Official Guitar, Amp, Pedals, and Gear Thread - Page 80

FTFY

PSG- Tweed champ vs deluxe vs super - any thoughts? I would like my next amp purchase to be one of the three...

dammit i want a champ so bad.

They are all tone machines. I love them all.

A Champ is great for overdrive at low volume. It is amazing how many famous guitar solos were recorded with a tweed Champ and a mike. Of the three, it is also the most affordable. You might also consider a tweed Harvard or Princeton. They often came in a slightly larger box which some feel gives a bit more sound or presence. Clapton recorded a lot of famous solos with a Princeton for Cream, if I remember correctly.

The Deluxe and the Super have more muscle for playing live. They also break up with more hormonic overtones favored by the Texas style guitar slingers. It usually comes down to your preference between the sound from 10" speakers (the Super has 2) or 12" speakers (the Deluxe has 1).

Blues harmonica guys always go for the 10" speakers. They feel it gives them more of that "organ" sound/tone.

Which reminds me of a vintage tweed Bandmaster that I had. This rare model has 3 x 10" speakers. They are about as rare as tweed Twins. The harmonica guys all wanted the Bandmaster and I eventually sold it. Keith Richards used one (as one of several amps) live on Stones tours in '89, '93 and '96.

Personally, I like the all-around sound of my tweed Vibrolux. The vibrato is a cool feature to add a bit of depth. You can't beat those blue Jensens for tone, baby!

When considering the purchase of a tweed amp:

-Plug it in, leave it on for a while and twist all the knobs listening for cracks, hums and pops. Dust can be cleaned but what you want to avoid are bad capacitors. Open up the back panel and see if everything is original. Some will look like a kids science experiment. Avoid those. Get a clean one with original wiring. If not, then buy a quality reissue. But don't buy a vintage tweed that has been messed with unless it is clear that it was pro work. (nice clean solder joints, etc.). Also, check the tubes to be sure they are the right ones. You can find that info with a Google search.

this was my grandfather's Princeton amp, we still have it. Serial number dates (assuming I did it correctly) to 1965.



also, popped the neck on the mij tele. Thought it was an '83, it's actually an '85.

I've owned several of the blackface Princeton Reverbs. Great amps. Carlos Santana had them hot rodded when he was starting out by Stars Guitars in SF (which later became Boogie Amps) and that was how he got that amazing tone on his first album "Santana". He was a Boogie user for many, many years.

i played a deluxe reverb reissue a few weeks ago to try it out. man, it sounded like junk compared to my old twin reverb.

I played a real '65 a few months ago and it was noisy as all hell but damn did it break up quick with some P90s. Sounded like rock.

OH YES. NOW I SOUND LIKE GILMOUR.

I amazed by how loud yet noise-free the Hiwatt is. Wow, great design.

I love the sound of Jimmy Page's tone through his Custom Hiwatt's at the Royal Albert Hall show in 1970. Really honky and quacky. I don't understand why he didn't use them after that show.

Gah...that finish on the tele looks great.
theres no comparison at all right?
At my dads work (hes a staff guitar player) they have 4 '65 twins. all original. Just thrown in a closet for use as backup amps in case anyone forgets theirs or if their amps go out. It breaks my heart that i cant sneak one of em home.


VERY nice. will you be playing that at the festival in august?

Doubtful - I'm hoping to borrow something smaller and less heavy. Though I wish I could - such a meaty, cutting tone, it would really work for some SRV-style sounds.

+1000

yeah, that tele is a great guitar. Looks and plays great.

$300 of excellence.