What should be my next amp? (I have AADD)

[nasonm]

Start off with full disclosure...I have AADD (Amplifier Attention Deficit Disorder). I always trade my amps every few years. I'm selling my DRRI tomorrow locally and I'm in the market for a new amp.

Here's the details:

1) Style - I mostly play country & rockabilly & surf with occasional Jazz
2) Cost - I can go up to $850
3) Quality - I'd like to look into some more boutique/PTP type stuff
4) Resale value - just because I know it won't be my last amp
5) Wattage - I think that 20 or under is the way to go
6) Gain - Clean to about half-way up, then some hair around the edges

In the past I had a Fender DRRI, Mesa Boogie Subway Blues (that was nice), Roland JC-120 (that was too dang loud) and a vintage Gibson GA-8T.

I'm considering the following:
Swart 6V6se
ElectroSonic Custom Thermosonic (not much resale value I imagine if it's a custom job).
Maybe a used Dr. Z
5E3 "deluxe" clone

Whaddaya think? Make some suggestions. Thanks!

[BritishBluesBoy]

I reckon you should get one of these and keep it.

[Tim Armstrong]

...or one of these:



Cheers, Tim

[e-merlin]

Save yourself a big wad of cash. Hunt up a Peavey Bravo, throw in your favorite speaker, go, therefore, and kick boutique ass.

[chabby]

Sounds like you should go Marshall or Vox before you go off to the land of boutique. Broad appeal on resale whereas stuff like Dr. Z's etc nobody but us old farts know them therefore eliminating a whole cross section of demographics. Nope every 12 year old on up has heard of Marshall and Vox.

[Boogie]

Originally Posted by nasonm

Start off with full disclosure...I have AADD (Amplifier Attention Deficit Disorder). I always trade my amps every few years.

Stop doing that. Get some help. The amp you desire is a Deluxe Reverb and you already have one. They're fine, fine amps. Are you unhappy with it? The Silverfaces are great too, can be had for around the same price as a new DRRI and aren't built with a PCB (not that there's anything wrong with that if it's done right, and it's done right in the DRRI IMO.) I have one of each and they're both sweet.

If you're GASsing, we can all relate to that. Have you considered upgrading your DRRI? A nice speaker or some great vintage tubes may provide the GAS relief you seek.

Boutique amps are just overpriced vintage Fender wannabes, most of them.

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

...or one of these:



Cheers, Tim

+1

A Princeton Reverb is EXACTLY what you described:

Originally Posted by nasonm

1) Style - I mostly play country & rockabilly & surf with occasional Jazz
2) Cost - I can go up to $850
3) Quality - I'd like to look into some more boutique/PTP type stuff
4) Resale value - just because I know it won't be my last amp
5) Wattage - I think that 20 or under is the way to go
6) Gain - Clean to about half-way up, then some hair around the edges

Country, rockabilly, and Jazz are GREAT on a Prince Reverb. The Swart and 5E3 are too dirty for this stuff, plus the Prince has reverb (SURF and perhaps Rockabilly).

Cost is right for a used PR.

Quality is right - they're eyelet handwired.

Resale value will probably only increase with time :)

Wattage, a BF/SF Prince is a loud and clean amp for the most part, but 14 watts is about what you mentioned by "20 watts or under."

Clean with some hair... well, a PR doesn't get hair usually until about 9 or 10 on the dial, some not at all. I prefer my 6L6 Princeton Reverb head I built for clean stuff, but with a TS808 clone I built it sounds incredible.

Still, it will get hairier than a DRRI at lower levels :)

I thought learning to build my own amps would cure my AADD, instead it has made it worse (my amps are all housed in their own room HAHA!).

[The Radium King]

check out the allen amplification stuff. mebbe a bit pricey (unless you go for a kit) but they offer interesting variations on the fender thing with built-in 6g15 reverb units and differnt iterations of various brown and bf cirucits.

[teleamp]

Another vote for the Princeton Reverb, buying on is like putting money in the bank, and they sound great too.

MikeY

[Bluesbob]

The Princeton Reverb certainly fills the bill, but so does the Deluxe Reverb. I'd like to suggest a diifferent direction, which you included in your list - the 5E3 clone. You should be able to get one for less than $850, with a decent speaker. No reverb, no tremolo, plenty of tone. But it could just be that I want one, I don't know.

[fenson]

Build yourself a 5e3 clome.

[trag-o-caster]

Silverface Deluxe Reverb.

Silverface Princeton Reverb.

Or, if you need clean headroom try the aforementioned amps in their NON-reverb incarnations, and they're quite a bit cheaper as well.

And if you DO get one of these, try REALLLLLLY hard to not let it go!

[studio1087]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

...or one of these:



Cheers, Tim

That picture makes me drool. That's a keeper.

[quackerz]

Originally Posted by studio1087

That picture makes me drool. That's a keeper.

+5 on the Princeton Reverb. I wanted one but ended up with this instead (no complaints at all, mind you) for far less cash. Sometimes you just get very lucky.

[kovachian]

Since resale is a priority, I wouldn't go too far into boutique land to be honest. Some may be worth more eventually while others plummet like a pallet of bricks, and there is no way to predict anything - it's a total crapshoot. I personally tend to overlook resale when I buy toys (to an extent; no more Carvin or Line 6 gear for me).

Vintage is generally a safer bet in this department though. I'd look into some Silvertones, Magnatones, Harmonies, Ampegs etc. Their prices are steadily increasing but they're not THAT pricey yet so there's still time to hop onboard. An Ampeg Jet or Reverberocket or a Princeton are surefire knockouts for your tastes, which are much like mine.

To answer your question in the Electrosonic thread, I haven't heard back from Josh yet but I'm perfectly willing to wait several months.

[greggorypeccary]

Get a Z. You'll then have no need to get any more new amps.

[jh45gun]

You know I never got that way with amps I had a super reverb for over 20 years I wish I still had it though as I traded it in for a new Peavey. That was back in the 90's when the Fender was just an other amp and not fetching todays prices. But I still kick my self for getting rid of it. I used to have the same problem with guns as you do with amps, buy something then trade it off for an other mostly because cash is tight so trading was the way I could get new toys. Then I realized that I traded some good guns that I now wish I still had. I do not do that anymore if I get something I like I keep it.

[J_Lee]

For the funds you listed, totally agree with BF Princeton Reverb (one of my all time favorite amps) and SF Deluxe Reverb. BF Deluxe Reverb is also one of my all time favorite amps, but would cost more than $850 these days.

[Charlie Bernstein]

If you're handy with a soldering iron, build a kit. Weber has a big selection. If not, get a used point-to-point Fender - there are lots of '70s models around inside your price range.

[bazooka47]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

...or one of these:



Cheers, Tim

+ 100!