What solid state amps are you using?

[TelecasterSam]

I'm playing smaller places like coffee houses, library, American Legion, parks, etc. We are actually pretty loud. Not The Who loud, but we turn up and crank.
I'm looking for cleans with a lot of head room, solid state. I can use pedals for distortion, if needed. We're oldies/classic rock.
Looking for ideas. I'm thinking of going back to solid state combo amps and a pedal board. Light and loud, good clean tone is important.
Thanks

 

[SRHmusic]

Blues Cube Artist, a pretty versatile amp, good tone, switchable channels and boosts from the footswitch, good effects loop, variable power levels up to 80W.

Blues Cube Stage, similar good (but different) tone of a smaller amp, no effects loop, no boost switching from the footswitch, variable up to 60W (IIRC).

I'd still like to hear of direct comparisons with Fender ToneMasters.

 

[Twang-ineer]

I'm using DV Mark heads and 2x8 cabs. I have more than one head, but the really versatile one is the Little 250 M. Absolutely rock solid and killer quality. Compact, light weight and very loud for the size.

I also use their bass gear by Mark Bass. The guitar amps borrow heavily from the bass amps.... which is a really good thing. The guitar stuff is voiced "dark" but nothing that a pedal wont fix. Alternately, going direct into the power amps from a preamp/modeler etc on the board is an option and there is no chance of running out of headroom on the 250 Watt Heads. I run Bogner Blue and Red pedals into the clean side for a massive range of tones. These amps and cabs also respond very well to the Joyo Sound series pedals, like they were made to go together. You will want an AIB of some sort conditioning the signal into the clean channel, as the clean channel is a sterile clean. The gain channel on lower settings with a TS in front is just great.

There has been conversation about what professional gear is. The build quality of these amps is top notch (assuming for modern factory build practices). The sound is like everything else, just a matter of taste. But for what you are describing, I don't think there is a better option in the size, features/weight class.

 

[J. Bonkosky]

Peavey Bandit 65.

 

[Jakedog]

I have a current version Bandit 112, and an Orange Crush 35RT.

The 35RT is enough for about any gig. It can get crazy loud, and is very compact.

I also gig very nice tube stuff (local boutique build, a Budda, and an Engl) but when space is limited the 35RT is a great choice.

Cheap too. They can be found in excellent condition on the used market for $200. Sometimes less.

 

[Orpheum]

I use a Quilter Superblock US (not very loud but enough for most of the gigs I do), and a Henriksen Jazzamp 110R with an additional 1X12" cabinet, which brings the power to 160w, always clean...

 

[haggardfan1]

For the past four years or so, I've been using a Fender Rumble 100. I got a bass for Christmas the year before, after a long time not owning one, and I wanted to get rid of several amps in favor of one for double duty.

It sounded fine from the first, but I've messed with it enough to have it sounding really good now.

After some trial and error with my pedal board and lots of advice I gathered here, I'm now running my regular pedals into a Joyo American Sound into the efx return on the Rumble. I don't think I've ever had a rig I like better; and at 22 pounds, it's easy to carry around. Plus if I happen to get a bass gig, I'll just leave the guitar pedals at home.

 

[Maguchi]

I'm playing smaller places like coffee houses, library, American Legion, parks, etc. We are actually pretty loud. Not The Who loud, but we turn up and crank.
I'm looking for cleans with a lot of head room, solid state. I can use pedals for distortion, if needed. We're oldies/classic rock.
Looking for ideas. I'm thinking of going back to solid state combo amps and a pedal board. Light and loud, good clean tone is important.
Thanks

I'd recommend a late '80s Peavey Bandit 65, 65 watts, 1×12", 40 lbs. Or a Roland JC-77 Jazz Chorus, 2×40 watts (80 watts total), 2×10" speakers, and a couple ounces under 42 lbs.

 

[Tele-Mania]

I'd recommend a late '80s Peavey Bandit 65, 65 watts, 1×12", 40 lbs. Or a Roland JC-77 Jazz Chorus, 2×40 watts (80 watts total), 2×10" speakers, and a couple ounces under 42 lbs.
I have to agree. The 80s Peavey amps are high quality, reliable and cheap. I've had this old Studio Pro 112 (60 Watts) for about 15 years and will never part with it.

View attachment 1082916 View attachment 1082917

I have to agree. The 80s Peavey amps are high quality, reliable and cheap. I've had this old Studio Pro 112 (60 Watts) for about 15 years and will never part with it.

