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Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142203027168
If it's a tweaked variation of a 5E3 then I guess it'll come down to what modern appointments and bells n whistles you want/can afford.
To be honest, some of the flub on a classic 5E3 is probably the speaker if it's the traditional Jensen P12R type of thing. Putting something like a Celestion Blue in it would probably help there. Jesse isn't stupid when he puts a Blue in the Lazy J. It's a great speaker.
The Louis electric Buster is good for other reasons that one would only know by trying one out which I can understand is hard to do as they're not on your average music shop. It is awesome though.
Ask @wellsyboy what he thinks about his newiy acquired Buster
ive always wanted to try out a @RiftAmps 5e3 build too and hoping to st the next guitar show in February:)
For me, the Swart on it's own - I didn't like, but add the night light (their attenuator), changed the amp beyond recognition! Being able to run it gunned and then effectively with a master volume, so you take out some of the boxiness you get at high volume was priceless.
And then I tried a Carr....
There's a Swart with nightlight for sale on here, nothing to do with me but a great price
Hi @Lebarque
Apologies if this is thread jumping, but it's kind of relevant
Coda recommended I try the Carr Sportsman, initially I liked it more than the Swart - it was more controllable with the tone stack, and headroom control. But somehow the Swart kept drawing me back, I think the Sportsman was almost too smooth if that makes sense.
Then I tried the Carr Mini-Mercury, which was wonderful - just a great flattering sound, with simple controls but lots of variation therein. When I broke for lunch that was ahead.
After lunch I added the nightlight to the Swart, and that changed everything - before I found the Swart boxy, because I was cranking it and then sitting quite close to a loud small box. The nighlight let me tame the volume but not the drive, and one of the things I was after was compression.
When I added a Tubescreamer, the Mercury was great, and maybe still ahead - but again the Swart just kept pulling me back. The only thing I really didn't like was the nighlight is not continually variable, it's 'notched' and I wanted something between two settings.
So I was at the point when I was going to go with the Swart + nightlight, purely because whilst the sound of the Mercury was wonderful and arguable 'better' (whatever that means), the Swart made me smile.
And then Doug (someday all guitar shops etc.) stepped in and said try this - the Carr Skylark, a bit more money, but much more versatile - the mid control alone gives you so much variance, with an amazing attenuator built in.
And they did an amazing deal on the shop demo one, which stopped quite so much budget busting.
I've had the amp 2.5 weeks at home, and absolutely love it - it's changed my playing more than I would have realised, I've spent hours just with my strat and the amp no effects but the guitar volume and tone control. And with only a few pedals I've got everything covered.
The Carr goes from really good natural overdrive, ok not soaring leads - but a great blues sound, down to a warm, lovely - but still cutting if you want it, clean. And has a lovely reverb.
The Swart is a great amp, if you want that sound - I found the reverb a little much to be honest (too much in your face?) but the trem was lovely.
Hope this helps
Rob
Ah - well if you have a Skylark, and another Carr - I would definitely say bang for the buck Swart is well worth a look.
As previously, Cornell didn't do it at all for me and didn't last long - I found they are beautifully made and look lovely, but have pretty much one sound - and don't play the way I like with pedals.
I had the Plexi 7 and a Romany plus,
I've become a complete Carr fanboy.
Mercury/Mini Mercury might be worth a look - I found them a little more polite than the Swart, which is just nasty (in a good way)
contactemea@fender.com