Simple, touch responsive Amps

telewacked · February 18th, 2005, 12:51 PM

(sorry - this post is so long!) I'm in the market for a a simple, touch responsive, harmonically rich sounding amplifier. I plan to play classic, roots and blues oriented rock for the most part, but will also dabble in country and eventually, hopefully, solo fingerstyle jazz standards (all over the board aren't I!)
The amplifier I'm most familiar and impressed with is the Dr. Z. Carmen Ghia. However, I've seen recommendations for so many more here such as the Winfield Thomas Winfield, the Bluesboy, and others, and wish to hear a few more opinions. I'm not interested in Fender, Traynor, Peavey etc. as I currently own or have owned many of these and now want something "different", and the botique aura now appeals to me.

Any advice on other amps to search for and try? I'm planning on shopping this weekend at a shop that carries Dr. Z, Savage, Matchless and Carr amps, and hope to find some setups similar to the Carmen Ghia to play. I'm leaning towards the Carmen Ghia, however, I want to do a thorough search, try as many amps as possible and get a "keeper"

One of my challenges with going the botique route is my decision to be strict about *not* buying an amp I haven't actually gotten to play (I've done this before with mixed results). So, that makes it hard to consider, for example, a Winnie Thomas amp. However, I can travel from the Kansas City area a few hundred miles (St Louis, Tulsa, OK City, Omaha) to try out other amplifiers that you might recommend.
Thanks for any advice / suggestions!

Paul G. · February 18th, 2005, 01:22 PM

If you find one amp that covers all that territory, and does it all well, be sure to let me know.

John H. · February 18th, 2005, 02:34 PM

Your first sentence is true of the GC. It is very warm and incredibly touch responsive. It's a real joy to play at home. However, the lack of headroom is an issue for me. It grinds very nicely but very soon. That will probably be an issue for the jazz stuff. You will be in crunch territory if you have a moderate to loud drummer. I haven't tried a Mazzeratti but often wished I would have bought that intead.

marshallmelloman · February 18th, 2005, 02:57 PM

The Winfield is a knockout. You can hear it on record and live at my bands website www.super400.com I know I never shut up about this amp, but it is the most satisfying gear purchase I have ever made. My #1 amp 3 years and counting. I think Winnie gives you a couple says to check it out and send it back if you don't like it too.

mmahoney · February 18th, 2005, 03:26 PM

you've dismissed many good amps by not considering Fender, Traynor, et al.

even more so with the right tubes, speakers, and settings.

and even more so when the older PTP examples are considered.

play a few blindfolded and you may be surprised.

I've not played a lot of boutique amps but have played many good "lower end" amps that have lots of the tube touch and feel.

anyhow, I hope you find what you're looking for, but don't pay too much

Mike

telewacked · February 18th, 2005, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmahoney

you've dismissed many good amps by not considering Fender, Traynor, et al.....anyhow, I hope you find what you're looking for, but don't pay too much

Mike

Good point Mike, it's just that I've got the Fender territory covered well enough for now with a DR and a VR, both serviced and with years of experimentation with tubes and speakers. I had a BFTR too that I recently sold to help fund my next purchase - it was just too loud and heavy.
I've played several dif Peaveys recently at rehearsals, C30, a C15 (is it 15 watts?) and a Delta something or other with a 15" speaker. All of these sounded real nice, but just didn't do it for me. I'm looking for that amp that blows my socks off - I played a Clark that did that at a guitar show, but it was more in the clean territory than I'm wanting now. Thanks for the advice all the same - just wondering if I'm missing anything. And you're right, I don't want to pay a lot of money, so the Carmen Ghia seemed like a pretty good deal if I can find one used.

Tele295 · February 18th, 2005, 06:16 PM

How about a nice tweed Fender, or a boutique copy (Clark, Victoria, etc.)? Very different than the Fender territory covered by a VR and DR.

If you need reverb and trem in addition to the qualities you mention, I hear good things about the Carr Rambler.

Martinp · February 18th, 2005, 06:51 PM

I have got this incredibly funky old Alamo Capri.
it's tiny, has tubed I've never heard of, has one knob (simple?) when you crank it with the guitar dimed, it teeters on the brink of chaos.

it's not exactly giggable, but it's got the tone, and is about as touch sensitive as it gets.
and it won't scare the neighbors.
mp

Wayne Alexander · February 18th, 2005, 07:10 PM

If by touch sensitive you mean an amp that plays clean when you pick the strings lightly and then plays dirtier when you pick the strings strongly, you'll want to stick with simpler signal chains with fewer components, as opposed to channel switching amps with a lot of parts. The Marshall 18 watt (both the Marshall brand one that's available now) and the boutique versions and variations like GDS (among the best "faithful" 18-watt clones, London 65 (that's a really interesting amp, has an EF86 channel as well as the 18-watt tremolo channel), the DST Marwatt (a stock 18-watt normal channel and a Hiwatt-voiced channel, brighter and gainier) are all pretty spectacular.

dean · February 18th, 2005, 07:41 PM

I just traded my Princeton Reverb and some other gear and some cash for a Savage Macht 6:

http://www.savageamps.com/pages/home.html

While A/Bing with my PR, I was struck by how sensitive or accurate it was in its response to how I played. It is definitely an amp that will make me a better player. I was looking for a low powered amp that would break up decently and that would also handle lower volume clean stuff. This amp was perfect for that. I think the larger cabinet, the 12" speaker, and the superb design make it sound so clear.

