kman8898

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Well, I always try to find my gear used or discounted, so that's hard to say. I wouldn't want to go much over $700. If that was for a new amp, I know that my options would be severely limited, but I doubt I'm going to get a brand new amp. Sometimes you see the odd deluxe reverb or something going at $600 or whatever, so I keep my eyes out for stuff like that. I'm pretty much all set now, and I know what to look for. Thanks to everyone who responded.

Hmm, that's not what i came across in my research. Whatever. Anyways, I said I'm still keeping the Peavey on my horizons, so who knows what I'll end up with.

I've never really thought about getting a separate cabinet, as I have no use for so much volume. I listened to some comparisons of the Peavey and Fender amps, and although the gain channel on the Peavey is really nice, it just doesn't have that bright Fender sound to it, especially on the clean channel. I think I'm still leaning towards the Fender because I don't really use THAT much gain most of the time, but I'll definitely keep the Peavey on my horizons. You never know when some old lady will find one in her attic and sell it for $150 because she doesn't know what it is. I got a 2000 dollar stereo system for 10 bucks from some clueless old guy once...

I looked at the Supersonic, but it seems like that's another tier up from the ones I've been looking at, price-wise. A lot of people have suggested the Peavey Classic series now, so I'll make sure to check that out.

i've listened to quite a few sound clips. The breakup isn't bad, although you're right, it is early. On the frontman, the breakup isn't so much of that crunchy overdrive/gain sound, but more like a constant white noise sort of fuzz. idk how to describe it.

Ok, recommendations are starting to go downhill now. Get rid of the Frontman. My main recommendation for you is to get a Peavey Classic 50. If not that, then either buy a Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe plus a good distortion pedal based on your money situation. Best options are to buy either a Fender Bassman or Fender Deluxe Reverb with a good distortion pedal. Checkout a Fender Supersonic too. Yep, I'm not planning on spending any money on my already flaky Frontman when that money can go towards getting a nice amp that will last a long time. I'm pretty sure that I'm settled on a Blues Deluxe Reissue. I've been doing a lot of research lately, and it seems like the best amp for my purposes. I've been finding used ones for pretty cheap. It's plenty loud enough, and I love the way the controls are set up. I know that most of the people here would go for a Deluxe Reverb over a Blues Deluxe, but what can I say. I'm just looking for a basic, versatile amp that can be played without any pedals if needed. The Deluxe reverb has vibrato, which i would probably never use, the channels have seperate jacks instead of being footswitchable... I just like the simplicity of the Blues Deluxe

Pine Apple Slim - yeah, i suppose i worded that badly. it's sucky in comparison to the amps i wish i had, and i'm quite fed up with the clean channel breaking up so quickly. it's still useable.

Send me your Frontman. Obviously there is operator error. Sure its not a tube amp, it is what it is. But if you cant get music out of it, it ain't the amp. Hey, no need to jump to conclusions. My Frontman 25R is completely useable and I intend to keep using it until i find a deal on a Deluxe Reverb or Blues Deluxe or something. However, it does have a problem where the clean channel begins to break up after the volume is past around 5, and there's no way that that's an operator error. Also, if I purchased a nice overdrive pedal, I'm sure that my amp would sound fine with gain as well. The only thing is, I'm looking for a bit more volume than 25 watts solid state and I miss that nice, warm tube sound. I don't think that any of that qualifies as an "operator error", thank you very much.

are the member statuses based on age or number of posts or what? Why do some just say "member" or "junior member" but some look like they've been edited by the user? Sorry if this is a really dumb question, I'm a complete noob when it comes to forums

I would suggest you stick with your amp for a bit longer and keep saving and looking for a good deal on one of these amps, that way you only have to upgrade ONCE and you will save money in the long run. That's exactly what I'm planning on doing. As of right now, I'm borrowing an Ultra Chorus for when my 1x12 won't suffice, so I'm in no hurry. I'm always keeping an eye out for deals on eBay and Craigslist and the like. I just needed to get an idea of what I should be looking for, and everybody here has helped a lot. Thanks to everyone who replied, this forum rocks!

I would suggest you stick with your amp for a bit longer and keep saving and looking for a good deal on one of these amps, that way you only have to upgrade ONCE and you will save money in the long run. That's exactly what I'm planning on doing. As of right now, I'm borrowing an Ultra Chorus for when my 1x12 won't suffice, so I'm in no hurry. I'm always keeping an eye out for deals on eBay and Craigslist and the like. I just needed to get an idea of what I should be looking for, and everybody here has helped a lot. Thanks to everyone who replied, this forum rocks!

The main reason i can't stand my frontman is the gain channel. When playing at low volumes, it's fine, but when i'm playing at gig level and need to dial in some distortion, it sounds more like a a bunch of hoarse men being killed instead of anything remotely musical. I can never get enough bass on the drive channel either. Also, mine starts breaking up on the clean channel when i go past about 5 on the volume. Yeah, it's a fine starter/practice amp, but it just doesn't have the tone of a better quality amp, and they aren't built that well. It seems like my issue with the clean channel breaking up is fairly common, and there are plenty more known issues with them. I tried a friend's Blues DeVille 410 the other day and fell in love. And billy, I always thought that the Twin and Deluxe were just way up there, price-wise. Would I be looking at spending a significantly larger amount on an older, used Deluxe than on a Blues reissue from the same time period? Does the Deluxe Reverb reissue sound pretty similar to the original?

What are your thoughts? I currently have a sucky Fender Frontman that i can't wait to drop out of a window, but unfortunately it's my only amp right now. I've been looking at all different types of Fender tube amps, and I've decided that I'm just going to prowl around on eBay and Craiglist until i see any of the following amps for a decent price: Hot Rod Deluxe iii, Hot Rod DeVille (212 or 410, doesn't matter), Blues Deluxe Reissue, or Blues DeVille reissue. Obviously, the blues reissues are going to be a better (and more expensive amp), but what do you guys prefer? What are they key differences between the amps? Anyone have experience with any of the four? Anything is appreciated, and I play mainly classic rocks, if that helps at all. thanks