• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: Thinking of a cheap second amp

So I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.  My friend in our band plays 2 amps continuously like Joe would do.  I love the clean channel on my amp and the distortion channel when I use a compressor pedal in the effects loop, but I was thinking I love the clean a lot better on this amp.  So what would you all think about running that amp clean and maybe getting a Marshall solid state used off of ebay for distortion tones to mix in with the clean amp?  The Fender is 40 watts so I was thinking I might need 60 watts or more to get the same kind of power range.  I'm kind of on a budget but was thinking under $200.  Does anybody have a suggestion of another type amp to meet my distoriton needs???  I don't care what it is tube or solid state.  Brand name or no brand name.  As long as its cheap and sounds decent, I think the clean Fender (which is more like a natural overdrive at gigs) will fill in the bulk of what I want, I'll just ABY the amps together.

Really this is mostly to see if I like it.  Then I can save and buy something better if I need to.

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  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Thinking of a cheap second amp

You might be able to get a Hughes & Kettner combo amp that's 40 to 60 watts. I think they were called ATTAX in the early/middle 90's. They had two levels of distortion, solid state and a tube preamp. I remember liking those - used to have an attax 200 2x12 combo. The old Marshall Valvestates are not bad either, but you have to find the right one - I remember some sounded great and some sounded completely blah.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
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  • Registered: 2008-10-02
  • Posts: 373

Re: Thinking of a cheap second amp

I have been thinking about the Blackheart Handsome Devil Combo its 15 watts all tube and sounds real good, They also make a head version. I have seen them for about $300 used. I would try the Marshall solid state amp before you buy one some of them sound really really bad. They Hybrid solid start/Tube our better sounding. There was an old Marshall hybrid built in the 80's called the Artist that susposed to sound like a JCM 800.

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