Dismalhead
Poster Extraordinaire
I'd guess a Fender Frontman that comes with the Squier Affinity Strat kit. So many on CL.
Best selling amplifier in history?
- Thread starter bloomz
- Start date
JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
Define,"best".
Quantity? Profit margin? Speed at which inventories are depleted?
The Peavey Bandit is supposedly the longest continuous production run for a guitar amp under a single name-plate.
The Peavey Bandit is the AK47 of guitar amps. Simple, rugged, cheap, and effective.
No, it doesn't sound as good as a $2000 tube amp, but in the hands of a good player, it can hang with the high end stuff and not have to apologize for anything.
Best is subjective, but simply based on longevity, the Peavey Bandit has earned a place in the pantheon of guitar amp history.
Quantity? Profit margin? Speed at which inventories are depleted?
The Peavey Bandit is supposedly the longest continuous production run for a guitar amp under a single name-plate.
The Peavey Bandit is the AK47 of guitar amps. Simple, rugged, cheap, and effective.
No, it doesn't sound as good as a $2000 tube amp, but in the hands of a good player, it can hang with the high end stuff and not have to apologize for anything.
Best is subjective, but simply based on longevity, the Peavey Bandit has earned a place in the pantheon of guitar amp history.
flyswatter
Friend of Leo's
Best-hyphen-selling, means "the one that has sold the most units". Having nothing to do with "best quality" it is not subjective... just hard to find data.
JayFreddy
Poster Extraordinaire
Ok, quantity.
As others have said, there's no way to get accurate numbers. Might as well ask, "How many angels will fit on the head of a pin?"
The answer, of course, is 42...
Maybe Fender sold more Mustang amps that any other model in 2013, say, but I find it hard to believe it's racked up so many units that it is the best selling amp "of all time".
refin
Friend of Leo's
Prison Rodeo
Tele-Meister
Demand declines with price. The HRDX is an expensive amp, if you consider all amps. No way that's it.
I'm still thinking something under $100: Peavey Backstage, Fender Frontman, or the like. Hell, it might even be a Gorilla.
<ducks>
I'm still thinking something under $100: Peavey Backstage, Fender Frontman, or the like. Hell, it might even be a Gorilla.
<ducks>
This makes more sense. I would guess that the Fender Frontman amps would be the biggest sellers.
DonMI6
Tele-Holic
I agree, Something small, cheap & aimed at beginners would be my guess. Peavey Backstage is the kind of thing, when I was a kid everyone seemed to have one.
Johnny Cache
Former Member
I think you have to look at the longest manufactured amps to come to the proper conclusion. One may also assume the amp had no major changes in it's design or construction.
wildkat-bob
Tele-Afflicted
The Roland Cube is a good contender.
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kennl
Tele-Afflicted
Decades ago, a dealer had to buy the entire line, For every Deluve Reverb he wanted to sell, he had to buy a Twin, Super, Vibrolux, Dual Showman, etc.
That's why the "legacy" models did not surpass the HRD in sales.
That's why the "legacy" models did not surpass the HRD in sales.
wildschwein
Tele-Afflicted
I don't think this thread will end up achieving a definitive answer. We know who the biggest companies are though (Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Mesa) and one of them will have produced the most numerous amp. I think Peavey has probably produced the most resold amps. You can't walk into any pawn shop without seeing one, nor can you go through any local classified s/h amp listing without seeing them. So yeah, there are a lot of Peaveys in circulation.
Having little chance of being right, I'll say the Tweed Bassman and all its clone/ variants.
That would include all 45, 50 and 100 watt Marshalls up to the Master Models.
I could spend hours coming up with a list of other amps based on the Bassman circuit and not have them all.
Given that more guitar players have drooled over, saved up for, and played the crap out of Bassman variant amps in the past 57 years, than any of the Line 6, Peavey Bandit, or HRD newcomers; AND, add in the fact that many of these amps have used up several guitar players and been sold over and over by subsequent grieving widows to the next generation of guitar players.
But that is all wrong...
Amps that hit the dumpster after 10-15 years sell over and over.
Still, the Tweed Bassman has kept selling for a long long time, that has to add up.
That would include all 45, 50 and 100 watt Marshalls up to the Master Models.
I could spend hours coming up with a list of other amps based on the Bassman circuit and not have them all.
Given that more guitar players have drooled over, saved up for, and played the crap out of Bassman variant amps in the past 57 years, than any of the Line 6, Peavey Bandit, or HRD newcomers; AND, add in the fact that many of these amps have used up several guitar players and been sold over and over by subsequent grieving widows to the next generation of guitar players.
But that is all wrong...
Amps that hit the dumpster after 10-15 years sell over and over.
Still, the Tweed Bassman has kept selling for a long long time, that has to add up.
Hollandcaster
Tele-Holic
Peavey is popular in the states?
Here (Europe) I see far more champs as cheap amps the last 30 years...
Here (Europe) I see far more champs as cheap amps the last 30 years...
Agreed, I was a little startled by hearing that claim
