I found 'MY' Amp (somewhat long)

RockinCarl · October 9th, 2006, 04:15 AM

I'm mainly a Rockabilly guitar player and LOVE Danny Gatton's clean/distorted tone, and I've always been trying to find a Fender amp that would have a nice sounding yet fast break up, similar sounding to Danny's. The best I could find for my needs was a Blues Deville amp, which does break up fairly quick with the 6L6 tubes. I recently joined a band, and the upright bass player/lead singer has an amp that he owns and provides the guitar player with when they join the band if they would like to use it. I've been playing out of it a lot, and I realized a few nights ago, this is MY amp- the tone I have been searching for. Believe it or not, the amp with a great Rockabilly tone and fast, bright sounding break up is:

a 1979 Marshall JMP 50 watt head with a '60 reissue 4x12 cab!!

The amp has a lot of Fender qualities, believe it or not, more so than my Fender Tone Master. The amp has great clarity and that famous "pop" associated with Tele's through Fender amps!!

I really love this amp- and I never really liked Marshalls... I'm almost in shock that I love it!!

Did this sort of thing ever happen to any of you, where you wouldn't play out of a certain type of amp and finally try one out and love it like what happened to me? Lets hear your stories.

tiktok · October 9th, 2006, 04:26 AM

Congrats on finding a amp that suits you.

To me though, Gatton's tone varied a lot over the years, even when he was playing the Tele. What's your reference point DG tone you've been chasing?

David Barnett · October 9th, 2006, 04:34 AM

I agree that 4-hole Marshalls have a very useable clean tone. I used to know a guy who played surf music through an early master-volume model 2204, with a Les Paul Deluxe no less. With a Bigsby, of course.

RockinCarl · October 9th, 2006, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiktok

Congrats on finding a amp that suits you.

To me though, Gatton's tone varied a lot over the years, even when he was playing the Tele. What's your reference point DG tone you've been chasing?

Yes, Gatton's tone changed MANY times, even when he was using the same amps... But the tone I really loved was the Humbler record. Somewhat clean and distorted at the same time. I also read somewhere that Gatton did put EL84's in some Fender amps in the 90's... I think?

David- what do you mean by the "4-hole Marshalls?" That could be Marshall well known Marshall term and I'd never know it...

"S.P.U.N." · October 9th, 2006, 04:53 AM

I have a 50W JCM800 combo that I use with a Greenback-loaded Marshall cabinet and it gets GREAT clean, reverb'd sounds with my Tele, IMHO.

I used the amp for years with a Charvel strat and love THAT sound and feel, but was surprised how well it worked with the Tele.

So far I'm resisting the temptation to buy a Fender amp...

David Barnett · October 9th, 2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockinCarl

David- what do you mean by the "4-hole Marshalls?" That could be Marshall well known Marshall term and I'd never know it...

A "four-holer" is a classic Marshall like a JTM45 or JMP50 with four input jacks, two volume controls, and no master volume. The ones that still follow the "tweed Bassman" pattern.

RockinCarl · October 9th, 2006, 02:02 PM

This Marshall actually has two inputs, one volume and I'm actually not sure if it has a master tone... interesting. Its like this one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Marshall-jmp-50-...QQcmdZViewItem

David Barnett · October 9th, 2006, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockinCarl

This Marshall actually has two inputs, one volume and a master tone... interesting.

Does it say "2203" anywhere on the back panel? Those are still really good amps. If you plug into the low-gain input, it actually goes through one less preamp gain stage, and will get spanky-clean.

RockinCarl · October 9th, 2006, 02:40 PM

I'll have to check- I never really looked at the amp all that much.

TieDyedDevil · October 9th, 2006, 02:43 PM

Happened to me...

I was in my "Mesa/Boogie phase" and not at all happy with the response I was getting from the amps. I was trying to control the sound of the amp using playing dynamics and they don't do that well.

