best tube amp for taking pedals?

[fezz parka]

[Justinvs]

Originally Posted by muchxs

Anything grid leak "doesn't take pedals well". That's anything Supro and most pre-'55 amps. I'm sure someone will chime in and tell me their Supro is it with pedals.



The answer to the OP's original question was "Marshall, Marshall, Marshall." The hassle with big Marshalls is unless you're playin' stadiums you're not gonna use much of it.



I'd say "Peavey Windsor". Marshall-ish, dirt cheap for what it is. I can get into a used Windsor half-stack for under $500. Don't feel like luggin' a half stack? Hit me up for my Universal Extension Speaker Cabinet. It's supposed to ride in the front seat of a small Toyota. Try that with a 4x12"!
.

Yep.

I have a Windsor and it sounds great with every dirt pedal I've throw at it so far. And truth be told, it will give up some very nice overdrive all on it's own without getting horribly loud. For the price they are a great choice.

[iluvledzepp]

see the problem is i have an ocd thing with tones, and i won't record any of my original songs (which i would like to do soon) unless i have the sound i need. i would say my tone is moslty colse to nirvana. any suggestions on an amp for nirvana? thanks alot

[Durtdog]

Originally Posted by iluvledzepp

see the problem is i have an ocd thing with tones, and i won't record any of my original songs (which i would like to do soon) unless i have the sound i need. i would say my tone is moslty colse to nirvana. any suggestions on an amp for nirvana? thanks alot

[jimmynumber9]

Originally Posted by iluvledzepp

see the problem is i have an ocd thing with tones, and i won't record any of my original songs (which i would like to do soon) unless i have the sound i need. i would say my tone is moslty colse to nirvana. any suggestions on an amp for nirvana? thanks alot

mesa .22 what Kurt used

[guitarman_nebr]

okay, but does "takes pedals well" include how well the effects loop works and sounds?

I have found that an amp like the DRRI sounds good, but there is no loop!! delays, chorus, and boost just don't work as well in front of an amp like that.

sure, dirt pedals in front are a must in some cases. maybe a compressor, etc....

but, "pedals" must include chorus, delay, flange, volume boost, and others that belong in a loop after the preamp.

classic amps didn't always have a loop and just plain lack in the time effects department.
that is why loops were added and are a selling point for many amps and a problem in others........like the sad effects loop on many Mesa boogie amps.

it is also why rack units became popular in the 80's.

sure, old school had its advantages.....a more "pure" signal, but cover bands need access to more time based effects with better sound and control than most "put it in front and it is good enough" amps give.

[TheCritter]

I would say it also deppends on the pedals you're running and thier qualities.

[Justinvs]

Originally Posted by iluvledzepp

see the problem is i have an ocd thing with tones, and i won't record any of my original songs (which i would like to do soon) unless i have the sound i need. i would say my tone is moslty colse to nirvana. any suggestions on an amp for nirvana? thanks alot

Cobain was notoriously a non-gear head. His favorite amp was an old Peavey, although I can't recall the model. I think he used quite a few Fenders and possibly a Mesa over te years, but wasn't much of a Marshall fan. Most of his sound came from distortion pedals like the venerable DS-1 and lots of volume.

[telepath]

If you want the tube dynamics (thus, we assume you are going to be crankin' the amp), but you want to define your sounds primarily by means of pedals, would a HiWatt be worth considering? Something like a T40 or whatever.

I mean a Foo Fighters sound (Vox + a later Marshall) is going to be very different from a Stones sound - kinda Bassman/Tweedy. And then over to clean and clanky Chilli Peppers. etc..
Its a fairly tall order I'd surmise.

While Floyd is not on your list of sound-a-likes, a HiWatt 'blank-ish canvas' and then decent pedals to shape the sound is what Gilmour has done - rather well - for decades.
Just a thought.

[sagaci]

Originally Posted by greggorypeccary

I'm with you, man. That whole "takes pedals well" is the most meaningless phrase on guitar forums.

Yeah amen to that!

[iluvledzepp]

Originally Posted by guitarman_nebr

okay, but does "takes pedals well" include how well the effects loop works and sounds?

