Humbuckers and amps

[JoeyV]

I have noticed that some amps like single coils and some like humbuckers (im talking clean tones here)
In your experience what amps like humbuckers the most?

[Jay N.]

The 40W Tone King Comet that I used to have was great with hummers. Odd, since it was also great with single coils and was supposedly voiced with a Tele in mind. I think the 40W part was key, particularly to get decent clean tones. I'm also partial to Deluxe style amps.

[UncleJarmo]

I've noticed that, too.
My Mesa Maverick seems to prefer single coils.

The amp I liked best with humbuckers was a Marshall Bluesbreaker ri.

[Bob Mc]

My homebrew Tweed Delxue (5E3) loves my Tele's Bill Lawrence PUPs but is only polite to my Gretsch's Dearmond PUP. Valuable lesson to be learned when amp shopping.

[Marky D.]

I had 68 Les Paul w/ humbuckers that loved my 50w 2204 JMP Head through a 4x12...what a sound! I later got a 50w 2x12 JMP combo (still have it) that likes humbuckers. LP + Marshall = good match.

I'm more of a Fender guy now and humbuckers through my Deluxe Reverb don't quite do it for me like the Tele...

[Geo]

A Fender amp like DR, TR, PR or SR.
I like the sound of a JBL or Celestion speakers.
Each is different but sound good. I like driving a JBL
with HB or P90s using pick attack. I call it the Bloomfield/
early Phil Keaggy sound for lack of better description.
I guess an Altec or a Weber model would be in the same area.
Marshalls or that type amp sound real good also
for rock and blues but I don't have one.
Think the Fender or Fender types are the most versatile
for different music styles.

[Kerry Vance]

For years I played a 1968 Gibson ES-335 thru a 1959 tweed Pro with a 15 inch JBL. I started playing strats more and the Pro had a little too much bite for me. That was probably because of the JBL. Anyway, I traded the Pro for a tweed 3x10 Bandmaster, which I still have. The Bandmaster is extremely warm and creamy sounding with a strat but I just can't seem to get the sound I want using the 335. Through the Pro I got a very big Larry Carlton type of sound and some really incredible sustain. I still have the 335, just wish I had the Pro (and of course I'd keep the Bandmaster, too). Some amp and guitar combinations are made in heaven.
Kerry

[jumpnblues]

...Oh Yeah...Kerry Vance know whereof he speakethhh (sorry, didn't mean to spit). Fender (also Victoria) Pros sound killer with 'buckers! Another amp that really does justice to 'buckers big-time is the Dr.Z Route 66. It has average headroom, but if you play with a distorted tone or want an amp for heavier overdrive the R-66 just drips thick harmonic tone. And besides, since I've started using one I've noticed I've become a much better person and the world is a much better place
Back to the Pro...just about any good tweed amp will sound great with humbuckers. But the Pro is my fav of the tweeds for 'buckers. Put a WeberVST C15CA with paper cap in it for gorgeous tone. It's also my fav Tele amp. JMHO. YMMV. 8)

[buglecorps]

Small Ampegs and Princetons seem to do well with everthing. Every Marshall I have ever owned loved buckers, but was WAY to brittle with any SC, I had a Vibro Champ that just screamed with strat type PUs,..not so great with a Tele...The oddest thing was a Fender Champ 12..sounded like a bad SS amp with SC's but really came alive with buckers..probably why I got it so cheap..I just can't imagine anyone at Fender playing the prototype and signing off on the voicing.."oh yea that's good..."

[Maggot]

OK - everyone here proably has more experience than me, but I recently switched from SC to Hums and back again. If find that I like to have about twice as much power for humbuckers - they sounded really good with Twin Reverbs and 50-watt Marshalls w/ 4 12s, where I prefer Deluxes and Vibroluxes for single coils. I'm a clean/stompbox guy though, as opposed to a volume knob rider.

[Spanky]

I'm using Mr.Bardens (thats how much R-E-S-P-E-C-T) I have for these pickups in my '96 52ri and through my Allen Encore( SR type clone) these are FAT sounding like a hard driven P-90 with alot more definition----BF amps usually can handle any type of pickup well---although I like Marshall amps too--I just have found them kinda lacking with single coils unless they're turned up to really LOUD volume levels---ahh well to each his own---------

[Mik]

Joey,

are you asking about handling of higher outputs, or just tone? Or both?

My "big iron macroamps" (Super Reverb, Concert) seem to me to handle hb's better than smaller Fender amps. That Gibson GA15RV seems well matched to any guitar and pickup. My only "real" humbucker'd guitar is an Epi Joe Pass Emperor jazzbox with Gibson '57 Classic hb's, that's my hb reference.

Mik