If there is a dealer near you, give these amps a shot. And have fun looking for that perfect amp!

Dean

Bill · February 18th, 2005, 09:21 PM

I'm not much of a player, but in my limited, noodling experience, the simpler the amp, the more touch-sensitive it is.

For instance, my '59 Princeton is more touch-sensitive that my other Fender amps. Definitely switches sound and overdrive based on how much I turn up the volume on the guitar and how hard I hit the strings. I think when you have one of these amps you change your mindset, and get the different tones from the guitar and playing style more than from amp settings. You (or at least I) set this kind of amp to one setting, no pedals, and go from there, as opposed to other amps, switching settings and pedals, and so on.

ruger9 · February 19th, 2005, 10:08 AM

I think the BadCat amps are supposed to be very dynamic & touch sensitive- and they have a new one coming out- the ToneCat- that sounds like it's going to be incredible.

skip62 · February 19th, 2005, 10:29 AM

I have to cast a vote to check out the 18watt Marshalls and clones. Here's a great site with lots of clips, and these clips are very representive of what the amp actually sounds like live.

www.18watt.com

Sound clips here

I also like the Marshall JTM45, it does a very good Fender clean when rolled back a little.

Good luck, I went on this journey last year, it's fun.

geddyleedog · February 20th, 2005, 08:05 AM

I used to have a THD Univalve. It was a wonderful amp. You can change tubes to your hearts content for a huge variety of tones. It's built solid as a rock too. New, I think there about $850. You can also go the Ebay route as well.

telewacked · February 20th, 2005, 10:23 AM

Wayne Dean and Bill hit it on the head about touch response...where the speaker(s) jump at the touch, it's 3D sounding and digging in or turning up gets more smooth grit and overdrive while backing off can get sparkly crystal clean...
Got out this weekend and played a few Dr Z's, a real (restored) '59 bassman, some tweed clones, a Carr Hammerhead and the new Tweed Twin Ltd and Bassman Ltd.
The best sounding was the real Bassman, though I don't want something that big, powerful (and expensive $2,100). The Mazarati head thru Z's best cab and a Maz Jr. were close. The new RI Fenders sounded real good too. Didn't care for the tweed clones as much and I was real surprised by how little I liked the Carr.

One thing missing that I wished for was to be able to really crank several of these amps. It's hard to do a thorough evaluation at music store acceptable levels.

I'm going to try and take several of your suggestions and look around a bit more, anyone know where I can find a 18 watt Marshall clone to try in the midwest?
I'm also going to continue and look for that Carmen Ghia that I originally mentioned and liked based upon the soundclips on the Dr. Z site.

This IS fun - wish I had more time and $ to do it more often!!

Thanks for all the advice.

Wayne Alexander · February 20th, 2005, 12:29 PM

Quote:

anyone know where I can find a 18 watt Marshall clone to try in the midwest?

Go over to http://www.18watt.com and ask that question there. You'll get lots of help finding one near where you are.

5965 · February 20th, 2005, 01:05 PM

In the St. Louis area, Eddie's Guitars has an unusually large selection of high-end amplifiers, and St. Charles Guitar Exchange frequently has limited run Fender and Marshall amps, as well as a large inventory of the more common varieties. Both would be easy to find.

Eddie's has a website that is pretty current so you can see if there's anything interesting. St. Charles would require a telephone call.

Jack Knife · February 21st, 2005, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dean

I just traded my Princeton Reverb and some other gear and some cash for a Savage Macht 6:

http://www.savageamps.com/pages/home.html

While A/Bing with my PR, I was struck by how sensitive or accurate it was in its response to how I played. It is definitely an amp that will make me a better player. I was looking for a low powered amp that would break up decently and that would also handle lower volume clean stuff. This amp was perfect for that. I think the larger cabinet, the 12" speaker, and the superb design make it sound so clear.

If there is a dealer near you, give these amps a shot. And have fun looking for that perfect amp!

Dean

Couldn't agree more! I love my Macht 6, using a Celestion G12H30. It purrs, spanks and roars, all with no help from any pedals. Turn up the amp, turn down the guitar and start taking it through its paces 8)

Jammin'John · February 21st, 2005, 08:29 PM

With low wattage Webers of your choice !

