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Forgot to add the other part of it is when they have those crazy deals it's usually because they're dumping their remaining stock for any number of reasons, which might include because they were getting swamped with returns.
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Jan 21, 2014 02:28
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comes along bort posted:I'm gonna be the turd in the punchbowl here and say that you really don't need a 50w combo if you're just starting out. You'll never have it turned up past 1 in the bedroom (that amp will put out over 100dB easy with the volume at 3 or 4), and it won't sound anything like you're used to hearing on recordings at the volume you can safely play it at in your room. Wait until you get to the point where you're actually playing out, or at least jamming with a drummer, and save your cash so you have a wider variety of stuff to choose from. There's also the likelihood that amp's not what you're looking for; there's plenty of youtube demos of that and just about every other amp under the sun. I practice out of everything from the iRig into my iPhone to my 11 Rack, to just plugging dry into the mixer on my desk through monitors to playing it dead to jacking into one of my heads because ultimately, practice is practice, noodling time is something entirely different and a LOT of players never make that distinction. It's something everyone needs to take into account with an amp/equipment purchase. You're absolutely right, they're NOT optimal, or even a 'good' option for a bedroom dude BUT, if seeing that Plexi through an attenuator dialed down to its lowest point into a 1x12 inspires you as a musician, by all means, go ahead. I'll freely admit, as someone who owns some fairly nice crap, there are times that I like something simply because it makes me WANT to play it, and so long as your bills are paid, kids aren't wearing dirty diapers and the cats aren't producing kitty porn to pay for catnip, it's all good.  I'll absolutely 100% agree however with your last statement, it's amazing how many people don't WANT the amp that they actually THINK they want. It's funny stuff.
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Jan 21, 2014 02:39
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Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll hold off for now. There will be good deals in the future. Hopefully I won't kick myself too hard for passing on this later.
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Jan 21, 2014 03:05
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Zonekeeper posted:Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll hold off for now. There will be good deals in the future. Hopefully I won't kick myself too hard for passing on this later. You won't. If you're really jonesing for a tube amp, I think someone mentioned the Valve Jr earlier in the thread and that would definitely be something to look into.
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Jan 21, 2014 04:25
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I think the way to go will wind up being one of those 5W mini-amps. Looks like they're fairly affordable outside of the high end boutique models and - thanks to the way amp wattages work - a 5W is half as loud as a 50W, which sounds like plenty.
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Jan 21, 2014 06:03
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Zonekeeper posted:I think the way to go will wind up being one of those 5W mini-amps. Looks like they're fairly affordable outside of the high end boutique models and - thanks to the way amp wattages work - a 5W is half as loud as a 50W, which sounds like plenty.
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Jan 21, 2014 06:13
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I started having second thoughts last night after seeing how much some of the low wattage tube amps cost. (Thought process: "You know, between the mini amp and a cab the 50W Jet City combo isn't much more expensive...") But then I looked at attenuators and immediately realized that yes, the low wattage amp will wind up being much cheaper. It didn't occur to me that a device that makes an amp less loud would be so expensive. 
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Jan 21, 2014 19:59
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Trust me. TRUST ME The repair bill for a power chord through an a tube amp with no load on the outputs is a LOT more. The horror...the horror...
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Jan 21, 2014 20:15
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My 32w Palomino I never really turn past 4 or 5 out of 10 when jamming loud with the band. Plenty of volume on the clean channel. The drat thing hisses like crazy though when overdrive is on though. Had to stick a Boss NS-2 to shut it up for now (replaced all the tubes a couple weeks ago too). The NS-2 reduced it by 75% or so, but still slightly noisy.  Any ideas? Made me really think about that Jet City since that's the kind of poo poo I'll be playing for years.
