BluesJacketman
110 posts
Mar 24, 2014
1:32 PM
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So I need a bigger amp. Right now i have a Multivox model 45 but its only its only 10-15 watts thru one 12 inch speaker. This amp is great for small gigs, rehearsals, and recordings, and gets a nice dirty crunchy souni want something different.
Now what i want is a loud 2X10 or 4X10 amp that will give me a deep slightly dirty sound. I don't know exactly what amp will give me the sound i want, thats why i am asking you guys.
I want an amp priced under 800 too if that is possible.
Really only looking to spend 400-600 dollars.
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SuperBee
1809 posts
Mar 24, 2014
1:41 PM
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Bassman RI, used. I believe in the US these are available in your price range.
I use a HR DeVille, but I hesitate to recommend such. I like it but I modded it, and they are not the most robust amp.
Someone is selling a Blues DeVille lately...slimharp I think, in SoCal. That seems just the ticket, but dunno if it's still available.
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HawkeyeKane
2413 posts
Mar 24, 2014
1:47 PM
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Used...
Bassman RI
Blues DeVille
Silvertone 1474
Super Reverb of pretty much any vintage.
Maybe a new Fender Vaporizer. Not a lot of power, but they sound great and have the 2X10 configuration you're looking for.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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MJ
696 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:00 PM
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Hey Tommy, talk to me tonight at the Blues Jam. I might have a few suggestions.
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harpwrench
804 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:10 PM
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If you could scare up a 4-10 Fatdog amp it would probably be cheaper and lighter.
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SuperBee
1810 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:11 PM
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How much does a Super go for in the states? Seem upward of $1800 here. That the cheapest I've seen lately, fairly battered-looking.
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BluesJacketman
112 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:11 PM
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haha jay i figured you were on here. how'd you know it was me?
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MJ
697 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:19 PM
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I recognized your amp.
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HawkeyeKane
2414 posts
Mar 24, 2014
3:05 PM
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Dave, I've seen SR's go for about 7 on craigslist before. They're usually silverface with master volumes, but those are still very workable for harp.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Barley Nectar
330 posts
Mar 24, 2014
3:57 PM
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Find a early SF Bandmaster. These go cheep because they are lower gain, have a smaller OT and the guitar guys snub them. $300-500 for head only. Then pic up a 2x10 cab or put adaptor plates in the original 2x12 cab. Load it with a Ragin Cajun and a Copperhead. You can thank me later...Goose
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Mar 24, 2014 3:58 PM
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MJ
698 posts
Mar 24, 2014
4:04 PM
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Barley, most Bandmasters I have seen start at around $600 and go up from there. If you are patient and Lucky you may get one for $400. Add a couple of hundred for a cab with good speakers and it is not that inexpensive.
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slackwater
36 posts
Mar 24, 2014
5:33 PM
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A very nice bloke gave me a silverface Twin Reverb recently- yeah, gave me! I've noticed that on ebay they might just be around your price target. It's pretty clean but if you're after "slightly" dirty then I suppose that could come down the right mic and pedal maybe.
I've never really been a Fender user but I'm surprised how "deep" it can be.
One of your criteria however, it definitely meets...it's "loud", boy it's loud!...and, it's actually got a pretty gentle preamp gain- the volume you can get before feedback is uhhm, lots.
It doesn't have tens in it though, it's 2x12".
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Barley Nectar
332 posts
Mar 24, 2014
10:58 PM
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MJ, I bought my '68 BM non reverb for 350, two yrs ago. Did some cosmetic work on it but the circuit was fine. I just counted 4 BM's, two Black face, two Silver face, on Ebay completed auctions. All $500 and less. Ebay is typicly 20% higher than local prices. If you do your research you will find that the $600-800 BIN's are not selling. Asking price is not selling price. Bandmasters, Super Reverbs, Twins, Showmans are all undervalued currently. A 68 Bassman AB165 did $380.00 a couple of days ago at auction. Many deals to be had. I bought a 95 Bassman RI last week for $450. Not a thing wrong with it except the previous owner spray painted his initials down one side. All these are excellent amps when tuned up...BN
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Kingley
3542 posts
Mar 24, 2014
11:15 PM
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The Blackface Bandmaster Head is a bitchin' amp for harp. I had one for a couple of years. Heavy beast though and you need to carry a decent cab as well. You could of course build one into a combo. I know a guitarist who has one converted to a combo and it sounds fantastic.
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MJ
699 posts
Mar 24, 2014
11:22 PM
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Barley Nectar, You may be right, but patience is still required.
