Amps that are timeless

[Gas Hed]

It is fascinating to see amps come and go. Particularly when it really is a good amp. But I'm wondering what your thoughts are on amps that have stood the test of time. I can only think of two off the top of my head - Fender DR and Vox AC30. I'd like to say something from Marshall but I can't think of one.

 

[sleewell]

mesa dual recto
peavey 5150
fender twin
vox ac30
marshall plexi

 

[jay42]

I think certain tweed and brown era Fender amps are very fine. Originals are very old now, so clones and modernized versions are important products. If you had a 1968-ish Marshall (1987) 50W or a 66-ish JTM-100, I think you'd be very impressed. The Vox is a good sounding but perversely built thing.

 

[JB6464]

S L O

 

[WillLane]

AC30 (AC30TBX). After having not played on it for a few months while working with some other amps, I opened up the TBX last night. Even among boutique/more expensive options, there is NOTHING like the magic of a TBX cooking.

 

[cardinal]

I'd think the AC30, Deluxe Reverb, and some variation of the Marshall 1987/1959/2204/2203 would be on nearly everyone's Mount Rushmore of amps.

More recent stuff would probably be the Recto and the 5150 because they were used so frequently on rock/metal albums consistently for many many years at this point.

SLO and DC30 maybe, but they're more esoteric IMHO.

 

[guitar007]

Trainwreck & Dumble?

 

[scotty31]

1959 SLP
JTM45
AC30
Twin Reverb
Bassman
DR103
2203 JCM800

I'd round it off there if i was being conservative.

Intrigued to see how the bigger amps like the 103, plexi's & 2203 go in the near future. Big, stupidly loud amps seem like a threatened species at the minute. Which is a shame, i feel modern music is reflective of this lack of girth (and overobundance of shimmer reverbs)

 

[HeavyCream]

You can’t think of a Marshall?? How about the JTM45? 1959 Super Lead? 1992 Super Bass?? 1986/1987? 2203 JCM800? The mighty JTM45/100!!??!!

There are many amps from yesteryear that are still popular today. Supro has a couple that stood the test of time. Leo Fender designed like 20 amps from Tweed, Brown/Blonde, to Blackface in the 50’s-60’s that are loved and celebrated today.

 

[twotone]

If it's any Marshall amp, I'd have to say 1959 Super Lead, plexi or metal panel.

 

[Carmeg]

Vox AC30
Fender Blackface, Tweed, and Brown circuits
Marshall 1959/1987/1992/2203
Dual Rectifier
5150

I feel like everything is based on the DNA of these in some way now

 

[David Garner]

Plexi has to be on the list. So does the Tweed Deluxe and Tweed Bassman.

 

[PBGas]

Bogner XTC
Diezel VH-4
Mesa Mark 2C+

 

[ErichA]

Sunn (0)))

 

[Les Paul Lover]

The Orange AD30 has been in continuous production for 20+ years..... and what a great amp it is!!!

Its mids sit in a mix.... perfectly.
What a lovely amp for blues, rock, Indy.

 

[ErichA]

Ampeg V4

 

[ErichA]

Vox AC30
Fender Blackface, Tweed, and Brown circuits
Marshall 1959/1987/1992/2203
Dual Rectifier
5150

I feel like everything is based on the DNA of these in some way now

I disagree.
My Ampeg wasn’t. (‘65 Gemini VI)
My THD BiValve 30 wasn’t
Many are based on those formulae, but if you look for something different, you can find it.

 

[prototype]

When you think about the success of the AC30 circuit its really crazy how its become so popular in a bunch of unrelated styles of music

1. original british invasion
2. rootsy rock and blues music i.e. rory gallagher, tom petty
3. country and rockabilly
4. indie rock of the 80s
5. completely different wave of indie rock in the 90s and 2000s
6. whatever style of music you want to call queen

i've seen lots of voxes even at punk shows and i'm pretty sure blink182 used them for a while. its crazy even watching the Some Kind of Monster documentary when Metallica is in the studio you can see Hetfield with an AC30.

its nuts how so many different roads lead to AC30, which is itself a pretty unique circuit that was always thought to be pretty limited in the kinds of sounds it has to offer. its like how evolution has surreptitiously invented the crab dozens of different times where different unrelated animals all ended up evolving into crabs.

 

[scotty31]

When you think about the success of the AC30 circuit its really crazy how its become so popular in a bunch of unrelated styles of music

1. original british invasion
2. rootsy rock and blues music i.e. rory gallagher, tom petty
3. country and rockabilly
4. indie rock of the 80s
5. completely different wave of indie rock in the 90s and 2000s
6. whatever style of music you want to call queen

i've seen lots of voxes even at punk shows and i'm pretty sure blink182 used them for a while. its crazy even watching the Some Kind of Monster documentary when Metallica is in the studio you can see Hetfield with an AC30.

its nuts how so many different roads lead to AC30, which is itself a pretty unique circuit that was always thought to be pretty limited in the kinds of sounds it has to offer. its like how evolution has surreptitiously invented the crab dozens of different times where different unrelated animals all ended up evolving into crabs.

On 6, Matt Bellamy from Muse used AC30s on the earlier stuff too i believe.

Quintessential timeless amp.
Other than adding a master volume, they really haven't needed to change it up much since it was released.

 

[Tone chader]

Any Fender 50s era tweed amp.