What is the best amp you've ever played?

equalsql · September 2023

The one that blew you away in terms of tone, flexibility, build quality etc.
Was it the clean tones or overdrive, what was the magic that the amp has/ had.
For me it was a Mesa Boogie Mark III Simul-Class in the late 1980s.
It was an utter beast which took a lot of taming, but lordy the clean tones were crystal and the overdrive just punched through everything. The build quality was awesome too.
Look at it, it's gorgeous.

HerbieTheRadDorklift · September 2023

Boogie Mark IV!

Kebabkid · September 2023

Divided by 13 JRT 9/15 head into a Tone Tubby 2x12 cab with H-Bombo combo of speakers (one alnico and one ceramic)

slacker · September 2023

Plexi 50watt half stack sublime

Lestratcaster · September 2023

Peavey 6505+ through an Orange 4x12 with a TS9 in front. Chug city central.

jasonbone75 · September 2023

Lestratcaster said:

Peavey 6505+ through an Orange 4x12 with a TS9 in front. Chug city central.

Savage, visceral and fantastically fun :-)

Lestratcaster · September 2023

jasonbone75 said:

Lestratcaster said:

Peavey 6505+ through an Orange 4x12 with a TS9 in front. Chug city central.

Savage, visceral and fantastically fun :-)

The post gain (i.e volume knob) needs to be on 3 though to really get those tubes cooking but every soundguy in the country told me to turn down haha.

thecolourbox · September 2023

This will sound sad, but a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III. I've owned and played amps considered "better" or more fancy, but none have really done it for me as much as the old HRD. Suited my two playing styles really I think, I've not really found any other amps which have done that quite as well.

The little Supro 1605 Super Reverb (tiny little amp) I think would come close and had some features useful to me that the HRD didn't have (line out for clean and wet reverb, power amp input etc) but it cost twice as much as the HRD and wouldn't have been a fat lot of good outside the home. Likewise the Vox Lil Night Train was nice except for the lack of reverb.

I enjoyed playing through an Orange Tiny Terror once in a shop for about 5 mins trying out a guitar or pedal, but I don't think it'd be a very versatile amp so I don't think it would be a contender were I to actually have one (I don't have an amp at all at the moment)

Edit - saying I have no amp reminds me, that if my choices of Modelled Amp in various units (Digitech, Helix Native, for eg) are anything to go by, I'd probably find a Mesa MK4 to be better for me, again to cover both styles - clean and drive sounds. But as they cost more than my car did, I don't think I'll ever find out

(unless somebody wants to tell me there's a Joyo copy that's amazing for about 50p haha)

digitalkettle · September 2023

Image: http://drzamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Z-Wreck_rickB-687x1030.jpg

stratman3142 · September 2023

HRD IV. I've led a very sheltered life.

stickyfiddle · September 2023

Ignoring practicalities like size weight and sheer volume, it’s old AC30s

Flanging_Fred · September 2023

Kebabkid said:

Divided by 13 JRT 9/15 head into a Tone Tubby 2x12 cab with H-Bombo combo of speakers (one alnico and one ceramic)

I remember that; really great clean tones as far as I remember.

Kalimna · September 2023

Either a 633 DriveKing combo, or homebuilt (from a Modulus kit) JTM50 into 4x12. With or without OD pedal, but also without attenuator. Absolutely breathtaking

spirit7 · September 2023

Bogner 20th Anniversary XTC. Jack of all trades, master of all.

WindmillGuitars · September 2023

Mesa Lonestar Special 2x12 Combo - switchable, lots of volume, great verb and wonderful saturated tones when you want them

McToot · September 2023

Probably a Bogner Shiva through a Zilla oversized 2x12: incontinence inducing goodness, both clean and driven. Alas I didn't own it.

Of my own amps I'd say my old Cornford Carrera was the the one that made me sound best (no easy task), but it had to be played at full chat. At polite volumes it was total guano.

richardhomer · September 2023

equalsql said:

The one that blew you away in terms of tone, flexibility, build quality etc.
Was it the clean tones or overdrive, what was the magic that the amp has/ had.
For me it was a Mesa Boogie Mark III Simul-Class in the late 1980s.
It was an utter beast which took a lot of taming, but lordy the clean tones were crystal and the overdrive just punched through everything. The build quality was awesome too.
Look at it, it's gorgeous.