JJ

TT100 · February 21st, 2005, 09:16 PM

How about a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe clone? Mission and Weber sell kits or will build them for you.

Simple, light, toneful and you can tailor them to your sound by jumpering channels, simple replacements of one preamp tube and rectifier choice.

As mentioned above, much different than your DR or VR.

TT100

February 18th, 2005, 12:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
telewacked Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 243 11 Photos	Simple, touch responsive Amps (sorry - this post is so long!) I'm in the market for a a simple, touch responsive, harmonically rich sounding amplifier. I plan to play classic, roots and blues oriented rock for the most part, but will also dabble in country and eventually, hopefully, solo fingerstyle jazz standards (all over the board aren't I!) The amplifier I'm most familiar and impressed with is the Dr. Z. Carmen Ghia. However, I've seen recommendations for so many more here such as the Winfield Thomas Winfield, the Bluesboy, and others, and wish to hear a few more opinions. I'm not interested in Fender, Traynor, Peavey etc. as I currently own or have owned many of these and now want something "different", and the botique aura now appeals to me. Any advice on other amps to search for and try? I'm planning on shopping this weekend at a shop that carries Dr. Z, Savage, Matchless and Carr amps, and hope to find some setups similar to the Carmen Ghia to play. I'm leaning towards the Carmen Ghia, however, I want to do a thorough search, try as many amps as possible and get a "keeper" One of my challenges with going the botique route is my decision to be strict about not buying an amp I haven't actually gotten to play (I've done this before with mixed results). So, that makes it hard to consider, for example, a Winnie Thomas amp. However, I can travel from the Kansas City area a few hundred miles (St Louis, Tulsa, OK City, Omaha) to try out other amplifiers that you might recommend. Thanks for any advice / suggestions!

February 18th, 2005, 01:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Paul G. Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 885	Zoiks!! If you find one amp that covers all that territory, and does it all well, be sure to let me know. __________________ Listen to your mother

February 18th, 2005, 02:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
John H. TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago/NW Indy Posts: 37	Carmen Gia. Your first sentence is true of the GC. It is very warm and incredibly touch responsive. It's a real joy to play at home. However, the lack of headroom is an issue for me. It grinds very nicely but very soon. That will probably be an issue for the jazz stuff. You will be in crunch territory if you have a moderate to loud drummer. I haven't tried a Mazzeratti but often wished I would have bought that intead.

February 18th, 2005, 03:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
mmahoney Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 146	the sound is the thing ... you've dismissed many good amps by not considering Fender, Traynor, et al. even more so with the right tubes, speakers, and settings. and even more so when the older PTP examples are considered. play a few blindfolded and you may be surprised. I've not played a lot of boutique amps but have played many good "lower end" amps that have lots of the tube touch and feel. anyhow, I hope you find what you're looking for, but don't pay too much Mike

February 18th, 2005, 06:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
Tele295 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Haunted Amp, CA Posts: 3,479 14 Photos	How about a nice tweed Fender, or a boutique copy (Clark, Victoria, etc.)? Very different than the Fender territory covered by a VR and DR. If you need reverb and trem in addition to the qualities you mention, I hear good things about the Carr Rambler. __________________ "Turn it up and it doesn't need any reverb." - Danny Gatton www.dannygatton.info Tiger Town Aces - Music That Bites Back In Redd we trust! Free Bill Kirchen! If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

February 18th, 2005, 02:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
marshallmelloman Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 547	The Winfield is a knockout. You can hear it on record and live at my bands website www.super400.com I know I never shut up about this amp, but it is the most satisfying gear purchase I have ever made. My #1 amp 3 years and counting. I think Winnie gives you a couple says to check it out and send it back if you don't like it too.

February 18th, 2005, 06:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
Martinp Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Westbury, N.Y. Posts: 326	Alamo I have got this incredibly funky old Alamo Capri. it's tiny, has tubed I've never heard of, has one knob (simple?) when you crank it with the guitar dimed, it teeters on the brink of chaos. it's not exactly giggable, but it's got the tone, and is about as touch sensitive as it gets. and it won't scare the neighbors. mp __________________ mp Westbury, New York

February 18th, 2005, 07:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
Wayne Alexander Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Posts: 1,083	If by touch sensitive you mean an amp that plays clean when you pick the strings lightly and then plays dirtier when you pick the strings strongly, you'll want to stick with simpler signal chains with fewer components, as opposed to channel switching amps with a lot of parts. The Marshall 18 watt (both the Marshall brand one that's available now) and the boutique versions and variations like GDS (among the best "faithful" 18-watt clones, London 65 (that's a really interesting amp, has an EF86 channel as well as the 18-watt tremolo channel), the DST Marwatt (a stock 18-watt normal channel and a Hiwatt-voiced channel, brighter and gainier) are all pretty spectacular.

