Amplifier Recommendations

[Jack Kennedy]

Hello Robin people,
So your in a fix , can't decide which amp you want :-) You want hand made , no circuit boards , but don't or can't pay those high end prices.
Two Answers :
A)Allessandro Working Dog series
Or
B)Butler Amplification in Eaton
Rapids MI ( 517-663-8305 )
" Max Butler "


The Working Dog series of amplifiers are a very reasonably priced amps with a good variety of tones and wattage.

Max Butler in Eaton Rapids Michigan ( 517-663-8305 ). Builds hand made amplifiers ( been doing it for over 20 years ) Very affordable and great sounding. No B.S. from this guy or his amps. Highly recommended !!

For further details see Harmonycentral reviews ( AKA- Idiotcentral.com ) :-)

thankyou,
"Blue Lightning"
Jack Kennedy

[Kane Miller]

Here's two more answers:

DrZamps.com

Germinoamps.com

I own both, and can highly recommend them. Both were bought for less than $2k

Kane

[Kane Miller]

Less than 2k each, that is.

[Burnsy]

I just picked up a Dr.Z 2x10 Z28. This is such a great sounding and powerful little amp, it's not even funny.

I just brought it to a jam with a lot of higher powered amps. The only amp that could keep up with it was a real '59 tweed twin. The Tone King continental was drown out by it, and sounded very thin, comparatively.

For a $1399 amp, I couldn't have gone wrong. I can't wait to gig it.

[Jack Kennedy]

Hi,
I have never tried the Germino Masonette 25 , but from what I have heard it is really good. The Dr. Z (Z-28) is a really nice amplifier. The name "Peavey" gets praised and bashed by people. However , the Delta Blues is a really nice class "A" type amp that many people really like. I have a Bad Cat Hot Cat 15 Combo , sometimes I think the glow in the dark eyes are a bit much .
Blue Lightning

[John Williams]

The Delta Blues,and the Classic 30 are both ery under-rated little tube amps.Peavey makes decent utility grade amps that seem to work forever,and ever.You can get either one of those 2 models at any given time on ebay cheap.Still saving my money to try to get Dr.Z to allow me to sell their fine products at my store though.They don't seem to want any more dealers in my area,although the nearest other one is 40 minutes away.Oh Well

[Scott S]

how about the older Traynor amps like the YSR-1 reverbmaster or the YBA-1A? Both can be found under $400.00. Point to point wiring, loud as hell, affordable. That's what I'm talking about.

[Kane Miller]

I've had a Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr. for a few years, but just got my new Z-28 yesterday.

All I can say is "WOW!" What a killer little amp. I got the 1x12 combo, and now I can't wait to get it onstage! It's sounds fantastic!

[Kane Miller]

I've had a Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr. for a few years, but just got my new Z-28 yesterday.

All I can say is "WOW!" What a killer little amp. I got the 1x12 combo, and now I can't wait to get it onstage! It sounds fantastic!

[Smitty]

What speaker is in your Z28 1x12? I have one with the Celestion Blue...

I'm a big fan of all the Z stuff. Ghias are more fun per pound than the law allows.

Texasdave

[Kane Miller]

It's got a Celestion G12M Here's my amp Harem: http://community.webshots.com/photo/122906850/225248844xoSDSw

[Jack Kennedy]

Hello Robin,
One of my 1st attempts at impressing our neighbors with an amplified guitar consisted of a Pignose with an MXR distortion both on full tilt out my screen window. It was just adolescent hormones contributing too stupidity... Hell, it sounded just like Frank Zappa tones.
One of the coolest , if not dangerous ( don't try this one , you have been warned !!) Was my neighbor and I ripping the guts out of an old tube television and using it as a guitar amplifier. It had this old little 3 inch speaker hooked up too it and combined with a Fender blender it just F---- Screamed !!!!
The real problem was we never did get it grounded properly ! Every once in a while you would get this horrific electrical JOLT !! It was a real attention getter ( Son , some where along the line your moma had an affair with a retarded man , cause there is no way you came from my Loines !!)
Just a few funnys from back in the amplifier hunting days when I was young . Please don't do anything like this yourself. Real Stupid !!
Hope it brings a Laugh though...
thankyou,
Jack Kennedy
Blue Lightning

[Ken Smith]

And the BEST answer IMO http://robinlovers.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif is build your own Tweed Deluxe. Not that hard to do, very cost effective, and rarely equalled in the tone department. My Rangers just kill through that thing. Another good choice is the Matchless Lightning . Quite different but eminently cool. You can build either of these for less than 400 bux, if you shop carefully, and both have a wealth of construction resources available for the newbie.

But a warning, taking this approach is addictive. I only "thought" I needed one amp. Then I started building them, and now I have 4!

