• HRJ
  • Platinum
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  • Registered: 2009-03-30
  • Posts: 178

Topic: Best amp for blues/rock...

So i'm looking for a new amplifier and i need some help. It needs to be under £500 (about $1000) ideally but can be more if its really special. Basically i want something that has good cleans, can do a light crunchy sound and can rock out. So for example in terms of JB i want to be able to play stuff from blues deluxe to you upset me baby to walkin blues. I tried a fender hot rod deluxe and loved the clean but didnt really like the overdrive. I tried this amp called a blackstar HT-5 mini stack  and i loved it but it was a bit quiet at 5w as I need to be able to play small gigs with it. Any suggestions would be really great. Thanks!

  • Registered: 2008-10-27
  • Posts: 176

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

The Orange Tiny Terror should be your amp! The cleans are OK and the OD/Dist is awesome. The amp has been highly praised by great players, Gary Moore among them! You should give it a try.

  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-02-11
  • Posts: 453

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

The HT-5 is a great amp but a little under powered for your needs. You could try a hot rod deluxe and get a decent overdrive pedal. I would recomened the the blackstar HT-dual pedal infron of the hot rod deluxe.

  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

I like my old '68 Super Reverb + pedals.  It's very loud, has decent clean headroom (especially with single coils), and takes pedals amazingly well.  I'm currently running mine with a couple tubescreamers (TS808 RI and BBE Green Screamer) in front like EJ or SRV.  I add a little more reverb and echo for more of the EJ thing and less of the SRV when desired.  I paid somewhere like $800 for mine and it's worth every penny, maybe more.  If old Fenders are not accessable, then a used Hod Rod Deville 4x10 and some pedals would do just fine.  I actually used the medium overdrive on that amp plus an overdrive and got a respectable, searing blues overdrive tone.  Metro Amps offers some vintage Marshall clone kits for around $1000 if you are handy with a soldering iron...VERY GOOD.

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • Registered: 2007-09-30
  • Posts: 556

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

Marshall Bluesbreaker combo, great sound and if you are handy with you volume/tone knobs you'll be fine as far as cleans go.  Add a 808 Ri or a legit fuzz and you'd be in heaven.  Usually go for like 1200, but if you wait you will find a deal for a sleeper at around a grand... I've seen it.

Ben

  • Registered: 2007-09-30
  • Posts: 556

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

Just checked eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Marshall-1962-Blues … 27ac0eca99

Good deal...

Ben

  • ken
  • ken
  • Titanium
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  • From: Orlando, FL
  • Registered: 2007-05-28
  • Posts: 949

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

This thread is giving me deja vu! tongue

Budda Superdrive 18 (about $1000 used). No reverb.

  • From: N. Little Rock, AR.
  • Registered: 2007-03-02
  • Posts: 463

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

ken wrote:

This thread is giving me deja vu! tongue

Budda Superdrive 18 (about $1000 used). No reverb.


Yep.

Or a Twinmaster, if you can find one.

Also, Carmen Ghia (Dr.Z).



Budda, Baby! cool

Early 80's 1957 U.S. Vintage Reissue Stratocaster (Surf Green)-Warmouth Soloist  Pearly Gates Neck, Pearly Gates Bridge- Larrivee D-03 (Mahogany/ Spruce)
Carmen Ghia Head- Marshall 112 Cab W/G12H 30  or  Custom 4 X 6v6 Head  or  Budda Twinmaster Plus Head-Traynor 212 Cab w/Eminence Texas Heats. 
Mo'D-Eternity-Blues Pro- Timmy-BYOC Chorus/Vibrato- TC SCF- Korg DT 10 Pedal Tuner
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

A Sovtek Mig 50 has some major clean headroom - put through a 2x12 cab would be a great bluesrock amp. Pair it with a good pedal and that'd be just like having a good Twin Reverb or similar great clean sounding amp. The Marshall DSL sounds good too, but there's too many knobs.

For me, I haven't heard my sound through anything else than my Rivera wink Which is basically a Marshall and a Fender having a two-headed baby.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

10 Reply by HRJ

  • HRJ
  • Platinum
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  • Registered: 2009-03-30
  • Posts: 178

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

Thanks for the help everyone!

  • Registered: 2009-10-10
  • Posts: 438

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

Hello fellas.  I am new on the forum and I had to give my two cents on this one.  I have to vote for a blackface Fender Bandmaster or Bassman.  If you want it to lean toward the British side, run it through a good 2x12 cabinet with Celestions.  They take pedals great.  Run a Fulltone OCD out front and you will get a great crunch tone, even at lower volumes.  You should be able to put this type of rig together for less than a $1000.00.

  • Registered: 2008-06-13
  • Posts: 137

Re: Best amp for blues/rock...

Blackstar do amps in all sorts of sizes, if you liked the HT-5 I have heard similar reviews of the Artisan and other ranges they make.

tewker