BEST SOLID STATE

jonnyburgo

Ive played through a ZT Club amp. It sounded mahoosive.

Lozboy

HarrySeven said:

Funkfingers said:

If @HarrySeven had a Mastermind specialist subject, it would probably be vintage solid state amplification. He is sure to have an opinion on this topic.

Ideed.

There's only one for me...

I agree

mr-mac

Depends what you play and your setup.  There are actually a fair few solid state amps that make amazing clean channels sonic your front end (without cab modelling) is a modeller or all your distortions come from pedals/pre amp type devices then nothing wrong with a solid state amp.

Yamaha, carlsbro, gibson and a few others are in list but i suppose a very reliable, tried and tested option is a Roland JC120.  Makes a superb pedal platform or good for clean sounds without pedals.  

mr-mac

But maybe a s/h Roland jc55 or a JC model around that power area would work great for similar performance from a much lower price.  know of one locally immaculate for £250 and they produce a huge sound totally out of expectations from the 2x8 speakers.

older so probs needs a full service and cap change etc but Gibson lab series L3 would be another possible candidate as its a great pedal platform and a lot lighter then the bigger ones

BigLicks67

ICBM said:

When I’ve used valve amps I always take spare valves and fuses, and something I can go through the PA with in a last ditch emergency - never a spare amp.

OK you can’t change valves in the middle of a song - but unless you have it sitting there on stage all set up and ready to go you can’t change amps in the middle of a song either.

The one time I had a power valve blow, I had the amp back up and running in about two minutes. Admittedly it was an easy one where you don’t have to undo anything to get at them.

Excuse my ignorance, but don't you have to bias the amp when changing power valves?

ICBM

BigLicks67 said:

Excuse my ignorance, but don't you have to bias the amp when changing power valves?

No, not just to get you through the rest of a gig.

GuyBoden

The Ameson British hand made amps are excellent SS amps.

I have a RS120 (120watt head)

http://www.majelectronic.co.uk/

Babones

HarrySeven said:

Funkfingers said:

If @HarrySeven had a Mastermind specialist subject, it would probably be vintage solid state amplification. He is sure to have an opinion on this topic.

Ideed.

There's only one for me...

I had one of these in the early 90s. Loud. Heavy. You could rock it and get that crashing reverb sound.

gearaddict

I don't get the love for the TM60. I bought one a few years ago, off the back of the general adoration of them and I thought it was the most horrible sounding thing I had heard in a long time. Maybe it's ok if you just need generic clean...dunno.

ICBM

gearaddict said:

I don't get the love for the TM60. I bought one a few years ago, off the back of the general adoration of them and I thought it was the most horrible sounding thing I had heard in a long time. Maybe it's ok if you just need generic clean...dunno.

Agreed - awful amp. They tend not to be repairable if they break, too.

simonk

ICBM said:

gearaddict said:

I don't get the love for the TM60. I bought one a few years ago, off the back of the general adoration of them and I thought it was the most horrible sounding thing I had heard in a long time. Maybe it's ok if you just need generic clean...dunno.

Agreed - awful amp. They tend not to be repairable if they break, too.

They need a speaker swap... then they’re pretty good.

dandl

This thread has piqued my interest.

Just wondered if there are any thoughts on the SS red knob fenders as i've seen a few lately at good prices and wondered if they might be worth a punt. 

samzadgan

dandl said:

This thread has piqued my interest.

Just wondered if there are any thoughts on the SS red knob fenders as i've seen a few lately at good prices and wondered if they might be worth a punt. 

not really...i believe some of those are from the Rivera era...and have good speakers, but the amps aren't great, especially bad with dirt pedals (and fuzz). I've been told some are good...but every one i've played has been pretty poor...especially considering during the same period (early 80's) Peavey was putting some of the best solid state amps like the Special and bandit...all of which has great clean tones and take pedals pretty well. With peavey i'm specifically talking about the solo series, or pre Trans Tube era...trans tube were great, but i think the ones before were better.

ICBM

No, the red knob amps are not Rivera era!!! I’m not sure how this myth has come about.

They’re the first series from the new post-CBS Fender company and have nothing to do with Rivera at all.

(The red knob ‘The Twin’ is not the ‘Evil Twin’ either, but that’s another common mistake...)

The red knob solid state amps are like all modern Fender solid-state and most valve amps - they have a great clean sound and reverb, which takes *most* pedals quite well but can sound harsh with fuzz or hard distortion, and an overdrive channel which no-one ever uses .

Actually the distortion can be usable, but the red-knob ones are even less intuitive than most of the others - not helped by having some unfamiliar names/functions (eg ‘Limiter’), generally too much gain, and are very sensitive and interactive to dial in. You’ll probably never get a traditional valve-like overdrive out of one no matter what... but they can be ‘interesting’, if you like that sort of thing!

They’re also quite well-made and generally reliable, although beginning to show their age now. The most common fault is broken jacks, they use the notoriously brittle PCB ‘box’ jacks with a metal insert in the centre and a large thin metal nut.

EricTheWeary

GuyBoden said:

The Ameson British hand made amps are excellent SS amps.

I have a RS120 (120watt head)

http://www.majelectronic.co.uk/

Did you buy those from MAJ @GuyBoden ? Their slightly abrasive approach and lack of prices make it  seem that they aim their products at only very determined buyers. 

dandl

Thanks both @samzadgan and @ICBM for the info

I'd want one as a pedal platform so it sounds like maybe the not the best option!

ThePrettyDamned

EricTheWeary said:

GuyBoden said:

The Ameson British hand made amps are excellent SS amps.

I have a RS120 (120watt head)

http://www.majelectronic.co.uk/

Did you buy those from MAJ @GuyBoden ? Their slightly abrasive approach and lack of prices make it  seem that they aim their products at only very determined buyers. 

I just finished going through the website, absolutely priceless.

rpr

Award Session - https://www.award-session.com/bluesbaby-complete.html.  ;

EricTheWeary

ThePrettyDamned said:

EricTheWeary said:

GuyBoden said:

The Ameson British hand made amps are excellent SS amps.

I have a RS120 (120watt head)

http://www.majelectronic.co.uk/

Did you buy those from MAJ @GuyBoden ? Their slightly abrasive approach and lack of prices make it  seem that they aim their products at only very determined buyers. 

I just finished going through the website, absolutely priceless.

I have no problems with small businesses having dated websites but his is crackers in parts. I think he has taken his daughter's wedding photos off it now though.

The demos of his amps on YouTube are generally done by Trevor from Tipton Amps who was a regular on Music Radar and I have met and who doesn't seem to be insane so I'm assuming the chap at MAJ is okay really. The amps certainly look the part, seems a pity he doesn't really seem to have made a business out of them. 

Moominpapa

http://www.majelectronic.co.uk/   -  wow!  I haven't seen a website with such a shitty aesthetic or such a high level of pre-emptive vitriol against potential customers since Ed Roman departed this mortal coil.