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Jan 21, 2014 20:43
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Sockington posted:My 32w Palomino I never really turn past 4 or 5 out of 10 when jamming loud with the band. Plenty of volume on the clean channel. A LOT of amps (and forgive me if I'm underestimating your knowledge, please don't think I'm being condescending) will REALLY ramp up that background noise 'hiss' when you ramp up the gain, since you're basically over amplifying the input signal and all the included interference. What kind of shape are your cables in? Hey, if you want, either tomorrow or (more likely) Thursday I'll run back over to the shop and crank the one I'm trying to sell in the gear trade thread and see what the background noise is like on it for you. That'll give you an idea at least before you throw some monies at MF or whoever. Depending on how much like the SLO their circuit is, I'll tell you, it should be SILENT, even at near-max gain.
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Jan 21, 2014 21:37
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Hey there I am currently looking for a new amplifier. It needs to be able to be used for gigging and band rehearsal. Also needs to be able to go from garage rock fuzz to metal. My price range is 300-400$, any suggestions?
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Jan 22, 2014 04:21
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Sockington posted:My 32w Palomino I never really turn past 4 or 5 out of 10 when jamming loud with the band. Plenty of volume on the clean channel. Mine's got hiss too, I find it isn't really noticeable when I'm playing. Amps tend to be noisy bastards even in the best of times, particularly when high gain is involved. You can try EQing it out if it really bugs you.
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Jan 22, 2014 04:40
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Sockington posted:My 32w Palomino I never really turn past 4 or 5 out of 10 when jamming loud with the band. Plenty of volume on the clean channel. The Palamino and Club series of Crate tube amps that proceeded it have tube sockets mounted directly to the board and are at risk of hairline cracks in the board that form as a result of the heat that EL84 tubes put out. This can cause feedback, whistling, and other tonal oddities at higher volumes. Test for microphonic preamp tubes and take the board out of the amp to look for cracks by shining a light through the board from the opposite side. Taking a chopstick and pushing on the board firmly but gently while the amp is on and the board is in place can also give you an idea of whether or not the amp's board has these cracks. As always, if you don't know how to work inside amps I wouldn't advise any of this because you can kill yourself. I recall the overdrive channel on a mid-90's Club 30 2x12 I worked on as being terrible. Decent clean amp though. What you're hearing can also be a result of just being an EL84-powered amp. More than any other tube amp they are most susceptible to noise at higher volumes.
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Jan 22, 2014 06:05
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Jackson1160 posted:Hey there I am currently looking for a new amplifier. It needs to be able to be used for gigging and band rehearsal. Also needs to be able to go from garage rock fuzz to metal. My price range is 300-400$, any suggestions?
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Jan 22, 2014 06:10
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Declan MacManus posted:Mine's got hiss too, I find it isn't really noticeable when I'm playing. Is this your amp?  
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Jan 22, 2014 10:03
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Handen posted:Is this your amp? Holy poo poo your avatar. Thanks for that.
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Jan 22, 2014 15:47
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iostream.h posted:Do you have a cab or no? Unfortunately I do not, I am currently using a Raven 100w combo.
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Jan 22, 2014 20:27
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Jackson1160 posted:Hey there I am currently looking for a new amplifier. It needs to be able to be used for gigging and band rehearsal. Also needs to be able to go from garage rock fuzz to metal. My price range is 300-400$, any suggestions? The amp by itself needs to go from garage rock fuzz to metal? Or are you going to apply pedals to it? How loud do you need to play? You're going to be somewhat limited with the 300-400 price range if you're aiming for a tube amplifier.
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Jan 22, 2014 21:03
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jwh posted:You're going to be somewhat limited with the 300-400 price range if you're aiming for a tube amplifier.
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Jan 22, 2014 21:18
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jwh posted:The amp by itself needs to go from garage rock fuzz to metal? Or are you going to apply pedals to it? I am going to be running pedals through it but it needs to have a good dirt channel. I am looking for a combo.
