Amp questions LONG

[usa83strat]

ok so i've been wanting to improve / upgrade my amp. i've ben thinking of getting a DR but they are way aout om my range, i started looking at Bassmans cause i iknow i like them. but dont really feel like trading my amp in and having to drop down some more cash towards it. plus have to lug around a huge 2x15 cab. i know this is more of a amp forum question , but im tired of getting the stock" dude just get a mesa/uberschall/boutique amp" even if i explain that i cant afford those they still ignore my questions or parameters and i end up with just a bunch of boutique or way , way WAY, out of my budgets amp recomendations. PLus i fell that the effects forum is my home.

 

so i hit the music shops today and saw and played the following amps that i know i liked i played them thru different cabs to get a fell of how much of the sound i was hearing was coming from the amp.

 

since i was gonna mod the thing (porb $15 dollars worth of parts) and get a new speaker ($100 ) i figure i can add that money towards the "new "

 

these are the ones i tried , can afford and liked.

 

Laney pro tube lead head $350

 

Univox u-1221 head $300

 

Univox u 320 head $200

 

 

my questions are how are these build ?

the unvoxes had a more early bassman/plexy/early traynor sound, both with tube driven reverb(really nice by the way) and tremolo, the 1221 being 50 watter, the 320 30watts, but they didnt seem very loud, the hot rod in the store seamed just as loud at just 4 compared to both of these cranked to 10, how ever the hot rod starts overdrving at 5 while these , where on the verge of overdrive at 10.

 

the laney definitely had a more marshall 800 vibe, but i liked it to an extent the cleans werent great but the drive was really nice, i i find my self playing more on the slight overdrive sound that squiky clean tone now. also the laney was loud, and veri versatyle thatn to the boost, push pul knobs on the eq an volume.

 

so i'm undecided i dont gig out, but i'm hoping to find a some people to start a band, an i do want to be able to keep up with a drummer, so i'm kinda iffy on the univox 320 cause its only 30 not so loud watts, this amp would be great for the house but i dont think it would keep up with a drummer. and the laney its the most expencive an i would be cutting it close on the money thing.

 

so heres a bit about me and my current rig:

 

1983 fender strat with lil 59 in bridge (thinking of going back to the stock single)

 

crybaby classic

sd-1 on all the time, unless i want super clean tone , witch is rare (modding it right now havent decide what im gonna do to it)

ts-9 /808 brown

VS route 66 ( mostly just use the compressor on all the time, very rarely do i use the od side of it)

ibanez pt-9 (might sell it or trade it in towards the amp)

VS H2o( right now got a cs-9 im thinking of selling, got the h2o on layaway)

HRDlx (clean channel or drive channel with drive at 3)

 

 

i play mostly jam rock , blues rock, Stoner rock, and latin jazz (with overdrven tone, ) and i would like the amp to like effects.

 

i found a shop that will buy my hot rod for $300 - $350 , they got to see it first. the only reason they are offering my so much is cause they are not a fender dealer and they get a lot of people asking for these amps, plus i got the orginal cover and footswitch,and it USA made.

 

i figure i can spedn the money i was gonna spend upgrading the hot rod on a decent cab nad up grade the speakers later.

 

so what would you do?

 

thanx for reading all that /

[usa83strat]

please!

 

oh are the laneys PCB amps or PtP. i im pretty shure the univos are ptp but u was wondering about the laney. also how realiable are the laneys

[vigor&kandor]

i am pretty sure the laneys are PCB.

 

did you ever mod your sd-1?

[spentron]

1. It's so strange seeing people still wanting Bassmans and DRs since 25 years ago they were cheap as dirt and no one wanted them. We would have gone nuts over a Hot Rod back when Music Mans were the latest thing, wow an amp with distortion.

 

2. Thing about the Hot Rod volume control, may be like recent solid state Fenders: they use a linear taper volume control which jumps up real fast on the low end and barely does anything above 5. I'll use them for cost/avail./manufacturing reasons but I expect Fender's reason is more evil.

[vigor&kandor]

hot rod deluxe mods if you are still thinking about modifying your fender HRD. i personally love mine and i have no reason to mod it. 50 tube watts should be enough to play with a band. 30 watts is iffy. my other 50 watt combo seems quieter than my fenfer, like you said. my other combo is a ptp amp called a Redbear(made by gibson). its a non-master volume style amp. sounds great when you crank the post gain and barely use some of the pre gain. i sappose non of this really helps you, but you could try search ebay for a Redbear head.

 

if you get nothing else from this, heres a bump*

[usa83strat]

 

Originally posted by vigor&kandor i am pretty sure the laneys are PCB. did you ever mod your sd-1?

 

 

no i forgot to pm you my email, but you've been pm'd.

 

i was looking for more info on these and it says that iuf it is one of the real early ones it will be ptp but i dont know what year this laney is, i will have to go back tomorrow and check.

 

but would you go for the univox or the laney? i might og back and play them again but i dont know i think i would get tired of the laney a lot quicker than the univox. plus the univox has that old traynor/plexy/bassman vibe.

 

 

Spentron

 

man i wish i would have been playing guitar back when the bassmans and Dr where considered obsolete pieces os crap an where selling for nothing. but then again i probably would have though that same thing and not even want it.

 

i like the bass man but $500 for a 50 watter is a lot of money , in hindsight i should have bouth the bassman when i bouhgt the hot rod 5 years ago. i could have gotten a nice bassman with a nice cab for the same amount of money i bought the HRDlx, but i was younger and new nothing about gear back than , and i just though the HRDlx was the {censored}. but i must have gotten a good one cause its never failed me and i heard a lot fo horro stories about this amps.

[Rasta Shaft]

Spend about $400 and get a Silvertone 1485. great tube ptp sound with a 2x12 cab. You can't go wrong.

[usa83strat]

i think the univox might be simlar to the silvertone. and the amps here are local an i know they have been serviced. so unles i can find one of those locally i doubt i will get it. i can always get a cab on the bay, and use my vox battery powered amp for a few days.

 

alos i hit up a pawn shop a few days ago and they had a Gilben 700 bassmate amp they wanted $100 it had 2 6l6gc in there but i could not see any preamp tubes any info on these? i tryed google but found nothing helpfull. might get it and see how it is nd then see if it will replace the hot rod. t

 

he thing is that i like mot rod but i would like crisper low. so far im thinking of modding it first. and see if i like it. i'm thinking changib the middle control pot for a 10k like on the twins, i was ready justin holtons site and it says that the reason why the low are so farty is cause the amp puts out a lot of low mids. well i doubt those univoxes will move soon , if not the probably will lower the price or take less moeny for them.

 

[lus been gassing for a ptp amp just cause the ones i've plaed sound so good.

 

well help me make up my mind. soulhd i mod or replace?

[spentron]

 

Originally posted by usa83strat man i wish i would have been playing guitar back when the bassmans and Dr where considered obsolete pieces os crap an where selling for nothing. but then again i probably would have though that same thing and not even want it.

 

 

Well to put my comments in perspective, there were those that liked the amps back then and sounded good through them. I guess I'm saying if you choose the old stuff, at least it's a *choice*.