
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  • Lez325 said:
    Voxman said:
    I'm always amazed that based on such little info, folk just jump in with their 'recommendations'.  It's like trying to recommend someone a car with no real feel for what they want it for and what they need from it - eg economical, fast, load carrying or sporty, 4WD, manual, auto, depreciation/resale considerations, will it fit your garage, sat nav etc 

    All we know is its for "blues" and that "lovely cleans are essential" and budget is "up to £1,000" and that the 18/30 Bassbreaker has been looked at.  

    But even that needs a bit of clarification with examples of the tone Lez is seeking - how clean is clean? Are we talking a clean with some break up, crystal clean ala certain Fenders or even JCM120, bell-chime clean ala Vox AC30?  

    There is of course no 'best' - only what's right for your needs. Personally Lez, I'd like to know a lot more:
    1. Are you looking to buy new or used?
    2. Where and how are you going to be using the amp - home, smaller club gigs, big gigs, recording, direct, miked up through the PA?  With a band and if so what other instruments are there?
    3. How loud do you need it to be (rather than 'power' which can be confusing - more watts doesn't always mean more volume)
    4. Are you looking for high headroom before the tone starts to break up? 
    5. Do you use external effects? If so, what (eg stomp pedals, MFX, mixture)
    6. What features do you need?: Single or dual channel?  If dual, do you want independent EQ or is a shared EQ OK?  Do you need an FX loop and if so do you have a preference between series or parallel? Do you need a built in reverb?  Do you need any built in effects eg tremolo? If you do need a built in reverb, does it have to be spring or is a digital reverb OK? Do you need foot-switching facilities between channels? Do you need extras eg a 'bright boost' or 'gain boost'?
    7. Is weight/size an issue? (eg for me weight's a problem nowadays for me as I have back problems) 
    8. Do you have some examples you can post of the tone you're looking for?
    9. What guitar(s) do you mainly use?  (that's because crystal cleans are easier with single coil teles/strats etc as opposed to h/b guitars like a LP or SG)
    10. Do you always intend to run the combo on its own, or do you want flexibility to run external cabs with/without the internal speaker(s) on?  Are you looking for a 1x12 or 2x12 or something else (eg 2 x 10)?
    11. Just a sense check that a combo is the right way to go or might a head plus cab be more flexible for you re cab options and (potentially) ease of carrying (some combos can be very heavy and awkward to transport?  Reason I raise this is I bought a 2x12 combo years ago but in hindsight I should have got the head and cab.  
    I'm sure I've not covered everything, but hopefully answers to the above will help both you and us come up with the right type of amps for you to try.  
    Ok heres the answers
    1. No preference
    2.  pubs and small clubs un mic'd
    3.Must be able to cut through a rhythm guitar, a bass and a ;loud drummer
    4.yes
    5.yes. MXR Dyna Comp-  Boss SD1 OD pedal
    6.long question - in brief spring reverb a must EQ no preference. FX loop NO. twin channel nice but not essential.Bright Boost or gain boost no
    7.Not an issue
    8.No sorry but Gary Moore is a big influence for me
    9 USA Strat- USA telecaster both unmoded.
    10. Have always had combo's although I did consider a Bassbreaker 45 head and a 2x12 cab

    Hope this helps?

    Les 

    Does it need a spring reverb? You can get better sounding (imo) spring emulation pedals and very few amps these days have a really, really good sounding spring reverb circuit (although I'm not sure what makes them sound good or bad, just that I've not heard any that hold a candle to the vintage fenders I've played). 
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  • Lez325Lez325 Frets: 82
    No I guess the reverb thing is a matter of personal taste, I'm not a great lover of too many pedals to be honest
    Spring emulation pedal is something I have not come across, do you have a link ???

    Les


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  • Vox AC30 is where it's at. 
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    you can get used UK-hand-made amps for £1k
    For that matter I'd sell you  a used USA-hand-made  Badcat 30w for that much, with  top-5%-quality cleans
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    edited January 2017
    Thanks for your preferences Les.  Parking the 'Gary Moore' theme for a moment, based on your responses I'd urge you to try a Vox AC30 - and try one with Greenbacks and one with Alnico Blues (even side by side).  An AC30 will easily cut through the mix, it's loud, has a unique tone with a natural compression that helps single coil Strats & Tele's to really 'sing'.  Newer ones have a spring reverb, and channel options give you some extra flexibility.  It also has Hi & Lo impedance inputs which can be very useful. 