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Jan 22, 2014 22:47
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Jackson1160 posted:I am going to be running pedals through it but it needs to have a good dirt channel. I am looking for a combo. You could snag something like an early 5150 2x12, they take pedals really well and have a damned good dirty channel. Maybe a Blackstar? They're pretty decent, have a good sound to them and their resale value is pretty pathetic so some good value there. Used JetCity amps are REALLY good values too. When you say 'gig', are you going to mic or use stage volume? I'm not trying to be pissy or get overly detailed, but hell, that 5150 I listed earlier could very well be WAY overkill, depending on what you're doing. If you weren't set on a combo, it'd actually be pretty easy to get you into a decent setup, something like a Peavey Windsor on a cheap Line6 cab, the Crate Blue Voodoo, others like that, but anyway, they're out there. Marshall's got the JCM 600 series, they're pretty decent but be careful banging them around. I picked up a DSL 401 the other day, it's a 40w, sounds pretty good, I haven't put it on the bench yet so I haven't listed it, but it's damned clean and doesn't smell like smoke. I'm into it for a little more than your budget so there's that. PM me if you want more info. You COULD probably pick up a Tiny Terror + 1x12 for around your budget, not a combo but it's drat nice, easily giggable and has a pretty fair range of tones. If you require pristine cleans with no breakup or scooped metal sounds you won't dig it, but they're pretty sweet.
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Jan 22, 2014 23:22
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In all honesty I just need something functional, sounds decent, and loud. I would much prefer a combo for easier transport but its not a must. Its key that it is gig able and can hold its own without being mic'd.
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Jan 23, 2014 00:21
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Jackson1160 posted:In all honesty I just need something functional, sounds decent, and loud. I would much prefer a combo for easier transport but its not a must. Its key that it is gig able and can hold its own without being mic'd. JetCity, Blackstar, a 5150, JCM600 are the ones you'd probably dig off the top of my head, depends on where you're located obviously. I've got a few odds and ends I've been sitting on to unload, if you're not dead set on a combo then, might be something else. I'll throw some pics up tomorrow then. I KNOW I've got a Blue Voodoo that's in good shape, it's a Crate 100w all tube head that SOUNDS really good, it just says 'Crate' on the front and that throws people off sometimes. Where are you?
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Jan 23, 2014 00:32
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Combo does not necessarily easier transport make for. I thought "I'll just get this Ampeg VT22 and take it everywhere!" Man was that ever a bad idea. With a head and cab you have two things that each weigh ~1/2 as much as a combo containing all of the same parts would. Sure, maybe you have to take two trips to the van to bring them both in or whatever, but they're easier to handle on their own. Also if you get sick of the head after a while you can sell it, keep the cab, and look for another head. Or vice versa with the cab. Speaking of amps or whatever, that Ampeg V3 showed up and holy dicks does it ever sound great. Can't post clips now but will shortly. Edit: 
XYZAB fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 00:42
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Look like my b25 and my v4 had a baby :3
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Jan 23, 2014 01:59
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Smash it Smash hit posted:Look like my b25 and my v4 had a baby :3 Okay I was just pondering over this earlier; it seems to me that there are an inordinate amount of ML goons who have old Ampeg V series guitar amps, which are not exactly easy to come by. This brings me to my next question: If you are a goon who owns an old Linden NJ V series Ampeg V2/V3/V4/V9/VT40/VT22, please come out of lurking and post what you own, the story of how you came to own it, and why you sought it out. Pictures would be cool too. If there are as many V series owners as I seem to think there are, let's form a goon Ampeg V series club and talk shop tips! I own: ~1969 VT22 with the gigantic square magnet speakers as opposed to the optional Altecs. Sought it out and bought it from a guy in Ohio in 2006 because I was (and still am) huge into Kyuss/Queens. Paid $600+$150cdn + s&h ~1970 V3 (pics above) - I wasn't initially seeking it out, instead I was looking for a V2 because the VT22 is too loud, too clean, and too heavy to do anything aside from keep it in the basement, and because the V2, with its lower wattage, would theoretically be easier to overdrive. Then a V3 showed up on my eBay feed and after a bit of research it seemed to be EXACTLY what I was looking for instead. Paid $430+$100usd s&h. Scored big-time. ANYWAY if you own a V2/V3/V4/V9/VT40/VT22, stop lurking and post. I want to tally how many goons own one. Linden New Jersey models, Greenville Tennessee models, Japanese models, and current reissue models all welcome. XYZAB fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 03:17
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iostream.h posted:drat, that's kind of tough for a gig-capable setup. I recently picked up a 5150 2x12 and am very happy with it, but it's a bitch to carry. Really heavy and no handles except for the one on top, first thing I did when I bought it was put casters so I can roll it around most of the time. The tone is great for metal and is plenty loud.
