Savage Amps - what do YOU know?

benmeza · May 9th, 2005, 07:24 PM

Anyone ever play Savage Amps? They caught my eye recently - especially that Rohr. I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, set to go to Make N Music to try one out...on the cab ride over there I called them and they had just sold their last one! So no Savage for me....

Can anyone tell me a bit about their experience with their amps? I am going to San Francisco next week - anyone know of a place there that carries them? Thanks for the help everyone!

I have been toying with the idea of getting one of those new AC-30s, but I wanted to give the Savage a try too - I just sold my Pro Reverb and I am looking for another versatile amp for rhythm guitar...something with a little more edge than the soft fender BF sound - think early Velvet Underground. Right now all I have is my Gretsch Dual Twin 6162 which kicks ass, but isn't as loud as I would like it....

ps- no affiliation with the seller, but there is a dual twin 6162 on ebay right now - those things should be worth 4 times what they go for....

Jack Knife · May 9th, 2005, 11:02 PM

I have a Savage Macht 6, the little 6 watt class A amp. It's an amazing piece of work. The pure tones you get from just a volume control and tone control are incredible.

If I were to go with a bigger amp, I would definately get the Rohr. There's a shop near here where I got mine from that has several models in stock. The Rohr is absolutley great sounding. The Blitz is too much for me.

You can't go wrong with Savage, great quality.

dean · May 10th, 2005, 01:21 AM

I live about five minutes from the Savage shop and have done a fair amount of business with Jeff. In terms of customer support, integrity, fairness, and willingness to give advice and assistance, Savage is right up there at the top of the heap. The group at Savage are really excited about their work and their product - it's nice being able to drop in to the shop and play around with all their toys (and they have A LOT of toys).

Prior to getting a Macht 6, I had owned various Fender Tweed, Brownface, Blackface, and Silverface amps, my favorite being a '53 Tweed Deluxe, '63 Brown Princeton, '66 Princeton Reverb, and '68 Bandmaster Reverb. When I started thinking about another amp, I tried a few of the Savage models - they seemed to have the exact tone that I wanted from an amp - very articulate, smooth, and mellow. I play entirely at home (or jamming at my friend's home), so the Macht 6 seemed the perfect fit for me. If I played out, I would look at one of the more powerful models. The amps are superbly built - they feel very solid and "dense", and they are elegant in their simplicity. I always liked the treble sound that Fender amps provided, and this amp can get that sound plus a much meatier sound that seems to come from the gut.

If you are truly interested in a Savage amp, you should give Jeff a call - he would certainly be willing to answer any question your might have, plus he would be able to describe the amps much more thoroughly for you. He's a nice fellow to talk with.

Good luck in your search!

Dean

benmeza · May 10th, 2005, 11:41 AM

I'm hoping my job flies me up there again sometime in the near future. The list of Savage users is pretty impressive as are the sound clips on the website.

How is the reverb on these guys?

Marky D. · May 10th, 2005, 02:48 PM

The sound clip of this unit on the Savage website is incredible!

I've bought parts from Jeff back when he worked out of his basement & have visited his new shop.. he has a wall full of about every BF Fender ever made! Very friendly guy w/ a Rory Gallagher hair style who's got a passion for good tone.. over the phone, he once walked me through the process of biasing my Marshall head.

Hey Dean: How loud is the Macht 6 compared to the Princeton Reverb or, say Pro Jr?

dean · May 11th, 2005, 01:08 AM

Hey Marky D,

I haven't cranked the Macht 6 up all the way yet - I need to wait for a time when no one is home :?. But I have had it up about 3/4 volume, and it is very loud for a six-watter. But at 3/4, it was definitely getting into the "breakup" range. I don't think it will be as loud as my Princeton Reverbs were, but it will be close. The fact that it's got a 12" speaker makes a difference in the volume, and the sound is so smooth across the whole range. This would definitely be an amp for a small venue (like a bar) with a controlled rhythm section (drums & bass). I think for playing out, it would be best with a mic. For recording, it's perfect!

Hope that answers your question. I also remember the first time I visited Savage audio - I drove all over looking for Jeff's house. His big shop is a lot nicer than the basement shop

.

Dean

pentadil · May 11th, 2005, 02:02 AM

We are going to sound like a broken record here,
but I have to agree with what everyone else says about
Jeff, one of the greatest amp dudes around.
He will go the extra mile to make you happy, class act.

They also do great repair work. If you are unhappy
with your local amp tech, consider shipping
your amp to them for repair, thats what Peter
Buck did with his AC30's !

As far as the amps, spectacular. If my singer
didn't play a ROHR already I would buy one.
Great Vox meets Marshall spank. But it
honestly has its own sound, pretty agressive.
But very toneful. Quality product. I believe they
have a lifetime warrenty ? How can you go wrong.
The MACHT line is very cool too. Its one of the
great new small amp designs out there.

pentadil · May 11th, 2005, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marky D.

He has a wall full of about every BF Fender ever made!

Every Blackface,..... Tweed, Brown, and Blonde, I swear he has one of every Fender circuit. And a pretty fair collection of everything else thats cool.

Poppatwang · May 11th, 2005, 10:14 AM

I was less than thrilled with my repairs. Had to send it
back & then explain to the tech that the loud buzzing
noise was not supposed to be there. That's why it was
there in the first place. I had two amps in at the same
time & both came back over estimate with no advance
notice to me.

His amps enjoy a fine rep. Jeff probably works on the
star's amp repairs. But if you get one of the drones
doing the fix. Not so good.