[Jack Kennedy]

A new amp that has caught my ears is the Fargon " BASTAGE " . A low wattage Head that is built really well . Does not seem to be too overpriced like the smaller Mini Cats and various other companys. Don't get me wrong they are nice amps but OUCH $$!!!
What someone needs to present to us is a nice smaller watt amp ( 6-18wts) with a pseudo Class "A" circuit , handwired.With the right circuit board, it could be built that way and remain reliable.. A volume & tone control run thru a 12in speaker. A head version or combo.
Something without all the fancy coverings , a working mans wood utilized in the cab/head with just your basic tolex.
A "Shut up & Play your guitar" amp. If you need more diversity , just throw down a few pedals. That would be a cool amp for a lot of us , once we got beyond some one overpricing it and all the pseudo hype.
Jack Kennedy
Blue lightning

[Smitty]

Dr. Z Carmen Ghia 1x12 combo. Huge 18 watts $1199
Dr. Z "Mini Z" $699. SCREAMER.

Smitty

[Jack Kennedy]

Carvin Sweet 16 , a nice amp for about $400 bones, throw yourself in a nice Robin Semi Hollow body and you are doing fine.
Blue Lightning

[Douglas W. Irwin]

I have a Dr Z 38w Senior with 2 10's , one of the best amps for the money!

[charles e. heard jr.]

i'm stuck on VHT pittbull 45's myself (if i can get another, somebody can have my gretsch orange big apple strat)........however, I think the time is right for a "ROBIN" amp! can i get somebuddy to second that motion?

[coty davis]

aye aye to that!!!!

[Jan T]

I´ll toss in my own personal favorite:

http://www.dirtyamps.com
(Site is in the making, should be fully up next week)...Here´s pics of my two dirty´s - The purple one is a 30/15W switchable dual channel top boost, the green one is a 5W single channel class A top boost.
http://www.swedenblue.com/dirty/bilder/Dirty%2030W%20TopBoost-EF86%20frontpanel._700.jpg

http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/1309.jpg

[DCWalters]

Anyone out there ever tried the Roccaforte amps, in particular the Custom 40? I am looking for a new amp and ran across these, but don't know much about them and I don't want to spend an arm and a leg...thanks!

[Jack Kennedy]

Hello Darren,
I think you are on the right track with Roccaforte ... try getting on the amplifiers makers website for more information ( I did and it is very complete). There is also a Custom 40 review on Harmonycentral , the content is well put and thought out. Most of the reviews I have read about Roccaforte are excellent. There are even a few dealers that sell Roccaforte on Robins website. I hope this helps you out some , you have likely already done these things already. Keep us posted at the Robin Forum and I extend a Robin welcome too you...
Thankyou,
Jack Kennedy
Blue Lightning

[Vincent Craig]

Darren:

Great amp. I'm partial to my 6L6 equipped Bogner Shiva Head. More versatile, especially with the volume boost mod ( acts like a 3 channel amp!). Great cleans, lush reverb, outstanding crunch. Like a fender and marshall in 1 at 60 watts. I have yet to find a better amp...2K...but worth every penny.

[Jack Kennedy]

Hello Amp searchers,
Yeah, the Bonger Shiva is a really beautiful sounding amp . Both channels sound extremely nice which is unusual for a two channel amp . The Shivas gain channel is just great,takes you into Michael Schenker tone and you just want too play and play. The harmonics are just unreal.
Darren , if you are looking for a high gain amp you should take a look at some of the peavey models. I am not kidding man,the Joe Satriani Amp is really killer , or try the Triple XXX , or even the 5150.
I have been really impressed with Peavey over the last few years . They make a Delta Blues amp with EL 84s that just sings for all the Blues players. Its nicknamed " The Workingmans Matchless " .
If you would like a Marshall Amp, Try Max Butler at the top of this page on my first post. I have a Bad Cat Hot Cat 15 Combo .
Everyone have a nice weekend...
Blue Lightning

[Daryl M]

I dig Max Butler's amps. Extremely low production and Max will tweak the beejesus out of it until your happy with the final production. Go for it.

[Mark Robertson]

Carr Mercury.
http://www.carramps.com/carrframeset.html

[Johnny Kennedy]

Hey everyone,
I recently checked out the new Epiphone Junior 5 watt , El84 , 8in speaker combo . These are monster little amps at a great price point . Throw down a pedal board for some variety and you are good to go. You will be amazed !!

[Vincent Craig]

I'll chime in as well. I own quite a few amps, and my personal fav is a Bogner Shiva. It does use a cirucit board, however they are designed to Reinhold Bogner's exact specs, and the rest of the amp is hand made. Most amp techs will tell you that a good circut board amp will sound as good as point to point wired amps, and are easier to repair. My Shiva has two independent reverb controls, and a solo boost. The clean channel is every bit as good as my 66 Super Reverb, and the overdrive channel is better than any Marshall I have. Also, you can have added an adjustable solo boost which is key. I play gigs now with just that amp, either using a 1 x 12 or 2 x 12. This rig screams. You can get em used in perfect shape from ebay for about 1400, and new for 2100 or so. No need for gain pedals, just plug and play. This amp especially likes the Rio Grande humbuckers and single coils.