A friend knew what I had been going through and recommended the Vibro-King, but I kept resisting. I had a pretty low opinion of Fender amps at that point. I had played several of the lower-cost amps, briefly owned a Deluxe Reverb II (boy, was that a mistake), and heard a number of Bassman RIs.

My friend persisted and I finally relented. I knew in the first five minutes that the Vibro-King was everything I had been seeking in an amp. Bought one the next day and have played pretty much nothing but the VK for over three years.

tazzboy · October 9th, 2006, 04:06 PM

If I'm not mistake didn't Danny also have Fender Bassman in the mix.

RockinCarl · October 9th, 2006, 04:22 PM

I'm pretty sure that the Bassman was one of his main amps... Does anyone know for sure if Danny did put in EL84's in some fender amps?

jeffM · October 10th, 2006, 02:40 PM

I thought I heard or read that DG mostly used 57 Tweed Twins ... the 5E8 50 watt "Low Power" Twin

RockinCarl · October 10th, 2006, 02:53 PM

Danny pretty much used ever Fender amp... except for the SF Twin's... I think.

tweedtone · October 10th, 2006, 03:05 PM

Funny, until a couple of months ago, I had that same Marshall ... which I traded on a new Vox AC15 that I've been loving while feeling guilty about leaving my BFDR in my storage unit.

theshredermaster · October 10th, 2006, 03:11 PM

I play silvertone twin 12 piggyback combos.

they have a super-sensitive sound, for 500 or 600 buck in major cities. 100- 300 in more reasonable areas.

David Barnett · October 10th, 2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiktok

To me though, Gatton's tone varied a lot over the years, even when he was playing the Tele. What's your reference point DG tone you've been chasing?

I did sound for a Danny Gatton show, less than a year before he died, and sadly I have no recollection at all of what he was using for amplification. I do remember he had a solid-state Leslie, though, like a 900 or 910.

fierce_carrot · October 10th, 2006, 04:49 PM

When I FINALLY figured out how to make the tone I had been hearing in my head for years, it was truly an epiphany. For decades I had struggled and to finally discover that there is a holy grail, was one of the single biggest moments in my 3 decades of playing. At that point, GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) disappeared, and I was able to focus on my playing and not constantly trying out new gear.

macduff · October 12th, 2006, 08:54 PM

I am dying to find the tone that I heard many years ago. I've been thru innumerable Fender amps, Mesa Boogies, Marshalls, you name it. The closest I ever heard was a Heathkit 25 watt with 2 10's or a twelve.

It's the sound the guitar makes when slideing up in the note at the break in the Guess Who's original Shakin' All over. Any suggestins/thoughts. (I saw him playing a tele with 2 or 3 humbuckers in it way back when).

aznrambo481 · October 12th, 2006, 11:25 PM

there's nothing like finding a beautiful piece of equipment that suits you perfectly.

Durtdog · October 12th, 2006, 11:40 PM

Something similar happened to me at rehearsal tonight. The other git/keyboard player had bought an old amp he called a Marshall bluesbreaker, and I used it tonight. Loved it. Great clean tone, but also grew some nice hair.

Flashback · October 13th, 2006, 12:04 AM

Congrats on finding just one amp. LOL...

I have about 4 or 5 holy grail tones in my head. Which makes it tough to settle on one amp. I am currently in the process of building my dirty and clean amps. For gigging purposes. My only problem is I play so many different styles all meshed together that I cant really make up my mind on tone. But I have to say I have fallen in love with the Bassman or JTM45 style tone. Its not Twin sparkly clean but more of a warm and mellow sound. Hard to explain you just have to hear a bassman or jtm45 before you realize.

Anyway congrats

RockinCarl · October 13th, 2006, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashback

My only problem is I play so many different styles all meshed together that I cant really make up my mind on tone.
Anyway congrats

Same here! LOL. The band I'm in will go from a Rockabilly song to a Misfits, then to a Bill Haley, then to a Motorhead song all in one set at times... and I was shocked at how great that Marshall sounded for the Rockabilly and Jump Blues, and OF COURSE the rock stuff!