I have found that an amp like the DRRI sounds good, but there is no loop!! delays, chorus, and boost just don't work as well in front of an amp like that.

sure, dirt pedals in front are a must in some cases. maybe a compressor, etc....

but, "pedals" must include chorus, delay, flange, volume boost, and others that belong in a loop after the preamp.

classic amps didn't always have a loop and just plain lack in the time effects department.
that is why loops were added and are a selling point for many amps and a problem in others........like the sad effects loop on many Mesa boogie amps.

it is also why rack units became popular in the 80's.

sure, old school had its advantages.....a more "pure" signal, but cover bands need access to more time based effects with better sound and control than most "put it in front and it is good enough" amps give.

so wait the effects loop makes that big a difference? i always put my pedals infront of my amp, do they sound that much better through the effects loop? even distortion pedals?

[iluvledzepp]

Originally Posted by TheCritter

I would say it also deppends on the pedals you're running and thier qualities.

i have a bunch of pedals, 7total 5 of them being boss distortion.
then i have an mxr that i only use as a boost, and a boss flanger. so im guessing you'r going to say low quality?

[iluvledzepp]

Originally Posted by telepath

If you want the tube dynamics (thus, we assume you are going to be crankin' the amp), but you want to define your sounds primarily by means of pedals, would a HiWatt be worth considering? Something like a T40 or whatever.

I mean a Foo Fighters sound (Vox + a later Marshall) is going to be very different from a Stones sound - kinda Bassman/Tweedy. And then over to clean and clanky Chilli Peppers. etc..
Its a fairly tall order I'd surmise.

While Floyd is not on your list of sound-a-likes, a HiWatt 'blank-ish canvas' and then decent pedals to shape the sound is what Gilmour has done - rather well - for decades.
Just a thought.

can you find a hiwatt in my price range? cuz i dont think they go for under 1000, let alone around 6-700

[StephaninMelb]

Originally posted by jh45gun
Why is it a butcher? your not hurting the original cab if you take out the chassis and put in into a head cab. Save the old cab in case you want to put it back original or better yet use it as a 2x12 cab. It will cut the weight a lot putting the chassis in a head configuration and then using the cab as a speaker cab.

I agree with jh45gun's point above. More people should do Twin and other heavy amp conversions to Head Amps. It is a simple cabinet swap and like jh45gun says, just save the original case. It should be a 5-10 minute job to swap back and forth between the combo and head cabinets. At least getting a Twin into a head enclosure might keep it out gigging rather than sitting in a shed gathering dust. Now that is how an amp really gets damaged as it gets covered by cobwebs and mold.

[StephaninMelb]

What is this Takes Pedals Well Monkey Business?

You got to train them when they are young....

With so many pedals out there you just find ones that suit. There is no such thing as a "universal" pedal of each type with tone being so subjective. The problem with a particular pedal "not working" is more often than not that a person doesn't like the tone or effect outcome, rather than a problem with the amp "not taking a pedal." Also some effects are just plain subtle and buying pedals has always been a bit of a crap shoot. You are not a serious guitar player if you don't have a garage or at least a drawer full of the damn things.

Anyway as far as amps, TDPRI members are trying to rehome as many orphaned Fender Twins as possible. There has never been a better time to buy a Silverface era Twin. We like to think of them as our guitar tube amp Cuisinart multipurpose machines...

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by iluvledzepp

see the problem is i have an ocd thing with tones, and i won't record any of my original songs (which i would like to do soon) unless i have the sound i need. i would say my tone is moslty colse to nirvana. any suggestions on an amp for nirvana? thanks alot

Not tryin' to be my usual snotty self (although it comes naturally ) but maybe you need to spend a couple bucks in therapy instead of gear?

I'm only half joking. I'm a technician because of Tom Sholz, Ronnie Montrose and Eddie Van Halen. Might as well throw in Slash and Jeff Beck, those are guys who get killer tone without thinkin' about it.

See, if I was less hung up on tone and spent more time out in the woodshed (practicing! Not what you were thinking.) If I spent more time practicing I'd be a much better musician. A good musician can plug into any crappy ol' doo-doo box and play.

Part of the deal is hittin' the stage feelin' bulletproof. You do what you gotta do to feel like that, whether it's killer tone, killer chops or a busload o' cheerleaders in the front row. Either you feel good about what you have to say as a musician or you don't. Lotta guys are crummy musicians playin' crummy gear with crummy technique and tone and they do just fine. You gotta believe, brother! All else naturally follows.


