Blackface amps are great

brooom · October 2018

So yesterday I sold my 1966 deluxe reverb. I'm just selling lots of stuff as I have too much gear at the moment.

Before it goes I've plugged in some guitars and this thing just sounds awesome. Blackface amps really are my "go to" sound.

There's a low end presence to it that fills the room, an acoustic hollowness to the sound, really balanced mids, healthy amount of gain and the reverb decay that only an old tank can do.

I've owned several 60s blackface amps (vibrolux reverb, princeton, pro, deluxes, champs, etc.) they've all been great and easy to work on if something goes wrong. I just keep coming back to them.

I'm going to miss the deluxe reverb. I might be forced to buy an old princeton reverb down the line again.

Winny_Pooh · October 2018

So what amps are left in broooom house?

brooom · October 2018

I still have two blackface fenders, a 1965 vibrochamp and a very early 68 pro reverb. But they're back home, not in London with me unfortunately.

clarkefan · October 2018

There is something magical about old Fenders. I'm more a Marshall fan, I'm not up on the subtle differences in sound of the different Fender amps, but the sound "in general" is just wonderful. Particularly the reverb thing.

Wazmeister · October 2018

I agree.

All the BFs and their derivitves have that ‘sound in my head’ feel to them...

My favourites on the Kemper are BF based, and I own two real ‘king of all’ BF Amps... Carr Rambler, and Redplate CDS2

Wazmeister · October 2018

menamestom · October 2018

Wazmeister said:

I agree.

All the BFs and their derivitves have that ‘sound in my head’ feel to them...

My favourites on the Kemper are BF based, and I own two real ‘king of all’ BF Amps... Carr Rambler, and Redplate CDS2

Carr Rambler isn’t really a blackface derivative though is it if it’s cathode biased?

RiftAmps · October 2018

menamestom said:

Wazmeister said:

I agree.

All the BFs and their derivitves have that ‘sound in my head’ feel to them...

My favourites on the Kemper are BF based, and I own two real ‘king of all’ BF Amps... Carr Rambler, and Redplate CDS2

Carr Rambler isn’t really a blackface derivative though is it if it’s cathode biased?

BF Champs are CB.

Even though the Carr Rambler isn’t a straight up copy, it still does ‘blackface’ better than most of its competition. It’s an exceptional amp.

menamestom · October 2018

RiftAmps said:

menamestom said:

Wazmeister said:

I agree.

All the BFs and their derivitves have that ‘sound in my head’ feel to them...

My favourites on the Kemper are BF based, and I own two real ‘king of all’ BF Amps... Carr Rambler, and Redplate CDS2

Carr Rambler isn’t really a blackface derivative though is it if it’s cathode biased?

BF Champs are CB.

Even though the Carr Rambler isn’t a straight up copy, it still does ‘blackface’ better than most of its competition. It’s an exceptional amp.

I was thinking Princeton upwards but yes of course there are the small SE Fenders, but not really comparable to a Rambler.

I found the one I tried a bit hard and clinical sounding, I like the sweetness of the original Fender circuits. That said I’ve heard the speaker upgrades in the Rambler helped a lot.

Also interesting, everybody describes them as ‘blackface’ when they don’t have the aesthetics or the circuit topology. I guess the sound is the most important thing and not the route that leads to it.

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Blackface amps are great

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