Amplifier Suggestion??

kswilson89

Hi

I'll start off by saying that I'm no expert on amplifiers or guitars but I bought a 2016 Gibson 1963 ES-335 a few months ago and love the b*****d. So now I'm looking for an amplifier to go with it. Does anyone have any suggestions for an amp that'll suit a 335 nicely? I like playing rock/blues for the most part. I'd preferably like to stick with the classic brands such as Marshall, Fender and Vox but I'm open to all suggestions.

thanks!

sweepy

What sort of Budget are you looking at and do you want it for Gigs or home use, is weight an issue etc 

kswilson89

Budget I could go up to around £2000 and it would be used for small gigs. Weight is an issue, good point, nothing too heavy like an AC30 or Fender Twin. Thanks

Evilmags

Home, small gigs:- 15 Watt valve amp that switches down to 5 Watts. Probably without a master volume. 
Jamming, Bigger gigs:- 30-50 watt valve amp with a 2X12 (Fender Blues Junior, Blackstar Artisan 15 both very good)

Sound wise, you have to decide what you like. Their are probably 4 classic sounds (with much variance between them) and they would be Fender, Vox, Marshall and Mesa Boogie. Modern Multi channel amps generally have switchable voicings, so you will typically see (tweed ie fender style) brit ( Marshall ) ect on those channels. These are obviously more expensive. Mesa level gain (with the exception of the Loanstar series) will be well above what you are looking for. 

Classic ES 335 into Fender tone would be Chuck Berry, Classic ES 335 into Vox, Noel Gallacher, ES 335 into Marshall Cream era Clapton. There are obviously massive variations between models of amp, speaker choice ect.

The other option is a digital modeller. Axe FX or Kempler second hand would probably be the way to go, although Line & at the cheaper end of the market are a lot more realistic sounding than they used to e.  

Collings

I think if you have a potential budget of up to 2k you have plenty of choice so your better off putting a morning aside and visiting a good dealer that has lots of options in stock and try as many out as you can with your own guitar.

rico

Marshall Bluesbreaker reissue

professorben

Boogie, go full Larry Carlton.

richardhomer

professorben said:

Boogie, go full Larry Carlton.

Lonestar Special? The clean channel is pretty much Blackface Fender - the lead channel does early Mark Series gain very well.

Used they're cheap as chips.

Otherwise I'd be thinking Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue with a pedal for more dirt.

professorben

Hmmm was thinking Mk1 but Lonestar would be a good bet I reckon.

Evilmags

Quality wise Boogie is a lot nicer than anything Fender or Marshall I´ve owned. My Roaster is the most ersitile amp I´ve owned. From ultra clean to full on Thrash, with everything pretty much inbetween.  

sweepy

I'd be looking at Two Rock, Fender Michael Landau or even something along the lines of a Fender Princeton 

simonk

With a budget of 2K I'd look beyond the Fender, Marshall and Vox offerings. You need to get out there and try a few but brands like Carr, Lazy J and Louis Electric etc are attainable. There are some bargains to be had in the classifieds too... Carr Slant for £1500, Louis Electric KR12 for about the same. It depends which flavour you favour really.

ICBM

Yamaha THR100HD

The best-sounding new amp I've played recently.

jonnyburgo

I like the sound of Mag's Ersitile Roaster

hoops

There's a Lazy J in the classifieds at the moment. 335s sound great through them and they are very light.

crunchman

Lazy J

Voxman

ICBM said:

Yamaha THR100HD

The best-sounding new amp I've played recently.

Haven't heard it in person, but demo's sound pretty good and I believe you can import different IR's.   But whilst i like the dual amp concept there are too many shortcomings for easy live use.  It has to be hooked up to a computer to change boost and reverb settings, and the amp valve simulation dial is at the rear of the amp.  It's aimed I think at those that want a versatile lightweight amp head and who plan to use their effects pedal board with it because other than reverb and boost there are no other effects. 

impmann

Fender Deluxe Reissue if you are feeling rich.

Or

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - the Mk3s are superb amps and even the gain channel is "ok", although to my ears they sound better on the clean channel with a really good overdrive pedal in front of them.

ICBM

Voxman said:

Haven't heard it in person, but demo's sound pretty good and I believe you can import different IR's.   But whilst i like the dual amp concept there are too many shortcomings for easy live use.  It has to be hooked up to a computer to change boost and reverb settings, and the amp valve simulation dial is at the rear of the amp.  It's aimed I think at those that want a versatile lightweight amp head and who plan to use their effects pedal board with it because other than reverb and boost there are no other effects. 

That's what I liked about it. No messing about with onboard effects except the ones traditional amps have. Not fussed about not being able to edit the reverb - you can't with a traditional amp - or change the valve type on the fly (ditto). It's just an amp - and actually, still much more flexible than a traditional one.

I loved the sound and feel of it, and the simplicity is exactly what I really want - I admit I haven't bought one yet, because I'm not actually in a gigging band playing electric guitar at the moment. But it's top of the short list if I do.

impmann said:

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - the Mk3s are superb amps and even the gain channel is "ok", although to my ears they sound better on the clean channel with a really good overdrive pedal in front of them.

Oddly enough I prefer the MkII - OK it has the famous shortcoming of the abrupt volume control tapers, but it just sounds better to me. I was working on a III today, and it actually sounds *worse* at comparable low volume than the II does, even though it's easier to get it to that volume… if that makes sense! If anything the volume it starts to sound good at is higher than with the II.

And I hate the nasty cheap-looking black control panel too .

57Deluxe

I spent a fortune trying to find the ultimate tube amp to compliment my 335 and found that the amp I already had was the best! - Session Rockette 30 and is not tube!

Niallseroreilly

mesa boogie mark v 25 with zenkudo pedal....335 tone heaven