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rockmonkeyguitars
42 posts
Mar 25, 2014
5:51 AM
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The price point makes this one really tough. I'd probably go with a blues deluxe or a blues DeVille. If you can find one of the older 4x10 blues Deville amps then that would be the best. The blackface bassman is also an underrated harmonica amp. It's quite a clean amp so you would need to have a mic that distorts but the things that make it bad for guitar, actually help it's harmonica tone.
I own a lot of amps including a 45 watt tweed twin, a blackface super reverb, tweed super, and tweed pro but I always find myself going to my blackface Princeton for harmonica. When I need more volume I mic the amp.
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Barley Nectar
333 posts
Mar 25, 2014
7:55 AM
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Oh ya. Those Princetons kick ass. As you said, underpowered at times. I took me a long time to find the Bassman RI at that price. Most go around $600-800 locally. I don't own any black face amps. Can't see the price difference. As they say, "Haste makes Waste"...BN
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Kingley
3543 posts
Mar 25, 2014
10:15 AM
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Blackface Princeton Reverb is hands down the best amp I have ever played through!!
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HawkeyeKane
2419 posts
Mar 25, 2014
10:37 AM
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"I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Blackface Princeton Reverb is hands down the best amp I have ever played through!!"
Question on this...anyone who's ever played both an original BF PR, and a reissue, does one of them lend itself to sound better for harp than the other? I've played them both and have noticed some subtle differences between the two.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Slimharp
260 posts
Mar 26, 2014
9:21 AM
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I think the issue is more power needed. My Blues DeVille is in the almost sold process thanks to the Gear For Sale page. BluesJacketman, you cant go wrong with a DeVille for the money and there are a lot out there. I would suggest some tube swapping and maybe a speaker change. They are very loud amps @ 60 watts with decent tone and a multitude of tone variations you can dial in. Also consider saving just a tad more and going with a Bassman RI, you wont be sorry.
Hawkeye, what in the hell is a Fender Vaporizer ?
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HawkeyeKane
2423 posts
Mar 26, 2014
9:37 AM
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@Slimharp
New Pawn Shop series amp.
Fender Pawn Shop Vaporizer
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Slimharp
263 posts
Mar 26, 2014
9:51 AM
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Thanks Hawkeye. Gotta check is out. Wouldnt it be nice if they made a 20-25 watt amp that would get you over that small room to larger room hump that didnt cost $800.00. Maybe this one is strong.
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Barley Nectar
334 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:02 AM
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Vaporizer...12 watts, two tens, uglier than a hairless cat. $400. This is not what the OP is looking for. He is looking for power!...BN
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Mar 26, 2014 10:04 AM
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HawkeyeKane
2424 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:02 AM
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That little amp is a screamer for only being 12 watts. Think of a Pro Junior....then add a reverb that's unaffected by the amp's volume level....add another 10" ceramic to it....then put a bypass switch in it that cuts the volume and tone controls out of the circuit altogether for pure unadulterated amplification....wrap it up in a somewhat garrish and gaudy cabinet, and you're left with quite an impressive little number. The bypass switch is somewhat superfluous for a harp player because it's a feedback hazard, but it can be used as long as you're playing a mic with a volume control on it.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Barley Nectar
335 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:06 AM
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HK, have you played one?
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Slimharp
264 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:14 AM
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Dreamin here. How bout a Blues Senior with 20/22 watts 2-10's. Seems Fender is into this pukish ugly ass amp thing ???? Thats retro ?
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HawkeyeKane
2425 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:25 AM
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Yes Goose, I have. I was very surprised by it, as were the staff at the music store I tried it at. Didn't get too far playing it when the owner came walking down from his office to see what was going on....his office being at the other end of the building if that tells you anything.
Slim, yes, I agree. The cabinet is totally repugnant. Although, the bowtie cutout would be advantageous to any band with a Budweiser sponsorship. ;-) I like your Blues Senior idea though!
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Mar 26, 2014 10:26 AM
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Slimharp
266 posts
Mar 26, 2014
10:43 AM
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Hawkeye, picture this. The Blues Senior thing with a china point to point wiring , like that Joyo 25 watt amp for around $800.00 I think Fender would sell them like hot cakes.
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HawkeyeKane
2426 posts
Mar 26, 2014
11:04 AM
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Probably....but then you start encroaching on DRRI and '68 Custom DR sales in that neighborhood. Fender's not gonna set competition against one of their own higher priced (albeit PCB) amps.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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HawkeyeKane
2428 posts
Mar 26, 2014
3:53 PM
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I thought about this a little more Slim. It might work IF they could build it for 20/22W with EL84s. That way the amp is a different flavor from the Deluxes and their 6V6's. Or maybe use 7591's? Hmmm....