Flashback · October 13th, 2006, 04:41 AM

Honestly I have gotten by with my JCM800.

My usual setup is the JCM800 into two TS's (light boost and full on drive), teese RMC3 wah, whammy 4, keeley compressor, keeley modded AD9 delay with the two expression pedals.

We did Black Label Society, RATM, Cream, Sabbath covers to SRV, Parliment Funk, KC and the Sunshine Band, Hendrix, then to Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley, and Hank Williams Sr. songs!

And I did that with that rig and a Blackguard style tele with Keystones!

It required a butt load of knob fiddling between songs.

But once I get my Vibroloux and JTM45 clones built with the 12 inch speaker cabs built I will have all kinds of tone at my fingertips!

anyway sorry to hijack. Happy tone hunting!

eddiewagner · October 13th, 2006, 04:42 AM

congratulation carl. i think marshalls have "something". i cant get it though.
i the rehearsal place where my band is located everybody plays marshalls. huge walls of them. and huge boogies and the like. i am practacally the only guy with a combo among hundreds of other guitarplayers. the good marshalls sound pretty good i must admit. for me they are too heavy. i played in the 80ies in a rockband and we where touring a bit. i always had to carry a marshall halfstack plus a musicman combo. and it was always too loud....
i am getting carried away. glad you like your amp man!
eddie

BluesOwl · October 13th, 2006, 10:52 AM

since you build everything else, Rockin'Carl, you'll have to start building amps and start off by doing one of those Marshalls

Then you can do an amp for me.

My Matchless Lightnings have been the holy grail for me for a while, but I know there could be others for me...the right Fender...or the right Marshall.....probably a fender-style like a deluxe reverb or a marshall-style like an 18 watt or a bluesbreaker. I'd like to build that future amp (or have it built). So that's the challenge...to research or taste test in order to know the right circuit/speaker etc... that's gonna do it for me and then get one!

October 9th, 2006, 04:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
RockinCarl Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,480	I found 'MY' Amp (somewhat long) I'm mainly a Rockabilly guitar player and LOVE Danny Gatton's clean/distorted tone, and I've always been trying to find a Fender amp that would have a nice sounding yet fast break up, similar sounding to Danny's. The best I could find for my needs was a Blues Deville amp, which does break up fairly quick with the 6L6 tubes. I recently joined a band, and the upright bass player/lead singer has an amp that he owns and provides the guitar player with when they join the band if they would like to use it. I've been playing out of it a lot, and I realized a few nights ago, this is MY amp- the tone I have been searching for. Believe it or not, the amp with a great Rockabilly tone and fast, bright sounding break up is: a 1979 Marshall JMP 50 watt head with a '60 reissue 4x12 cab!! The amp has a lot of Fender qualities, believe it or not, more so than my Fender Tone Master. The amp has great clarity and that famous "pop" associated with Tele's through Fender amps!! I really love this amp- and I never really liked Marshalls... I'm almost in shock that I love it!! Did this sort of thing ever happen to any of you, where you wouldn't play out of a certain type of amp and finally try one out and love it like what happened to me? Lets hear your stories.

October 9th, 2006, 04:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
tiktok Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 3,938	Congrats on finding a amp that suits you. To me though, Gatton's tone varied a lot over the years, even when he was playing the Tele. What's your reference point DG tone you've been chasing? __________________ It takes two people to paint a perfect painting: one to paint it, and the other to shoot him when it's done. http://www.myspace.com/travishartnett http://www.myspace.com/sugarcanemutiny http://www.myspace.com/davidbavas

October 9th, 2006, 04:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
tazzboy Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2005 Location: Eugene, Oregon Age: 31 Posts: 3,188	If I'm not mistake didn't Danny also have Fender Bassman in the mix. __________________ tazzboy

