Best New SS Amp under $600?

[strtdv]

I used to have a Fender Stage 100.

 

Overdrive sounds weren't great, but cleans were very nice.

[CoqBelliqueux]

I'd try a Tech 21. It's analog, even though it's some kind of "modeling".

[CoqBelliqueux]

By the way, is that from Dr.Who? That's {censored}ing disgusting.

[Squier Fat Telecaster]

Roland Bluescube. Solidstate and very tubey souding with natural overdrive tones. Hard to find and getting vintage now. Came out in the 90's.

 

Fender Stage series

 

Roland JC77 or JC90 2x10

 

Carvin SX series

[unworthy]

If you want something like a JC120, try a Fender Ultimate Chorus. They're not really that big or heavy. A friend had one and I thought it was a superior sounding amp for clean sounds. If you're convinced you don't need anything that big, Fender Princeton Chorus. I usually see one or two of either of these on the local Craigslist every week. My PC is nearly 20 years old and has never given me a moment of trouble. It was my main amp for 10 years, but it really hasn't been played a lot over the past 10. Just make sure the jacks haven't been damaged. They're plastic and board-mounted, so they're difficult to replace. Very nice examples of a PC can be bought for

 

D

[stratocaster202]

 

By the way, is that from Dr.Who? That's {censored}ing disgusting.

 

 

yes it is, from the David Tennant era IIRC

[DaleH]

Tech 21 Trademark 60

Roland JC-80

[thunder100]

 

or a pair of Roland Cube 30x's running in stereo - they imitate the JC sound pretty darn well . . .

 

 

+ 2 and you can turn off all effects

 

other is only Tech21-->rest also Fender (although I am really in Fender's) normaly never life up on the SS side to the competition

 

 

Roland

[liko]

 

I love my tube amp, but let's face it, solid-state is much more durable and reliable, especially if you're going to play gigs on the road. I love the clean tone of the Roland Jazz Chorus series, but they no longer make any of them except the big JC-120, which is major overkill in the era of running amps through the PA. So... Given this list of requirements: 1) Excellent clean tone 2) No digital modeling or effects (or at least the ability to turn all that {censored} off while still getting the most out of it.) 3) Excellent clean tone 4) Durable and reliable enough to take lots of abuse and keep working 5) Excellent clean tone 6) Loud enough to rehearse with a bassist and a heavy-handed drummer without breaking up. 7) Excellent clean tone 8) Brand new and under warranty. 9) Excellent clean tone 10) What I'm getting at here is that excellent clean tone is the most important thing. A reverb tank would also be nice, but lack of one is not a deal-breaker. What would you say is the best option out there under $600 for a new gig-worthy solid-state amp? I ask, because I don't really see anything on the market that reminds me much of the old JC-77 or JC-50, or even the pre-digital Peaveys. What's out there that has tone worth doing cartwheels over?

 

 

So you want clean SS tone with a lot of power? Try a bass amp. I use a Fender Bassman 150 12" combo and it does everything you want except that being a bass amp, it has no built-in reverb. Doesn't bother me, but I've never owned a 'verb so I can't miss it much.

 

What I like most about this amp is its control set. You've got a pad switch (useful for LP vs Strat levels), input gain, compressor ratio (the circuit's not defeatable, but you can turn it all the way down), contour knob (again, you can set it flat), 4-band EQ with semi-parametric mids, a built-in DI with pre/post switch, ground lift and level, and a built-in mute. Designed for bass of course, but if you're into clean guitar this thing will shape your tone pretty much however you want, and give you plenty of headroom even at high volume.

[CoqBelliqueux]

 

yes it is, from the David Tennant era IIRC

 

Well, he's the only one I know. I wonder if they still show that over here. He's a cool dude.

[bsman]

I have a Tech 21 (albeit the very much smaller trademark 10) and I'll second what most people have said, with one caveat: It is much better at emulating a variety of OD and Dist tones from just-on-the-edge of breakup to radical, but to my ears the cleans are less wonderful. I haven't played through the one you'd be considering (the TM60), so I can't speak to the utility of the cleans on that particular model.

[mdintx]

At $299, the Peavey Bandit seems like a solid amp to check out.

[golias]

Well, he's the only one I know. I wonder if they still show that over here. He's a cool dude.

 

They do, but he's not on it. A guy named Matt Smith is playing The Doctor now. He's very different but also very good in his own way. He's the 11th actor to take on the role.

 

Anyway, the picture I'm using for my avatar is an alien from recent years of the show called an "Ood." It amuses me that the way its holding that communications orb kind of makes it look like its enjoying an exotic cocktail through a straw.

 

(Also, if I use an avatar that tips people off to my gender, people around here react to me way differently, as I've discovered in the past. This way I'm more-or-less "one of the boys" most of the time, which is fine by me.)

