Snider Amps ?

[daveS]

Any opinions on the 484 & 284 vs the Chicago & California ?

Any tone reports ?

Thanks
-Dave

 

[Steve Snider]

Jeff Snider builds really cool amps and is an amazing guitarist to boot. I dig his amps.

 

[KarlH]

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/583516

Snider 484 head!

Click the above link for some clips of this great amp!

It's similar to a Trainwreck in terms of gain levels, but its different in the sense that it is not lean in the bass, nor ultra crisp in the highs, which, in my experience, are hallmarks of a true Trainwreck (I've played Fred Zatic's Liverpool and Express). Trainwrecks don't have chokes, but the Snider does... this may be the root of the differences in tone.

It's like a more hi-fi, less boxy 4 input ac-30, with more harmonics and gain. Gets controlled feedback at will with any halfway decent guitar. Can be milkshake thick or articulate, depending on the tone controls. Works best with 4x12 loaded with Celestions, IMO, but a bigger 212 will also yield great results.

Get one!!!

 

[Chuck Snider]

I've had/have versions of the 4-84,2-84,Chicago & California.. The Chi and Cali I have are combos and they are older versions No hi-lo gain switch.. I'd say from memory that the EQ on the 4-84 and 2-84 were more spread out, higher highs for sure. plenty of bottom . The 4 84 is POWERFUL.. has big iron and very complex sounding.lots of areas to utilize as far as gain and harmonics.
the 2 84 is plenty powerful but not as wide range/depth as the 484..
I'm not the best at explaining the differences..
Jeff Snider is very honest and would be the best at that..

My faves are the New Jersey (With EL84s instead of E84L) and the California.
I still have the Chicago which is fantastic but the joisey and Cali do it for me.
BTW my Chi and Cali are both EL84 versions so I can't tell you how the 6V6 versions are.. I think there might even be a EL34 cali as well.
Super reactive,big sounding amps that make most other 1X12 combos in this power range sound like transistor radios.....
The Ducking verb and trem on the Cali is genius!

 

[Maven]

I've owned the Cali and the 484 (I bought Karl's). Great amps, ridiculously touch sensitive and respond incredibly to pick attack and your guitars volume. The Cali has a very scooped midrange thing going on, great for strats. I really dug the 484. I actually had Jeff install a master volume on it. TGP Deependguitar has that amp now and he's looking to sell. If I had the coin I would buy it back, killer amp.

 

[daveS]

Cool everyone thanks... I'm curious how the 284 with non-MV compares to something like a California which has a MV...

 

[studiodunn]

My hands down favorite el84 amps. I had a new jersey, 284 & 484(now) and all were amazing sounding. Crazy good touch sensitivity and the biggest bottom end in any el84 amp I've owned or played. Mr snider also gets a pair of little bottles to be louder than I've ever heard, but they aren't falling apart like they typically can when pushed too hard.

The boost function on my 484 is a perfect lead boost. The amp also absolutely eats pedals. It didn't dig an attenuator, but the amp is way to fun to play to rob it of sensitivity like that.
For what they are selling for they really are a no brainer IMHO.

 

[daveS]

So, I recently got my hands on a 284 in a trade deal. Fired it up briefly and it's a very "hi-fi" sounding amp. Pretty nice low end response for EL84s. It's got that chimey-ness that I've heard with Vox type amps before. When it starts to break up, its a little bit thicker than a Vox type of am (unless you are Brian May ). Incredibly loud and I didn't really get a chance yet to fully open it up yet. Not a huge tone difference at low volumes with the 18 vs 30 setting, but I could tell from playing with the volume knob that it will make more of a difference as you turn it up. Lots of brightness to the amp, especially with the boost engaged. In general it's got a very glassy high fidelity sound that has tremendous high end definition...you can hear every little sound from your fingers running across the strings, etc coming through the amp. It picks up everything. Coupled with that, it has a very tight low end. Probably would be a great chickin' pickin' country amp matched with a good tele. Also sounds fantastic with a strat flipping between the neck and neck+mid positions. I still have some mapping out to do with this amp but its pretty impressive so far.
-d

 

[sunkidd]

Jeff modded a Sovtek Mig 60 for me, years ago, when he had his shop in the San Diego area....
If you want to smooth out a Mig..... he has done the research....

He definitely knows how to build amps...
I used to check them out at "Super Sounds" in Escondido.....

 

[daveS]

Jeff modded a Sovtek Mig 60 for me, years ago, when he had his shop in the San Diego area....
If you want to smooth out a Mig..... he has done the research....

He definitely knows how to build amps...
I used to check them out at "Super Sounds" in Escondido.....

Thanks for the post. Yeah...it might be nice if Jeff would be willing to install a MV into my 284. I need to find out how to get a hold of him.

 

[Maven]

Thanks for the post. Yeah...it might be nice if Jeff would be willing to install a MV into my 284. I need to find out how to get a hold of him.

He will, he installed a MV on my 484 and it helped alot..it's a loud mofo. Just call Brian at SuperSound Music!

 

[IronPaws]

Yup, call SuperSound Music in escondido, CA. Jeff does all his amp repairs through that shop. He's worked on every amp I've had in recent years.

