Hello,
Just found this forum mentioned on another that I frequent, so I thought I'd check it out. A little history, and then a question...
I have been an unabashed tube snob for more than twenty years. My opinion was always SS= kiddie junk. Recently I have had to eat a lot of crow. Due to some physical problems, I am no longer able to carry and move heavy amps. I really have a hard time using anything much over 30 pounds. I tried lots of smaller lighter tube amps, and hated them. Blues Jr., AC-15, Peavey Bravo, Classic 30, Crate VC30 112, Dr. Z Maz Jr. 1X12, everything I could get my hands on. I like big, warm, thumpy, fat, clean tones, and low wattage tube amps just won't do that at gig volumes. They break up too much, and they sound harsh to my ears. Changing tubes/modding to get more clean headroom took all the guts and oomph out of them. I was bummin.
After fighting off lots of recommendations, it became obvious that I was going to have to start looking at SS amps if I wanted anything close to the weight I needed, and still be able to get close to the kind of low end thump, clean headroom, and overall volume I was used to having. I have become a huge fan of the Red-line Peavey Transtube amps. I can't believe how nice they sound, especially considering I have bought four of them in the last month, and have spent less than $500. I was in the studio the other night, listening back to some tracks, and as I get used to the amps, and learn how to use them, I am seeing that most of the tracks are indistinguishable from older tracks that I played my tube amps on. I'm sold. When money allows, I plan to look into some of the higher end boutique SS stuff, but for right now, these amps are more than getting the job done.
Now for my question:
I am using the Studio Pro 112 red line models. I love the amps, but I'm really not digging the reverb. I know very little about SS amp technology. I am wondering how much of the reverb's character is the circuit, and how much is the tank? Will I notice a favorable difference by tossing in a better tank? Or would I just be throwing money away? Should I be looking more for a tech who can modify the reverb circuit? Or do I need to do both? I am looking to get it more into a classic Fender reverb category. Really, I think the reverb is this amp's only weakness.
Thanks much!
Just found this forum mentioned on another that I frequent, so I thought I'd check it out. A little history, and then a question...
I have been an unabashed tube snob for more than twenty years. My opinion was always SS= kiddie junk. Recently I have had to eat a lot of crow. Due to some physical problems, I am no longer able to carry and move heavy amps. I really have a hard time using anything much over 30 pounds. I tried lots of smaller lighter tube amps, and hated them. Blues Jr., AC-15, Peavey Bravo, Classic 30, Crate VC30 112, Dr. Z Maz Jr. 1X12, everything I could get my hands on. I like big, warm, thumpy, fat, clean tones, and low wattage tube amps just won't do that at gig volumes. They break up too much, and they sound harsh to my ears. Changing tubes/modding to get more clean headroom took all the guts and oomph out of them. I was bummin.
After fighting off lots of recommendations, it became obvious that I was going to have to start looking at SS amps if I wanted anything close to the weight I needed, and still be able to get close to the kind of low end thump, clean headroom, and overall volume I was used to having. I have become a huge fan of the Red-line Peavey Transtube amps. I can't believe how nice they sound, especially considering I have bought four of them in the last month, and have spent less than $500. I was in the studio the other night, listening back to some tracks, and as I get used to the amps, and learn how to use them, I am seeing that most of the tracks are indistinguishable from older tracks that I played my tube amps on. I'm sold. When money allows, I plan to look into some of the higher end boutique SS stuff, but for right now, these amps are more than getting the job done.
Now for my question:
I am using the Studio Pro 112 red line models. I love the amps, but I'm really not digging the reverb. I know very little about SS amp technology. I am wondering how much of the reverb's character is the circuit, and how much is the tank? Will I notice a favorable difference by tossing in a better tank? Or would I just be throwing money away? Should I be looking more for a tech who can modify the reverb circuit? Or do I need to do both? I am looking to get it more into a classic Fender reverb category. Really, I think the reverb is this amp's only weakness.
Thanks much!