Electric guitarists, what amplifier do you use? Photos, please!

That grill is so badass

 

The photo isn't of mine because I need to go pick the head up from my tech (it blew a transformer), but I use an EVH 5150III 50w head into the matching 2x12 cab. Killer setup. I don't see myself ever needing another amp.

 

Marshall - 1972 100 watt Super Lead w/ Master Volume Mod (called the "Rich" mod on the net)
Marshall - Early 80s JCM800 50-watter
Mesa 2010 Dual Rectifier
Peavey 5150 II
Rivera Hundred Duo Twelve

 

Nice! But a very different animal, I'm sure!

 

I'd love to hear that amp. Does it replicate the Brown Sound?

 

My home rig, not really ideal but it works....

Vox Tonelab ->
Orange Tiny Terror (if playing guitar) or SWR 350 (Older revision, pre-Fender) ->
Avatar B212 cab (Closed back, ported, 2x Eminence Delta 12s and a tweeter)

The cab is pretty neutral and balanced so it works well enough for guitar...

 

I have too many amps - none of which I have pics of. I also have a wife that goes to bed before 9pm so the days of 'loud 'n crunchy' are mostly behind me. Now, when I'm not playing acoustic, I play low and clean and my favorite amps are a blackface Princeton Reverb (just like Mr. Scratchy's above), an Ampeg ReverboJet (best sounding reverb I've got) and my favorite 'clean' amp - a pre-Thomas Vox AC15 (the sound of the EL-84's at lower volumes is really full and sweet).

When I did play loud and obnoxious, I liked using a '64 Fender Deluxe Reverb mostly but also played through a Marshall JCM800 half-stack and a Mesa Boogie Mk. IV depending on what sound I was going for and which guitar I was playing at the time. If I were really going for a big and full sound, I played through a '62 Fender Bassman head w/2 - 15" cab (love the blonde tolex and the non-original JBL's had a very tight bottom-end), an Ampeg B-15N 'flip-top' and when I was really going for 'loud and punchy', I hefted a SVT on top of a Marshall cab. Odd, that I never tried the SVT with a bass - I always used a Bassman 100 head and later, a SVT-3 Pro that offers a lot of control. Also odd that the B-15N sounds better with guitar than bass (tubby and wooly) but perhaps 30w doesn't offer enough punch or the driver needs some attention. Perhaps I'll be inspired to take and put up some pics but don't hold your breathe - if I haven't taken the time to do it in the last 25 years, I doubt I'll get it done in the next 25 minutes...

 

I use this 1985 Carvin XV-112E. I replaced the stock EV speaker (super heavy, and monstrous volume) with a 25 watt Celestion greenback. It still has the original groove tubes. I like it for versatility - I get great creamy vintage rock tones, blues tones, surf, super clean, whatever I need. With the celestion, I just have to be careful with volume and use the 25% power soak control on the rear. Also, for some reason it had no polarity switch and I got tired of sometimes getting my ass shocked on live PA systems, so I had that added to the rear.



I sometimes hook it up to this RCA 400 cabinet (originally meant for a film projector) when I want a nice garage tone.

 

Sorta. The blue (middle gain) channel CAN get very brown if you know what you're doing. EVH allegedly used a prototype of this very amp (the 50w version) on all of the solos on the last VH album.

The red channel has a stupidly awesome amount of gain. I mean, it's unlike anything you have ever experienced before, I promise you. It's nice to have that much gain on tap should it ever be needed.

The clean channel is a Fender-ish clean channel. EVH apparently said to Fender, "Clean channels are your thing" and let them do what they do best without interfering.

If you want a good idea of what the blue channel sounds like, check out Blood And Fire from A Different Kind Of Truth. To me, that's a fairly honest representation of the amp doing a fairly brown sound.

I'll have the amp back this weekend. I should record some demos using my Frankenstrat replica.

 

Wow that songs great. A lot of guitar/tone/musical variety in it compared to the songs I've listened to on the album (the first three) Will have to give it a closer listen.

It reminds me a lot of 'Top Jimmy'. Second favourite song on 1984 apart from House Of Pain.

Love the solo too - will have to look up the amp on YT. What guitar are you using with it?

 

Other than a few little no name practice amps.
This is the only amp I've ever owned, and I've had it since about 1980.

 

1970 Fender Twin Reverb. Sorry no pics.

 

Ive been a Vox man for the last 3 years. I bought an AC15 and loved the tone so much that I went back to the same store 3 weeks later and bought an AC30. the AC15 has a Greenback and the AC30 has Celestion Blues.

I've been gigging with 2 amps ever since; the AC30 is for cleans and the AC15 is pushed a little for edge of breakup - pedals do the rest. I could never go back to playing just one amp.

 

At home, I use Mesa Boogie's in stereo. I have a MKV and a MKIIC+. The cabs are original 80s 4 x EVM 12Ls. Why do I use these? They are badass!!





At work, I use an Omega modified Hot Rod Deluxe. The mod improves the overdrive channel so that it sounds smooth and sustained, not to mention that it now has balls. The original overdrive was buzzy and weak. I use the Omega HRDX because it sounds great and doesn't take up too much room. Also, Jim at Omega mods installed better parts and circuits so that it is reliable. Before the mods the amp went out twice. Not good, when I need it to do my job.

I also use two Pro Juniors. I like to combine one of them with the HRDX for stereo. The other is a spare. I use the Pro Juniors because they are portable. I need to use them in different parts of the building.

• I installed a 12" Jensen Jet Blackbird speaker in the HRDX. To me, this speaker matches beautifully with the amp. It sounds great, especially on clean sounds.
• The Omega mod has made the clean sounds go from good to great. The midrange is lush.
• I installed JBL E110s in the Pro Juniors, which is a good match and out performs the dreadful original Fender speakers.

 

Man that is some serious s**t.

 

Here is my pithy little setup.




I like the tone of the 5 Watt rating and being able to switch between 5 and 50 watts.

 

Gorgeous Les Paul as well!

 

Your triple pick-up Les Paul is equally bad-ass!

 

Reinhardt 18W w matching slantline 2x 12" cab
Emerysound Microbaby with Emerysound mahogany cab (Weber 10" blue)
Guitar in the pic is a 2001 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Jr. Korina reissue which has a Lollar P90 in it now...

 

A handsome amp indeed....and whenever I see a Les Paul Jr. I think of Leslie West's awesome tone...

 

I'm just a bedroom player. I have a Fender Champ, Vox AC4TV8, and a Marshall Class 5. The Marshall has a headphone jack so that helps with playing while the kids are sleeping. All fun amps, all tubes, and great to play around with.

 

Steve, thanks for starting this thread. Some wonderful equipment here gentlemen!

 

Two years ago I took the guitar amps out of their cases, cleaned everything including pots, tube pins, cases - everything), tested the tubes on my Westinghouse KS-15750-L2 tube tester (made by Hickok and similar to their 359 series), swapped some tubes, and took photos for insurance & identity purposes, before putting them back together.

'64 Blond Showman - 6L6GC RCA Black Plates - purchased NOS/NIB & matched quad.
It had new Sovteks in it when I got it. Anybody need 4 Sovtek 6L6 variants? (make offer)


'83/'85 Twin Reverb II (Blackface reissue) original 6L6GC Fender branded Sylvania.


'64 Blond Bassman - 7581 JAN Philips substituted for 5881 - this was reported to have been done by the amp's previous owner Bob McNitt, who worked as a tech for ELP in the '70s.


'67 Princeton Reverb - 6V6GT RCA - gray glass & silver lettering.