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Dang it, man. You're making this decision harder!

Arcane wrote:The Bassman is nothing like the Twin or the DR.

Try a Bassman and a Traynor if you can find them. I dig 'em both. The Ampeg is also a great amp - if you are into relying on your pedals - but they are harder to get and more expensive generally. The Traynor is an amazing bang-for-buck rig.

luvs me some sovtek. midget 50 for guitar, mig100b for bass. was totally lucky landing all of these via craigs. (also have the logo for the midget, took it off back when i had a two piece band & we covered / removed everything's labels.)

[quote="osbornkt"]Damn. Enough knobs, Carvin? It sounds like it may be pretty darn good, though! I'll have to look more into that.
Have you looked at the new Traynor Darkhorse 40w? It sounds like it may have something going for it as well./quote]
Honestly, the darkhorse is awful.
The other guitar player in my band has one, and it sounded good for the first 6 months, but since then it's been giving him a lot of problems, and he's had it repaired probably 3 or 4 times since then.
He's selling it now and I do not recommend them to anyone.
They're best feature is the price, and even then the price isn't THAT great.
Maybe someone else different experiences with them, but it sounded brittle, and lifeless to me most of the time.

Sweet! What's reasonable for a Mig50 in recently serviced shape? I know a guy who's selling for $500...
This is where dealing only in obscure, ancient PA amps for the last couple years has really bit me. I have no clue any modern amp values

space6oy wrote:luvs me some sovtek. midget 50 for guitar, mig100b for bass. was totally lucky landing all of these via craigs. (also have the logo for the midget, took it off back when i had a two piece band & we covered / removed everything's labels.)

Yikes. I'll avoid that sucker, then. I've got 99 problems and a Darkhorse won't be one of them!

Fuzzy Picklez wrote:

osbornkt wrote:Damn. Enough knobs, Carvin? It sounds like it may be pretty darn good, though! I'll have to look more into that.
Have you looked at the new Traynor Darkhorse 40w? It sounds like it may have something going for it as well./quote]
Honestly, the darkhorse is awful.
The other guitar player in my band has one, and it sounded good for the first 6 months, but since then it's been giving him a lot of problems, and he's had it repaired probably 3 or 4 times since then.
He's selling it now and I do not recommend them to anyone.
They're best feature is the price, and even then the price isn't THAT great.
Maybe someone else different experiences with them, but it sounded brittle, and lifeless to me most of the time.

500 is basically market value for anything with the Sovtek name now.

Good that it's been recently serviced--the build quality from amp to amp is one of their biggest potential drawbacks.

Egnater FTW

The Mig 50 is a nice mid-gain amp but definitely dark sounding. Would probably be pretty cool if you were playing single coils. I don't know how clean you plan on playing but I'm a bit unsure of the headroom on those. You can't really go wrong though and it'd probably be easy to flip if need be. I hate to do it but you should look at Traynor Bassmasters too. Also based off of the Bassman circuit so you find them modded to Plexi specs which is sad. But can get sweet crunch, wooly darkness or nice cleans- it's up to you. I'd even be on the lookout for a YGM-1 if you can find one as they tend to sell for less than a Bassmaster, are less hyped and have reverb. Similar but different circuit.

Some great suggestions here, ultimately you probably have to do some listening and narrow it down.
I have and love an Ampeg V2, which takes pedals like a champ and sounds downright gorgeous, but prices are getting a little silly.
I've had friends who were traynor fans, and I remember they sound pretty awesome but ran into problems sourcing some tubes and components? Maybe a bad tech.
Always been intrigued by the Sovteks, they seem to be fetching a bunch of money now too. Maybe it's my time with one too many BMPs but I would worry a little about the inconsistent build quality.
Bassman is a classic, sounds great, and is a circuit that many new favorites owe a lot to...again, not always reasonably priced, but can be had in the range you're talking about.

Second for YGM-1. The one I played (but never owned) was really nice.

benjuro wrote:
I've had friends who were traynor fans, and I remember they sound pretty awesome but ran into problems sourcing some tubes and components? Maybe a bad tech.

Besides the killer Hammond iron, there is nothing in a Traynor that is hard to find/replace. If the Hammond transformer needs to be or has been replaced move on to the next amp.

I can vouch for the Sovtek Bassov Blues Boy. Mine sits atop a Musicman 118RH cab and that combo just destroys!
I run my ECG, my Tele, and my 4003 through it, and it gets huge, rich lows and sweet, round highs like no other amp I own.

This goes somewhat against what you are saying from your experience, but I actually prefer my fenders for their mids/lows. Too many people leave the bright switch on which make it sound soooo shrill and yes, trebly. That being said I have a '68 bassman as well as a '68 Super. '68's are my favorite, because I like he silver face cosmetics, especially the drip edge which is exclusive to that year, plus mine have the black face circuits so win/win. however more important is the sound. I run my bassman through a fender 2x12 and it has a great deep sound, take pedals great, and doesn't start breaking up until around 6, but when it does its more of a smooth/creamy OD than it is a crunch. I got my bassman is relatively great condition last year for $479, so they can be had for a great price, sort of an unsung hero of fender amps and a great place to start. That being said my super is a whole other story, I loooove the 4x10 config. It hold the mids and lows TIGHT, I prefer it more for my darker playing.

I have also ran my bassman through a 1x15 and it sounds real pleasant, bu I think a 2x12 is it's sweet spot.

That's good to know. I'll be trying one out soon, hopefully. I'm running whatever I get through a 1x12 I made and am quite fond of, so that's going to remain the case (at least for a while)!

Psyre wrote:This goes somewhat against what you are saying from your experience, but I actually prefer my fenders for their mids/lows. Too many people leave the bright switch on which make it sound soooo shrill and yes, trebly. That being said I have a '68 bassman as well as a '68 Super. '68's are my favorite, because I like he silver face cosmetics, especially the drip edge which is exclusive to that year, plus mine have the black face circuits so win/win. however more important is the sound. I run my bassman through a fender 2x12 and it has a great deep sound, take pedals great, and doesn't start breaking up until around 6, but when it does its more of a smooth/creamy OD than it is a crunch. I got my bassman is relatively great condition last year for $479, so they can be had for a great price, sort of an unsung hero of fender amps and a great place to start. That being said my super is a whole other story, I loooove the 4x10 config. It hold the mids and lows TIGHT, I prefer it more for my darker playing.

I have also ran my bassman through a 1x15 and it sounds real pleasant, bu I think a 2x12 is it's sweet spot.

Arcane wrote:

benjuro wrote:
I've had friends who were traynor fans, and I remember they sound pretty awesome but ran into problems sourcing some tubes and components? Maybe a bad tech.

Besides the killer Hammond iron, there is nothing in a Traynor that is hard to find/replace. If the Hammond transformer needs to be or has been replaced move on to the next amp.

Uggh. And he convinced a buddy to sell one due to the availability of parts...time to find a new tech