[golias]

So, it sounds like the consensus picks so far (as far as new gear goes) is:

 

Tech 21 Trademark 60

Peavey Bandit

A bass combo

 

With honorable mention to Fender FM 212 and the Roland Cube 30, which are apparently worth putting up with their digital shenanigans.

 

I think I'll have a look-see at all of those options over the next few months. There's no rush. I'm perfectly happy with my tube amp for local shows, and I'm not going on the road for a few months yet.

[CoqBelliqueux]

They do, but he's not on it. A guy named Matt Smith is playing The Doctor now. He's very different but also very good in his own way. He's the 11th actor to take on the role. Anyway, the picture I'm using for my avatar is an alien from recent years of the show called an "Ood." It amuses me that the way its holding that communications orb kind of makes it look like its enjoying an exotic cocktail through a straw. (Also, if I use an avatar that tips people off to my gender, people around here react to me way differently, as I've discovered in the past. This way I'm more-or-less "one of the boys" most of the time, which is fine by me.)

It does look like a sea creature sipping a cocktail.

Too bad about the switch. Is ginger still there at least?

 

I remember now about the Ood. I liked the 90s Outer Limits better, but the Doc was a fun show too when I had a TV last year. It was on Sundays at 11pm, but I didn't miss it often.

 

I don't know what past avatars were like, but this one is a tiny bit repulsive!

[CoqBelliqueux]

 

So, it sounds like the consensus picks so far (as far as new gear goes) is: Tech 21 Trademark 60 Peavey Bandit A bass combo With honorable mention to Fender FM 212 and the Roland Cube 30, which are apparently worth putting up with their digital shenanigans. I think I'll have a look-see at all of those options over the next few months. There's no rush. I'm perfectly happy with my tube amp for local shows, and I'm not going on the road for a few months yet.

 

The old Cube like mine had no modeling, but it's been out of prod for about 25 years. I blew the speaker of my Bandit, but that was an older generation, so the new ones have better reputation.

 

I wouldn't buy anything without trying the Tech 21 first, Good luck.

[steve_man]

I hear nothing but good about Tech 21 stuff...

[Hurtzher]

I am gonna throw a wrench in the works here and suggest a Line 6 Spider IV. I love mine to death and it actually doesn't fart out at all at higher volumes.

 

OR

 

I might suggest you try and find a used Fender M80 Chorus 2X12 combo. Great solid state cleans with that sum'bish.

 

Carvin does offer their SX line as well. They sound neat. They have built in DSP effects (via a rotary selector knobby) but you can easily bypass them (and can switch them on and off via a footswitch).

[Lump]

I've tried alot of solid state amps. Alot. I avoided tube amps for years because I don't play at high volumes. I went with, and still have and love my Trademark 60. Great great amp. Very sturdy and light(which is a rare combination). Cleans it can do a nice fender imitation, and if you roll of the mids a bit it does have a little jazz chorus vibe going. Dirty channel gets into marshall territory but not much heavier without help. It also has a fairly decent mic out. I highly reccomend them. They've been around for a long time, but still fly under the radar of alot of people because there just are not that many dealerships around.

 

Les Paul used one in his clubs for a long time, he knew a bit about good tone. It might be a pain to find one, but it's worth the effort.

[EllenGtrGrl]

Since uber clean is the name of the game for you (I gather, that you're a "distortion sound out of a box" person [if you play with distortion]), maybe consider a Crate Power Block. There are plenty of them around. I used to have one (I wanted to get my grind from the amp, so I got rid of it), and I can tell you from first hand experience that it was nice, small, and light. It takes pedals very well, and can get LOUD! Pair it with a 1x12" speaker cab that's easy to carry, and you're good to go.

 

The ZT Lunchbox and Club amps, along with used Polytones, or Evans amps, are also good choices for loud and clean in a portable amp. The Polytone, and Evans amps do especially good cleans, since they are faves of jazz players.

[hecticone]

Well said.

[HELSTRUME]

For clean, the H&K edition blue 60. I just played one, and it sounded so nice.

[Misha]

I played with a Cube 80X for 2 hours today and liked the JC 120 mode a lot. I didn't care for the other channel but kept telling to myself that I would love to try a real JC 120...

[EllenGtrGrl]

Well said.

 

Thanks. Hope things are going well for you Gary.

[bdhn]

 

For clean, the H&K edition blue 60. I just played one, and it sounded so nice.

 

 

one of my friends had one of these and he used it instead of his dsl for smaller club gigs and it was a workhorse.

 

he even used it at some bigger shows just for the easy set up

 

good amp definatly

 

 

 

 

 

and i have used the peavey transtube stuff alot.

they are hard to beat ..........but the tech 21 stuff might do it