How many Guitar amps do you need

67plexi

67plexi

Ambassador of Amps
Country flag
I find this a interesting subject, It's like how Many guitars do you need if you have not played that guitar in a year you should sell it.
I'm guilty as hell excessive compulsive behavior. If anyone asked how many amps do I own I could not give a honest inventory count.
Why I started building guitar amps 27 years ago. I wanted a sound I could not buy or I sold and could not afford to replace it.
I contacted Ken Ficher wanted to order a Trainwreck Express Ken said no through time on the phone Ken Faxed me a schematic My first build I used Marshall transformers
Sounded like crap I got Ken to sell me a set if his Pacific transformers Next Ken asked me for a voltage chart I had no Idea ken would not talk to me.
After a month I gave Ken a voltage chart of my build how did you measure that from V-1 to NO you measure from the power transformer primary to secondary to V-1
So I gave Ken my voltage readings Ken said your in range next to fine tune the amp it took 164 12AX7 tubes to get the sound. Next Ken had me service all of the Marshall
amps on the west coast that he modified I had a Alaska Airlines account that would pick up the amps at the customers house and deliver to the airport Ken would send me the tubes after 9-11-2001 Alaska Airlines closed my account at this time I was servicing massive amp collections
And I have made every mistake along the way but never the same one twice.
The last five years been using 15-20 watt guitar amps. I did play my 50 watt Dumble clone on the 4th of July out door huge stage volume 5 master volume 3
What I don't have in talent I make up in tone. And only use 5 guitars and five guitar amps at most
I try not to belittle anyone when I was in the Marine industry 28 years some poor person would have a 16' skiff and it was his or her pride and joy and on the other end would
be some billionaire with a 400' ship and thought it was crap. In the end I take more stock in my band mates.
A loud amp is a happy amp but the club owners don't think so and at the end of this journey do I want to lift a 80 pound amp or a twenty pound amp
I go for the latter of the two. Thank you all your thoughts???. I do love the sound of a 100 watt amp but.
 
Need? One decent amp, & in reality, something in the 18 ~ 30 watt range.
Want? Well that's another story.
Must have been a great experience conversing with Ken Fischer, Mr Plexi. By all accounts he had an incredible ear & would spend considerable time tuning all aspects of an amp's circuit, right down to the capacitive coupling between components to get the best out of the amp. Cheers
 
JCM 900 2100 MKIII fairly modified - main amp with full stack
JCM 900 2500 MKIII same mods as 2100 except negative feedback - keep at the cabin with a 212
JCM 2000 TSL 100 stock - when I feel like I need variety with 412
custom 2203 that is almost finished.

Once I got the 2100 the way I wanted it I pretty much chilled out. Still thinking about maybe getting a JVM, 6100, Vintage Modern and a Silver Jubilee.

I don't believe in the concept of too many, unless we are talking about my wife's clothes/shoes.
 
Mesa Mini Rectifier
Gibson GA-15 RVT
Hotone Purple Wind

In the process of building my take one the Fender 5E5-A Tweed Pro. Just subtle changes, nothing drastic or mind boggling.
I told myself this was my last build, but then I look at all the parts I still have that are just laying around and think all I need is a chassis and a turret board and I am good to go.
Need to finish this current project first. I can say this, if I do build again it will NOT be based on a Tweed chassis.
 
To be honest - as much as I like mess'n with amps I generally don't plug into an amp when I'm home, unless I'm testing them or something. IF I were gig'n I'd want two, maybe three mainly for a backup and maybe a backup to the backup type thing. Recording wise, there are always amps to use on loan for a session type thing ;)
 
74 Fender Super Reverb-jupiter 10's-normal is modded up-trem is stock
73 Fender Pro Reverb-Weber F150's-normal modded up--trem stock--agressive amp but pristine clean
Fender Super Reverb RI...mismatched tubes & all..my go to precision amp--jensen's. lovely edge of break,,very accurate
JTM45 CL..6l6 fender spec'd power.mean bassman like with marshall mid punch & clarity
Union Jack "The 45" set to JTM50 el34...Black Flag spec'd-SS/Tube rec
Marshall JMP50 1987 now 2204 half marshall parts..half re built to kill at drum levels
Bugera V22..prob could get away with just it..
 
I can get by with four. My main amp is an Orange 35RT which has loads of blast for what I need, and doesn't break your back. I have a Fishman Loudbox I use for gigs, I believe it has 60 watts and great P.A system is lightweight easy to move around. I have a Vox Rhythm 5 for using at the camp for practice and gigs. Then I have this neat little amp that's called plug n play , you plug right into guitar, its great for noodling around with when you have no need for volume, the thing is quite handy.
 
Unless you call a Micro Cube a real amp, I have just one amp.....an Orange Dark Terror 15-watt; which is
all I need as a hobbyist. The Micro Cube is for tuning up and trying out riffs, ideas, phrases, etc. When I happen onto something interesting, I plug into the Dark Terror to get a better idea of what I created, or fashioned from just experimenting. I save all my attention for the Dark Terror and it's such a relief not worry over having an arsenal of amps and wonder whether I'm going to get used to any particular one of them.


Stratstrangler
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top