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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 6:50 pm
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schnepf13 wrote:
desertbluesman wrote:
I never met a solid state amp I liked much. I played through many of them over the years. The closest thing to a solid state amp that is for rock is the modeling amps from Fender, Peavey, or Line 6.


If I was going the solid state route, I think I'd check out either the Fender Frontman or the Peavey Special Chorus 212.

I have the 25 watt version of the Frontman 25 and it makes a nice practice amp. Clean tones are pretty nice for under $100.



The Frontman line was discontinued. I have owned a couple Frontman 212R's and briefly had a Champion 100. The Mustang IV V2 blows both of them away.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:43 am
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Archtop Bill wrote:
schnepf13 wrote:
desertbluesman wrote:
I never met a solid state amp I liked much. I played through many of them over the years. The closest thing to a solid state amp that is for rock is the modeling amps from Fender, Peavey, or Line 6.


If I was going the solid state route, I think I'd check out either the Fender Frontman or the Peavey Special Chorus 212.

I have the 25 watt version of the Frontman 25 and it makes a nice practice amp. Clean tones are pretty nice for under $100.



The Frontman line was discontinued. I have owned a couple Frontman 212R's and briefly had a Champion 100. The Mustang IV V2 blows both of them away.


What's the main difference between 212R and Champion 100? Could the Mustang III compares with them or just IV ?

and Vox Valvetronix VT40 Plus, it would be a good option?

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 3:42 pm
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gus guitar wrote:
...
What's the main difference between 212R and Champion 100? Could the Mustang III compares with them or just IV ?

and Vox Valvetronix VT40 Plus, it would be a good option?

The Frontman 212R, Champion 100 and the Mustang IV all have two 12" speakers while the MIII has a single 12".The MIII may work for you, but my preference is 2x12.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:55 pm
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gus guitar wrote:

What's the main difference between 212R and Champion 100? Could the Mustang III compares with them or just IV ?


The Frontman (out of production) is a straight forward analog SS amp. The Champion has DSP effects which you can adjust on the fly, kind of like the original VM series but w/o the tubes. The Mustangs are full blown DSP amps with presets, editing capabilities, & computer interface.


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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:54 pm
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Acoustic or Quilter amps. Fender SS are still way behind in the tone dept. IMO.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:29 pm
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A Genz Benz Shenandoah 85 works great with a Ricky 360 12 string and not too shabby with the Strat. Although, I mainly use it for a Sunrise pup'd '72 Guild acoustic, the 12" speaker is pretty nice for electric guitars. Due to the active 3-band EQ section, the tweeter can be virtually dialed out of the mix. Add another 8ohm 12" cab, and the sound scape is very good. Just another option!!! Art

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:35 pm
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63supro wrote:
Acoustic or Quilter amps. Fender SS are still way behind in the tone dept. IMO.

Quilters are nice, but the Mustangs are less expensive.

If money is not an object, Quilter is likely the choice. The original post of the thread had a budget of $1300.

I have no experience in the Acoustic line, but a quick check has a couple of them in the comparable range of the MIII or MIV.

As I often report here and elsewhere, I REALLY like my MIV: It is the best sounding amp I have ever owned including the original Blue Deluxe.

The Mustang Mini is not phenomenal, but okay for a battery powered modeling amp. I am glad I have it for traveling.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:24 pm
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63supro wrote:
Fender SS are still way behind in the tone dept. IMO.


+1

They score low in terms of reliability and dependability too.

I'm just not "feelin' the love" for anything in FMIC's contemporary solid-state line-up. The old "Dyna-Touch" models sounded more Fenderish and were better-built platforms......

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:49 am
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My son had a Champion 30 Dynatouch. Nice sounding amp. He had a ton of problems with it and Fender finally replaced it.

I really have no love at all for new Fender SS amps. Reliability is a serious problem with them because everything in them is cheap, from the boards to the components themselves to the construction shortcuts.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:22 am
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63supro wrote:
My son had a Champion 30 Dynatouch. Nice sounding amp. He had a ton of problems with it and Fender finally replaced it.

I really have no love at all for new Fender SS amps. Reliability is a serious problem with them because everything in them is cheap, from the boards to the components themselves to the construction shortcuts.

I had a two Frontman's 212r'. The first was DOA. The replacement lasted almost two years, but was replaced under warranty with a Champion 100. As the Frontman was discontinued I was offered the choice of the C100 or a Mustang III V2. Due to my forementioned 212 preference, I went with the C100. The C100 developed some nasty intermittent distortion on the clean channel after a couple weeks. It did sound better than the Frontman during the brief period of reliability.

After this experience, I feel both the Frontman and, unfortunately, the new Champion line have dubious reliability expectations.

The version 2 of the Mustangs, however, seem solid. Mine, so far, has been flawless and I do not hear complaints like I did for the other two lines.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:31 am
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Hey guys, thanks a lot.

I do not have much knowledge about the SS.

And this thread is helping me a lot.

are there any others amps SS? regardless of brand and model.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:24 pm
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I know my old Pignose from 1972 still works great so does my old Guild Four.
They just don't make them like they used to. Too many bell and whistles. There's nothing like simplicity. I really believe it makes for reliability.

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 2:44 pm
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An older Lab Series might be worth looking for!!! Art

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:24 pm
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63supro wrote:
They just don't make them like they used to. Too many bell and whistles. There's nothing like simplicity. I really believe it makes for reliability.


+1000

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Amplifiers Solid State - Any suggestions???
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:38 am
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If you are willing to look in the used market there is a Fender solid state amp which I think is definitely worth owning. It's called the Deluxe 90 but there were several different versions with that name and you want to make sure you get the right one. The one you want was a part of the short lived original "Dyna-Touch" series. It looks like this:

Image


That's the preferred model but the one most people find when looking for the Deluxe 90 is the Deluxe 90 DSP and they are not the same amp at all. It looks like this:

Image

The first one I showed you comes closer to the real sound of a tube amp than any other solid state amp I have ever tried including any and all of the modelling amps I've tried and I have tried quite a few including Fender Mustangs and GDECs. It is not a perfect recreation of a tube amp but it's not bad. The second one with DSP sounds sort of the same except without the balls. The DSP version castrates the amp's dynamic response even if the DSP is not engaged and as a result it sounds like just another of the many solid state amps out there.

My 2¢

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