The Best Amp You Played... but, Never Owned?

65 Amps Soho

 

There was a Vibroverb and an old Bandmaster I REALLY wanted because they both were in great shape and just completely serviced, but, alas, I couldn’t swing the deal...

 

Vintage tweed Bassman. Accept no substitutes!

 

In about 1973 I got to play a friend's Gibson Les Paul Special through his Marshall 1987 and 8x10" cab. I always wanted one but the cost went through the roof.

Bob

 

I went to go sit in with a band in Oshkosh Wisconsin, and the guitar player Bobby had a 66 super reverb. Blew my mind.

 

My hand built Allen Sweet Spot.

 

I have a friend who has a Goodsell Mark Vll. Magic blues tone if you can ride the volume knob on your guitar. I have a PRS 2 Channel 30 that had to come home with me after 5 seconds of hitting a chord. The PRS is my absolute favorite with one problem. I’m North of 65, and so is the weight of the amp. If there are no stairs, my collapsible hand truck and I are good to go. If it’s a 2 flight carry up, there has to be a lot of dough involved. I’m too old for crazy load ins.

 

A 1968 Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp -shopping for a Real Amp in 1968 I played my 67 Vox Super Lynx Deluxe thru this amp over an hour at the local Music store, loved it ! Couldn't afford it ,bought a Gibson Ranger instead !

 

I own my favorites. BF Twin Reverb- 2 Altec 12's, BF Deluxe Reverb- JBL K 12" and the best of all BF Princeton Reverb with an early JBL D110 speaker!!

 

I played through some hand-wired amps at Orange HQ on Denmark St. in London once. They were pretty proud of them.

I like my own amps better, though. I traded Cliff Cooper a couple of Carr amps for two small Orange amps once. Brush with greatness.

 

In '75 I sold my vaguely Telecaster shaped first guitar to a friend for £12. He did not have a guitar, but wanted to meet girls and his uncle had given him an old amp. I took along my recently purchased Kasuga Strat copy and spent a most enjoyable afternoon playing through his early '60s Vox AC10. I have never seen one since. When I met my friend again some 25 years later he told me that the guiatr and amp had been stolen after a couple of years, so he became a mobile DJ which he claimed was even better for meeting girls.

 

1966 Fender Showman 15

 

'73 Super Reverb with -12dB attenuator .. also Victoria VickyVerb

 

Funny...this was a widely-accepted truth for some time (one still held by me), but the internet seems to be liking the high powered tweed Twin these days.
They're more rare, more expensive and Joe B favors them.

 

1) Fender ‘57 40W Tweed Twin, might’ve been the Clapton signature one. Either way definitely a reissue and definitely blew my mind. If it hadn’t been for the steal I got on a beat up Vibro King that was literally found in a dumpster on the Warner Brothers lot, rumored to be a “prop” from the Drew Carey show and possibly played through by Joe Walsh on the “Drewstock” episode....which I later sold,...and I’ll stop right there.

2) Swear to Pete - Genz Benz Black Pearl 30W 2x12, kind of a modern take on an AC-30 that I got to jam on in Hans Zimmer’s studio, which was gifted to him after the Pirates Of The Caribbean score was complete(Black Pearl, get it?). Uglier than sin and yes from that bass amp company but I swear that thing sounded incredible.

3) 70's Carvin X100B Series III head with the curved C logo. EL34 Plexi-Eater with 7-band Graphic EQ. It seriously blew every Marshall I'd heard outta the water. CHEAP too.

4) Vox Brian May Signature VBM1 - A little solid state "recording amp" based on an amp he made from stereo parts. Absolutely killer little monster that you could even drive an extension cab with.

 

Back in the 80's we opened a couple of shows for a big time country act and I had to play through the fiddle players narrow panel deluxe. I've always wanted one since but just never got one. Owned several nice amps in my life currently using a black line drip edge vibrolux reverb that sounds wonderful but the Deluxe is the one that got away from me!

 

I have two.

The first one is very easy: my friend's '59 Tweed Deluxe. It's a religious experience to be in the room with that thing.

The second amp was more of a pleasant surprise. I was on tour in Spain back in maybe '06. Just about 12 shows, touring in a van, making almost no money, etc. We did have a tour manager/driver, though, and the record label was supplying backline gear. I was the only guitar player in that band, which I've always found puts a lot of spotlight on yoru amp. I had a choice between a master volume twin (don't like those) and a vintage Engl. I initially reluctantly said I'd take the twin and the guy was like, "Maybe you want to try the Engl, no?" Used it every night on that tour and it was one of the best amps i ever played through. Beautiful clean sound. My rig was just that amp, my 335, and an old Boss OD-1 as a boost. That band had a very jangly 60s-inspired type sound, but that amp made me want to jam and stretch out a bit more. I didn't pay attention to gear at all back then, so I don't know the model of the amp. It may have been a 212 Classic Tone 50.

 

A Victoria 35310. I was at a GC (of all places) to pick up my all original ‘64 Super Reverb that I had spent several years searching for, so I had money in my pocket. Needless to say, I brought the Super home but that Victoria has been on my wishlist ever since.

I also played a Seafoam Green Tele through a Vox AC15 limited edition Mahogany that was an incredible combination! I already have the AC30 version of that amp but that 15 turned down to 7 watts with that guitar was the dog’s bollocks! Should have bought them both!

 

Fender ‘65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue at a GC. I know it’s nothing special, but to me, man! It sounded amazing with the Tele I had pulled off the wall there. I did end up spending a grand on my setup but went digital with a Helix (mainly for the flexibility and variety).

 

A friends' Dumble ODS 50, german import combo (Applied Acoustics case), late 70s... serial 30something... Altec speaker. Ruined my amp taste for life. )