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I just sold my '64 Ampeg Reverberocket combo in favor of getting a head that was a bit more powerful and had some more headroom. Now I've got some cash to spend and have been looking around for something new. I've been told that a Fender Bassman is a great amp, but I'm not much of a Fender guy. I've done the classic Twin Reverb thing, and also played out of a Deluxe Reverb, but neither of them struck me as being right for my sound...Any recommendations on a great tube head that's got 30-50 watts, studio-friendly, and good for touring most of the year?
I'm pretty interested in a Sovtek Mig 50, and stuff in that realm. It would be nice to hear some user input from Sovtek guys.

I would like to hear some input on this as well. Do you play with a lot effects?

Yeah, I run about 12-15 pedals normally.

not sure if you'd be into this, but ive been thinking about getting one of the Carvin V3 micro amps.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/V3M

decent size and its got 3 channels, reverb, 12ax7's and el84's. 50, 22, or 7 watts and direct line out. seems like it has pretty nice eq options for each channel too.

not sure how it well it takes pedals though.

If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals,
I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

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.

delaydecay wrote:not sure if you'd be into this, but ive been thinking about getting one of the Carvin V3 micro amps.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/V3M

decent size and its got 3 channels, reverb, 12ax7's and el84's. 50, 22, or 7 watts and direct line out. seems like it has pretty nice eq options for each channel too.

not sure how it well it takes pedals though.

Yeah, I do love me some Sunn...I guess one thing I'm also taking into consideration is the size of the head. I'd prefer it to be a little less Sunn sized and a bit more on the smaller spectrum. Picky picky...

MEC wrote:If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals,
I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

osbornkt wrote:Yeah, I do love me some Sunn...I guess one thing I'm also taking into consideration is the size of the head. I'd prefer it to be a little less Sunn sized and a bit more on the smaller spectrum. Picky picky...

MEC wrote:If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals,
I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

It's been a long time since I've played through a Sovtek but I have a 200S and what I remember the Sovtek sounded similar to my sunn... minus the crushing lows though...

MEC wrote:If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals,
I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

[/quote]
It's been a long time since I've played through a Sovtek but I have a 200S and what I remember the Sovtek sounded similar to my sunn... minus the crushing lows though...[/quote]
That's good to know. I don't need a lot of crushing lows for my style of playing. Do you remember if it was really dark sounding?

I miss my sovtek 50. I played if to right before its breakup. Wanted to get the master volume mod but never did. I regret ridding myself of it.

MEC wrote:If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals, I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

This is an excellent recommendation.

I would also offer that a Bassman is not your 'typical' Fender amp which are generally known for their excellent clean tone. Some take pedals well while others do not. With the Bassman, you can get a decent clean tone, they take pedals well and you can get great crunch from it. You might want to dig into the differences between the black face and the silver face amps from the late 60s and early 70s versus the later models. There are many changes made throughout the years. You can easily mod them to taste as well.

Some of the Sovtek models are built around the Bassman platform - if I recall correctly the low input is somewhat similar on a few models.

Old Traynor amps (Bass Master, etc) are great too.

For sure. I definitely see the differences between the silver/black face models, as well as the era differences. I just always thought the Fenders I've played through have had too much "sparkle", piercing high, or whatever you want to call it. Maybe I've just not found the right one yet.
The biggest thing with this purchase is that I do have a tight budget and would hope to pick something up in the $600 neighborhood, which is where my attraction to the Sovtek/Traynor models came from.

Arcane wrote:

MEC wrote:If you are looking for an older amp and want to get all your dirt from pedals, I'd suggest an Ampeg B25/B25B or a SUNN 200S/Sorado.

This is an excellent recommendation.

I would also offer that a Bassman is not your 'typical' Fender amp which are generally known for their excellent clean tone. Some take pedals well while others do not. With the Bassman, you can get a decent clean tone, they take pedals well and you can get great crunch from it. You might want to dig into the differences between the black face and the silver face amps from the late 60s and early 70s versus the later models. There are many changes made throughout the years. You can easily mod them to taste as well.

Some of the Sovtek models are built around the Bassman platform - if I recall correctly the low input is somewhat similar on a few models.

Old Traynor amps (Bass Master, etc) are great too.

Hovercraft Dwarvenaut!

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.

The Mig50 is a pretty good bassman style amp. Plays really well with pedals, dark but not unusable for guitar. Gets loud. My old guitarist still has one, and swears by it.