It was suggested on another thread that this would be an interesting subject.

What was your personal amp evolution, and why?

We've all had the "I didn't know any better" amp,
the "This is the best I can afford" amp,
the "My hero plays through this amp" amp,
the "This sounded great when I played death metal but now I'm playing jazz" amp,
the "If I knew then what I know now, I would have kept that amp" amp,
and "I've found my personal Holy Grail" amp.

I've always played the same basic style--blues+classic rock+outlaw country, so any amp I chosen has been going for that particular vein. I've mostly owned Fender tube outfits, but recently, after playing through some friends' amps, I've become intrigued by the various Vox AC15 and Egnator Rebel amps.

My first amp was a solid state Gibson G20 amp. The reverb was messed up and it looked like it had been beat to Hades and back, but overall it sounded good and it had a great Vibrato circuit. I still own it and love it for small, around-the-house jams. I paid $25 and a six-pack of Miller Lite for it. "Best I could afford/I didn't know any better, but I still like it" amp.

My second amp was a big silverface Bassman Ten from the early 70s. 4x10 combo, master volume. After re-tubing it, it sounded like heaven. It sounded equally good for guitar and harp (I play both). Big, meaty and thick with enough top-end sparkle to make me smile, plus it could hold up to my occasional bass excursions. The only thing I had against the thing was the weight (Lord, that thing was heavy!). It was lost in the Great Guitar and Amp Collection Mortgage Payment Massacre of 1999. Wish I had it back. Almost a "Personal Holy Grail" amp, except I like tremolo/vibrato/whatever, and the weight issue.

Third amp was a silverface/master volume Twin Reverb. Too loud. Too shrill for harp. Looked cool. Sold it to a Japanese collector who knew that one day people would be "settling" for a vintage silverface Fender when blackfaces got too expensive. I assume he's still waiting for that day to come. Never want it back. "Didn't know any better/Everybody in Austin is playing Twin Reverbs" amp.

Fourth amp is a 1963 re-issue Vibroverb. Brownface 2x10 combo that sounds equally good for guitar or harp, plus it's got a great vibrato/tremolo/whatever. Loud enough to cut through any band or performance, but sounds good at lower volumes as well. It plays well with pedals. I still have it, and it will always be my "go-to" amp for recording, performance, etc. "My Personal Holy Grail" amp.

Fifth amp was a silverface Fender Champ. Sounded good (especially for harp) but wasn't loud enough to play with an entire band. If I had known then what I know now, I would have upgraded the speaker and kept it, but it also fell victim to the Great Guitar and Amp Collection Mortgage Payment Massacre of 1999. Wish I had it back. "If I knew then what I know now, I would have kept that amp" amp.

Sixth- Pignose. Fun, small and loud (that sounds like my kid!). Still have it, but it's just used for house/practice/fun.

So what have you had?

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

A series of Marshalls with some other stuff inbetween.
I started with a Badger 30watt keyboard amp. Loud enough for gigging, superb eq section.
Then I got a Peavey Bandit, 80watts of high gain bliss and very annoyed neighbours.
A plexi
A few Marshall Valvestates 40, stereo80 and stereo100 watt ones.
Then I got into JCM800's, have 2 of those now.
Used a Pod V2 and a Marshall poweramp for gigging for a good long while. Great setup, really easy to transport.
A old 50s amp 6watts.
A Fender Vibrochamp XD. Use it with a ska band I'm in, because the reverb is just great for that stuff. Infact I'd go as far as to say ideal. I just line it out to the pa and blast away. I also use it when I go round my bassist's place to work on new stuff (different band). It's the one amp that makes me question the validity of the 'enough power to gig statement'. The only place I ever played that didn't have a vocal PA, was some skinhead gathering. The singer had to sing into a kids toy mic'. Bit of a farce, like their politics.

I built my 18watt to give me exactly what I liked from the above amps. Zero preamp drive and a nice flat eq.

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No no and no

I've always just tried new stuff. I had a Dano DM10, Silvertone Twin 12, 65 Vibrolux Reverb, an Earth Amp (yeah I know), A couple of Ampeg amps, A Sunn Scepter, a Princeton Reverb, SF and BF Deluxe Reverbs, Bandmasters, a Twin, a Champ that I still have, a Guild Four SS practice amp, a GDec 30, what a POS, a Pignose and now an Egnater. I was never a real Marshall fan though I have rented or borrowed some through the years as well as HiWatt and a couple of home maders that friends lent me. There is really no set in stone evolution with me. I only settled twice. Once obviously with the Earth amp I only had it 2 days, does it still count? And the HRDlx.

