Tweed clones?

[MaxBoogie]

I may be in the market for a nice Tweed amp and I have no problem buying a clone over a vintage Fender Tweed, but there are so many of them out there!

I know Victoria has a great reputation, as does Richter, but I've just found another one today, ChickenPicken Amps. http://cpamps.com/index.html
There are TONS of pics suggesting awesome build quality, and in theory they should sould as good as any Tweed out there.

I'm especially intrigued by their Tweed Deluxe with 6L6 option... That could be just the extra ooomph needed to really keep up with a small Blues band.

Anyone have experience with ChickenPicken, or recommend other Amp clones while we're at it?

[MaxBoogie]

So, has ANYbody heard of the ChickenPicken amps??

[Sean French]

Never heard of them before.
Just looked at their site and am interested in the Bassman clone myself.:D
Prices are very very reasonable.$850 for a Deluxe is a great deal IMO.
I have a 20 watt Vicky Deluxe loaded with NOS RCA tubes that is stellar.
If you go for a Deluxe I would recommend a Jensen P12N speaker instead of the stock P12Q.

[Crikey]

I've never heard of Chickenpicken amps, sorry.

When people talk about replica tweeds, the name I always hear right after Victoria is Clark Amplification. Michael Clark (also happens to be my name, but no relation and 3000 miles away) makes a range of tweed and blackface replicas. His Deluxe clones are called the Beaufort and Beaufort Special.

A friend of mine has a Richter 5E3, and that amp roars.

Of course, Fender now makes their '57 Deluxe reissue. People tell me that one "does the amp in distress thing really well", in other words when you crank it up it can feel like it's going to explode like some of the original amps. It weighs only 25 pounds, so it's not overbuilt.

The Richter, on the other hand, is deliberately overbuilt and holds together tonally at higher volumes. You can put 6L6 tubes into a Richter if you want more power/headroom, which means that they are using heavier-duty transformers and rectifier.

Good luck with your tweed quest!


Crikey

[µ¿ z3®ø™]

i'd be leery of any amp builder that not very many folks have heard of and don't have a presence at TGP.

i ordered a 6G6 bassman clone from someone that fits the description above, the fellow tried to rip me off for shipping, refused to negotiate a reasonable solution, arbitrarily decided to cancel the agreement, told me that he has 'refunded' my PayPal (he has not) and refuses to answer e-mails.

i'm now out $2400.00 until i can get PayPal to go after this guy for fraud. it'll be tough because i'm in canada and he's in cali and i paid w/ a credit card thru PayPal. TGP, for some very valid reasons, prohibits 'deals gone bad' discussions because they fear litigation. i suspect there are some folks out there and take advantage of this situation. U only have to rip off a handful of folks before U have 20 grand in Ur pocket.

word to the wise...
don't do business w/ folks until U've absolutely made sure that a number of other folks have had good transactions or it's been firmly established that they are legit.

[Boogie92801]

Never heard of them before.
If you go for a Deluxe I would recommend a Jensen P12N speaker instead of the stock P12Q.

I put a red fang in mine (tight fit that requires the removal of the chassis to install) the stock speaker blew after about 30 min of me getting the amp.:eek::messedup:jo

The Vicky kills the re-issue fender IMHO. I also sugest a 12AY in V1 instead of a 12AX as this will allow some cean head room (to about 4). This amp with a Tele is like a "magic-tone-spell".:D:AOK

[cameron]

There are a number of techs out there who'll build from kits and charge less than you'd pay for a Victoria or Clark.

Best to find one you can get testimonials about.

Also, be aware that some kits use the Weber Copper Cap instead of a rectifier tube. If you care enough, you might want to make sure that you get a real tube.

[Sean French]

I put a red fang in mine (tight fit that requires the removal of the chassis to install) the stock speaker blew after about 30 min of me getting the amp.:eek::messedup:jo

The Vicky kills the re-issue fender IMHO. I also sugest a 12AY in V1 instead of a 12AX as this will allow some cean head room (to about 4). This amp with a Tele is like a "magic-tone-spell".:D:AOK




I've got the P12N in my Vicky and luv it.
Mine is tubed with all NOS RCA tubes.Black plate 6V6's and 5Y3 with a 12AY7 in V1 and a 12AX7 in V2.
I agree about the Tele.:D

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f121/1957gold/IMG_1457.jpg

[Casey]

Greer Underdog is the deal!

