Let's Talk Sleeper Amps

[morgantician]

Glad to see that the Jam Room community is alive and well, I definitely missed that damn forum and just found out there was a resurrected one! Better late than never i guess....feels good to see a lot of familiar names

I'll put in my two cents on the sleeper amps, and I guess maybe they haven't been sleepers for a good while, but Traynor YBA1A's def get my top vote. I have 2 and use them for bass and guitar, built like tanks and handle whatever you throw at them.

I also have an old SS Peavey Bass 400 that I really dig and you can find for super cheap. Has some interesting input options and does the SS bass sound pretty well with a built in distortion option that doesn't suck (at least thats what i think)

I had one of those SS Peaveys in the 90's and it was great for bass, though I didn't have the experience with tone I do now.  I've been thinking of buying one for bass and seeing what I can do with it.  Of all of those 400 models is there a "best" one?

[morgantician]

Classic 400:
- 400 all-tube watts
- 6550 x8
- 93.6 lbs

Nuff said?

How the hell are they still affordable?  If it's anything like pretty much anything else Peavey, they're bulletproof.

I just broke my Butcher out last night after having it sit on my bench for a year.
Its a great sounding amp.
SOmething is still a little wrong with mine though. If I crank the post gain, I get a terrible noise.
But at 100 Pre, and 50% post, it was sounding nice.

Wanna sell it to me?  I sold my Butcher years ago and even though I have an OR120, considered the crem de la crem to some, I haven't stopped thinking 'bout the Butcher.

Jake, tell me more about the Classic 400.

Yeah I suppose. LIke I said its making a weird noise when I crank the post gain.

Cool, I'll PM you.

[VOLVO)))]

They liked to overheat, but that is easily remedied (and most have already been bodged in,) not a lot of room for tubes, in there.

[Slugfuct]

Glad to see that the Jam Room community is alive and well, I definitely missed that damn forum and just found out there was a resurrected one! Better late than never i guess....feels good to see a lot of familiar names

I'll put in my two cents on the sleeper amps, and I guess maybe they haven't been sleepers for a good while, but Traynor YBA1A's def get my top vote. I have 2 and use them for bass and guitar, built like tanks and handle whatever you throw at them.

I also have an old SS Peavey Bass 400 that I really dig and you can find for super cheap. Has some interesting input options and does the SS bass sound pretty well with a built in distortion option that doesn't suck (at least thats what i think)

I had one of those SS Peaveys in the 90's and it was great for bass, though I didn't have the experience with tone I do now.  I've been thinking of buying one for bass and seeing what I can do with it.  Of all of those 400 models is there a "best" one?

The 400B is the one I have, with the Slope control under the Master Volume. Usually can find them for dirt cheap, obviously not the loudest or greatest bass tone but it cuts through a mix great and can really pump out the low mids. I got it for $150.00 and don't regret it at all.

[clockwork green]

The fake tweed is a turn off on the Peavey classics but that's a relatively cheap fix as well.

[dogfood]

I saw a re-ish Butcher for $600 on CL tonight.

[Lumpy]

The fake tweed is a turn off on the Peavey classics but that's a relatively cheap fix as well.

It's not fake tweed, it's real. It's just not lacquered like some of the Fender amps (not all of the Fenders are lacquered, either). Peavey might have their own tweed style too (?) but it's definitely real tweed.

[rayinreverse]

I saw a re-ish Butcher for $600 on CL tonight.

i dont think the reissue butchers are anything like the old ones.

[Lip]

I know the peavey's are built like tanks.. but - still - its an older tube beast... it WILL require maintenence - and you are looking at an ez 400 beans every time its re-tubed... i swear... I will forever be stoked with a Markbass LT800 with a JHS lodrive in front of it - love!

[liquidsmoke]

Can any 100+ watt Fender tube amps be had for cheap?

I'm curious about this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Dual-Showman-Red-Knob-amp-head-/141128514030?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20dbea39ee

[VOLVO)))]

Let's just say those... blew. Fuck those amps. I bought one thinking I got a rad deal, and it sounded like asshole. Are you on the tone hunt again?

[liquidsmoke]

Ah. Are any other Fenders that are lowered priced any good?

