Amp to pair with Luker Tiger?

[liquidbeng]

Hi all, long time lurker here. I've currently got a Luker Tiger head I've been running for a few years that I totally love, but I've been wanting to do get a second amp for a little more flexibility and to mess around with a dual amp setup but I'm paralyzed by indecision. I play musical styles from jazz to hard rock and I'm not chasing a specific vintage tone or anything, just looking to open up my tonal palette a little. about 70% of what I play is clean so the cleans have to be great, but I'm also coming up on a project that I'll be putting a bunch of mid-range gain on which I normally get with pedals but I'm wanting some of that tube gain now. About 95% of my playing is done in the studio so 25 watts is more than enough. I'd prefer to spend around $1,200 but would be willing to go up to $1,500 for something I'd keep forever. I also plan to get a new cab for it ($500 budget for that) so cab pairing suggestions also welcome, I currently have a 1x12 with a greenback and a 1x12 with a G12H30. I live in SF so I could probably find some of these amps to try out before I buy but would like to narrow my search to 2 or 3 amps before trying to track down vendors that have the stuff I'm looking for. All suggestions appreciated and feel free to send me your emporium or Reverb links.

Essential features:
- at least treble and bass tone controls
- master volume
- available as a head
- 5-25 watts
- amazing cleans

Nice to Have:
- FX loop
- line out

Stuff I've been considering so far:
- Mesa Mark V:25
- Bad Cat Black Cat 15
- Bad Cat Cub III 15
- Top Hat Supreme 16
- Marshall 2525h
- Bogner Duende
- Bogner ATMA
- Dr. Z Maz 18NR
- Dr. Z Maz 8

Thanks!

 

[liquidbeng]

anyone?

 

[mwhy]

Hey, the Luker is a great amp (I have a Tiger and Chameleon!); Ken has made other style amps (i.e., tweed, etc.) -- call him and tell him what you want! You know it'll be a great amp.

Marc

 

[liquidbeng]

Thanks Marc, I actually went ahead and started a new conversation with Ken about this and might go with a Chameleon. Can you get the Chameleon to sound like the Tiger? I'm just a little worried about redundancy, and I also want to get another amp that has very different tonal characteristics but has sound quality on par with the Luker if that makes any sense to you.

Also, while I'm sure the Chameleon will sound amazing I'm wondering if I'm missing out on anything I might really enjoy. The Luker was the first high quality amp I bought and immediately loved it so my amp journey was pretty short and never really got to mess around with any other amps. But now that I'm at a place in my life where I can drop 2k on an amp and not starve, I kind of want to see what's out there.

 

[mwhy]

Hi. If anything, I think there are far too many good amps out there, and if you found one early that you liked, you're fortunate!
With all its features, the Chameleon is definitely different than the Tiger, but I'm not sure I'd say "very" different. I'm a jazzer, and I've found great sounds with the Lukers, and I'm hanging onto them. I've had other great amps from Jack Anderson, Jim Frenzel, and Sara Richter, each with their own vibe/character (I still own/use the Anderson). Again, lots of great amps out there ..
[I just thought a Luker tweed would be fun to have!]

 

[liquidbeng]

Oh yeah, I find the Luker is amazing for jazz and there probably isn't another amp I'd use for that. Yes, there are so many great amps out there and it has paralyzed me with indecision. The only builder you mentioned that I'm not yet familiar with is Jack Anderson. I checked out his website and the amps look interesting. The sound clips were a little underwhelming but I know how much the recording process can alter the sound and feel of an amp.

What spec do you have? How accurate do you think the sound clips on the website are? What would you say are the defining characteristics of the one you own?

Thanks!

 

[mwhy]

Yes, the Anderson clips are underwhelming.
Mine is a 20W 6V6 head with reverb, but it's less "fender-y" than the Lukers. Jack's a one-man shop, and his #1 thing is working with the customer to get you exactly what you'd like, so a phone conversation would be worth it just to see what he has to say.
And tell him Marc sent you!