I recently bought a new Fender 65 DRRI and it's the second one I've had. I really like the amp, its size and it gives me the cleans I like as well as being a decent pedal platform for my various overdrives. However, for some reason, apart from looking at things like the Fractal FM3 and coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to use the modelling effectively with the DRRI, I've also been looking to see if there's anything out there like the following and wondered what people would recommend, be it a Combo or small Head (I already have a Mesa Boogie 8 Ohm Cab):-
- 2 Channel Amp with equally good channels
- Pristine/Deluxe type of cleans that accept pedals well and works well for funk and has enough clean headroom (the DRRI is ok for me on that score)
- Smooth, versatile overdrive channel capable of classic rock (AC/DC, Eagles) to Schon, Huff, Lukather up to EVH that can be easily dialled in
- Speaker out would be useful on a combo
I'm think I'm done with Mesa Boogie amps now and so wondered about the
Friedman Runt 20 as it ticks many boxes but wondered if it would be loud enough live? Any users, current or past want to comment?
Things like the Suhr Hedgehog or Suhr PT-15 could possibly work but would be outside of my budget and prefer to stay sub-£1K despite them having sounds I like.
In the past I've had Mesa, H&K, Divided by 13, Peavey and Crate
Thanks
Comments
I'm completely serious. They're slightly too powerful for your spec on paper, but solid-state doesn't sound as loud for the rated power - although they're still plenty loud enough for good clean headroom.
You get two channels - clean which is switchable between 'vintage' (Fender) and 'modern' (Boogie) and dirty which does 'vintage' (Marshall), 'modern' (daft overly-scooped Rectifier, but fun!) and 'high gain' (Soldano-ish), with full independent EQ on both. Both channels sound genuinely great and take pedals well. Good FX loop, and speaker out. They're light, loud, reliable, and dirt cheap.
I've put an Eminence Li'l Texas in mine, which made it even lighter and better-sounding. You could buy both the amp and the speaker for about £200.
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Would also be way under budget.
It's also got MIDI so would work really well if you did go with the GT-100 rig you were talking about.
I got one recently and seems to hit on most the points you’ve raised.
That's a good shout.
I had one and they are pretty decent.
They have the classic two channel amp problem of doing really clean and smooth saturated gain, but not much between the two.
The second channel can do lower gain sounds, but I wasn't all that convinced by them.
The other problem is that the footswitch sucks.
It is one of the greatest modern amps Fender made, designed by Bruce Zinky.
The Supersonic is an updated version, the Prosonic sounds better.
You'll find combos fairly easily but the head is the one to go for, with a Tonemaster 4x12, or a Marshall/Bogner/Boogie 4x12.
Or a 2x12.
Edit: There are two heads on Reverb right now- that is unusual.
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Sonzera & Marshall - never tried but liked the demos
Bandit - loved these back in the day and cheap to pick it up
Supersonic & Prosonic - good shout but I found the gain channels to be very noisy/hissy in both but I did like the Prosonic
The clean channel felt very pristine DRRI to me and the gain channel ticks all your boxes and then some . I think there’s one for sale on here atm too
An amp with pristine cleans and a second channel break up is one of the ultimate goals of some amp builders; my findings are that this rarely happens…
I too have chased this ideal, and here are some thoughts - ymmv;
- Supersonic - not clean enough, or good enough drive channel
- Lonestar - surely the Mesa one for what youre looking for ?
- Redplate - perfect but rare
- Two Rock - my own journey has led me here
My conclusion is to get a real good cleAn platform that takes pedals superbly.
- Two Rock
- Carr Rambler
I've had 4 Boogies and with each one and their 'progression/'development', I've found it harder and harder to dial in the gain channel. In fact, my favourite was my first, the Studio.22
I've never tried a Redplate but love the concept and demos, but I know they had QC issues. Coda have this one and nice demos of it but there's quite a bit of choice so which one to choose?
https://www.coda-music.com/secondhand/redplate-cds2-secondhand-24449.html
Two Rock - can't afford but never tried
As to the great clean & good pedal platform, I'm there now with the DRRI and couldn't have asked for better when I had my Divided JRT. My OD pedals are well-chosen and give me good results and versatile tones but I'm just missing the growl and feel of good amp overdrive and an fx loop and all the sounds being in one amp
It's been interesting and useful enough that I'm pursuing it a bit further as an alternative to the classic two channel amp option.
I’m sure a couple of the new Boogies might do it too, Fillmore?
@TheBigDipper - a good call on the RD for versatility and quality and one to try although my overdrive pedals are good, both individually and stacked and the Wampler Plexi Mini is the best and most versatile MIAB I've come across, followed by the JHS AT
@Stevepage - Hi mate, I don't want the weight and bulk of a 2 amp set-up although as a single amp, I was impressed by both the clean (no slouch) and overdriven channesl from the Laney you had but not the weight (ouch) but the overdrive in those past Laney's is something that would work for me.
What I'm trying to achieve, and aided by my pedals (see pic)
- is cleans that give me Corey Wong spank, the Eric Johnson chime with Chorus & Delay or Andy Summers
- adding one of my low-med overdrives to get me in Tom Petty, Eagles territory
- Bryan Adams or AC/DC crunch
- and for lead, think Andy Timmons, Neal Schon, Dann Huff or Lukather and so a smooth, AOR-inspired singy lead tone
I have to say that looking at more demos, the Suhr Hedgehog is ticking boxes but probably out of my budget and I still want to hear more about the Friedman Runt 20