Advice on amp heads

[Christopher K]

I am looking the right amp head. I have a flexible budget and really want to make sure that I make the right choice. In regards to the tone I'm looking for, Eddy Shaver is my favorite guitarist. Particularly back in the 70's and mid 80's. His tone on Austin City Limits is beautiful. I would like to achieve something similar. I have read a lot about the the different heads he used over the years. I am moving into a new home with a basement, I can crank it. I am currently playing a single coil stratocaster. Just in the past year and a half I picked up playing guitar again. My technique and general ability has evolved light years, relative to myself of course. It is time to step it up and get the gear that I need. I am just getting into understanding amps. To be honest my head is spinning a bit, there is much information out there. Any help would greatly appreciated.

 

[uriah1]

Welcome . Enjoy

Do your homework. Any particular reason you looking for an amp head instead of combo. What kind of bottom you going
to use.
For Texas grindy thing there are a lot of options based on budget... of course..you could probably get a nice light OD pedal
and Classic30 or Deville or 57type combo and be in that ball park.

Wish you luck.

 

[Telekarster]

First, welcome man! Second, here's an old thread about your fav guitarist and his gear! Just found it while trying to give you some thoughts LOL!!! Maybe this will help instead? This link doesn't work anymore, but maybe within the pages of the thread lay some clues where you can start?

A cool Eddy Shaver gear pic

http://www.texasmusicguide.com/eddyshaver.htm Vintage Strat, Boogie, Matchless, and DanEcho...bet that sounded great! I seem to recall him mentioning in an interview that he owned a Matchless "tremelo tank" or something to that effect. Is this a standard amp or tremelo tank the size of a...

www.tdpri.com

 

[kuch]

I am looking the right amp head. I have a flexible budget and really want to make sure that I make the right choice. In regards to the tone I'm looking for, Eddy Shaver is my favorite guitarist. Particularly back in the 70's and mid 80's. His tone on Austin City Limits is beautiful. I would like to achieve something similar. I have read a lot about the the different heads he used over the years. I am moving into a new home with a basement, I can crank it. I am currently playing a single coil stratocaster. Just in the past year and a half I picked up playing guitar again. My technique and general ability has evolved light years, relative to myself of course. It is time to step it up and get the gear that I need. I am just getting into understanding amps. To be honest my head is spinning a bit, there is much information out there. Any help would greatly appreciated.

It's cool that you can and want to play guitar and crank it. For myself I just play at home levels and that means a 70's Vibro champ and a PRRI. Back in the 60's, I had a 63 Blonde Fender Tremolux with the 2x10 cab. In the years since, I've owned and played a ton of amps from Fenders, Sunns, Marshalls, Voxs, Ampegs, Supros....etc..... In the early 2k's I found a blackface 65 Tremolux with the 2x10 cab. It sounded just as good to my ears as the one I had in high school. The Tremolux would be my suggestion if you're looking for a great sounding tube amp.... Sorry but I haven't heard music by Eddy Shaver....

 

[Wally]

I know nothing about his gear personally, but I found this where Mesa Boogie amps are mentioned by a ‘PM’ who says he probably sold Eddie his first Boogie in the ‘80s….and Billy Joe Shaver seems to support that by saying that Eddie Shaver loved Boogies.

Billy Joe Shaver (p.3)

 

[rdjones]

One of the more important bits of information you'll want to pay attention to is that the amp head supports the impedance of the cabinet(s) you will be using.

 

[InstantCoffeeBlue]

Eddy is one of my all-time favorites. That dude played with this kind of reckless gusto that is just unmatched. I seem to recall him mentioning playing a pair of Mesa 300 Coliseum amps, which is just a ridiculous amount of horsepower. I'd imagine something like the Mesa/Boogie MK V 35 would get you that basic snarly Mesa voicing but at a much more stage-friendly-in-2022 power level.

Of course, if you're referring to this 1985 ACL video, it sure looks like he's playing through a BF Deluxe Reverb with a JBL. Probably modded to the hilt in typical 1980s fashion with 6L6s, ss rectifier and bigger iron for maximum headroom.

 

[Scooter Thomas]

Points for reminding about Eddie Shaver, a monster player. Personally I wouldn't sweat amps much, any moderately cleanish tweed or BF circuit should suffice because most of the mojo comes from hands and technique. I could get all the Music Man 410s, Boss CE-3s and Thunderbirds in the world and still not sound like Johnny Winter in two lifetimes. Listening to that video I hear the tone of Fender and RCA glass. Sadly nothing has ever reproduced the tone of RCA glass, GE and certain Sylvania in Fender circuits, in that order. I'm wondering if el84s might get closer due to the RCA grit, where el84s have a grit that's kinda sorta similar if you use your imagination.

 

[Tim S]

Thanks to @Telekarster & the WayBack Machine…

In Loving Memory of Eddy Shaver 6

 

[brookdalebill]

Howdy and welcome!
I saw Eddie playing with Dwight Yoakam, in 1987, at Austin Aquafest.
His tone was, uh, angrier than Pete Anderson’s.
Sorry I can’t recall his amp.
He only used one.
Pete used two modded BF Deluxes.
It indeed might have been a Boogie.
He was great!

 

[RoscoeElegante]

Points for reminding about Eddie Shaver, a monster player. Personally I wouldn't sweat amps much, any moderately cleanish tweed or BF circuit should suffice because most of the mojo comes from hands and technique. I could get all the Music Man 410s, Boss CE-3s and Thunderbirds in the world and still not sound like Johnny Winter in two lifetimes. Listening to that video I hear the tone of Fender and RCA glass. Sadly nothing has ever reproduced the tone of RCA glass, GE and certain Sylvania in Fender circuits, in that order. I'm wondering if el84s might get closer due to the RCA grit, where el84s have a grit that's kinda sorta similar if you use your imagination.

+1 here re: Scooter's advice. My Bandmaster Reverb through a 2x12 of Eminence Legends, with the Bright switch on and the mids down a bit, can get this tone.

But it even more reminds me of my Vox AC15C1 for the grit that Scooter aptly mentions above. There's a real bite, almost a spikiness, in the Eddie Shaver clips that EL84's are very good at.

 

[Tim S]

According to this thread, it might have been a Mark II-B Coliseum head:

Eddy Shaver

Eddie Shaver was an absolute beast! When I was playing country music, he was my template.

www.thegearpage.net

If so, a used one (non-Coliseum) will run $2k to $2.5k. If you want new, then a Mesa JP-2C or Mark V will get you closer than anything and be more flexible than most amps.