Favorite SS amp for cleans/pedals?

[Justinm1789]

Here they are, together at last - My Yamaha G50-210 version I and Yamaha G100-210 version 3.

Just ordered a buffered/isolated splitter, so I'll be able to use them both in tandem without any problems.

[$harkToootth]

I'm finding myself gassing for Line 6 Spider IIIs lately. They're cheap and apparently indestructible. One reviewer said he has had one for 10 years and left it outside in the rain a few times and it still works perfectly:lol:

[alexsga]

Traynor Monoblock

[benjuro]

Ampeg G-212. 120 watts (and a 120 pounds) of clean heaven. Dimed, the only thing that distorts is my brain. Takes pedals really well too. I swapped out the original Eminence speakers for Texas Heats, just to give it some character. If you find one cheap, snag it.

I've had a few of these, in head and 4x10 combo form. Ampeg used the same chassis across a bunch of versions, and they sound decent but unfortunately don't seem to hold up well. I blew both up. My tech politely told me they're good for bedroom amps and not meant for the volume I was playing them at...at the time one died, it was part of a bi-amp rig where my V4 was doing the heavy lifting.

I dig my Sunns, blending channels on the Beta can be pretty incredible, but I can't imagine paying the prices they're fetching now. Fucking crazy town.

[rfurtkamp]

The Sunn SS stuff is hell to find a repairperson on as well when they go bad, and there aren't schems for some of them.

[crochambeau]

The Sunn SS stuff is hell to find a repairperson on as well when they go bad, and there aren't schems for some of them.

Same goes for Acoustic amplifiers, I think Sunn at least had the decency to use a standard topology.

[rfurtkamp]

Nope...some of it's not standard.

I had connections with Fender's person who'd been at Sunn since the 70s at the time and they had no records of the amps I was trying to get fixed.

If it's not one of the "big name" Betas or Colosseums etc...there's not much out there on the SS ones.

[crochambeau]

Nope...some of it's not standard.

Ah, gotta love the discrete high power designers. Guess I'm not surprised, I must be thinking of the tubed stuff as largely rooted in well rounded topologies. Solid state invited unprecedented experimentation that did not require expensive parts.

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, I loved my Solos II but when it died, it became a donor 2x12 cab for a friend.

There was no saving the thing, I even had the factory footswitch for it (wired in typical crazy Sunn fashion to their own dual RCA spacing plugs).

[mathias]

Did they ever make a Champ-sized Lab Series? Is there anything else in that size that's SS and sounds good?

[HeavyXIII]

I'm finding myself gassing for Line 6 Spider IIIs lately. They're cheap and apparently indestructible. One reviewer said he has had one for 10 years and left it outside in the rain a few times and it still works perfectly:lol:

I dusted off mine after loaning it to my dad for his MP3 player in their garage. Sat in high heat, moisture and humidity for the better part of 6 years. Never actually sat in the rain... that I know of.

I wasn't big on distortion pedals when I first started playing guitar, and apparently never played clean. The crunch channel (supposed JMP/JTM model) is what I'm using now, and it works surprisingly well when I'm at home and not running into my semi-crunchy Laneys. I do find the EQ to be rather finicky, with basically one useful home setting. I recall the clean channel being relatively nice, if a bit bright. I also recall the direct out sound not being super friendly with OD/distortion/fuzz, especially loud ones. Managed to dial out the shittiness a bit with the EQ, but I imagine there are a lot of other options by now that do the headphones/direct out thing better.

That said, I wouldn't go searching one out unless you found one for under $100 dollars. I remember when there was a time when you couldn't give these away. Maybe you still can't.

[$harkToootth]

Thanks for the info. I usually see them on craigslist for a two-fer. If you buy the guitar you get a line 6 spider too

[Gone Fission]

Did they ever make a Champ-sized Lab Series? Is there anything else in that size that's SS and sounds good?

ZT Lunchbox and Lunchbox Jr. are small and good. For bargains from yesteryear, Yamaha JX amps came in a bunch of lower watt versions and do good Fender reverb amp tones on teh cheaps.