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Cheaper "Fender Tweed" sounding tube amps?


Tidal Rhythm

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I find the various XD models kinda-sorta nail the amps they are modelling... but to my ear there's something about them that miss the mark.

 

I've got a little SCXD, and my favorite signal on it is the clean channel that bypasses all the models. I didn't feel that way when I first got it, but over time I've soured on all 12 of the options on the preamp. I'd almost rather put a Tube Screamer pedal in front of it for my high-gain tone than use the models.

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rather put a Tube Screamer pedal in front of it for my high-gain tone than use the models.

 

 

Almost? I love a TS in front of the SCXD / chan 1 with any level of gain - even as a clean boost.

 

And my tubescreamers are of the cheaper variety - I have a TS5 and a Bad Monkey. Really like them both

 

Channel 2 (1, 2, 9, 10 are my favorites) has some nice voicings as well - and some of those kick ass with a tubscreamer as well.

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1960s Gretsch,Supro and Magnatone Amps ?

 

 

This is actually a damn good suggestion -IF- you can find one of these things in decent condition. They do turn up on Craigslist, frequently at very attractive prices, because the average Joe doesn't know what they are or what they can do. But - there just aren't very many around compared to the 'mainstream' brands that the big boxes carry.

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I find the various XD models kinda-sorta nail the amps they are modelling... but to my ear there's something about them that miss the mark.


 

 

I can see how that could be. I'm far from a connoisseur, so maybe it's just my tin ear. And I always assume that "for the money" is implicit in these discussion, especially since the OP is looking for a low-dollar option.

 

Of course, I hope that one day I grow up to be Doc Jeffery, or Bbreaker, and have my own jillion dollar collection. ==> Need a "Voxey" sound? Well, I'll just step over here to one of my three AC30s. Now, is this important enough to warrant firing up the made in England, all original '67, or since I'm just fooling around is the Chineese reissue OK? Or am I really in more of a '59 Bassman mood? Or is today a '68 Hiwatt kind of day? Maybe the Dumble Overdrive? Or how about........

 

 

But absent the death of some rich Uncle somewhere, or a magic lottery ticket, I'm still going to have to insist that for what you pay you can get a damn nice 'fender clean' out of the SCXD.

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There are tons of builders making tweed repros. They can be had pretty cheap used. Depending on how many watts you want might push you to a certain builder. I decided i wanted a 5e3 and ended up with a used valvetrain as the price was right. The resell on some of these amps is not very good, so deals can be had used.

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They're not as cheap as they used to be, but I'm surprised no one has suggested the Blues Jr. Can be found used for about $350

 

 

 

Actually, I think the Pro Jr. is a lot closer to the tweed vibe than the blues Jr. the smaller speaker and box are important in replicating the old tweed tone.

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Look at late 50s / early 60s Gibson amps.

 

Only a couple of those models (e.g., the GA-40 "Les Paul" model or the GA-79RVT stereo) command the type of collector prices these days as the old tweed Fenders; others can be had for low-to-mid $$$, and many of them had very similar circuits to classic Fender designs (see here for a comparison of several models).

 

The GA-30 Invader, for instance, is supposed to be pretty similar to a tweed Pro or Super, and the 2008 Vintage Guitar Price Guide shows the non-reverb version from the late 50s as going for $700-850 (probably a bit less than that these days).

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Look at late 50s / early 60s Gibson amps.


Only a couple of those models (e.g., the GA-40 "Les Paul" model or the GA-79RVT stereo) command the type of collector prices these days as the old tweed Fenders; others can be had for low-to-mid $$$, and many of them had very similar circuits to classic Fender designs (see
for a comparison of several models).


The GA-30 Invader, for instance, is supposed to be pretty similar to a tweed Pro or Super, and the 2008 Vintage Guitar Price Guide shows the non-reverb version from the late 50s as going for $700-850 (probably a bit less than that these days).

 

 

+1

alot of the old gibson amps nail the 5e3 sound for not much dough.

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