What is the best amp you've ever played?

dazzajl

Almost every new love affair has been the best when it started. All for different reasons and some lasted when others faded quickly. My current pair of AC4HW and Supro Rhythm Master are still satisfying very nicely. 

slugelise

The rift americana. Never considered a tweed, certainly didn't see the point of an amp without gain and MV. I went to buy a les paul, played it through the rift and went back and bought the amp too. Just sounds awesome with no pedals. You cant make it sound bad. I still use my MJW goldstar more, but the rift just has something special.

mburekenge

First time I plugged a tele into my Victoria 5112 with volume at about 3. Just so much fun.

hoops

Very early Mark Sampson Matchless Chieftain 2x10 combo. Superb sound, horrendous weight. 

jdgm

Fender Twin Reverb II (Rivera designed) was my best amp. I had 2 of them.  Too big for me now but superb tones.

mburekenge

Not the most amazing amp I've played, but most memorable experience, was my first time playing through a Marshall JCM900 and  4x12 in a practice room. My first 4x12 experience. Was grinning ear to ear.

jeztone2

Blackstar Artisan 30. I can’t think of a better pedal platform. It has a rich full headroom clean & pedals sound godlike through it. Aside from the weight. It’s the perfect amp. 

Teacherphil

Anything attached to a 4x12 whilst standing in front of it.

Squareheadedfreak

Hmm, best to bracket this for best amp for value, subjectivly

Below are all what I paid (within last 2 years) 2nd hand and probably able to find around this price bracket.

This is probably out of a pool of easily 50-75 amps i've gone through in last 2-3 years on a tone journey.

Currently have the CRS & Soldano (and the killer ant!) and on the hunt for a modded JCM800 sound to balance the choices

<£200 - Blackheart Killer Ant Head/1x10 Cab
<£500 Marshall Vintage Modern 100w Head
<£750 Marshall Silver Jubilee 20w (or SC20 studio jcm800 20w close second)
<£1000 Morgan SW50r
<£1500 Dr Z Amps CAZ45
<£2000 Soldano Lucky 13 100w Head
<£3000 Two Rock Studio Sig
<£5000 Two Rock Classic Reverb Sig 100

grungebob

I’ve alsways seen amps as just something to make me louder. I can get by with a decent clean w headroom and a few pedals. 

All that being said there are 3 amps that stand out to me as they made me play better and hear better. 

One was an old peavey stereo chorus, heavy as the sun but really sounded great 

the next was a Carlsbro Fat boy 30w combo. Just a great clean sound with a boost to get a little grit. Took pedals really well. 

The most versatile (again for me) was an Engl screamer 50 combo. That thing could do everything I needed expect switch simply with aftermarket foot switches. 

I’ve had a few Mesa’s, Orange and fenders but the above are ones I’d have again. 

Yorkie

1994, I was invited onstage by an acquaintance. Plugged into what looked like a 50W? JCM800 combo, and sounded so good I would put my guitars down for 26 years. Ok, it wasn’t exactly like that (I got into science and forgot about everything else), but honestly I found going back to my tiny practice amp pretty hard. 

Jon

wizbit81

Squareheadedfreak said:

Hmm, best to bracket this for best amp for value, subjectivly

Below are all what I paid (within last 2 years) 2nd hand and probably able to find around this price bracket.

This is probably out of a pool of easily 50-75 amps i've gone through in last 2-3 years on a tone journey.

Currently have the CRS & Soldano (and the killer ant!) and on the hunt for a modded JCM800 sound to balance the choices

<£200 - Blackheart Killer Ant Head/1x10 Cab
<£500 Marshall Vintage Modern 100w Head
<£750 Marshall Silver Jubilee 20w (or SC20 studio jcm800 20w close second)
<£1000 Morgan SW50r
<£1500 Dr Z Amps CAZ45
<£2000 Soldano Lucky 13 100w Head
<£3000 Two Rock Studio Sig
<£5000 Two Rock Classic Reverb Sig 100

How do you compare the cleans on the Morgan to the Two Rocks? Asking as I have that Morgan and I've wondered about the Two Rocks and if they are as much better as the price would make you think.

