Hello people -
Before COVID hit I was in a reasonably busy ska band - we gigged plenty and there were some talented musicians in the band which was handy as it covered up for the severely average guitar player (me lol)
Sadly COVID (and other setbacks) bought us to a halt.....but now we''re putting it back together..... one guitar player, keys and 3 horns (plus, bass drums and singer obvs)
I also moved and ditched quite a bit of gear - I didn't think I'd be gigging again..... but now I find myself needing to put together gear to gig.....I have two teles, a nice on and a basic spec Mexican that I really love (it was the first 'make' guitar I got and I love the neck)
So covered for guitars..... I need an amp and maybe some pedals.....I play 99% of the set clean and use an Xotic Ep for a clean boost for for lead melody lines and a TC Electronic Mojomojo for a bit of boost/gain for occasional solos....I use a bit of modulation (a chorus, phaser and wha wha) I have a Boss DD7 for dubby echo's etc.... I sold my Fender Blues Deluxe so I need a new amp....Any recommendations?
Wish list is -
Clear resonant clean tone
Enough volume to come through keys and horns in practice when we won't use PA - also the amp will probably be my onstage monitor as well - can DI or mic for gigs if needed.
Onboard effects not essentialI a nice reverb would be a pleasant bonus though not essential - if it could be knocked on and off by a foot switch even better - but again not essential.
I know this offends some people but I am not sure I need a valve amp in the circumstances - I do like that clean fender tone... but if there is a better/lighter option I am open to suggestions....
I like to pay around £500 - second hand market is fine
Be nice if I can DI into a DAW/interface that'd be a bonus - but not essential - I have mic if needed
Solid state what sort of Wattage is needed for practice and gigs without using PA? If it didn't way a tone that'd be great - but again a
I was looking at the Roland Jazz Chorus range - not sure what wattage will get me the volume/eq I need to cut through - any other valve or solid state ideas welcome - or if a. pedal makes something work? any ideas gratefully received....I have a 100w fender champion at the moment - it's quite for practice and the tone is a little flat....Sorry to go on
thanks
Comments
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
its slightly over budget, but theres one on ebay right now for 695 or best offer
very light, very loud and clear, perfect ska amp in my opinion
PA Hire and Event Management
Budget option - replace the speakers in the Champion 100 with a pair of Jensen Tornado Classics or Eminence Li'l Texas - lighter, louder, and better-sounding (and less prone to failing) than the stock speakers.
"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
100w seems the consensus volume wise for a solid state amp......I've heard good things about Boss Katana and I think I could probably try that in a shop too......or maybe the blues cube?
Two mentions for a Fender Tonemaster - never heard of that so will have a look.....
And yes @fretmeister - I would have another Blues Deluxe. I often felt that I wasn't a good enough guitar player to have such a fine amp. I can't claim to be a great blues guitar player on the hunt for that elusive 'break up' tone..... but I really enjoyed playing with that amp - I was heavy and would get very hot by the end of the gig - but it always worked for me and sounded great. It was certainly loud enough..... could really have done one with half the power, size. and weight lol....
If you do get another one, have the transformer voltage reset from the supplied EU standard 230V to the correct UK 240V - that will make the amp run noticeably cooler, as well as slightly increasing the clean headroom and reducing the midrange. It’s very easy to do, literally just swapping two push-connectors on the circuit board, you can do it yourself if you’re handy with very basic tools.
A lighter neodymium speaker would also help very slightly with the weight.
"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
Appreciated
I'm also a big fan of the Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb. Obviously not as loud as the Twin version but smaller & lighter and just as easy to DI to the PA, which is 99% how you'll want to use it anyway. Mine is loud enough that I get told to turn down in the rehearsal studio and that's with the attenuation at halfway!
And it's stupidly light, which is wonderful. If I have to I can fairly happily carry the TMDR and Gibson in hardcase in my hands, with a mono electric case and pedaboard (Classic Jr in soft case) over each shoulder
The remarkable thing is that the Tonemaster Twin is lighter, despite having two speakers - amazingly, just 33lb. If the Tonemaster Deluxe would be loud enough it’s only 23lb… it’s rated at 100W, although that’s really to give it the headroom to simulate a 22W valve amp. (The Twin is 200W simulating 85W, although probably not expected to be overdriven!)
"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
Sixties ska would have been small valve combos, the amp of choice of 2 Tone was a Vox AC30 so sonically (in my head anyway) it's often more about cutting through the mix than ambient landscapes and needing massive headroom.
He generally uses Marshalls these days although I think the Sky Arts show was the band recreating an early set so the HH fits. Live footage of the 2Tone era was all sorts of amps, I guess whatever was available and worked on the day.
smaller cab and something like a quilter?
The clean channel is really quite good for a SS amp.
Now I know what you're thinking Andy - you can tell the amp would be going to a good home..... thats right....
The DeVille was also great but heavy. Hot Rod Deluxe didn't cut it for me: I could live with it but just didn't have the wallop of the DeVille or especially the Twin. Used a bunch of Mesas which were all good and a Mesa Transatlantic for a few years too and that was superb.
The guy who took over when I left that band (although I stil dep for them) uses a Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb and I was pretty astonished with how loud it was. He sits it on a flight case so it's well off the floor and you can really hear it, and it sounds fantastic with the band. Sounds much better in the room with some volume than it does on YouTube demos.
If you don't mind me asking Dan - what sort of ska did you play? Did you do Jamaican ska? The second wave British stuff or the third wave American ska? I am into roots and dub - but enjoy Jamaican ska and some of the British 2tone bands - which is mostly what we cover...... I don't know a lot about the America 3rd wave stuff......
I am guessing you had a horn section and keys? Did you have two guitars? What were the songs that went down well? I think one of the things we'd like to do this time round is do some none ska songs in a ska style