 

[henkka]

I recently played a small show with a Marshall Lead 20. Cheap and good, repairable too. Also have the 5210 but it is like a tube amp to carry. The 5210 can be a little harsh in general use due to the speaker, it’s more a 80s hard rock one. A 12” Jensen C made it more Twin-ish. The Lead 20 10” Celestion is really good. Both can be had for close to nothing. Expect to clean and sometimes resolder pots and replace caps. Parts are plentiful and cheap.

 

[henkka]

Marshall Lead 20

 

[hemingway]

I've been using a ZT Lunchbox Reverb (so convenient), or an old Peavey Envoy for bigger gigs. Lighter than a Bandit and still stupidly loud.

My last gig was so small, and no drummer, so I used a Vox mini 5.

 

[omahaaudio]

Quilter 101 Mini (50 watts), DV Mark 1x12 Neo.
Less than 20 pounds and loud enough.

 

[52BIGSBY]

Fender 112 plus. All you require!

 

[The Eggman]

Fender 112 plus. All you require!

I used to gig with one of those as my 'grab and go' amp until I traded it for I'm using now - a 1x12 Award Session SG90 "Sessionette".

The Sessionette is great at allowing the gain to be controlled dynamically by the player. I also have a 2x12 version of the same amp for when I need to move a bit more air. Wonderful amps, these, and most importantly, they love telecasters!

 

[Alex_C]

I was looking into this recently.
The Gamma line of amps is inexpensive ($199USD), all analog and designed to be a pedal platform.

 

[Lies&Distortion]

Vox Pathfinder 15R.
Lately with a Catalinbread Formula 55 for warm dirt and compression.

 

[Peegoo]

@TelecasterSam

I swear I'm not eating mushrooms this morning, so bear with me.

If you get your sounds from a pedalboard, a really versatile and ultra-portable platform is a small bass amp. Extremely clean and extremely loud if needed.

The more recent-production amps, such as the Gallien Kruger MB112 1x12 combo use a class D power supply and a neo speaker, making the amp weigh less than 30 lbs. And at 200 watts, it will hang with any band. The MB112ver2 is the current model, but you can find a used version 1 for around $200. Bonus Feature: it also works great for bass.

The beauty of these is you have more power on tap than you'll ever get with a guitar amp of the same size and weight, which means you don't need to work the amp hard to be heard over the drums and bass.

Until you've tried this, you'll think I'm a nut job. But paired with a good pedalboard or floor modeller, this is a killer combo. I'm not making this up.

Drink up, Shriners!

 

[fretknot]

SS?

Champion 40 with an Eminence Legend 1275. The other SS is a Micro Cube GX, re-housed in a 1X10 cab.

The Champion 40 is a recent acquisition, not sure I'll keep it. It does some things well, but it has a few quirks. Good enough for home noodling.

Still prefer tubes, and I have that covered.

If I were still playing in public and was considering a higher volume SS amp, then I'd probably go for a Fender FM 212R, They are plenty powerful and not too much $$ used. Also on my radar would be some of the Roland products - Blues Cube, Cube 80, or Jazz Chorus. I like the Roland JC clean sounds and the Cube series has some decent modeling options.

Many choices out there. I played in a group with a guy who used a Princeton Chorus. It was a good sounding SS amp, but only 25 Watts. They can be had for little money these days.

One more overlooked amp, which is a hybrid of sorts, is the BK Butler Tube Works TD 752. 100 Watts, rock solid, outstanding tone. Had a few of them over the years. Great amps, but too loud for my purposes.

 

[markal]

I’ve used mostly SS for my gigging. My favorite is the Roland Blues Cube Artist. Most people find it to be too pricey for SS but it’s comparable to the Fender Tonemasters. Still have it and will be my #1 if I get in a band and start playing out again. It’s quite versatile, especially with tone capsules. The Artist can be dark and bassy in it’s stock form, but I can dial that out pretty well.

I also used Orange Crush 35rt and 60c. I thought the 60 was much better for my taste (I’ve learned I don’t like amps with small cabs). I like Orange clean tone, but sold both.

I also tried old Peaveys. They were good, but I don’t think I ever tried a gig with one. The 90s bandits are heavy. And hellaciously loud. They are a mainstay for cheap, giggable amps. I see them in stages regularly.

If I were in the market, Quilter, Boss Nextone, and Fender Tonemaster would be on my list.