I have a Fender Superchamp X2, which I use together with my only current electric: a Tokai ES90.
The Tokai is a really, wonderful ES335 copy and the 'nicest' guitar I've ever had (in terms of how it plays, looks, sounds and feels), and I've had a few. What I haven't tried that many of is amps.
The Superchamp is my only current amp. I play at home only, at relatively low volume, usually in the evenings. I play mainly indie, Beatles, and a bit of blues, as well as my own stuff (which tends to be a bit more experimental). I'm a very average player if I'm honest, but I'm slowly getting better and having fun in the process. I also might want to record an amp occasionally, and together with some friends we're talking about putting a band together at the moment.
I don't feel I'm missing out with my guitar, as I said, I've had a few so I know what I like now. I do wonder, though, if I'm missing out amp-wise, and the reason I wonder this is because the Superchamp isn't a 'true' valve amp - the preamp section is entirely digital.
So, my question is, is there an all-valve amp out there that might sound 'better' than the Superchamp but at a similar price? If so, I'm prepared to get hold of one and try out both for a while and sell the one I end up liking the least. The criteria I'd be looking for:
- Something that sounds good clean (I tend to mainly use the Superchamp on channel 1, so that's very much a Blackface sound), although sometimes I like a small amount of dirt too;
- All-valve;
- Something loud enough for jamming with friends and possibly small gigs;
- A combo;
- Relatively compact and small in stature, like the Superchamp, as I don't have much space to keep it in;
- Under £300.
One amp I did consider when I first got the Superchamp was the VHT Special 6 / Special 6 Ultra, but I thought it might sound a bit too tweedy for me, and not blackfacey enough.
Any suggestions gratefully received.
Comments
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OP: I can highly recommend the VHT Special 6 Ultra. I moved it on eventually as it lacked reverb but it was a very good combo, the 12" speaker made a big improvement and it was a good substitute for the Princeton which I'd had previously. The Ultra channel could be slightly noisy but I found running the standard channel with a drive pedal (Gain Changer) did everything I required.
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I had the smaller Vibro Champ XD and it sounded great. Next up in Fender cleans is a Princeton really but they cost a fortune and won’t sound massively better at home levels.
The ‘65 works great at home levels and great with pedals, not sure if the ‘68 is quite the same.
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The fact that the Special 6 is completely handwired (and therefore, presumably, infinitely serviceable) is a real plus-point for me. One thing that puts me off (and I know this is superficial and therefore a bit silly) is that it doesn't look as 'cool' as my Superchamp!
http://oi59.tinypic.com/wu0whd.jpg
http://oi59.tinypic.com/34fihhw.jpg
If you're thinking about the Special 6, then perhaps the head version might be worth considering - that way you could choose a bigger cabinet.
Don't allow your curiosity to make you buy something which is actually less suitable, unless you want to keep your current amp and experiment with a spare one.
The clean channel through a decent speaker (stock one is shit ) is as good as any NON VINTAGE Princeton especially if you put some NOS valves in there ..........I would go so far as to say you would need to buy a Carr Rambler or a Tone King Imperial to really notice any difference unless you are gigging and simply need more volume but with an efficient speaker it can get pretty loud and still stay reasonably clean............modded up a bit it's a spectacular amp
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
There is always the original Rivera-designed, all-valve Super Champ but that is probably over budget.