I'm looking for an amp to go along with my Marshall '75 4x12" (blackback G12Ms). I play mostly clean or semi-clean. Guitars are a Suhr Classic w/V60LPs and a Heritage H535 w/Darkbursts. My 4-piece band plays soul, jazzy and bluesy stuff. The sound I'm looking for is Hendrix clean, think Band of Gypsies era ("Who knows", etc.). Occasionally, I'll be pushing the front end of the amp with a Xotic RC Booster and/or a Fulltone Drive II in order to get a Warren Haynes / Duane Allman kind of tone with my Heritage. I'll use the amp in small-to-medium venues, with a band that doesn't play very loud. I'm really focused on those two amps; I'm sure I can't go wrong with either, but I need to decide which one to buy. Any recommendations?
I would defnatley go with a Germino. I have a Classic 45 that I use in my band and it's truly phenominal! I play alot of Warren Haynes/Gov't Mule/Allman bros. stuff and the Classic 45 does an awesome job of covering that kind of music. For Hendrix clean you would probably be better off with the Club 40. The Classic 45 has awesome clean too, but my drummer plays awfully loud, so i don't get quite the clean headroom i need to play clean; even with the guitar volume knob turned down. I'm running my Classic 45 at around 8'ish. I'm actually thinking about getting a Club 40 myself after hearing the clips on Greg's site. But then again I'm thinking about getting a Fender Super Reverb/or a clone for clean stuff. I'm still debating on what route I want to take. But you should look into Germino, I highly recommend his work. This is the first time I've actually had an amp that sounds this great. I've had a plethora of amps, trust me. Hope this helps! Mike
I have a Club 40 and absolutely love it! I don't see how you could go wrong with one. Any way you slice it, they are just great amps.
One more Club 40 fan. I am diggin' mine big time. Nails the Jimi Marshall thing in spades. Should sound spot on through your cab. Good luck! <M
www.fatsoundguitars.com/store/index.html They have a used one of each of the Germino amps you were discussing (Club 40 and Classic 45)
The invader has killer reverb, an attenuator, and 2 very different voicings with the plexi/ali switch. It will be more versatile, and the attenuator allows any level of overdrive at any volume. The germinos sound great, but they are more bare-bones as far as features.
Yes, and that is why I hesitate... Those Aikens sure do look tempting !!! My main concern with the Aiken Invader is headroom. I'm sure this amp is awesome for doing the Marshall crunch thing at lower volumes, but I don't know if I can get a clean Hendrixy sound at gigging volume with it. And for my use, what I need is really a pedal platform that plays clean or semi-clean at this kind of volume. If I need overdrive, I'll use my RC Booster or my FDII. At the moment, I use a Rivera M60 50W combo, and I feel this kind of power is adequate for my needs. So I'm not sure the aiken 30 watts (or 18 watts!) would be enough...
How large are your gigs? I have an Intruder 30 head that I use with a 2x12 cab. There is WAY more than enough clean/semi-clean volume with one of these for clubs. If the Invader/Intruder 30 is not loud enough then you are playing way too loud for a club!
My Invader was used in a large hall with around 200- 300+, with the attenuator 3 clicks down! Turn the guitar vol down to clean up and back up to get the grind
I a/b'd the Germino Massonette with an Aiken Invader 30w...and there was no comparison...the Aiken was hands down the more versatile and better sounding amp "for my particular need" which based on what you said is the same as your needs.... don't know how the Massonette compares to the club 40.