[William Colin Novelli]

Hello everybody,
You guys have suggested a lot of great amps, Im just trying to figure out which ones right for me. Basically Im lookin for somethin thats not to expensive and not to big either. Preferably around 20-50 wats..somethin like that.. Im basically just looking for an amp that would be great to play pedals through, and is basically straight forward, and not some complicated digital amp that confuses my head. Any of these amps be good for that? Or any other ideas? Also I'd prefer to keep the price under 1k if thats possible :P
Thanks, Colin

[BCRGreg]

http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/1935.jpg

The new Kustom 36 Coupe ROCKS. I just got a black one in and I will be using it Saturday nite at the gig.

Designed by James Brown(formerly Peavey amp guru....5150, JSX, etc.....)

[Burnsy]

William - what kind of music do you play? That would help to give a good recommendation.

[William Colin Novelli]

Currently Im a Jazz Major at UNT..so mostly Jazz but also Blues and rock, but sometimes I just have to crank it up and wail :P

[DCWalters]

I took the plunge and bought a new amp, well new to me anyway...I got a 1987 Marshall 2555 Silver Jubilee with a matching 4X12 cabinet. This thing is a monster!!! The tone is unreal, and I love the power switch option for either 50 or 100 watts. I think I found my sound!!! Now I just need a Les Paul...just kidding my Avalon screams through it.

[Smitty]

Watch for a Dr. Z Maz Jr 2x10. "18 watts" but louder than my old Pro Reverb...

Y'all have a good evening

Smitty

[Jeff Strittmatter]

Mmmmm....Zzzzz....Tasty!

[David]

Well my favorite setup is as follows: Guitar>home brew passive a/b box A=Peterson strobe tuner.B>Kendrick Reverb>Kendrick ABC splitter A>Bright Ch.Kendrick 4212.B>EH Memoryman>Bright Ch.Kendrick 2410.C>1960 Fender Vibrosonic w/JBL D130. I have not found the right fuzz tone yet.http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/2361.jpg

[Brian Presley]

I have a pair of Peavey Classic 50's 2-12". "Clean" amp has 1-Celestion G12M Greenback and 1-Vintage 30. Stock Blue Marvels in the other. A/B box to switch and sometimes run through a Boss GT-8 in stereo. Both find a way through a BBE Sonic Maximizer. The "Clean" mixed Celestion Classic sounds great with just a little hair on it. Both amps are loaded with JJ's max headroom, rock 12AX7 and EL34's. Attenuators get me the big tone I want without blowing out the windows.

Also have an old Soldano 50 and Marshall 100 Lead, using the Marshall 1960 slant w/Greenbacks. The Soldano is one nasty son of a gun. Both are getting rather fragile.

When I'm going for that "guess what the hell I'm using tone", it's a 1950's RCA PA amp that was used to announce boxing matches at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, MO. Matched to the original 12" speaker cab, torn cone and all.

[W. Thomison]

I recently purchased a Fender Custom Shop "Prosonic Amp" that is truly outstanding. This amp absolutely nails a broad range of tones. Designed by Bruce Zinky (Zinky Electronics) when he was with Fender's Custom Shop. Only 250 of these were made and are no longer in production. Clean channel delivers the best classic Fender tones I have ever heard...and folks I've owned many vintage Fender's over the years. High gain channel can match any Boogie, Marshall and frankly ranks right next to my Ecstasy 101b. Rectifier/bias switching allows for class A cathode, A/B grid and even solid-state output. Dual gain controls with the second control acting like a compressor. So impressive it is that I'm seriously considering selling the rest of the herd and finally get the Savoy of my dreams. http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/2365.jpg

[CURT LINGO]

IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A GOOD SOUNDING AMP CHECK
OUT MAX BUTLER OF EATON RAPIDS MI.(517)663-8305
MINE IS A SWAMP AMP WITH A DELUXE TRANSFORMER.
TELE'S AND STRAT'S SOUND BIG AND FAT WITH THAT
CLASSIC SOUND FOR A GREAT SOUND!!!!!

[metalaxe]

i'm playing my medley thru a vht pittbull classic g-100-cl (pre ultralead´).
i've owned alot of amps including several engl (hey, i'm german, what did u think?), mesas (mkIII and "rectumfire"), marshalls (mostly 2203), and alot of other stuff.
i've gotta say i like the pittbull the most, it's a really versatile amp an suits any style perfectly without any compromise.
try it!

but yes, i'd love to hear a robin-amp!!!

[bford]

Ok, I'll vote for my Budda Superdrive 30 Series 1 Head... it's not really cheap, but man it sings... I do want to check out one of those customs though, because they look sweet!

rock
bford

[Brian Presley]

Oh, look what the cat dragged in............

Thunder Tweak Hot-N-Nasty. Painted Plum Crazy Purple to match my 1970 Dodge Superbee. I paired it up with a 2-12" Bassman cab by Armadillo holding a Weber Blue Dog and a Greenback. Getting an aluminum grill welded up for the cab to match the head.
20 watts of hand wired Class A tOne with a big O.

http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/3510.jpg

http://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/3511.jpghttp://robinlovers.com/discus/messages/5/3512.jpg

[bford]

That amp is sweet looking.. I don't love the big hot n' nasty graphic, but hey at least you know what it is!
Cool looking rig for sure! Congrats...