What's your fantasy amp?

[Corey Y]

What's your fantasy amp? By that I mean something that doesn't actually exist that you wish you had. Merge aspects of multiple amps, add or subtract features, different output power, whatever.

I'd love to have the tone of my 1970 Traynor YBA-1, but with some more modern features. A power section with 4 EL34's (has 2 as is) and a power scaling feature to run at full, half or quarter power, with switchable impedance, a DI out and built in fans (right now I have a DIY one made out of a PC fan and a cell phone charger stuck in w/ velcro). That way I could practice and record at home with a smaller cab, without shaking the dishes out of the cupboards, and I'd have some flexibility to use multiple cab configurations when gigging. I honestly don't need twice the wattage, the YBA-1 is pretty damn loud through my Ampeg 810e when gigging, but it's always nice to have a little extra juice if you need it.

[dunwichamps]

i still thinks its a 200W GT120 based amp, with the right amount of amp gain. Got one cooking up as we speak

[Corey Y]

This thread is tailor made for you Nick, because you can actually make whatever you dream up! 

[dunwichamps]

yea i could build your dream amp. Snap, 1400-1700


I have also already snagged up some great amps 2, a V4 and a SC120

[Chovie D]

59 fender deluxe on one channel, marshall 18 watt on the other. vairable .5-100 watts,  tremolo, reverb, fits in my pocket like a credit card and is free.

[dunwichamps]

everything up to fits in my pocket and free is doable. However those 18Ws sound the way to they because of the power amp and phase inverter setup.

[VOLVO)))]

6550 based ultralinear 200watter with pre/post gain, bass/mid/treble controls. 2/4/8/16 taps for impedance. That's it. Monster clean power. Simple as possible, 100% user servicable.

[dunwichamps]

6550 based ultralinear 200watter with pre/post gain, bass/mid/treble controls. 2/4/8/16 taps for impedance. That's it. Monster clean power. Simple as possible, 100% user servicable.

nice, get a built in DMM

[Corey Y]

Sounds pretty close to a Weber AB200, although I'm pretty sure they use KT88's instead of 6550's. Given how many people go crazy for preamps and pedals I'm surprised there aren't more just high powered clean tube amps out there, optimized as a platform for pedalboard junkies.

[dunwichamps]

the ab200 probably runs closer to 250-300W with 6 Kt88s at 550-600 plate volts so idk y they called it ab200. hehe

You need a good driver setup if you wanna run mondo power in the output section, like a DC coupled grid leaks so you can run the amp into AB2 (ie grid conduction). This is done on the SVTs, and the AB200 and on 1 of my upcoming super clean pedal players amps and on the my 200W GT120 style build

[Discö Rice]

300 tube watts and an 8x10, no logos on anything, sounds like an ultralinear Super Six, takes pedals very well, looks old, reverb, vibrato, functions well with guitar or bass. under $500.

[dunwichamps]

300 tube watts and an 8x10, no logos on anything, sounds like an ultralinear Super Six, takes pedals very well, looks old, reverb, vibrato, functions well with guitar or bass. under $500.

thats a kool idea, like super mondo Fender, would be nice with harmonic vibrato and verb, 6 x Kt88s in UL. Maybe a clean preamp one side with a bass centered bax stack out of an SVT and the other a traditional fender channel cascading into 6v6 driven reverb and harmonic vibarto.

the only kicker on that would be controlling LFO in the verb circuit when u slam the volume


500 bucks lol. thats a true fantasy figure there

[Corey Y]

under $500.

True spirit of the thread there...THAT is a fantasy. We can always dream.

[Corey Y]

I wonder what something like a 50-100w Fender Champ head would sound like. No pre-gain, no EQ, just a volume knob.

[dunwichamps]

I wonder what something like a 50-100w Fender Champ head would sound like. No pre-gain, no EQ, just a volume knob.

single knob?

800-1200 depending upon setup

the champ is SE i assume you would convert to a Fender Tweed phase inverter with 2 -4 El34s/6l6s

[Corey Y]

How does that work exactly? Do combo amps like Champs have a fixed tone stack or just no tone stack? Apart from power obviously, assuming they weren't dimed, would something like Princeton sound similar to a Champ if you just kept the knobs at noon?

I should just re-title this thread "Hey Nick..." 