I've recently realized that for recording I NEED a tube amp. Should have kept my GH50 just for that purpose. Could buy another one but I could also buy something louder and maybe use it live but it would have to have a lot of headroom. I'm probably going to buy a Power Block because they are cheap used but I'm not expecting them to sound great, just need to try one. 2 of them would probably work. If I was a rock star with roadies I'd probably use a vintage SVT but fuck lugging around an 80 lb amp plus they are pricey. Did Traynor make those 2 or 300 watters back in the day? Yeah, the tone hunt, again, but just the amp, I'm good on the pedal end. Didn't Fender make some 180 watt beast way back?

[RAGER]

Bassmans aren't all that rare and are usually about 600.  If you can find a Super Twin, get it.  They're not very sought after and are rated at 180 watts and cheap.  I have one if you remember.  I turned it into a head.  it sits atop my Ampeg 8x10 and makes a great bass amp but souds great for guitar too.  of course I prefer my MARSHALL.

[MichaelZodiac]

Bassmans aren't all that rare and are usually about 600.  If you can find a Super Twin, get it.  They're not very sought after and are rated at 180 watts and cheap.  I have one if you remember.  I turned it into a head.  it sits atop my Ampeg 8x10 and makes a great bass amp but souds great for guitar too.  of course I prefer my MARSHALL.

If I'm gonna expand on my current bass rig that's definitely one of my plans. If I had dough, I might have picked up a red knob Twin locally and made that into a head.

[VOLVO)))]

I use my Marshall for bass all the time. Holy Mountain tone all days.

[liquidsmoke]

Bassmans aren't all that rare and are usually about 600.  If you can find a Super Twin, get it.  They're not very sought after and are rated at 180 watts and cheap.  I have one if you remember.  I turned it into a head.  it sits atop my Ampeg 8x10 and makes a great bass amp but souds great for guitar too.  of course I prefer my MARSHALL.

That sounds like serious crafty work. How much does your head weigh? Did they ever make a head version or any other models that powerful? Does it sound tubey at low to moderate volumes or sterile?

[MichaelZodiac]

I use a DOD 250 for that Holy Mountain tone  Probably my favorite pedal on my board right now. I also have a new Superfuzz clone that kinda beat my Supercollider for place on my board.

[Danny G]

Maybe too pricey to be sleepers, but anything made by Music Man sounds awesome (old school Fender with a touch of Orange) and the Fender TB-600 is a great bass amp.

Not exactly an amp, but Dietz 1x15 and 2x15 bass cabs are The Shit


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[RAGER]

Bassmans aren't all that rare and are usually about 600.  If you can find a Super Twin, get it.  They're not very sought after and are rated at 180 watts and cheap.  I have one if you remember.  I turned it into a head.  it sits atop my Ampeg 8x10 and makes a great bass amp but souds great for guitar too.  of course I prefer my MARSHALL.

That sounds like serious crafty work. How much does your head weigh? Did they ever make a head version or any other models that powerful? Does it sound tubey at low to moderate volumes or sterile?

It is a heavy bitch and tubes always sound better loud.  Dopn't think they made a head version.

[xayk]

Ah. Are any other Fenders that are lowered priced any good?

I'm a big fan of silverface Twins. Blues lawyers don't like the ultralinear models 'cause you can't put them back to blackface specs (or at least not without a bunch of trouble) so they tend to be cheaper. Like anything it's about waiting for a good deal - I paid $350 and $450 for mine. Replace the speakers if you're keeping the combo, or cut them into a head (like Rager's Super Twin, which can also pop up for a good price). The ultralinear's are 135 watts and are a great pedal platform - I'll run either a BAT Revelation or a diy OR80 preamp in front of mine and feel pretty good about life.

Reminder that Michio Kurihara ran two Twins playing with Boris: http://cannibalcheerleader.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/100_1291.jpg for those worried about combos.

[lordfinesse]

Is there a band called the Blues Lawyers?  If not, there should be. I can certainly picture what they might look like onstage.

[Danny G]

Ha!


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[RAGER]

Hawaiian shirts and dockers all around.

[VOLVO)))]

Super Reverbs and Eric Johnson strats, and one dude with a SRV song.

[FullCustom]

Blues Lawyer is my favorite term that I have picked up from you guys. We use it at the shop all the time now.