Your favorite tweed or tweed-style amp?

[Stephen Landry]

What's everyone's recommendation for something in the tweed vein? I've never owned a true tweed amp (though I'm not specifically looking for a clone, just something from the same lineage). I want something that has the really fat and gorgeous clean tones and the fat overdrive associated with tweeds (though on the smooth side of overdrive, not the rougher, rattier stuff). Is something like a specific Clark or Victoria model my best bet, vintage, or something else completely? Head or combo is fine, and lets not worry about price for now.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GAT]

I love my Sex Amp, tweed tone, but more. Incredible clean tone and great lead tone. More of a modern, less ratty type of tweed tone.

 

[gregc]

Clark's Beaufort, a Tweed DeLuxe repro gets high marks from me. I also like Fenders Tweed Twin repro that recently came out. Both of those are sweet when your need is for tweed.
gregc

 

[Jim Collins]

I favor either a tweed Deluxe or a tweed Super.

 

[SuperReverb2]

+1 for the Fender 57 Tweed Twin. I've had mine since early January and it has satisfied ALL of my "Tweed" needs and then some. As I use mine primarily with humbuckers, I have re-tubed with NOS RCA 12AY7 preamp tubes (first three positions) which has allowed me more clean headroom vs volume, over the stock 12AX7 pre amp tubes.

GREAT amp.

Chuck

 

[SuperSoundMusic]

Actually, there isn't a Tweed Amp that I don't like. If I had to pick one I'd go for the Twin.

For Retro-Tweed I really like the Sewell Classic amplifiers. The Sewell amps hit the Sweet Spots nice and early and only sound better as they get louder. They aren't an exact copy of a Tweed amp but have the vibe and flavor. A bit more honkin' low end and overdrive.

Victoria's Double Deluxe amp is really cool too. I also had one of their Retro-Bandmaster amps but was not overly impressed.

 

[decay-o-caster]

Grab the nearest Adam Stark you can get your hands on. My Xray is just lovely, especially with a 12AY7 in the PI slot. Eagerly awaiting a Fire Amp that I bought in a moment of weakness, also have a Sex Amp as mentioned above. All are just yummy.

Adam Stark Amps - collect the whole set!!!

 

[MojoHand]

I’m with SuperSoundMusic: never met a Tweed I didn't like. For “fat and gorgeous clean tones and fat overdrive” I'd say a 5F6-A Bassman can't be beat. Supposedly, the reissue sounds pretty good, but it's not really the same amp. If you can find someone to build you a good quality point-to-point clone, that'd be my top choice.

 

[BFC]

I'm a big fan of the Clark Beaufort with a Celestion Blue and a set of Visseaux 6V6GTs. Wish I still had that one.

 

[BobbyRay]

Tough call. Some will say new amps aren't much like "Real" tweeds.

Not identical I agree, but close enough. As close as one real one is to another.

That being said, I like the Tweed Twin from Fender. Bang for buck it's a good value over some of the boutiques. I had a Vicky Double Deluxe, and it was great at what it did. It was definitley rattier, in a good way, to my ear than the twin. I absolutely loved the Clark Tyger, but if smooth and tweed are your requirements, it's a little grittier. I believe that is due to the 10's for speakers.

If money isn't an object...Contact Michael Clark as soon as possible. Have him start on a Lo Po Twin, and don't look back.

 

[Tag]

BRUNO TWEEDY PIE 35

The most amazing tweed sound I have ever heard. It TROUNCED the Victoria, which I always loved. Maybe the most impressive of all the Bruno amps.

 

[SuperSoundMusic]

Originally posted by Tag
BRUNO TWEEDY PIE 35

The most amazing tweed sound I have ever heard. It TROUNCED the Victoria, which I always loved. Maybe the most impressive of all the Bruno amps.

That is the coolest model name I have ever heard.

 

[GuitarNorton]

Originally posted by BFC
I'm a big fan of the Clark Beaufort with a Celestion Blue and a set of Visseaux 6V6GTs. Wish I still had that one.

I can definitly relate to that. I had Beaufort #5 and sold it. Absolutely one of the dumbest things I have done in my life! It taught me a lesson though, I've never sold any piece of equipment I like to fund my gas for something else since then. I did have the foresight to buy 3 matched sets of the Visseaux 6v6GT's before they were gone, love those tubes! Some day I will have another Beaufort to put them in! A Beaufort may be my next amp purchase, or maybe a Clark JMP-50 to go with my Clark MTC-45 I'd like to have an Echelon to if Barber makes some more of them. Think I could be satisfied with those four amps. Well for awhile

 

[MVrider]

Since you don't like the "rattier" sounding tweeds, you'll probably want to stay away from all the low-power tweeds (Deluxe, Princeton, Tremolux, etc.) and look for a late '50's tweed 6L6 amp or clone. Generally speaking, the 6L6 tweeds fall into two general categories based on pre-amp circuitry.