Guitars and amps are just tools of the art/craft/trade or whatever else you want to call it. I use what I need more than what I want. I don't tend to collect amps, I like cheap, good sounding and playing guitars and don't really care about brand and have never been a prissy gear snob. I am a reliability nut job. Gear needs to be reliable. I'm not impressed by big name custom shop guitars, I'd rather design one and have a good Luthier make it for me. Right now my Egnater does it for me for what I need. Like I said, I don't care about names. I'm getting ready to build some cigar box guitars. It should be fun.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

I've owned about fifty Fender amps over the years -- virtually every blackface and silverface model originally designed by Leo except for the Vibroverb and the non-Vib Champ. I took a few side trips to "Sunnsville" (Sceptre), "Voxberg" (Super Beatle), and "Marshallshire" (Super Lead Plexi). But I always seem to return to Fender. Which is where I shall remain until I no longer have need of an amp.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

1st- 9V battery powered karrera amp. POS. Still have it, it was $25.
2nd- 80W RMS Solid State Amp. Better Quality POS. Still have it, good speaker cab for my recorder.
3rd- Fender Hot Rod Deville 212. After tubes were replaced good amp. Sold to guitar instructor because I found...
4th- 1968 Ampeg Portaflex B12-XT. 50W hand wired all tube vibrato reverb, can be used for guitar or bass (bass only at low volumes). Aside from the output transformer going bad (It's 43 years old, stuff like that is bound to happen especially when one powers the amp on with no speaker cab connected...tsk tsk) it is my favorite amp.
5th- Fender Champ 600. Because one does not like hauling 100 pounds of amp everywhere. Sold for a...
6th- 1976 SF Champ. Because it kicks the Champ 600 right in the privates in terms of everything, especially after original speaker was swapped for a Weber after it died.

I'm pretty much set on my Ampeg and my SF Champ, they suit me well and it is hard to find better quality and sound for the price I paid for them.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

I'm fairly adventurous with amps. I don't just stick to the tried and true. I have the tried and true but I also have the new fandangled. Despite having owned some really nice amps (and currently own some very good amps) I still do not feel I have ever truly found my holy grail. I think this is because my idea of what constitutes great tone keeps morphing. Because of that I don't think I'll ever find "the-last-amp-I'll-ever-buy". What I do suspect is that one day I'll have more amps than guitars.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Cool thread!

Rocktech 15w - my 1st

Marshall Valvestate 8080 - Wanted a Marshall and needed some more oomph

Crate with black widow speaker mod - Wanted more gain!

Marshall JCM900 stack - Wanted a full STACK

Marshall JTM60 combo - Was tired of moving my stack

Peavey 5150 head with custom purple marshall 2x12 V30s - missed a bigger sound and the 5150 was (is) insane

Marshall Slash Jubilee stack - I <3 Slash

MesaBoogie dual rectifier head - more modern sounding

Marshall 2x12 DFX combo - I was 'retiring' from being in a band

Orange Tiny terror head and 1x12 v30 - Needed something with valves

JCM900 1x12 Combo - missed Marshall

JCM800 1x12 Combo - missed a decent Marshall

JCM2000 100w Halfstack (v30s) - Wanted something bigger

Marshall 15w stack - for practice (still have this one)

JCM800 reissue - better than a 2000

Marshall Jubilee 50w combo v30 - won a best offer on eBay that I didn't think I would!

Blackstar Artisan 30w Head - like an AC30 on steroids

Marshall 1959 SLP Head - always wanted one

Marshall 1959 HW stack - ditto

Marshall 2061X head - thought it'd be a great little plexi substitute... it wasn't


Loads of Marshalls, then. At present I'm between amps and have my eye on a DV Mark 2x12 combo. I've had some other bits and bobs - Pignose, Blackstar HT combos, little Marshalls, Cigarette packet amps, Orange TT combo... and one Fender! It was GDEC Jr for fun. Man, one day I'll find the grail of amps!

Wow - you players have been there and back again with some of your amps!

I'm just starting down this road - later in life - so I don't have much of a track record. I fondly remember the amps used by my brother's band but I looked to this forum for advice and experience before choosing an amp. Here's my list:

Blues Jr. - I got the tweed version and liked it for a while. However, there was something that I could hear that I didn't like. I wasn't sure what it was until a forum member mentioned the word "boxy". That was it! So, I started searching.

Deluxe Reverb RI - my current amp. I really love the sound and like the vibrato and reverb. I could just play chords to listen to the amp. The only drawback is that it's a bit loud for practice.

