Guitar: http://www.fender.com/products/american ... -strat-hss

Influences: Billy Gibbons, Gary Hoey, splash o' Kirk Hammet

How I play: Lots of bends/vibrato, heavy use of pinch harmonics when bending, mostly blues type scales between the 8th - 14th frets.

What I am looking for: Screaming pinch harmonics ala Billy Gibbons, clean overdrive leads per Kirk Hammet, crunchy surf twang et al Gary Hoey. As well as a good clean tone for just busting out some blues licks that have that deep, dirty sound without overdrive/gain/fuzz.

I'm not too interested in any vintage sound or heavy death metal distortion. I don't play country, metal or jazz.

What I have looked at: Fender Blues Jr III with the cannabis rex upgrade (great amp!)

Though after reading, I am wondering if a Marshall or Orange would be better.

To be honest, I know very little about amps and how to get the sounds I want, so pointing to reading material is fine too. I've looked at effects pedals too.

Overall, I'm a big fan of the Billy Gibbons' sound all around - i think that is his man attraction for me.

Sorry if this thread is kinda all over the place... just trying to feel out my thoughts. Thanks!

My friend has a Marshall jvm 410 4x12 1960 cab
Sounds about right up your alley their friend.
He can play anything on that amp, given a strat or a les Paul
Is used.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Woa!!! That probably would do it - but I'll have to save for that bad boy! wowza!

Quite a difference between a Fender Blues Jr III and a Marshall JVM 410 w/4x12 1960 cab. Where are you playing? London's Royal Albert Hall or your bedroom?

_________________
Bill

All shoe-gazers need a half-stack, Bill.



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

Quite a difference there bill
They make jvm in a 50 watt version 1x12 or 2x12 combos
He doesn't want vintage, or metal amp.
My buds is a 100 watt; understandably overkill, however it
Rawks and cleans up nicely, that amp will do clean Mayer
red hot chilli peppers, cream, to black sabbath .
Now I, love vintage tone, but also like Marshall.

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

You just have to warn the neighbors before you fire it up.

_________________
Bill

I have this one and I like the same sound as you do.
This is a mind blowing amp and it doesn't rip your bank account apart!

German Quality for around 1000 Euros (half stack!)
Slightly more expensive in USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2KJN1FFx3I

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

I also recommend the statesman amps. I have the statesman Dual 6L6 combo and you can nail just about every tone very loudly. but Thomas Blug makes it look easy
this is my favorite modern amp to date.
cheapest place that has them in the states.
http://www.proaudiostar.com/hughes-kett ... binet.html

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I love my Orange Dark Terror. You could probably go with a Tiny Terror and the 1x12 or 2x12 cab. It's plenty loud. It sounds amazing. Best tone I've ever had and I've owned a Bogner Fish + VHT 2150, Mesa Rectifiers, numerous crappy tube amps... etc...

There are a lot of good videos on the Orange. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZGh1xNZE5k

Check out this one and the rest of the one from the same user... they're funny and very informative:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGAunX1E ... ure=relmfu

Thanks so much for all the information! I really dig all of these options and I think any of these amps would serve me well

The Dark Terror was really cool, so was the German amp - but im sure anything played by that dude on his strat sounds killer

The Marshall stack/half-stack might be overkill for me. In all reality I would only be able to play it while the wife and kid were gone as practice amps alone scare my toddler
It's a rough gig, amps sound kind of poor at low volumes... sucks.

The blues Jr. II is cool but I think I'll want something more high end... so I'm going to have to save some duckies to get something nice, so for the time being i picked up an Orange mini amp for sitting on the couch and rockin' out while i watch TV. It sounds like absolute $@!& but for a $60 toy that also works as a tuner, and has some overdrive(my practice amp is clean only and I have no effects pedal at the moment) it'll suffice for now.

Next move will be to pick up an Apogee Jam to use with Amplitude and some decent headphones.


Once again, thanks everyone and I'll revisit this next year when the income tax return is in and I have saved some cash!

Try to get hold of a Marshall JCM 800,2204 model with a 1960 A or B cabinet.These 50W demons would give you exactly what you're looking for.If the half-stack is out of your reach you could try the 4210 JCM 800 1X12 combo or the 4010 which is the 1X12 combo version of the 2204.Of course you could go 2X12 combos if you want to move more air and the would be the 4212 or 4104 which are the respective equivilants of the 1X12 combos.You can pick up used versions of these amps sometimes for as low as $500 or even less.

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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 love my Mesa Boogie Mark iii, it's a great vintage amp that can produce any type of sound you could possibly think of. Anything from the sharpest clean, to blues, to some aggressive metal. You name it, it can pull it off! YouTube it, you'll fall in love...

Sean

Thank you for all the input. I decided to go with the Blues Jr III with the Cannabis Rex speaker, i got it new in the box from Pro Guitar Shop for $520, great deal.

I got a MXR Classic 108 Fuzz pedal to go with it. Loving my tone now! Thanks everyone!

Didn't realise they now did the Fender Blues Jr III with the Cannabis Rex from the factory? I have exactly this, but I fitted the Rex myself after much research. Transforms the ice-pick high end. Somebody at Fender must've thought the same!

As a low-end valve amp (not US-made any more - grrrr!) I really like it, although I had to replace the valves as one or more went down within 6 months (caused intermittent volume drops). With Electro Harmonics all round, it's great. I get my dirt from pedals so the fact that it doesn't really do distortion doesn't bother me.

Hope you enjoy it!