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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MJ
700 posts
Mar 26, 2014
4:35 PM
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Getting back to the subject of this thread. For a max of $800 you might find a Fender Bandmaster head if you are lucky. Then look for the 2x10's you want, or maybe you can find a Bassman 4x10 in that price range with the speaker problem taken care of. Both of those amps are pretty much ready to play harp on with only a tube swap. You couls get a Mission Delta sonic 15 watt with a 10" speaker and run a 2x10 cab from it. Or you could save up some more , sell some of the gear you don't use and get a 32-20 3x10, or a Harpgear. Both of those amps will give you the sound you told me that you were looking for.
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BluesJacketman
120 posts
Mar 26, 2014
5:18 PM
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yeah i need to try some amps out. but i think what i am gonna go for is a Fender blues Deville with a squeal Killer and maybe a LW Tone or a Bassman.
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mrdon46
88 posts
Mar 26, 2014
7:39 PM
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I have to agree with rockmonkeyguitars (and BTW, welcome to the forum)--if you like the sound of your small amp, mic it. Big amps are fun (my latest I just had to have is a Bassman clone I built with premium components and Mark Burness' mods) and I don't regret the money I've spent on them, but to be honest my favorites are my Kalamazoo and 10W Harvard clone. Both have line outs, I can go right into the PA and use the amp as a monitor, not worry about feedback or throwing my back out hauling a big amp around. Or maybe I'm just getting old.
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Slimharp
267 posts
Mar 27, 2014
8:09 AM
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BluesJacketman - I think ( I know ) the DeVille with the Squeal Killer is a good set-up. I have both and they work very well together. Plenty of power. Somewhere down the line you may want to swap a speaker or two depending on whats in it ( either the Eminence Blue Frames Alnicos - early - or the special design Eminence Ceramics - later ). I feel for the money that is a good way to go if the power issue is foremost. The Bassman has just a little less punch ( still powerful ) but a different quality of tone that is the signature for the Bassman and why they are so popular. Different circuitry ( although the Blues DeVille's clean channel is perported to have a Bassman sound ( as per the manual which can be found on the internet ) there is a distinct difference. IMHO 1. Bassman for tone 2. DeVille for power, punch, and various other tones. Some Anti- Feedback is a very good idea with the DeVille unless you tube it down.I find the S.Q. is great. Enjoy
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SuperBee
1829 posts
Mar 27, 2014
2:41 PM
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I'm gonna have to try a blues Deville sometime. Circuits look the same as hotrod Deville until you switch in the extra gain stage, but I'm not sure about construction.
I have the hotrod, modded as per mark burness (5F6H) suggestions, which were based (iirc) on his experience modifying a blues Deville.
Is the blues Deville a more solid construction than the hotrod? Hotrod is known for problems with broken jacks and board-mounted valve sockets, v3 plate resistor failure. I installed higher-rated resistors, and just take care of the amp. So far so good, it's a 17 year old amp, I've been gigging it for a couple years.
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Slimharp
269 posts
Mar 27, 2014
3:16 PM
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My DeVille is 21 years old, a 1993 first issue made in USA - Corona Ca, ( actually right up the Freeway a bit ) and I havent had any problems with it at all. It was giged with pretty hard at first but well taken care of. Is yours made in Mexico ? That could be an issue with the construction. If you like the Hot Rod I think you would like the DeVille. They are a bit tamer bit still a hot amp. There are a lot of them out there. I would go for an earlier issue made in USA. They are reasonable in price also. Since I got my 90 Bassman I dont use the DeVille anymore. I think it is sold depending on the mail soon.
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SuperBee
1830 posts
Mar 27, 2014
3:23 PM
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Mine is made in USA, '97.
Could be reported problems are more on later builds, it's all hearsay from my POV, I've had no problems.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Mar 27, 2014 3:28 PM
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Slimharp
271 posts
Mar 27, 2014
3:38 PM
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I had a Hot Rod DeVille 95 issue with 2x12. Very strong amp. I didnt mod it. I loved the tone but had to crank it too much to get break up. It was also the heaviest amp I ever owned. Heavier than a Kinder Harp King 6x10. I sold it to a guitar player and he was very happy. So was I. It was a back breaker, toe crusher.
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Barley Nectar
338 posts
Mar 27, 2014
6:20 PM
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These amps will play a long time, if you have well soldered circuit boards. You must also respect the jacks, pots, tube sockets. When these act up just reflow every solder joint that looks suspicious.
I like the HR series and the Blues Deluxe/Deville. They can sound huge. Weight is Power :)
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