I had a fully loaded MkIII (EV speaker/Simulclass power stage) exactly like that one. I agree, they were outstanding amps.

I sold mine as I’d stopped gigging and moving the thing around was problematic - they were spectacularly heavy.

PeteC · September 2023

Park 1210 Rockhead through a 4x12 - majestically trouser flapping

theatreanchor · September 2023

Fender Blonde Bassman.

Alex2678 · September 2023

Probably a ‘65 JTM 45 but sadly I played it through an ox box and headphones so I’ll never really know…

Moe_Zambeek · September 2023

Only a few amps have truly lived up to the hype for me:
Soldano SLO100. Just awesome, too much for me in size / weight / cost though. Really needs a big cab too I feel.

Matchless DC30. Another awesome amp that has something special. I think the combos sound better than the heads and cabs, but again - too heavy, too expensive, too loud to keep around (though I do think the MV is fine…).

Audio Kitchen combo. Loved the sound and feel but it was too heavy and at 17 watts both too loud and too quiet, depending on the circumstances I found myself in. The Big Trees gets me similar sounds in a small package but lacks the volume for outside home / studio.

DefaultM · September 2023

I’d say Engl Screamer combo but it was very unreliable so HRD Lacquered Tweed.
Unless Axe FX II counts?

ICBM · September 2023

Mesa Trem-o-verb.

JezWynd · September 2023

Princeton Recording Amp. The most glorious clean sound I've ever heard. Perhaps not a great amp for live gigs but for home use and recording it was a very capable combo.

TheBigDipper · September 2023

Silverface Fender Super Reverb. Playing my Strat. Loud. What's not to love?

GavRichList · September 2023

Marshall Bluesbreaker. Changed my entire world-view on the formerly hated for 20 years of playing Marshall. Always found Marshall’s fizzy and unusable, then played one of these and immediately had to have one.

rze99 · September 2023

My 70s Marshall JMP stack. I’ve had it over 40 years.

Nerine · September 2023

Three spring to mind.

An old JMP 2203 and beat up Marshall 4x12 in a rehearsal room somewhere in Brighton about 20 years ago.

Sounded just completely sublime. Epic thing. So fat and raw, yet very smooth and not harsh. Beautiful.

Two Rock Classic Reverb Sig. and Two Rock vertical 2x12. Played it in Coda a while back. Absolutely gorgeous. The depth was insane. A ridiculously room filling sound. Was happy just listening to things ring out through it. Majestic amp.

Soldano SLO 30 H and Soldano vertical 2x12.

Recently plugged into in GG Newcastle when I was on a jolly to watch JoBo.

Shouldn’t have.

Now want one quite badly.

Sooooo thick and the sustain was just unreal. A drive tone to die for.

Exceeded expectations if even possible.

I’ve played through/owned heaps and heaps of other stuff but they are ones that have stuck in my mind for whatever reason.

Had a couple of hours with a lovely, wound up Z-Wreck a few months back, and that was something else, too, but not quite at the same level of epicness as the three above.

Kebabkid · September 2023

Flanging_Fred said:

Kebabkid said:

Divided by 13 JRT 9/15 head into a Tone Tubby 2x12 cab with H-Bombo combo of speakers (one alnico and one ceramic)

I remember that; really great clean tones as far as I remember.

yep and very 3-D like plus it took every OD pedal I ever put through it really well.

I should add, I had a similar experience on the amp dirt side with an original 5150. That was something!

Jonathangus · September 2023

I don't have a ton of things to compare it with, but my 1979 JMP 2204.

springhead · September 2023

Gartone 5E3, loud in a rehearsal room. Glorious
I’ve since built a 5E3 using the same output transformer and Celestion Blue, sounds fantastic and would love to compare it with a Gartone.

Late 60’s Marshall 18W, again loud and with some very special guitars. Stunning.

I was given an original RS Deluxe output transformer and already had some NOS GEC KT66’s so I built a JTM45. That makes me smile when I play it

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What is the best amp you've ever played?

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