I worked with a kid from Suffern right about the time the Metal / Rap thing happened. He had a studio over his mommy's garage. There are two genres to make Telecaster players with Twins cringe... metal and rap! Except this kid did it with such absolute conviction. Think Ice T "L.G.B.N.a.F." or Tone Loc, "Funky Cold Medina" This kid could puke up stuff like that all day and all night. It sounds passé now but it was pretty impressive in the moment. Point is he never lost any sleep over tone.



.

[iluvledzepp]

Originally Posted by muchxs

Not tryin' to be my usual snotty self (although it comes naturally ) but maybe you need to spend a couple bucks in therapy instead of gear?

I'm only half joking. I'm a technician because of Tom Sholz, Ronnie Montrose and Eddie Van Halen. Might as well throw in Slash and Jeff Beck, those are guys who get killer tone without thinkin' about it.

See, if I was less hung up on tone and spent more time out in the woodshed (practicing! Not what you were thinking.) If I spent more time practicing I'd be a much better musician. A good musician can plug into any crappy ol' doo-doo box and play.

Part of the deal is hittin' the stage feelin' bulletproof. You do what you gotta do to feel like that, whether it's killer tone, killer chops or a busload o' cheerleaders in the front row. Either you feel good about what you have to say as a musician or you don't. Lotta guys are crummy musicians playin' crummy gear with crummy technique and tone and they do just fine. You gotta believe, brother! All else naturally follows.


I worked with a kid from Suffern right about the time the Metal / Rap thing happened. He had a studio over his mommy's garage. There are two genres to make Telecaster players with Twins cringe... metal and rap! Except this kid did it with such absolute conviction. Think Ice T "L.G.B.N.a.F." or Tone Loc, "Funky Cold Medina" This kid could puke up stuff like that all day and all night. It sounds passé now but it was pretty impressive in the moment. Point is he never lost any sleep over tone.



.

no see
i do practice all the time, but im looking to get a specific tone, for one or two songs ive written. but i want an amp thats versatile and takes pedals well.
i'd prefer to use pedals because i just spent most of my money on pedals. i know people dont like pedals but i do, i just need a versatile tube amp

[waparker4]

Originally Posted by iluvledzepp

no see
i do practice all the time, but im looking to get a specific tone, for one or two songs ive written. but i want an amp thats versatile and takes pedals well.
i'd prefer to use pedals because i just spent most of my money on pedals. i know people dont like pedals but i do, i just need a versatile tube amp

If you're OCD about the sound then you gotta go out and try every amp you can plug a guitar into.

'Takes pedals well' to me means cathode or grid biased (read: made after the 50's) with lots of clean headroom and an option to turn off a bright cap if there is one. AKA Twin Reverb. BUT really these days it depends on your pedals. Any good quality amp made these days will take pedals well, the hard part is matching pedals together w.r.t. impedance loading, signal degradation, buffers, out front or in FX loop, parallel or series FX loop, etc.

Look for a high powered amp with a nice clean sound: silverface twin, twin reissue, used mesa mark III (I looked at a cobain gear website and then read the mark III's manual and it looks very versatile). Look at marshalls if you want a led zep sound... though apparently above posters say cobain didn't like them.

If you're looking to record you can go smaller in size but still stay somewhat clean and flexible like a Fender Supersonic 22.

But you have to just personally try everything you can I think. I'm sure you've already been doing this for a while.

JMHOs

[Beazs]

Are we missing the elephant in the room...
Tube, <1000, pedals, recording, not heavy = DRRI doesnt it?

I have heard that the Deluxe Reverb is the most recorded amp in history so chances are some of those LPs were recorded with an old Deluxe. Perhaps a reissue one is right up your street?

[jimmynumber9]

Honestly, just get an app you like. I haven't cared to run pedals through an effects loop for years. I haven't missed it either. Just get an app you like and go from there, your tone isn't based on the pedals. It comes firstly from you, then your guitar, then amp. (or amp then guitar depending on who you talk to)

Go to a store with your pedals and see what you get. Don't trust us, a lot of us like squires and homemade amps for our tone.