May 9th, 2005, 07:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
benmeza Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 411	Savage Amps - what do YOU know? Anyone ever play Savage Amps? They caught my eye recently - especially that Rohr. I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, set to go to Make N Music to try one out...on the cab ride over there I called them and they had just sold their last one! So no Savage for me.... Can anyone tell me a bit about their experience with their amps? I am going to San Francisco next week - anyone know of a place there that carries them? Thanks for the help everyone! I have been toying with the idea of getting one of those new AC-30s, but I wanted to give the Savage a try too - I just sold my Pro Reverb and I am looking for another versatile amp for rhythm guitar...something with a little more edge than the soft fender BF sound - think early Velvet Underground. Right now all I have is my Gretsch Dual Twin 6162 which kicks ass, but isn't as loud as I would like it.... ps- no affiliation with the seller, but there is a dual twin 6162 on ebay right now - those things should be worth 4 times what they go for....

May 10th, 2005, 01:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
dean Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Age: 60 Posts: 2,042	Macht 6 for me . . . I live about five minutes from the Savage shop and have done a fair amount of business with Jeff. In terms of customer support, integrity, fairness, and willingness to give advice and assistance, Savage is right up there at the top of the heap. The group at Savage are really excited about their work and their product - it's nice being able to drop in to the shop and play around with all their toys (and they have A LOT of toys). Prior to getting a Macht 6, I had owned various Fender Tweed, Brownface, Blackface, and Silverface amps, my favorite being a '53 Tweed Deluxe, '63 Brown Princeton, '66 Princeton Reverb, and '68 Bandmaster Reverb. When I started thinking about another amp, I tried a few of the Savage models - they seemed to have the exact tone that I wanted from an amp - very articulate, smooth, and mellow. I play entirely at home (or jamming at my friend's home), so the Macht 6 seemed the perfect fit for me. If I played out, I would look at one of the more powerful models. The amps are superbly built - they feel very solid and "dense", and they are elegant in their simplicity. I always liked the treble sound that Fender amps provided, and this amp can get that sound plus a much meatier sound that seems to come from the gut. If you are truly interested in a Savage amp, you should give Jeff a call - he would certainly be willing to answer any question your might have, plus he would be able to describe the amps much more thoroughly for you. He's a nice fellow to talk with. Good luck in your search! Dean __________________ "I used to be clueless, but I've turned that situation around 360 degrees."

May 10th, 2005, 02:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
Marky D. Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN Age: 47 Posts: 314	Macht 6, question for Dean, etc. The sound clip of this unit on the Savage website is incredible! I've bought parts from Jeff back when he worked out of his basement & have visited his new shop.. he has a wall full of about every BF Fender ever made! Very friendly guy w/ a Rory Gallagher hair style who's got a passion for good tone.. over the phone, he once walked me through the process of biasing my Marshall head. Hey Dean: How loud is the Macht 6 compared to the Princeton Reverb or, say Pro Jr?

May 11th, 2005, 01:08 AM	#6 (permalink)
dean Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Age: 60 Posts: 2,042	Macht 6 Volume Hey Marky D, I haven't cranked the Macht 6 up all the way yet - I need to wait for a time when no one is home :?. But I have had it up about 3/4 volume, and it is very loud for a six-watter. But at 3/4, it was definitely getting into the "breakup" range. I don't think it will be as loud as my Princeton Reverbs were, but it will be close. The fact that it's got a 12" speaker makes a difference in the volume, and the sound is so smooth across the whole range. This would definitely be an amp for a small venue (like a bar) with a controlled rhythm section (drums & bass). I think for playing out, it would be best with a mic. For recording, it's perfect! Hope that answers your question. I also remember the first time I visited Savage audio - I drove all over looking for Jeff's house. His big shop is a lot nicer than the basement shop . Dean __________________ "I used to be clueless, but I've turned that situation around 360 degrees."

May 11th, 2005, 10:14 AM	#9 (permalink)
Poppatwang Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 1,909 13 Photos	Repair?? I was less than thrilled with my repairs. Had to send it back & then explain to the tech that the loud buzzing noise was not supposed to be there. That's why it was there in the first place. I had two amps in at the same time & both came back over estimate with no advance notice to me. His amps enjoy a fine rep. Jeff probably works on the star's amp repairs. But if you get one of the drones doing the fix. Not so good. __________________ The Dieselfitters http://www.dieselfitters.com Roy Hubbs http://www.royhubbs.com

May 9th, 2005, 11:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jack Knife Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 383	I have a Savage Macht 6, the little 6 watt class A amp. It's an amazing piece of work. The pure tones you get from just a volume control and tone control are incredible. If I were to go with a bigger amp, I would definately get the Rohr. There's a shop near here where I got mine from that has several models in stock. The Rohr is absolutley great sounding. The Blitz is too much for me. You can't go wrong with Savage, great quality.

May 10th, 2005, 11:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
benmeza Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 411	I'm hoping my job flies me up there again sometime in the near future. The list of Savage users is pretty impressive as are the sound clips on the website. How is the reverb on these guys?

May 11th, 2005, 02:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
pentadil TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: funky town Posts: 79	We are going to sound like a broken record here, but I have to agree with what everyone else says about Jeff, one of the greatest amp dudes around. He will go the extra mile to make you happy, class act. They also do great repair work. If you are unhappy with your local amp tech, consider shipping your amp to them for repair, thats what Peter Buck did with his AC30's ! As far as the amps, spectacular. If my singer didn't play a ROHR already I would buy one. Great Vox meets Marshall spank. But it honestly has its own sound, pretty agressive. But very toneful. Quality product. I believe they have a lifetime warrenty ? How can you go wrong. The MACHT line is very cool too. Its one of the great new small amp designs out there.