[Discö Rice]

300 tube watts and an 8x10, no logos on anything, sounds like an ultralinear Super Six, takes pedals very well, looks old, reverb, vibrato, functions well with guitar or bass. under $500.

thats a kool idea, like super mondo Fender, would be nice with harmonic vibrato and verb, 6 x Kt88s in UL. Maybe a clean preamp one side with a bass centered bax stack out of an SVT and the other a traditional fender channel cascading into 6v6 driven reverb and harmonic vibarto.

the only kicker on that would be controlling LFO in the verb circuit when u slam the volume


500 bucks lol. thats a true fantasy figure there

Yeah, well... price is why I don't have one. Honestly I'd feel crappy looking at an enormously expensive amp in my rig. If I come into some money, though, it's on the list.

[dunwichamps]

How does that work exactly? Do combo amps like Champs have a fixed tone stack or just no tone stack? Apart from power obviously, assuming they weren't dimed, would something like Princeton sound similar to a Champ if you just kept the knobs at noon?

I should just re-title this thread "Hey Nick..." 

champ is probably the simplest amp, 2 cascaded gain stages, a single volume, into a SE 6v6. Nothing is as raw but the closest thing would be a Tweed Deluxe, that has just a single tone control, 2 volumes, for the individual inputs. If you need over 8W then a push pull amp is needed so a phase inverter is needed so something like a Tweed phase inverter works with the addition of just one more gain stages in front of it that would be like a Champ/Tweed mix up

sorry your playing to my vanity....

[dunwichamps]

300 tube watts and an 8x10, no logos on anything, sounds like an ultralinear Super Six, takes pedals very well, looks old, reverb, vibrato, functions well with guitar or bass. under $500.

thats a kool idea, like super mondo Fender, would be nice with harmonic vibrato and verb, 6 x Kt88s in UL. Maybe a clean preamp one side with a bass centered bax stack out of an SVT and the other a traditional fender channel cascading into 6v6 driven reverb and harmonic vibarto.

the only kicker on that would be controlling LFO in the verb circuit when u slam the volume


500 bucks lol. thats a true fantasy figure there

Yeah, well... price is why I don't have one. Honestly I'd feel crappy looking at an enormously expensive amp in my rig. If I come into some money, though, it's on the list.

your idea is really interesting. Thats like a beast of an amp, like a true Sunn fucked a loud Fender from the early 60s.

[inductorguitars]

If you need over 8W then a push pull amp is needed so a phase inverter is needed so something like a Tweed phase inverter works with the addition of just one more gain stages in front of it that would be like a Champ/Tweed mix up

sorry your playing to my vanity....

I'm building a 20watt SE kt88 amp.

[dunwichamps]

If you need over 8W then a push pull amp is needed so a phase inverter is needed so something like a Tweed phase inverter works with the addition of just one more gain stages in front of it that would be like a Champ/Tweed mix up

sorry your playing to my vanity....

I'm building a 20watt SE kt88 amp.

yea i know u can // the tubes up to get more power but with the same tube compliment i could pull 60W in PP.

[Baltar]

Uhm, maybe a Marshall Super Lead.  Or another SUNN.

[Corey Y]

It's a slow, rainy Monday and everyone else in the office is out sick. So I'm in daydream overdrive. I also had half a pot of coffee to myself.

The one knob amp thing plays to my deeply seeded utilitarian tendencies. Along with my suggestion that bands just be issued numbers or bar codes instead of coming up with dumb names or my rant to my wife about what a waste of real estate and resources front lawns.

So yeah...a big black box with one knob on the front would do the trick for me. As long as it sounded good, obviously. I could do a lot of tone shaping between playing style, instrument and pedals. I pretty much leave my YBA-1 with all knobs at noon except the volume.

[Discö Rice]

300 tube watts and an 8x10, no logos on anything, sounds like an ultralinear Super Six, takes pedals very well, looks old, reverb, vibrato, functions well with guitar or bass. under $500.

thats a kool idea, like super mondo Fender, would be nice with harmonic vibrato and verb, 6 x Kt88s in UL. Maybe a clean preamp one side with a bass centered bax stack out of an SVT and the other a traditional fender channel cascading into 6v6 driven reverb and harmonic vibarto.

the only kicker on that would be controlling LFO in the verb circuit when u slam the volume


500 bucks lol. thats a true fantasy figure there

Yeah, well... price is why I don't have one. Honestly I'd feel crappy looking at an enormously expensive amp in my rig. If I come into some money, though, it's on the list.

your idea is really interesting. Thats like a beast of an amp, like a true Sunn fucked a loud Fender from the early 60s.

Thanks! Just so I know what to mope about - what would you charge for a beastie like that?

[dunwichamps]

something thats 6 x Kt88 in nature is going to be push 2-2.3k given the nature of the transformer cost. you could shrink that cost down with say a 4 x Kt88 setup would be 1.8k-2k