    If you should ever want to run an external cab, you can do so with the internal 2x12 speakers on or off.  You don't need an FX loop, but one's there should you change your mind and eg want to run a delay and/or modulation pedal.  Classic looks, big tone (I think there's a thread on this here), and great bell-like cleans.  The latest versions are the AC30C2 (2x122 Celestion Greenbacks) and AC30C2X (2x12" Alnico Blues).  The AC30C2 is around £7-800  new; the AC30C2X is around £1100 new but I guarantee you can get a deal at your £1k budget or even less.  Cheaper pre-owned of course.  

    Re Gary Moore, I love him too.  But usually his tone equates with a Les Paul and a Marshall.  I love Marshall amps, but they simply wouldn't tick all your boxes.  However, and don't laugh, with a Gary Moore theme in mind check out the 2x12 Marshall Code 100 - yes, I know it's a digital amp and not a quality tube amp - but it's still a great sounding versatile amp with surprisingly good cleans. Ignore you-tube demos (none show what the amp can really do), keep an open mind, and try one in person.  I've owned a JTM45, JCM800, 18w 1954 'plexi' combo, and I currently have a JCM2000 DSL401 - and I would gig with the Code!  
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • jeztone2jeztone2 Frets: 2160
    What about a Blackstar Artisan 30 used? Lots of headroom, can be switched down. Take pedals very well. 
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  • CacofonixCacofonix Frets: 356
    Didn't Gary Moore use Peter Green's Lester?  A lot of his sound was the out-of phase pickup winding.  Don't know what amp to recommend, though.  Two Rock Studio Pro for cleans, but has an fx loop.  Took me a year to finally decide on the features I wanted.  Happy hunting.
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  • Lez325Lez325 Frets: 82
    edited January 2017
    Voxman said:
    Thanks for your preferences Les.  Parking the 'Gary Moore' theme for a moment, based on your responses I'd urge you to try a Vox AC30 - and try one with Greenbacks and one with Alnico Blues (even side by side).  An AC30 will easily cut through the mix, it's loud, has a unique tone with a natural compression that helps single coil Strats & Tele's to really 'sing'.  Newer ones have a spring reverb, and channel options give you some extra flexibility.  It also has Hi & Lo impedance inputs which can be very useful. 

    If you should ever want to run an external cab, you can do so with the internal 2x12 speakers on or off.  You don't need an FX loop, but one's there should you change your mind and eg want to run a delay and/or modulation pedal.  Classic looks, big tone (I think there's a thread on this here), and great bell-like cleans.  The latest versions are the AC30C2 (2x122 Celestion Greenbacks) and AC30C2X (2x12" Alnico Blues).  The AC30C2 is around £7-800  new; the AC30C2X is around £1100 new but I guarantee you can get a deal at your £1k budget or even less.  Cheaper pre-owned of course.  

    Re Gary Moore, I love him too.  But usually his tone equates with a Les Paul and a Marshall.  I love Marshall amps, but they simply wouldn't tick all your boxes.  However, and don't laugh, with a Gary Moore theme in mind check out the 2x12 Marshall Code 100 - yes, I know it's a digital amp and not a quality tube amp - but it's still a great sounding versatile amp with surprisingly good cleans. Ignore you-tube demos (none show what the amp can really do), keep an open mind, and try one in person.  I've owned a JTM45, JCM800, 18w 1954 'plexi' combo, and I currently have a JCM2000 DSL401 - and I would gig with the Code!  
    Thank you for such a detailed response Voxman- I do like the sound of the AC 30 - Andertons have the Vox AC 30 Custom with Celestion Greenback which also has spring reverb and tremolo for a mere £833 & the AC 30 with Celestion Blue speaker for £1125 plus a hand wired AC 30 with Green backs for £1200

    I am going to Guildford tomorrow ( work related) and will endeavour to drop into Andertons and give one a spin....Living in Somerset is a bind- no quality equipment shops around, I really want new not considering 2nd hand as yet!

