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Post subject: Natural Tube Overdrive @ Home
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:50 pm
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Guys,

Im really taken with the creamy, overdriven tones that Clapton is often able to achieve. I would actually have no problem, irrationally, plunking down on a '57 tweed - but this thing would be predominantly be heard at home...with the girlfriend present....and touchy neighbors next door - you get the idea.

So, what do you think my best options are to get an amp that can give that to die for tone but be very usable at home?

Some that I have thought of (and I would welcome thoughts, specifically on any of these, or others that I may not have considered) are:

- blues junior NOS
- victoria 518/5112 (concern here is there is only one volume control and I fear it may have to get pretty loud to get any overdrive?)
- cornell romany/plus (it has the seemingly nice feature of being able to reduce the wattage but I do not know if that would come at the expense of losing some of the tone?)

I would prefer to try and achieve this with a true tube amp....

what do you guys think - any suggestions?


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Post subject: Re: Natural Tube Overdrive @ Home
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:24 pm
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[quote="ufboy73"]Guys,

Go audition the Clapton Crossroads pedal through a Blues Jr and see if that will rock your world until you can find a private 'blast room' you can call your own. :wink:

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:36 pm
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as always, thanks doc.

ill see if i can find someplace around me that has those in stock.

I am curious - have you tried the blues jr? i had heard some believe that the hot rod series aren't very vintage tube sounding but certainly dont know enough about amps to know if that might be true or not...so, i am wondering if your recommendation was based more on the volume requirements or tone requirements (or, i guess ideally, both) :D


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Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:46 am
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[quote="ufboy73"]as always, thanks doc. I am curious - have you tried the blues jr?

The amp you cite has great popularity in these pages. If I were auditioning Fender amps for my own purposes, with respect to price and applications I would be looking at the: Frontman 212, Blues Jr, HR Deluxe, Supersonic 112, Bassman RI, Vibroverb Custom, and '57 Twin. If you're looking for vintage, you'll just have find some 45-50 year-old tweed in great condition.

I presently own a Line 6: Ax2; Crate Taxi, and Crate Limo. My main amp for many years was a '61 Fender Concert which, like so many other things, I made the mistake of selling.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:05 am
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The problem with the Hot Rod series isn't the sound, it's durability.
I have a HRDlx and it sounds great. I had to change the tubes to get what I wanted, but now it's great. I've had a lot of Fender amps over the years, and still have a few. I had a 64 Vibrolux Reverb, 74 Bandmaster, still have a 76 Twin, 74 Champ and a HRDlx. The HRDlx sounds almost as good as any of them. I just can't trust it to gig with anymore. My tech told me it's the thin PCB and fragile traces. Most of my problems are heat related. My bias is within spec and I usually don't go above half volume so it's not abused.

I'm going back to hard wired amps on anything I buy new or I'll just build one.
Out of all the amps you mention, I'd go with the Victoria. Ampeg has the J20 that I tried out. It's hand wired, 20 watts for about 800 bucks. Very cool sounding bare bones amp.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:24 am
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[quote="63supro"]
I'm going back to hard wired amps on anything I buy new or I'll just build one.

...and, with a strong back, there's always something by Mesa. 8)

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:26 am
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If price is not a problem for you I can attest to the great sound of the CS 57 twin tweed. It's a wonderful amp and if it's good enough for Clapton well... :wink:


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:53 am
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You should try the 57 Deluxe Reissue. It's the 5e3 Tweed Deluxe.
Tweed amps live and breathe. One of the most dynamic amps ever created. Clapton's sound at 12 watts.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:19 am
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guys,

thanks a lot for the thoughts so far. as i mentioned, the '57 tweed (or even tweed deluxe) would definitely be on my radar but i thought because of the size and power of these they would not be good for use at reasonable volumes at home.

am i mistaken - are they practical, given the volume considerations. i had thought of maybe using an attenuator with the '57 twin but then i heard many say that attenuators really alter the tone - which, if true, would seem to defeat the purpose of plunking down that much for the amp in the first place.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:29 am
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Thought about a Pro Junior??

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:31 am
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ufboy73 wrote:
guys,

thanks a lot for the thoughts so far. as i mentioned, the '57 tweed (or even tweed deluxe) would definitely be on my radar but i thought because of the size and power of these they would not be good for use at reasonable volumes at home.

am i mistaken - are they practical, given the volume considerations. i had thought of maybe using an attenuator with the '57 twin but then i heard many say that attenuators really alter the tone - which, if true, would seem to defeat the purpose of plunking down that much for the amp in the first place.

I hear your concern but I've been looking at a attenuator made by Dr.Z Amps. There are rather expensive but take a look at them on his web site. Supposedly you can drop from 100 watts to 1 watt without loosing any of your tone. Have not tried one though. Can't remember the exact web address but just google them. (if you like) :wink: They have some sound bites you can listen to.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:10 am
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The 57 Deluxe is only 13 watts and keeps a lot of the same dynamics when you turn it down. I haven't found an attenuator yet that I've ever liked.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:11 am
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[quote="fhopkins"]

interesting, ill have to check the site out.

would i pretty much need an attenuator (of some sort) to be able to use the 57 tweed twin or tweed deluxe at home? figures, those amps dont seem as prevalent around me as many others in the fender line up.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:53 am
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ufboy73 wrote:
fhopkins wrote:

interesting, ill have to check the site out.

would i pretty much need an attenuator (of some sort) to be able to use the 57 tweed twin or tweed deluxe at home? figures, those amps dont seem as prevalent around me as many others in the fender line up.


I guess that would be up to your neighbors and the family. I live in the woods so it's not like an apartment situation. The 57 twin tweed is a 40 watt amp and I think the other one mentioned was only 15 watts? I can get a great sound on the twin at fairly low levels but it still might be too loud for your situation. It would be nice if you could test drive them and see what you think. That is if you have a shop close by that stocks them.
My wife still says I;m too loud sometimes that is why I was interested in the Dr. Z :wink: Here is the link www.dzamps.com/airbrake.html


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:46 pm
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[quote="fhopkins"]

that airbrake does look pretty cool. Have you checked out the reviews over at harmony central? Its interesting, although most people seem happy with the tone retention its the actual volume reduction that seems to get the most questions - i would have thought an attenuator would definitely lower the volume?


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