[cbpickin]

Definitely consider Clark, you can do no better in the quality department.

[JDJ]

Buy the Clark Beaufort Special off ebay... $875 or thereabouts. Buy a used Celestion Blue and install. That's the best deal going.

[drift_boat]

I've read good things and seen pics of nice work by SDG Vintage also. Check out their website.

[JZG]

I'll put in a good word for the Clark Beaufort as well. I have one loaded with old glass and a Celestion Blue. Incredible tone and it's one of only a few new amps that I've had that actually comes close to sounding old. Totally dig it, and from what I can tell, the quality is top notch. I've also had good experiences with Victoria amps, so I'm sure they're Deluxe is pretty sweet too.

[wingwalker]

There are loads of guys out there building killer tweed clones but I have to put in my vote for Bruce Collins at Mission Amps. Bruce is a joy to work with...I liked the way he handled my tweed Super clone that I started using him for ALL my amp work!

H'll do just about anything you want, uses high quality parts and does killer work...he's got killer ears and really tunes the amps right before they leave.

[Zuper]

I love my Li'l Dawg D-lux! Classic tweed tone on a budget. Jim's a great guy, too.

[thorny64]

I would suggest River City Amps - Little Boy Blues

It is inspired by a tweed deluxe but has significant improvements over the real thing as well as the clones. The controls work better, the amp is less "woofy", the volume controls work more normally instead of the "volume is maxed out on 4" characteristic of a tweed. It also can take 6K6s (8w), 6V6s (18w), or 6L6s (with special order OT) that puts out about 22w but more clean headroom. I think the standard version of the amp will be PLENTY for most blues groups. The speaker is better in that it retains its punch without compressing too much (because the amp compresses a lot anyway, this speaker will better punch through the mix). It is voiced better for todays humbuckers and single coils as well, and of course, it has a standby switch. It can use 12AY7 in the front end for a bit more headroom or a 12AX7 for more grind. Still has the finger-jointed pine cab but can be done in tweed or in tolex (made to order). You have all kinds of options with tubes and speakers as well as minor tonal tweaks. If you need a low wattage amp, just put the 6K6s in and go to town. A great studio amp. You can even gig with it with 6K6s - especially if you need that cranked tone and don't want to get evil looks from your sound guy or thrown out of the bar for being "too FRIGGIN loud." It is an awesome little amp. Tons of flexibility in a tiny package and a few knobs. But that is where the tone is - frequently the more knobs, the worse it sounds! Very touch sensitive. Turn your amp all the way up and use your volume control on the guitar and how hard you play your guitar to control how clean or distorted the amp is. It's a great studio amp too. I think the standard 6V6 version will keep up with the clones with a 6L6 in them.

Here is one currenty available in Blonde and Oxblood. Other colors and options are available built to order.

http://members.sigecom.net/jthornburg/lbb-blonde1.jpg

And another good one is Bruce at Mission. He makes a killer amp too. If you don't buy from me, buy from my buddy Bruce. He is a great guy.:AOK

Thanks.

Thorny

[MaxBoogie]

Okay, I've got the River City web page but there's no detail about models, etc... Am I missing it??

[gkoelling]

i'd be leery of any amp builder that not very many folks have heard of and don't have a presence at TGP.

i ordered a 6G6 bassman clone from someone that fits the description above, the fellow tried to rip me off for shipping, refused to negotiate a reasonable solution, arbitrarily decided to cancel the agreement, told me that he has 'refunded' my PayPal (he has not) and refuses to answer e-mails.

i'm now out $2400.00 until i can get PayPal to go after this guy for fraud. it'll be tough because i'm in canada and he's in cali and i paid w/ a credit card thru PayPal. TGP, for some very valid reasons, prohibits 'deals gone bad' discussions because they fear litigation. i suspect there are some folks out there and take advantage of this situation. U only have to rip off a handful of folks before U have 20 grand in Ur pocket.

word to the wise...
don't do business w/ folks until U've absolutely made sure that a number of other folks have had good transactions or it's been firmly established that they are legit.

A lot of very good advice here.

Also, your situation just plain sucks. I hope you can get resolution.

Good luck to you.


Greg