CloudNine

mburekenge said:

First time I plugged a tele into my Victoria 5112 with volume at about 3. Just so much fun.

I had a very similar experience. Tele plugged straight in, and it almost didn’t feel like a thing plugged in any more, like no electricity was involved, more like an acoustic guitar or something. Amazing amps. I was always planning to get another, but eventually found myself with a Lazy J 10, which gave me a very similar sort of enjoyment, with added bonus of some reverb/trem when needed, and a bit more volume.

I also had a Lazy J 5, with reverb etc., and it was NOTHING compared to the Victoria. The combo of that circuit, larger pine cab, with 12” speaker is total magic.

I would recommend everyone should own a Viccy 5112, it might be all you ever need.

Blueingreen

said:

roberty said:

I've never really fetishised amps, I see them more as pedal platforms...

That's where I've ended up, after playing through loads of stuff, from classic amps and fx pedals, to complex midi switched rack mounted gear.

Now it's just a Helix LT into an HRD IV and it's probably the best sound and easiest set up I've ever had.

I know I'm a philistine but it works for me in a live band context.

I'm another in the minority "it's not that big a deal" camp. I didn't always think so.  It took time, and trial and error, for me to reach a point where I decided that my MusicMan 65 combo was my ideal amp. For many years it was far and away my favourite ever piece of gear.

When a bad back forced me to abandon it in favour of something lighter, I thought it would be a significant compromise on tone.  But after a bit of experimentation I realised that any good quality Fender flavoured pedal platform would give me what I need.  I'm currently playing a Quilter and happy as Larry that I no longer have to lug an amp that’s 3 times the weight.

Reverend

I have 1977 and 1978 Marshall JMP2203 heads. 

Winny_Pooh

Owned by a friend:
62' Blonde Bassman
60's AC30

Dominic's SLO30

Owned by me:
5e3 with Celestion blue
Carr Mercury V
69 Superlead

Aidanspaghetti

Two rock Ts1 with a pcm81 and a pair of thieles for the wet (powered by a 2:90). Stupid but heavenly.

mburekenge

CloudNine said:

mburekenge said:

First time I plugged a tele into my Victoria 5112 with volume at about 3. Just so much fun.

I had a very similar experience. Tele plugged straight in, and it almost didn’t feel like a thing plugged in any more, like no electricity was involved, more like an acoustic guitar or something. Amazing amps. I was always planning to get another, but eventually found myself with a Lazy J 10, which gave me a very similar sort of enjoyment, with added bonus of some reverb/trem when needed, and a bit more volume.

I also had a Lazy J 5, with reverb etc., and it was NOTHING compared to the Victoria. The combo of that circuit, larger pine cab, with 12” speaker is total magic.

I would recommend everyone should own a Viccy 5112, it might be all you ever need.

We have similar taste! Would love a J10 for my bucker guitars!

ICBM

CloudNine said:

mburekenge said:

First time I plugged a tele into my Victoria 5112 with volume at about 3. Just so much fun.

I had a very similar experience. Tele plugged straight in, and it almost didn’t feel like a thing plugged in any more, like no electricity was involved, more like an acoustic guitar or something. Amazing amps. I was always planning to get another, but eventually found myself with a Lazy J 10, which gave me a very similar sort of enjoyment, with added bonus of some reverb/trem when needed, and a bit more volume.

I also had a Lazy J 5, with reverb etc., and it was NOTHING compared to the Victoria. The combo of that circuit, larger pine cab, with 12” speaker is total magic.

I would recommend everyone should own a Viccy 5112, it might be all you ever need.

I would agree, even though it’s pretty much the opposite of the Trem-o-verb. Incredibly transparent and responsive to the guitar and the player - really very different from a standard 8” speaker 5F1, where the speaker tone dominates everything. It’s also astoundingly loud for 5W - my friend’s one would just about keep up with a medium-loud drummer and my 450W bass amp… but only overdriven, the one flaw was that there was nowhere to go with the guitar volume, backing off slightly to clean up made it disappear.

adamino

I loved my Valvestate 100W Head