    Ref Gary Moore, I hear what you say ref Les Paul/Marshall - so I don't realistically expect to emulate his tones using single coil guitars, (I do have an Epiphone 335 Pro with Humbuckers- my back up guitar - which I vary rarely use) being a true Fender snob lol 

    I just prefer the Strat & Tele Twined with a quality Tube amp ( previously owning both a Fender Blues Deluxe and a 68 Princeton reissue). Sadly I sold the Blues deluxe on a whim to buy the 68 Princeton, I didn't get on with that too much bass for my style of playing, presently using an Orange 60w combo - borrowed from a band member, It works well but not the sound I'm after- The Rhythm guitarist has a Blackstar Artist, can't say I'm impressed with that either lol , maybe I'm too fussy 

    I'll see what's what on Wednesday afternoon armed with my £1,000 with an AC 30 of some sort in mind

    Thanks all for the replies so far- appreciated

    Les 
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9447
    Voxman said:
    I'm always amazed that based on such little info, folk just jump in with their 'recommendations'.  It's like trying to recommend someone a car with no real feel for what they want it for and what they need from it - eg economical, fast, load carrying or sporty, 4WD, manual, auto, depreciation/resale considerations, will it fit your garage, sat nav etc 

    All we know is its for "blues" and that "lovely cleans are essential" and budget is "up to £1,000" and that the 18/30 Bassbreaker has been looked at.  

    But even that needs a bit of clarification with examples of the tone Lez is seeking - how clean is clean? Are we talking a clean with some break up, crystal clean ala certain Fenders or even JCM120, bell-chime clean ala Vox AC30?  

    There is of course no 'best' - only what's right for your needs. Personally Lez, I'd like to know a lot more:
    1. Are you looking to buy new or used?
    2. Where and how are you going to be using the amp - home, smaller club gigs, big gigs, recording, direct, miked up through the PA?  With a band and if so what other instruments are there?
    3. How loud do you need it to be (rather than 'power' which can be confusing - more watts doesn't always mean more volume)
    4. Are you looking for high headroom before the tone starts to break up? 
    5. Do you use external effects? If so, what (eg stomp pedals, MFX, mixture)
    6. What features do you need?: Single or dual channel?  If dual, do you want independent EQ or is a shared EQ OK?  Do you need an FX loop and if so do you have a preference between series or parallel? Do you need a built in reverb?  Do you need any built in effects eg tremolo? If you do need a built in reverb, does it have to be spring or is a digital reverb OK? Do you need foot-switching facilities between channels? Do you need extras eg a 'bright boost' or 'gain boost'?
    7. Is weight/size an issue? (eg for me weight's a problem nowadays for me as I have back problems) 
    8. Do you have some examples you can post of the tone you're looking for?
    9. What guitar(s) do you mainly use?  (that's because crystal cleans are easier with single coil teles/strats etc as opposed to h/b guitars like a LP or SG)
    10. Do you always intend to run the combo on its own, or do you want flexibility to run external cabs with/without the internal speaker(s) on?  Are you looking for a 1x12 or 2x12 or something else (eg 2 x 10)?
    11. Just a sense check that a combo is the right way to go or might a head plus cab be more flexible for you re cab options and (potentially) ease of carrying (some combos can be very heavy and awkward to transport?  Reason I raise this is I bought a 2x12 combo years ago but in hindsight I should have got the head and cab.  
    I'm sure I've not covered everything, but hopefully answers to the above will help both you and us come up with the right type of amps for you to try.  
    @Voxman, great post mate !

    Les, keep us posted of your findings...
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    Brunetti Singleman 16 if the cleans are really important.
    http://www.musik-produktiv.co.uk/brunetti-singleman-16-10092194.html

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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Surprised no-one's suggested the Yamaha THR 5 yet.
     :) 
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Sassafras said:
    Surprised no-one's suggested the Yamaha THR 5 yet.
     :) 
    Give it time....
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  • Lez325 said:
    No I guess the reverb thing is a matter of personal taste, I'm not a great lover of too many pedals to be honest
    Spring emulation pedal is something I have not come across, do you have a link ???

    Les



    There are lots. The digitech polara has a decent one, the boss RV6 has one I think, the best for emulating the old school tanks is the boss fender pedal - it really is accurate and warts and all (which, I suspect, is why it's not as hugely popular as other pedals). 

    I tend to use hall, plate or cathedral kind of sounds more as I can't stand spring :) but you have a lot of options across a range of prices. Most are much of a muchness, I wouldn't convince yourself you get a great deal better sound with a very expensive one, but then again I'm not a spring reverb fan. 
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