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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → Epiphone Amp?
Hello people! 
Im about to make my own blues trio and I'm searching for both pedals and a new amp.
I dont have that much money but Im shopping from a German site called thomann wich is really cheap and the epiphone amp Im intrested in is super cheap. hehe.
The amp is called "epiphone blues custom UK". its a 30 W combo Tube amp. Have anyone tried this amp or knows if its any good?
Thanks for reading // Simon
Hi,
Although I haven't tried the specific amp you suggest I have been doin some research into the epiphone amps and if you are on a budget they look fantastic. I have played the 5Watt Valve Junior which is brilliant. Loads of people do mods to the epiphone amps to improve the quality but the basic setup is good value. i am considering buying the Valve Special 5Watt class A amp for living room use. Guitarandkeyboard.com are selling them £99 at the moment.
I use a carl martin "hot drive and boost" to drive the input into some controlled overdrive. Recommend. Also tube sreamer pedal.
Thanks for finally having a reply! 
The amp Im intrested in is this one:
http://www.thomann.de/se/epiphone_blues_custom_30.htm
I have no idea how an epiphone amp is, but Im going into town soon to try one, but does anyone know anything about these amps?
Rock on // Simon
I am sure it will be a good amp. If you can go the stretch I would also try a Fender HotRod Deluxe. Joe B. himself has commented in the forum how good the Fender is.
hope you get some tone heaven!!
simon
Its a nice amp Simon I sorta wish I had bought it instead of what I have (fender blues deluxe). There all quite simple designs, The Blues custom has 2x12 speakers and is switchable between 15w and 30w, The fender variants are a simple 1x12 in either 15w or 40w both with bad speakers actually. TBH looking over specs the blues custom is prob the best value u got good options for a external cab aswell dual 4 and 8 ohm outputs + a 16 ohm output.
Its nice and smooth and takes pedals quite well, what sort of sound you looking at finding Simon?
I just tried thomann website and the item isnt in the inventory
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi … om+30/10/1
here u go seems to have a few problems though
Its a nice amp Simon I sorta wish I had bought it instead of what I have (fender blues deluxe). There all quite simple designs, The Blues custom has 2x12 speakers and is switchable between 15w and 30w, The fender variants are a simple 1x12 in either 15w or 40w both with bad speakers actually. TBH looking over specs the blues custom is prob the best value u got good options for a external cab aswell dual 4 and 8 ohm outputs + a 16 ohm output.
Its nice and smooth and takes pedals quite well, what sort of sound you looking at finding Simon?
I just tried thomann website and the item isnt in the inventory
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi … om+30/10/1
here u go seems to have a few problems though
Thanks!
Im not quite sure what sound Im really looking for yet, havn't got that vision, but I guess its like ZZ top kinda sound, And it has to sound good clean.
Wich item isnt in the thomann inventory? :S
Not sure if I want all the minor problems...some people seem to have better ones than others...
The blues custom isnt available on thomann...
Personally I prefer a fender clean, but you wont get (Atleast I dont think) a billy gibbons esque sound out of a good sounding clean fender amp...
My advice would be this...
Amps invariably do more to sound then pick ups / guitar so spend money on a decent amp and forget pedals for now :x You already have a good guitar so part of the equation is done..
Remember that low wattage tube amps are still loud and will crunch up real nice for that drive sound (like Joe dimes his Amp heads) you could get a smaller wattage valve amp and max it out to get your overdriven sound (it certainly sounds better then a pedal in most cases)
Ive always loved my Blues deluxe (for some odd reason) but last week I was asked to play a Charity gig with my pal who owns a music shop and wanted to do some blues that night under his shop name, well Marshall sponsored it so I had a chance to crank a jcm 800 head into a half stack. The thing made me tingle such an awesome tone with sustain its made me gas for one but I know i'll prob never get chance to crank it 
anyhow what im basically trying to say is..
Your best going into a shop and playing hell out of alot of amps Fender, Marshall the lot u dont have to buy just try them all out including used.. I would personally do that then haggle a good price / look for used ones on craigslist / ebay or your local paper.
I got my blues deluxe used for £350ish from the above Music shop owner its a usa made 1994 tweed it had alot of character when I bought it (uno tea stains, little tears in the tweed etc) I dont think I'd ever part with it I've hauled the thing up 5-6 flights of stairs to gigs(this thing weighs a fair bit), hurt my back carrying it, dropped it on my toe, had my neice draw a flower on it in felt tip pen (still cant get it off lol). For all the crap Ive put it thru its never once crapped out on me right now its been sat in the boot of my car for almost 2 weeks I can guarantee as soon as I plug it in and it warms up ill be ready to go.
Well thats my story / advice I hope it helps
Thanks!
Thing is that I already got some pedals. I got a Distortion pedal, a compressor and a Boost. I just orderd a Vox Wah wah and a Korg Pedal tuner too!
If the amp has pretty good distortion so I can get a pretty good sound at home I'm satisfied, but I prefer to get my sound out of pedals because I mostly play on others amps live, but not always!
Oh and I looked up thomann on the fender amps. The Hot rod deluxe is almost twice as expensive as the Epiphone...Money has an quite improtant role since I don't have a job. I mostly earn my money from gigs.
edit: Oh yeah and fenders sounds GREAT clean.
I had a gig in france last week and i played this HUGE Fender amp. sounded really good
You cant hear much of the amp since i play rythm. but you can check out a video at http://www.thevintage.se/web/index.php? … ;Itemid=56
Im in the middle and play rythm guitar and the amp is on the left side of the drum kit, you cant miss it.
I played a little on that amp when we sound checked, just tried its sound. it was really nice.
Looks like an old silverface bassman could be wrong though very cool amps though
Fenders sound great clean but even better when u drive them imo natural tube drive is nice and creamy. Thats why u need to get the right size amp for what u wanna do i.e. a 100watt Twin Reverb will never ever get cranked in most gig situations where as a 22w deluxe reverb will 
try a blackheart handsome devil I've heard they sound pretty killer for the price...
http://www.thomann.de/gb/blackheart_han … 15_112.htm
fender blues jr is easily mic'd... and is prob loud enough for most small pub gigs any venue bigger will have a pa system...
http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_blues_junior.htm
And on ebay
My bro just told me that I played a Dualshowman reverb.
Yeah now when I think about it I think im gonna save up for a nice Fender amp instead...
Since we do some outdoor gigs with The Vintage and since the epiphone is an 30watt AB class i guess ill have to crank it up abit and then it will give me a natural tube overdrive wich i would love but not as a rythm guitar player.
Ill guess Ill save up for more money and then check out lots of fenders
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