 

[tylerfreak]

Very good rock amps, super good tone with a nice pleasing organic presence on the top, kinda like a trainwreck maybe? They need a lot of volume though...besides the mojave coyote, these "low wattage" amps are the others that i would say sound huge and LOUD! (keep that in mind if youre in the market, they need a lot of volume to get going); also his 1x12 combo sounds enormous, truly like a 2x12 or 4x12. Vs a coyote they have less midrange and are more of a super huge bottom end and nice sparkling top end.

 

[daveS]

Very good rock amps, super good tone with a nice pleasing organic presence on the top, kinda like a trainwreck maybe? They need a lot of volume though...besides the mojave coyote, these "low wattage" amps are the others that i would say sound huge and LOUD! (keep that in mind if youre in the market, they need a lot of volume to get going); also his 1x12 combo sounds enormous, truly like a 2x12 or 4x12. Vs a coyote they have less midrange and are more of a super huge bottom end and nice sparkling top end.

Cool. I have some custom made amps that were built to emulate TW amps. Of course they are not the same thing as a TW but they were made as an attempt to sound like those amps. Great amps by the way. What I found is that the Snider is similar to them tonewise, but has more low end. It also breaks up sooner than the Express and Pool versions. The tone controls are very responsive on the Snider. I would agree that the Snider sounds like a "big" amp for only being 18/30 Watts. I used to have a Divided by 13 ERT33, and it had a very hi-fi and "big" sound as well, with tons of low end. The Snider kind of reminds me of the ERT. I still need to really open it up to see how it sounds when its cranked

 

[Chuck Snider]

On the subject....
Has anyone here owned/played through any of the 6V6 Heads or combos?..
If so,how do you compare them to the EL84 versions?
I'd sure like to try one of those 6V6 or EL34 Cali versons.
I bet Jeff does a good job squeezing the juice out of a 6V6 duet....

 

[KarlH]

Ive played the 4 6v6 head... it is loud and very clear. It is ultra responsive and has a faster response than the 84 head. The breakup is more defined.... with a strat, it sounds incredible. Like a steel string stinger (singer?) that breaks up!

 

[daveS]

Thread resurrection...

So, I finally took my 284 head to practice for the first time last week. Geez, what a monster amp. It really sat in the mix nicely and has a ton of low end. I just rant it though a little 1X12 D13 cab loaded with a 16ohm Vintage 30. I've gotten used to Fender 6V6 and 6L6 amps over the years, but the Snider 284 was a nice departure.

The Snider is incredibly easy to dial in. The amp is Very loud...I barely had it turned up and that was plenty for me and the band. A MV would be a welcome addition, but I just use the volume on the guitar to tame it. It does not appear to be a super high headroom, clean tone amp, however I was driving it with a Suhr Standard with humbuckers. The cleans are certainly there, but just not Uber-clean pedal palette type...has it's own slighty gritty character (hard to put into words). Next week I'll be taking a Fender Strat to see if the single coils clean it up a bit.

It took to my pedal board nicely too and got some nice OD using the TIM. I didn't notice much tonal difference between the 18W and 30W settings...but maybe some high end tubes would reveal more difference...?? When I first experimented with the "boost" function at home, it seemed like it just made the amp overly bright....but in a band setting, it is great for cutting though the mix and does a great job.

Overall, it seems like you can make this amp approach the sounds of your favorite UK amps like Marshall or Vox, or you can make it sound like your favorite amps from Fullerton .....all with just 3 amp knobs and your guitar controls. Lower volume settings with single coils give a nice glassy clean tone...increase the volume for a more Voxy breakup, hit it with your favorite OD and get some thick Marshallesque tones. It's pretty much all in there if that is what you are looking for.

I've heard some mention of Wreckish tones in this amp. I've never tried a TW so I cannot comment. However, I've tried several TW clone style amps, and I this amp seems darker, has more bottom end, and the tone controls are more responsive that those amps I tried. The resemblance I see is that it gets really loud. The amp actually reminded me the most of a D13 RSA or EDT....it kind of sweeps through the gamut of familiar amp tones as you turn it up, but it truly has its own character.

The other thing about this amp I really like is that it is really light to transport, yet built solid. I'd really like to try a Chicago or California.

Ok, well...as reviews, tone is very subjective and nearly impossible to describe in words. But, with that being said, I think this little Snider 284 is very cool sounding amp.

Cheers
-Dave

 

[Wolfgang von B.]

I own a California and a Chicago combo. Each with 2 x EL84.

They are already plenty loud on the "low" power setting (which yields approx. 18 W), but there is an obvious increase in punch (and an audible change in sonic character and gain structure) going on when switching to "high" power.

Sonically these amps are a dream, and all of the good things mentioned above DO apply (touch sensitivity, sonic spectrum, etc.). They don't sound dry, they sound "juicy", if you know what I mean. Inspiring. They are amps that support the player, not fight against him.

It is difficult for me to imagine clearly better sounding -- and feeling -- overdriven amps than the Sniders. And I own at least a dozen or so really good amps. The best ones sound different, but not better than the Sniders.

Highly recommended!