October 10th, 2006, 02:40 PM	#13 (permalink)
jeffM TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Washington DC area Posts: 21	D Gatton's Amp(s) I thought I heard or read that DG mostly used 57 Tweed Twins ... the 5E8 50 watt "Low Power" Twin

October 12th, 2006, 11:25 PM	#20 (permalink)
aznrambo481 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla, California Age: 17 Posts: 2,868 6 Photos	there's nothing like finding a beautiful piece of equipment that suits you perfectly. __________________ Check out my bands, and feel free to PM me comments on them! The Eclectics (guitar/vocals) SLIP (bass)

October 9th, 2006, 04:34 AM	#3 (permalink)
David Barnett Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: LIttle Rock, AR Age: 52 Posts: 5,429	I agree that 4-hole Marshalls have a very useable clean tone. I used to know a guy who played surf music through an early master-volume model 2204, with a Les Paul Deluxe no less. With a Bigsby, of course.

October 9th, 2006, 04:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
"S.P.U.N." Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 39 Posts: 208	I have a 50W JCM800 combo that I use with a Greenback-loaded Marshall cabinet and it gets GREAT clean, reverb'd sounds with my Tele, IMHO. I used the amp for years with a Charvel strat and love THAT sound and feel, but was surprised how well it worked with the Tele. So far I'm resisting the temptation to buy a Fender amp...

October 9th, 2006, 02:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
RockinCarl Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,480	This Marshall actually has two inputs, one volume and I'm actually not sure if it has a master tone... interesting. Its like this one on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Marshall-jmp-50-...QQcmdZViewItem

October 9th, 2006, 02:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
RockinCarl Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,480	I'll have to check- I never really looked at the amp all that much.

October 9th, 2006, 02:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
TieDyedDevil Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Portland, OR Age: 54 Posts: 223	Happened to me... I was in my "Mesa/Boogie phase" and not at all happy with the response I was getting from the amps. I was trying to control the sound of the amp using playing dynamics and they don't do that well. A friend knew what I had been going through and recommended the Vibro-King, but I kept resisting. I had a pretty low opinion of Fender amps at that point. I had played several of the lower-cost amps, briefly owned a Deluxe Reverb II (boy, was that a mistake), and heard a number of Bassman RIs. My friend persisted and I finally relented. I knew in the first five minutes that the Vibro-King was everything I had been seeking in an amp. Bought one the next day and have played pretty much nothing but the VK for over three years.

October 9th, 2006, 04:22 PM	#12 (permalink)
RockinCarl Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,480	I'm pretty sure that the Bassman was one of his main amps... Does anyone know for sure if Danny did put in EL84's in some fender amps?

October 10th, 2006, 02:53 PM	#14 (permalink)
RockinCarl Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,480	Danny pretty much used ever Fender amp... except for the SF Twin's... I think.

October 10th, 2006, 03:05 PM	#15 (permalink)
tweedtone Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tampa Bay, FL Age: 42 Posts: 681	Funny, until a couple of months ago, I had that same Marshall ... which I traded on a new Vox AC15 that I've been loving while feeling guilty about leaving my BFDR in my storage unit.

October 10th, 2006, 03:11 PM	#16 (permalink)
theshredermaster Banned Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: depends where the bus parks, but at the moment L.A. Posts: 190	I play silvertone twin 12 piggyback combos. they have a super-sensitive sound, for 500 or 600 buck in major cities. 100- 300 in more reasonable areas.

October 10th, 2006, 04:49 PM	#18 (permalink)
fierce_carrot Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Iowa Age: 52 Posts: 985	When I FINALLY figured out how to make the tone I had been hearing in my head for years, it was truly an epiphany. For decades I had struggled and to finally discover that there is a holy grail, was one of the single biggest moments in my 3 decades of playing. At that point, GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) disappeared, and I was able to focus on my playing and not constantly trying out new gear.