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Jan 23, 2014 04:14
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This came up on my eBay feed so I had to snag it: Tungsram, RFT, and Telefunken 12AX7s. All three for $100. quote:TEST RESULTS:TUNGSRAM TRIODE 1 TRIODE 2 I've been a stickler for Tungsrams since I had a Peavey head with three Super 7's and one Tungsram, I tried it in another few amps and it sounded better than anything else. Since then I've had "tungsram 12ax7" as an auto-search term on my eBay front page, which is how it popped up. Knowing that a single Telefunken 12AX7 can fetch $50+, and a single Tungsram is usually $40+, I figured why the hell not? $90usd Buy It Now and it had only been up for a few hours. The same guy is selling four vintage American 12AX7s for the same price, also a good deal if anyone wants to snag em. I'd act quick though.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:32
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1978 Ampeg v4 NJ plant. Got it off Craigslist from a guy that was selling it off to buy a real nice DI since that is all they really do on the "church circuit" got that and an awesome oversized v2 cab. The v4 when I got serviced by a tech said he hasn't seen one that clean in 30 years, even had the original magnavox tubes in it. Must have been chilling in someone's living room for years. 1969 B25 NJ as well. Got it when my friend a bassist in big attack started playing in a heavier band and needed more push with bass. Tolex was completely hosed and had to clean everything out, wasn't very well taken care of. Fixed it up a bit and redesigned it. Will try to post pics tomorrow.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:58
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Any amps that are over 40 lbs. and I immediately start wishing I had casters.Jackson1160 posted:In all honesty I just need something functional, sounds decent, and loud. I would much prefer a combo for easier transport but its not a must. Its key that it is gig able and can hold its own without being mic'd. Go creep on Guitar Center's used section. ta-da
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Jan 23, 2014 06:01
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Declan MacManus posted:Any amps that are over 40 lbs. and I immediately start wishing I had casters. Declan Macmanus posted:Go creep on Guitar Center's used section.
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Jan 23, 2014 06:21
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Declan MacManus posted:Any amps that are over 40 lbs. and I immediately start wishing I had casters. It's funny, I knew about Guitar Center's used section on the site, but it never occurred to me that they would ship any of it
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Jan 23, 2014 07:08
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Hey guys! A bit of background: I used to work as a computer technician and study programming and the like. However, the combination really burnt me out on anything IT. My reprieve was buying a guitar as it was a hobby I wasn't having to work with all the time. Well, conditions have changed and I no longer do IT stuff much any more. So that means electronics are back to being a fun hobby. It's been a while but I still know how to solder and breadboard prototype. I don't have any equipment but will be picking some up. So I was trying to think of a fun electronics project that will/might be actually useful. I was thinking maybe effects pedals, but then I thought, an amp! I intend to buy a good amp but the better I get at guitar the more I'm liking my "terrible" solid state practice amp (Vox Pathfinder 10). I've listened and played with plenty of tube and SS amps and although the tube amps sounded better I'm half convinced that the reason is that the tube ones were inherently higher tier, in both production and price. 'Course, it's probably the reverse (Higher price because better) but I really dig on a well done solid state. The clipping and stuff most people hate on SS amps doesn't worry me, honestly. Anyway, my idea is to build a solid state amp I like. I've found schematics for little 1W amps with one channel and I'm thinking of starting with one of those, then modifying the circuit until I get what I want. Little bits at a time, so just the very basics and then, say, adding a bigger power section or what have you. Small improvements. Lots of modifying cause it's fun. My question is just if this sounds reasonable. I'm not going to be building amps to sell (And who would buy a solid state amp at a price that wouldn't screw me? No one, that's who) just as a personal project to reignite my passion in electronics. If I can tweak and find "my sound" in that amp, all the better. Fun project or am I dooming myself?
