Hendrix "clean" at around 20 watts?

[Leonc]

Dave thanks! No, that's my 350 dollar Ampeg Reverb-o-Rocket II. Was one of my favorites 25 years ago and it's back near the top again.

Originally posted by John Phillips
Earlier version 150 or later 120 - both use six EL34s. If it sounded great I'm guessing a 150... did it have colored knobs (like the one in Tag's pic) or silver-topped ones? The older ones have the silver knob caps. I'm pretty sure all the 150s have only four inputs too... though it's been a while since I've seen one.

I notice how you refer to these as "SS" not "SC" BTW... does that stand for their usual nickname over here? (Which the later ones do )

Sorry on the SS. I mean SC. It was early!

Don't remember the knobs...I don't believe they were colored.....I do remember when I plugged in it was a great great clean. It was closer to Jimi, IMO than the MV Marshall I had at the time. It was a semi-dirty/clean, if that makes any sense.....closer to any Jimi clean tone I had heard up to that point.

Guy posted this at Plexi P. A Vox AC-30cc. Guy claims it get the Axis tones. I can't hear it, my sound card is broken, but here's the link...

http://mysite.verizon.net/kentpearso...LittleWing.mp3

[John Phillips]

Originally posted by carlygtr56
Sorry on the SS. I mean SC. It was early!

Don't remember the knobs...I don't believe they were colored.....I do remember when I plugged in it was a great great clean. It was closer to Jimi, IMO than the MV Marshall I had at the time. It was a semi-dirty/clean, if that makes any sense.....closer to any Jimi clean tone I had heard up to that point.

Makes a lot of sense - I'd guess it was a 150. They're nice amps and do sound like that, from the few I've heard. (I think the very earliest used four KT88s, then they changed to six EL34s when the 4-KT88 model went to 200W.) The 120s don't really do "semi-dirty", they either do sterile clean or harsh, buzzy distortion that almost sounds solid-state (at ear-bleeding volume too) - alternative meaning for "SS" .

Tag is right that the 120s don't even work well as a 'power amp with tone', for pedal distortion, IMO - they're just too characterless to really work for anything other than PA. In fact, I played my first-ever gig with one, with the whole band (including vocals!) going through it, using all six inputs. Sounded awful probably, but I was too impressed with the concept of actually being in a band to care... or notice .

I know a guy with a few old Sound Citys in storage... I'll remind myself to see if he's got a 150 next time I'm out there.

[Shemp]

Originally posted by Leonc
Here's my contribution.

Thanks Leon, that's a great clip!

[Leonc]

Thanks Shemp, you're welcome

[straticus]

I thought the Tomcat I used to have did a great job at getting those semi clean Hendrix tones. But the best amp I've had for that tone was a Victoria Sovereign. It was 60 watts though........ but it sounded great at low volumes. I wish I still had that amp.

[Riscchip]

Whoa...I just finished my morning coffee and fired up the TGP...my thread grew pretty tall overnight!

Thanks for the numerous suggestions which I'm going to have to re-read and look through. Much appreciated!

I really love Jimi's clean sounds because they aren't the pretty / bubbly / scooped mid kind of Fender clean that I hear a little too much on stuff I've been recording, hehe. I really love that sound Hendrix gets, but for some reason I've always gone to amps not at all like Jimi's (or at least, what I assumed he used) for clean sounds. Thought I'd look for something closer to what he actually used in terms of tone.

Again, the thoughts are MUCH appreciated. I'll have to check some of these amps out.

[Riscchip]

Originally posted by carlygtr56
You're picking a clean tone from an album Hendrix used Sound City amps on. To what degree he used them...nobody knows. Some of those cleaner tones don't strike me as Marshall or Fender, so one must summize it's likely the Sound City amps.

I'd look at a lower watt Marshall-type amp like a Germino Masonette or Aiken. Many more low-watt Marshall type amps around.

Thanks for your thoughts on this, Carl. Every time I search for Jimi related stuff on The Gear Page, you seem to know your stuff in a big way!

Curious, what are your thoughts on the tones on Axis vs. the first Album? I love both of them, actually.

Originally posted by Riscchip
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Carl. Every time I search for Jimi related stuff on The Gear Page, you seem to know your stuff in a big way!

Curious, what are your thoughts on the tones on Axis vs. the first Album? I love both of them, actually.

Like them both. I think with Axis, Roger Mayer was there for the sessions...he came up with custom wah sweeps...a different sounding fuzz (Axis Fuzz?)......listen to Noel's tune, She's So Fine. No way is that a standard fuzz face of any type. A LOT of Roger's input for tones on Axis.

and again, it was Sound City on those sessions, but to what degree has never been established.

[fatback]

Holland , Little Jimi.
I believe low volume Jimi clean tones is exactly what it was intended to do.

[Riscchip]

Originally posted by fatback
Holland , Little Jimi.
I believe low volume Jimi clean tones is exactly what it was intended to do.

Sounds interesting. Is there a web site? I googled up http://www.hollandamps.com but it doesn't seem to work.