Next amp - I'm looking for an amp in the 5 Watt range for practice at home. Something like the '57 Champ, Marshall Class 5, etc. Never had a Marshall before so that would be new but I know I like the Fender sound so I may stick there...

ckf

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Custom Shop '59 Stratocaster
AV Hot Rod '52 Telecaster
AV '56 Stratocaster
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

My first amp was a Paul 5W amp which I still have.MY next one was a no name MIJ 15 W piggy back that had reverb and tremolo but that got destroyed in a nightclub fire.My next was a Traynor Guitar Mate which I still have.In my quest for more volume I got a Traynor Custom Reverb next that was about 40 W and I traded that for a 130W Traynor Mk. III.I then got a Peavey Deuce that I used to gig with using the Mk. III also.I bought a Peavey Decade for taking on holiday and plugging into my lighter.My next 3 amps were my JCM 800s a 2204 and a 4210 and my Marshall Artiste Model 2040.I then bought my 68 Bassman and '69 2-15 Bassman cab.My latest amps are my Traynor TS 15 and my Blues Jr. I still have 10 or 11 of my amps but I wish I hadn't gotten rid of the old Traynors and the Peavey Deuce.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I had a 5 watt Silvertone amp first. Came with my starter pack. Pretty basic: cleans weren't awful, OD channel a beehive.

Then a Peavey Classic 30. That's done me ever since.

I'm not as choosy as some.

First amp was a Crate 15w solid state and it was god at first, then I got a 5w Peavey Valve King Royal 8 which is a great little class A tube amp for the money. From there I got a Pignose G40V 40w which in it's price range is unbeatable. You can pick one up for $100 usually.

THEN, I got a Carr Rambler and there is no turning back. It is the best amp have ever played through including the 66 Super Reverb I had for a while. It was pricey but worth every penny and for anyone looking to find their holy grail of tone in an amp, i say check out Carr amplifiers.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

First amp I ever had was a ... I can't even remember what it was! I really didn't have a clue about guitars or amps back then. It was £25 from a pawn shop. It sounded okay, but was pretty basic. It had gain, treble and volume control and thats it.

About a year after I got a Roland micro cube for Christmas, and that was a major improvement. That's what I was using when I went to my lessons and I really liked it. I was really happy with the effects and amp models on it. Aaaaaaannnd its been rocking out for the past five years.

Now that I have a job and savings of my own I'm looking to improve all my gear. I'm getting an American standard strat pretty soon, and ampwise....well I haven't really decided yet. I'm thinking vox vt40+, fender super champ or maybe save up a little bit more for a vox ac15vt.

My first one was a Custom amp head and cabinet (the kind that was padded and looked like the seats in an early low rider).
Next was a small Peavey battery operated amp (didn't have electricity where I was living).
Next (got electricity) along with a 100watt Fender solid state and can't remember the model.
Then a Peavey Tiumph 60, a Delta Blues 210, Delta blues 115, Classic 50, Classic 30.
Followed by a Fender Hot Rod Dlx (way too loud and poor tone).
At the present time a Fender Blues Jr., Peavey Classic 30, Mesa Express 525, Peavey Classic 50, and an Ibanez acoustic amp.
The low to medium wattage tube amps I believe are where it's at and I know others have different preferences.

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OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

My first was a Blues DeVille formerly owned by Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, sold

My second was an Antique Iron Earthquake 60 done by an amp builder here in FL, John Korchinski, sold

After that:
Paul Ruby Trainwreck Rocket Clone, built for John Speck still have it

Carol-Ann OD2 100, still have it

Reinhardt Fat Albert, sold

1971 Marshall Super Lead 100 and 1971 small box Marshall JMP Tremolo 50, still have them

The ones I have are going to stay with me...they are for Michael when my fingers won't cooperate any more!
I think that my history is due to looking for different tones and having the choice when I want.

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

1st amp--1970 Sears catalog SS
2nd amp--1971 a bigger Sears amp with 2X12s. I actually gigged with this one, when I was 16. My band mates (all older) made me cover the amp with a blanket so no one would know it was a Sears.
3rd Amp--Peavey 200 watt SS 4X12. Never happy with that amp, stolen from my home while we were at church.
4th Amp--Ampeg VT40 w 4X10. Somewhat happy with this amp, but too clean. My parents also got me a Leslie 145 / Hammond M100 about the same time.
5th Amp--Acoustic 165 Mesa/Boogie Mark I knock off. Great tone, lots of club gigs with this one while I was in college.
6th Amp--new Princeton II Rivera model. I got lots of complements for the overdrive tones coming from this amp. Used this one the year my band, Sevenfold, opened for Mylon LeFevre. Turned it way up and put a mic on it and BAM! Instant tone council.
7th Amp--Peavey Classic 30. The Princeton II had worn out and I wasn't too picky. Had to put a Celestion into this amp. It was a work horse.
8th Amp--Atomic Reactor 118. An EL84 amp designed by T. Colbe, see http://www.fractalaudio.com/index.html, which I use to push my Line 6 Pod xt over the top.
9th Amp--Fender Princeton Reverb RI. Sweet, the right amount of wattage. Even better with a Celestion Greenback 10"
10th Amp--Vox AC-30CC2. Run this baby and sometimes the Princeton through a multiwired Marshall cabinet loaded with 2 Alnico Blues (Left), and (Right) a G12H30 and a G12M Greenback.