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Jan 23, 2014 08:48
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I have a H&K Tubemeister 36 head that is making some snap crackle pop noises when the volume is cranked. It seems to be worse when the gain gets turned up or there is dirt pedals turned on. I bought it new and have only used it for about a month now i guess. Not so sure its interference from the outlet because i've plugged a different amp in to the same one and it has no issues. Guess i might try a power conditioner or something, but failing that, whats next? Doing some reading suggests maybe replace the preamp tubes?
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Jan 23, 2014 09:09
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@syntaxfunction: Fun project. Go for it. A good buddy of mine buys tube amp kits and puts them together for fun. I don't know of any solid state amp kit suppliers but it certainly wouldn't be out of the question.Sven posted:I have a H&K Tubemeister 36 head that is making some snap crackle pop noises when the volume is cranked. It seems to be worse when the gain gets turned up or there is dirt pedals turned on. I bought it new and have only used it for about a month now i guess. Not so sure its interference from the outlet because i've plugged a different amp in to the same one and it has no issues. Guess i might try a power conditioner or something, but failing that, whats next? Doing some reading suggests maybe replace the preamp tubes? I had and still have the same problem with my VT22, and years ago I bought a power conditioner thinking it would solve the problem. Power conditioner wasn't the answer, it's the tubes. If you can find someone with an older tube tester who knows how to use it and can tell you exactly which tubes need replacing, do that first. You have four EL34s, chances are only one of them is having minor issues, you don't need to buy a whole new set of four if you can find a guy who can tell you exactly which one of those four is on its way out. That being said, a snap/crackle/pop sound might also be a pot problem instead of a tube problem, so who knows. XYZAB fucked around with this message at 09:17 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 09:10
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In that case i might just re-tube it and see what happens, ive got some spare 12ax7's lying around and a set of 4 new JJ's aren't going to break the bank. Thanks dude.
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Jan 23, 2014 12:14
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Personally, if I am not getting a hernia lifting my amp onto my cab then I feel out of place. but serious gently caress lifting a v22
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Jan 23, 2014 14:29
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Ericadia posted:It's funny, I knew about Guitar Center's used section on the site, but it never occurred to me that they would ship any of it Yeah it's awesome (I think you can even offset the shipping costs by getting it sent to the store closest to you but I've never done that)
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Jan 23, 2014 15:53
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Handen posted:ANYWAY if you own a V2/V3/V4/V9/VT40/VT22, stop lurking and post. I want to tally how many goons own one. Linden New Jersey models, Greenville Tennessee models, Japanese models, and current reissue models all welcome. You know this already, I think, but I have a '73 V4B, '72 SVT, and I had an older Gemini II that I sold. I've had tremendous (almost ridiculous) luck with old Ampeg equipment. The V4B I bought from a friend who worked at a Daddy's Junky Music in Providence, Rhode Island. It had come in, and before it could go out on the floor, he decided to buy it, thinking it was a guitar amp. He paid $40 for it. When he found out it was a bass head, I paid him $40 for it. The '72 SVT I paid a friend's father $100 for, and then spent $450 to retube it. Last night, I practiced at a friend's house, and he had a B25 and a V4 in the basement, lonely. Also a really slick portaflex came into the shop I work with, which was cool. Great recording amp. So these amps are definitely out there, and in quantity.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:04
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I've never tried an Ampeg. What's the canonical example of their sound for bass? I'm generally used to Fender 6L6 bass amps.
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Jan 23, 2014 23:14
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