Amp Suggestions for old Delta Blues sounds

Amps that come to mind off the top of my :

Peavey, "Delta Blues", 1x15 Combo amp.

Silvertone 1483, 1x15 Combo amp, (they are still out there but are hard to come by).

Fender Tweed something or other. I tend to want to go with the "Champ" but that might not be enough oomph and you would be in the same boat as you are with the "Pignose".

Hoping more folks will chime in as this is stream of consciousness at this end. I have a beater 1483 and the 15" Jensen makes a great blues tone.

 

If you go to the real juke joints down in the Delta, you're likely to see a lot of older Solid State Peavey stuff.

 

Valco ... Supro indeed, that is if you can find one in good shape but seriously you might want to dig up a 59 Fender Bassman or any re-issue with a similar ckt. You also might want to consider an 8" speaker.

The truth is those guys sounded like that because they didn't have and couldn't afford better gear to play with. In short they would have bought Gibson instead of Stella if they could afford it. My first guitar circa 1956 was a 3/4 Stella and my first electric guitar amp was a low end Valco. I wouldn't want to play either these days. I recently saw and old 3/4 Stella on sale for around $450 ...I told the salesman he had rocks in his head. I think my parents paid around $3 for mine.

"No one has ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public". I didn't say that but it is true.

 

totally agree. Every documentary of delta blues I ever seen was filled with Peavey bandits!

 

I've just gotten into Cigar Box guitars and I'd be inclined to recommend something like this:


Here's the link to the products:
https://www.cbgitty.com/amplifiers/cigar-box-amplifier-romeo-and-julietta/

 

I have a couple of late 40s lap steel amps, an old Kamico and a Gibson; both around 10 watts I believe. They sound startlingly distressed, like they are dying slowly. They never quite die, but they are struggling to hang on for one more chorus of "Come Into My Kitchen" or "Going Down Slow".
You can find similar amps on Ebay for a few hundred. Iconic Blues tone. I like the ratty ones that look like they have been homeless for a while.

 

I've got an all-original early '60s Supro 1606 that gets nice and dirty but I'd have to agree on the Peavey thing too - hell, they were made right there in Meridian.

 

I saw a picture of John Lee Hooker with a Gibson Les Paul gold top in a book and the caption stated that the guitar most likely belonged to the photographer, because musicians didn't make that much money but photographers did. I wonder if it was a similar situation for Robert Johnson.

 

Silvertone 1482. There are two from the mid-60's on eBay right now for just under six bills (or best offer). Great, gnarly ol' tone that'll make the hair stand up on your legs. Not too loud, but loud enough. 1x12" speaker. Wish I still had mine...

 

I think they use what they can afford.

 

I've got one of those, in it's earlier incarnation, the Peavey "Blues Classic".
I bought it from a kid in Sun Prairie, it wasn't working well, and I took it to Ilyich of Tetsuo Electonics. He used to run his shop just a couple miles from my house.
Here is the amp and the documentation of the fix
https://tetsuoelectronics.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/peavey-blues-classic-no-signal-going-through/
His rates were very reasonable. It's a great sounding amp, now


I miss Ilyich terribly, he just vanished one day some years back.

 

I know you don't like pedals but I would check out YouTube demos of various amp in a box pedals. There are various "vintage" amp emulation pedals that you could even try with your current amp to get the sound you want. There are valco/supro models and I think fender "tweed" maybe. I don't really remember. I'm guessing that a vintage amp from that era (or similar sounding modern amp) is where you will end up.

Are you looking for a vintage amp, or a recent models?Are modeling amps something that might work for you? Are you gigging with a drummer or headlining your bedroom?

You don't have to answer all those questions (though I am curious!) but the are some things to consider.

I'm sure I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't already know, but just in case.

You can shop around that way and then decide what amps will get you where you want to go. I would keep that amp and just add another though.

You can't ever have too many amps, right?

 

Delta Blues = Mississippi = Anything made in the good town of Meridian!

 

I have a Vintage 47 Bronson, a 12/13 watt octal tube amp. It is based on an early Valco circuit. It does just the trick for primitive electric blues sounds. Check out Vintage 47. I think that he stopped building the Bronson, but there are other models available.

http://www.vintage47amps.com/

 

Oahu with a 12

 

My first thought was a Tweed Champ clone with an 8" speaker and no tone knob (like a Victoria 518). My second thought is a Vox AC4HW1. I have one and a feature the handwired version has over the AC4C1-12 is the hot switch that lets you bypass the tone stack. Even in my livingroom, crank up the gain and use the volume to keep it reasonable and it sounds great.