The first group is comprised of the Super/Pro/Bandmaster/Low-power Twin amps. For the first three, the differences are largely a matter of speaker configuration. 2x10 in the Super, 3x10 in the Bandmaster or 1x15 in the Pro. The Low-Power Twin has slightly more power than the others and 2x12 speakers. But, due to the pre-amp design and some other design features, even those amps are too "ratty" for some.

The cleanest of the tweeds are the 4x10 Bassman and the 2x12 High-Power Twin. The Bassman is the one that started the clone revolution and for many, it's still the ultimate tweed.

The High-Power Twin has the same pre-amp circuit as the Bassman but a High-Power Twin clone with a high/low power switch gives you added flexibility in power output.

Also, the OT of the HP Twin gives more flexibility in terms of speaker choice as it wants to see 4-ohms in HP mode and 8-ohms in LP mode.

Unfortunately, the HP Twins - originals and clones - are so rare most have never even seen one, much less played one. IMO, they are the best of all the tweeds. HTH

 

[MojoHand]

Originally posted by MVrider

The High-Power Twin has the same pre-amp circuit as the Bassman but a High-Power Twin clone with a high/low power switch gives you added flexibility in power output.

That's a mod, right? There was no high/low power switch on the original amp. Darn good idea, though. How does it work? Sounds like it just switches out two of the power tubes. Where did you see this?

 

[MVrider]

Originally posted by MojoHand
That's a mod, right? There was no high/low power switch on the original amp. Darn good idea, though. How does it work? Sounds like it just switches out two of the power tubes. Where did you see this?

That's right, it's not part of the original circuit. It switches two of the four tubes on or off. Victoria offers it as an option using a three-way switch (high/standby/low) in place of the standby/on switch. I'm sure it can be done by any decent clone builder or a good tech can retrofit it if you've got a Twin.

Playing outdoors or want LOADS of headroom? Turn 'em on. For lower volumes, turn 'em off. Like a tweed Bassman, you can "jumper" the channels on the HP Twin for earlier breakup and more dirt.

IMO, not just the most toneful of the tweeds but the most versatile as well. From sweet, clean and warm chordal jazz to rauchy roadhouse rockin' all in one box.

 

[Killa-B]

I love the Kendrick tweed sound.

My favorite would be the 4212 or high power twin model. It has a wonderful clean tone with tons of punch that only 4 bottle amps will provide. The overdrive is extremely smooth and musical, and gets into marshall territory with the extra gain stage pushed.

The K-Spot amp, which is one of the new designs, is a total ass-kicker in the 35W class. It may be the most versatile single channel combo amp I've played. It doesn't have many knobs or "features", but every tone I need is there in spades, and most are available by your guitar volume and technique. It's a player's amp all the way. It feels great to plug into this amp, forget all the pedals, and get an inspiring tone right from the start. The Kendrick reverb can't be touched, it's very different and doesn't screw with the base tone or distort at high volume.

I really like Clark amps, and Victorias. I would love to give one of the Bruno tweeds a go also. Tweed is my favorite color

 

[drbob1]

I, too, would divide them into groups:

1. 6V6-little clean overhead, sweet distortion, some have a nice trem, relatively inexpensive (the brown Princeton is a tweed Tremolux, and sells for less than $800).

2. HIgh power models-these usuall have EQ with b/m/t/p, they are capable of loud cleans and take pedals well. They do distort very nicely on their own but you have to have them cranked pretty good. NOT basement or small gig amps.

3. Mid-power. On the low end the Pro/Super/Bandmaster put out about 35w and start to break up very nicely at small gig levels. The cleans are sweet but not clinical. The LPTT is sort of a mid-point between #2 and #3, it's definitely louder and harder hitting than the other 3.

In the end I kept my Bandmaster clone (although I've played and loved some Supers and Pros at Daves, I've never pulled the trigger) and my Tremolux and Deluxe. I kept a Bassman because it's the quintessential rock amp but I don't play it much (too loud for the basement). I no longer have the LPTT clone, Deluxe clone or Super clone. BTW, there's a very nice early "V" front Super at Dave's right now for a really good price!

 

[bbarnard]

Point Blank Tweed Deluxe (now known as the Blankenship Fatboy).

www.blankenshipamps.com

 

[Robboman]

Originally posted by Tag
BRUNO TWEEDY PIE 35

The most amazing tweed sound I have ever heard. It TROUNCED the Victoria, which I always loved. Maybe the most impressive of all the Bruno amps.

Yeah, but how can he build maybe the ultimate tweed amp, call it Tweedy Pie and not even cover it with tweed?

I think those bowling shirt blues Nazis would have a problem with this one