What Tube Amp Had The Sweetest Clean Tone You Ever Heard?
- Thread starter macrossgeorge
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ubikwidus
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What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
The Jim Kelley '79 non-reverb single channel has the best clean I've heard. 4 6V6s, all original. I have yet to get a tone that was less than shockingly good. I cannot play it too much because then my other amps don't get the love....and don't sound nearly as good.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
The Jim Kelley amplifies how the guitar sounds acoustically. Since I have a great sounding strat that's the sound I get out of the amp. Very round sounding. The amp could be used for bass too and those are tight. The amp has just the right amount of mids and is very much more robust/stout sounding than any fender, be it a tweed, brown, or blackface.....the sensitive tone controls and pull knob functions let you fine tune in/out the highs and lows.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
EVM 12"
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
Reverb now and then but it and any other effect are not needed.
The Jim Kelley '79 non-reverb single channel has the best clean I've heard. 4 6V6s, all original. I have yet to get a tone that was less than shockingly good. I cannot play it too much because then my other amps don't get the love....and don't sound nearly as good.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
The Jim Kelley amplifies how the guitar sounds acoustically. Since I have a great sounding strat that's the sound I get out of the amp. Very round sounding. The amp could be used for bass too and those are tight. The amp has just the right amount of mids and is very much more robust/stout sounding than any fender, be it a tweed, brown, or blackface.....the sensitive tone controls and pull knob functions let you fine tune in/out the highs and lows.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
EVM 12"
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
Reverb now and then but it and any other effect are not needed.
eigentone
Gold Supporting Member
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- 7,455
I'm choosing two.
What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
A good AC30.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
It was compressed, bouncy and rich. You could turn it up and it wasn't harsh or shrill. Transition to breakup is very sweet.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
I own three AC30s. If it has a Normal and a Top Boost channel (as mine all do), then it works well with singles and humbuckers. It works with all of my guitars -- Jazzmasters, Les Pauls, 335s, Teles, Rics, etc. The AC30 is a sweet, midrangey compressed vintage style clean.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
Blues
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
No effects needed.
================================================
What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
Marshall Astoria Classic
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
Very different from the AC30 in some ways. The Astoria is clean and hi-fi with tons of headroom in the preamp. The power amp uses a pair of KT-66 tubes. Like the AC30, there is no negative feedback and it is cathode biased. It's extremely dynamic but it does transition to overdrive very nicely.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
As above.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
I typically use it with a 4x12 with G12H-55s.
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
No effects needed.
There is a third but I am not going to mention it (until after I own one
.)
What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
A good AC30.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
It was compressed, bouncy and rich. You could turn it up and it wasn't harsh or shrill. Transition to breakup is very sweet.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
I own three AC30s. If it has a Normal and a Top Boost channel (as mine all do), then it works well with singles and humbuckers. It works with all of my guitars -- Jazzmasters, Les Pauls, 335s, Teles, Rics, etc. The AC30 is a sweet, midrangey compressed vintage style clean.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
Blues
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
No effects needed.
================================================
What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
Marshall Astoria Classic
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
Very different from the AC30 in some ways. The Astoria is clean and hi-fi with tons of headroom in the preamp. The power amp uses a pair of KT-66 tubes. Like the AC30, there is no negative feedback and it is cathode biased. It's extremely dynamic but it does transition to overdrive very nicely.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
As above.
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
I typically use it with a 4x12 with G12H-55s.
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
No effects needed.
There is a third but I am not going to mention it (until after I own one
.)
Shhpink
Silver Supporting Member
- Messages
- 14
What tube amp had the sweetest clean tone you ever heard?
I have a Mesa California Tweed I just got and it nails it.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
As someone else said, Fender clean "perfected" if there was such a thing. My wife, a good pianist but thinks all guitars and amps are the same, had her world rocked when she first heard the Tweed.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
PRS custom 24 splitting the bridge pickup to single coil
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
1 - 8 Ohm Jensen Blackbird ALNICO
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
I currently use a Friedman BE-OD for overdrive. Nothing else - the stock spring reverb on this thing is also extroardinary.
I have a Mesa California Tweed I just got and it nails it.
Describe the sweetness of the tone and what you liked about it.
As someone else said, Fender clean "perfected" if there was such a thing. My wife, a good pianist but thinks all guitars and amps are the same, had her world rocked when she first heard the Tweed.
