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Post by Leftee on Nov 21, 2022 11:09:20 GMT -5
As I've wander through the amp wilderness I've found some Boutique Amps that seem to deliver a lot of "Boutique" for teh $ in the used market. They're all point-to-point design and quality. I figured maybe this is a worthwhile thread.
1. 65 Amps - I see them priced pretty reasonable (relatively speaking) in the used market. A couple years ago I snagged a Stone Pony combo with a Celestion AlNiCo Cream. I paid $850 for the amp - shipped. It's supposedly a take on old Ampegs as the Stones would have used back in the day. I"m not a Stones afficianoado, so I can't speak to that. It also sports an EF86 which is used in the "Bump" mode. Even the cleans are hot, if that makes sense. This is one of the most touch-sensitive amps I own.
2. Winfield Amps - Also a couple years ago I snagged a minty Winfield Cyclone 1x12 combo. This one came with an AlNiCo Blue installed. The amp is a take on the original AC-15. It has an EF86, 12AX7, a pair of EL84s and a 5AR4 rectifier. It will chime or roar... take your pick. It was this amp that got me thinking that maybe there's something to the EF86 that I'd missed for years.
3. Frenzel - I had a mini Bassman head for a while. It had both a Marshall and a Bassman channel built in. Really well-built! They aren't much to look at, but tone is in the ears. I paid $600 for it. Even new these are around a grand or so.
I'm sure there are more lurking out there. What say you?
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Post by Pinetree on Nov 23, 2022 21:17:32 GMT -5
I don't mean to crap on your thread, but I'm firmly in the "Only a Marshall sounds like a Marshall" camp.
I'm also in the "If it sounds good it is good" camp.
More to your point.. I think that deals are out there, but I never find them. My buddy bought a Bogner Shiva Anniversary combo for a grand, and it's freaking amazing.
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Post by reverendrob on Nov 24, 2022 7:43:25 GMT -5
The only deal on a Bogner I've ever seen was the recent Sweetwater blowout on pedals.
I bought a ton of them!
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Post by Seldom Seen on Nov 24, 2022 15:11:36 GMT -5
I just ordered a Winfield Cyclone head. This after much consideration of all the options regardless of cost. I needed a dead simple, lightweight, EF86/EL84 head that would fill the gap left when I sold my '62 AC10 to a vintage amp dealer and gave my '63 AC30 to a friend. I've always been a Fender guy but I'm amazed at how much I miss the AC10.
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Post by Leftee on Nov 24, 2022 18:29:38 GMT -5
I suspect you’ll be happy with it.
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Post by Vibroluxer on Nov 25, 2022 10:12:51 GMT -5
I just ordered a Winfield Cyclone head. This after much consideration of all the options regardless of cost. I needed a dead simple, lightweight, EF86/EL84 head that would fill the gap left when I sold my '62 AC10 to a vintage amp dealer and gave my '63 AC30 to a friend. I've always been a Fender guy but I'm amazed at how much I miss the AC10. I had one of the 1st Cyclones built. It was a head in a pine cabinet with little wooden designs cut into it and other wooden shapes glued onto it. Definitely was a one of a kind thing and a smoking amp at that. |
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Post by Seldom Seen on Nov 25, 2022 12:11:41 GMT -5
I suspect you’ll be happy with it. At $950 plus shipping I kept looking for the “rub” but couldn’t find it. |
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Post by Jim D. on Nov 26, 2022 11:23:18 GMT -5
Perhaps a bit off the exact topic, but an amp tech I use has two old Bogen PA tube heads he converted to guitar amps. They are in metal enclosures and everything is point to point hand wired. One is set up with a fair amount of gain, the other less so. They sound fantastic, and can be coaxed from clean into crunch then into a Marshall like high gain with just a guitar volume knob. They most definitely are in the category of the best boutique amps I have ever played. He tells me if he comes across another he will let me know. He won't part with his two. I don't know the model, but understand there is one in particular that is the best candidate. I am thinking they are in the range of 20 Watts, but I am not sure.
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Post by Leftee on Nov 26, 2022 11:52:53 GMT -5
I’ve converted a few of those years ago. My favorite is the CHA-33. A pair of 6L6s, a 6AV6 and two 12AX7s. And two 5Y3 rectifiers.
In hindsight I should have kept one.
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Post by Lesterstrat on Nov 26, 2022 21:17:46 GMT -5
The pecking order for Marshall clones is as follows, IMO:
1. Metropolous
2. Germino
3. Wizard
4. Friedman
5. Cieratone
I’ve never bothered with Fender clones because the originals are not only plentiful, but are just as well built and reliable as the clones at a lesser price.
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