February 18th, 2005, 07:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
dean Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Age: 60 Posts: 2,042	I'm with you I just traded my Princeton Reverb and some other gear and some cash for a Savage Macht 6: http://www.savageamps.com/pages/home.html While A/Bing with my PR, I was struck by how sensitive or accurate it was in its response to how I played. It is definitely an amp that will make me a better player. I was looking for a low powered amp that would break up decently and that would also handle lower volume clean stuff. This amp was perfect for that. I think the larger cabinet, the 12" speaker, and the superb design make it sound so clear. If there is a dealer near you, give these amps a shot. And have fun looking for that perfect amp! Dean __________________ "I used to be clueless, but I've turned that situation around 360 degrees."

February 18th, 2005, 09:21 PM	#11 (permalink)
Bill Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 2,697 59 Photos	I'm not much of a player, but in my limited, noodling experience, the simpler the amp, the more touch-sensitive it is. For instance, my '59 Princeton is more touch-sensitive that my other Fender amps. Definitely switches sound and overdrive based on how much I turn up the volume on the guitar and how hard I hit the strings. I think when you have one of these amps you change your mindset, and get the different tones from the guitar and playing style more than from amp settings. You (or at least I) set this kind of amp to one setting, no pedals, and go from there, as opposed to other amps, switching settings and pedals, and so on. __________________ B i l l B a e c k A journal of our year in London

February 19th, 2005, 10:08 AM	#12 (permalink)
ruger9 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hackettstown, NJ Posts: 1,726	I think the BadCat amps are supposed to be very dynamic & touch sensitive- and they have a new one coming out- the ToneCat- that sounds like it's going to be incredible. __________________ "I've got callouses, from all those nights, spent playin' a Telecaster, 'till my fingers bled Bud Light" - Travis Tritt

February 19th, 2005, 10:29 AM	#13 (permalink)
skip62 Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 337	I have to cast a vote to check out the 18watt Marshalls and clones. Here's a great site with lots of clips, and these clips are very representive of what the amp actually sounds like live. www.18watt.com Sound clips here I also like the Marshall JTM45, it does a very good Fender clean when rolled back a little. Good luck, I went on this journey last year, it's fun.

February 20th, 2005, 08:05 AM	#14 (permalink)
geddyleedog Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 584	THD Univalve I used to have a THD Univalve. It was a wonderful amp. You can change tubes to your hearts content for a huge variety of tones. It's built solid as a rock too. New, I think there about $850. You can also go the Ebay route as well. __________________ (.o)==:::

February 20th, 2005, 10:23 AM	#15 (permalink)
telewacked Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 243 11 Photos	Wayne Dean and Bill hit it on the head about touch response...where the speaker(s) jump at the touch, it's 3D sounding and digging in or turning up gets more smooth grit and overdrive while backing off can get sparkly crystal clean... Got out this weekend and played a few Dr Z's, a real (restored) '59 bassman, some tweed clones, a Carr Hammerhead and the new Tweed Twin Ltd and Bassman Ltd. The best sounding was the real Bassman, though I don't want something that big, powerful (and expensive $2,100). The Mazarati head thru Z's best cab and a Maz Jr. were close. The new RI Fenders sounded real good too. Didn't care for the tweed clones as much and I was real surprised by how little I liked the Carr. One thing missing that I wished for was to be able to really crank several of these amps. It's hard to do a thorough evaluation at music store acceptable levels. I'm going to try and take several of your suggestions and look around a bit more, anyone know where I can find a 18 watt Marshall clone to try in the midwest? I'm also going to continue and look for that Carmen Ghia that I originally mentioned and liked based upon the soundclips on the Dr. Z site. This IS fun - wish I had more time and $ to do it more often!! Thanks for all the advice.

February 20th, 2005, 01:05 PM	#17 (permalink)
5965 Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 738	St. Louis area In the St. Louis area, Eddie's Guitars has an unusually large selection of high-end amplifiers, and St. Charles Guitar Exchange frequently has limited run Fender and Marshall amps, as well as a large inventory of the more common varieties. Both would be easy to find. Eddie's has a website that is pretty current so you can see if there's anything interesting. St. Charles would require a telephone call.

February 21st, 2005, 08:29 PM	#19 (permalink)
Jammin'John Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tug Hill Plateau Posts: 312	Double Tweed Deluxe With low wattage Webers of your choice ! JJ __________________ Tele's and tubes....an accident?......I don't think so... http://www.tughillregion.com/

February 21st, 2005, 09:16 PM	#20 (permalink)
TT100 Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 214	How about a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe clone? Mission and Weber sell kits or will build them for you. Simple, light, toneful and you can tailor them to your sound by jumpering channels, simple replacements of one preamp tube and rectifier choice. As mentioned above, much different than your DR or VR. TT100