October 12th, 2006, 08:54 PM	#19 (permalink)
macduff NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lower Michigan Posts: 4	I am dying to find the tone that I heard many years ago. I've been thru innumerable Fender amps, Mesa Boogies, Marshalls, you name it. The closest I ever heard was a Heathkit 25 watt with 2 10's or a twelve. It's the sound the guitar makes when slideing up in the note at the break in the Guess Who's original Shakin' All over. Any suggestins/thoughts. (I saw him playing a tele with 2 or 3 humbuckers in it way back when).

October 12th, 2006, 11:40 PM	#21 (permalink)
Durtdog Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tennessee Posts: 3,484	Something similar happened to me at rehearsal tonight. The other git/keyboard player had bought an old amp he called a Marshall bluesbreaker, and I used it tonight. Loved it. Great clean tone, but also grew some nice hair.

October 13th, 2006, 12:04 AM	#22 (permalink)
Flashback Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Florence, South Carolina Posts: 744 4 Photos	Congrats on finding just one amp. LOL... I have about 4 or 5 holy grail tones in my head. Which makes it tough to settle on one amp. I am currently in the process of building my dirty and clean amps. For gigging purposes. My only problem is I play so many different styles all meshed together that I cant really make up my mind on tone. But I have to say I have fallen in love with the Bassman or JTM45 style tone. Its not Twin sparkly clean but more of a warm and mellow sound. Hard to explain you just have to hear a bassman or jtm45 before you realize. Anyway congrats __________________ "You don't gotta be loud Son, to be heavy as S**t!" The Nightwatchman

October 13th, 2006, 04:41 AM	#24 (permalink)
Flashback Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Florence, South Carolina Posts: 744 4 Photos	Honestly I have gotten by with my JCM800. My usual setup is the JCM800 into two TS's (light boost and full on drive), teese RMC3 wah, whammy 4, keeley compressor, keeley modded AD9 delay with the two expression pedals. We did Black Label Society, RATM, Cream, Sabbath covers to SRV, Parliment Funk, KC and the Sunshine Band, Hendrix, then to Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley, and Hank Williams Sr. songs! And I did that with that rig and a Blackguard style tele with Keystones! It required a butt load of knob fiddling between songs. But once I get my Vibroloux and JTM45 clones built with the 12 inch speaker cabs built I will have all kinds of tone at my fingertips! anyway sorry to hijack. Happy tone hunting! __________________ "You don't gotta be loud Son, to be heavy as S**t!" The Nightwatchman

October 13th, 2006, 04:42 AM	#25 (permalink)
eddiewagner Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: ROCK!linghausen/germany Age: 50 Posts: 4,016 27 Photos	congratulation carl. i think marshalls have "something". i cant get it though. i the rehearsal place where my band is located everybody plays marshalls. huge walls of them. and huge boogies and the like. i am practacally the only guy with a combo among hundreds of other guitarplayers. the good marshalls sound pretty good i must admit. for me they are too heavy. i played in the 80ies in a rockband and we where touring a bit. i always had to carry a marshall halfstack plus a musicman combo. and it was always too loud.... i am getting carried away. glad you like your amp man! eddie __________________ My Drum/Guitar-Duo: www.myspace.com/captaintwangandhisrhythmcat

October 13th, 2006, 10:52 AM	#26 (permalink)
BluesOwl Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dexter, MI Posts: 572 48 Photos	Now.... since you build everything else, Rockin'Carl, you'll have to start building amps and start off by doing one of those Marshalls Then you can do an amp for me. My Matchless Lightnings have been the holy grail for me for a while, but I know there could be others for me...the right Fender...or the right Marshall.....probably a fender-style like a deluxe reverb or a marshall-style like an 18 watt or a bluesbreaker. I'd like to build that future amp (or have it built). So that's the challenge...to research or taste test in order to know the right circuit/speaker etc... that's gonna do it for me and then get one! __________________ BluesOwl

October 14th, 2006, 12:59 AM	#27 (permalink)
Tele295 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Haunted Amp, CA Posts: 3,402 14 Photos