What guitar were you using and what kind of pickups? (or the player if it was not you playing)
PRS custom 24 splitting the bridge pickup to single coil
What speakers were being used in or with the amp?
1 - 8 Ohm Jensen Blackbird ALNICO
Were there effects or was it just the amp/guitar?
I currently use a Friedman BE-OD for overdrive. Nothing else - the stock spring reverb on this thing is also extroardinary.
BraveHeart
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wrathfuldeity
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Little oddball recordplayer conversion. Circa 1950's Bogan VP12 with slight voice mod; se6L6, 5y3 and pre 6au6. Its like a Princeton NR on steroids.
Sweet: Bell like, think of a faire plucking the strings of a heavenly harp that soothes the raging mythical beast. The magic is about 2.5-3 on the dial or at 7-8 is a very nice smooth grind with compression and bloom.
Play with heavily modded low wind single coil strat and tele mia Peavey's.
With the old small PM 12" Jensen or with diy oversized cab with a 12" 25watt big alnico from an Ampeg J20.
No effects...but when they are used, it also sounds good
Sweet: Bell like, think of a faire plucking the strings of a heavenly harp that soothes the raging mythical beast. The magic is about 2.5-3 on the dial or at 7-8 is a very nice smooth grind with compression and bloom.
Play with heavily modded low wind single coil strat and tele mia Peavey's.
With the old small PM 12" Jensen or with diy oversized cab with a 12" 25watt big alnico from an Ampeg J20.
No effects...but when they are used, it also sounds good
Voodoo Soul Blues
Gold Supporting Member
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- 1,120
Victoria 20112.....Fantastic sounding amp!
1959HW Marshall with a Master Volume (pre phase inverter but after the EQ) up about 50-70%. 2x12c StoneAge cab w/Alnico 90watt Cream speakers, '59 Les Paul w/Custombuckers pickups. Using the Neck pickup with guitar volume around 7. Better clean than the '64 Fender Hand-wired I owned. Just a solid clear sounding clean with all the lows, mids, and highs without any overpowering frequencies. This sound was the catalyst that got me to sell all my other amps. Sprinkle a little verb or delay for icing on the cake.
TRGuy
Member
- Messages
- 2,377
My Alessandro AZZ.
For those unfamiliar with it, it started it's life as a Steel String Singer clone (SSS 4 I believe) but George Alessandro (who is a genius on the level of any great amp builder) evolved the circuit to create a sweeter breakup. It is, essentially, a SSS/Super Reverb hybrid.
My model is wired with audio grade silver, one of only two that George has wired with silver, the other belongs to Derek Trucks. I bought a headshell from Alessandro and converted it, but the combo was made from wood from the same tree as Susan Tedeschi's AZZ combo.
It's the most stunning tone in the world. Touch sensitive beyond belief, loads of high end, incredibly "delicate" but with a robust low end, has to be heard to be believed really.
For those unfamiliar with it, it started it's life as a Steel String Singer clone (SSS 4 I believe) but George Alessandro (who is a genius on the level of any great amp builder) evolved the circuit to create a sweeter breakup. It is, essentially, a SSS/Super Reverb hybrid.
My model is wired with audio grade silver, one of only two that George has wired with silver, the other belongs to Derek Trucks. I bought a headshell from Alessandro and converted it, but the combo was made from wood from the same tree as Susan Tedeschi's AZZ combo.
It's the most stunning tone in the world. Touch sensitive beyond belief, loads of high end, incredibly "delicate" but with a robust low end, has to be heard to be believed really.
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A friend has a GH30R head very versatile amp. Very cool amp, indeed.
bigfoamfinger
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- 1,960
Two Rock Traditional Clean
Steviecaster
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A Blackface Super Reverb with my Strat. It has some really low output 60's pickups by Q_Pickups.
2nd would be that same Strat through a 59 Bassman. Through Greenbacks.
2nd would be that same Strat through a 59 Bassman. Through Greenbacks.
BillyJacked
Active Member
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- 27
I'll let you know after I find one again.The goto is a Fender Blackface, for higher volumes....for at home 3d sparkle at low volumes it's a.....
shredtrash
Gold Supporting Member
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Blackface Super Reverb
Dr. Z Maz Jr.
Dr. Z Maz Jr.
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