Yet another Amp Question...

[muggs]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-06 AT 03:35 PM (EST)]I know many have posted questions regarding amplifier selections...but hey they can be an expensive endeavor and I want to make an educated decision so here goes:

I have been playing acoustic blues for quite some time. My father finally convinced me to put the acoustic down and jam some electric blues with him. Well, I have no amp or electric guitar....So I went out and got a Fender 62' American Vintage Strat. Now I need something to play that thing through

I was looking at the following:

Fender 65 Twin Reverb Vintage Reissue (2x12 85watts w/vibrato)
Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue (1x12 40watts)
Fender Blues Junior (1x12 15watts)


I like the 65 Twin but the lack of onboard distortion or drive is confusing me. Will this amp naturally break up and distort at a certain volume? We play Texas style blues and slight distortion would be nice. I think the Blues Jr. would be adequate for practice but may not have enough to hold up with 2 other guitarists.

Also, if I were to go with the 65 Twin, what would be a good pedal for distortion?

Thanks!
Muggs

[deltablues57]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-06 AT 06:30 PM (EST)]I have a new Blues Deluxe reissue. It is very nice and a lot lighter to carry than the twin. The overdrive channel is a little disapointing if you are looking for a lot of overdrive however the sound of the amp is GREAT!!!! I use a Digitech Bad Monkey. It creates just enough bite without entering the METAL ZONE. I have tried it with several amps and at $39.00 the Bad Monkey is worth checking out

[stratman]

All of the Amps you mentioned will do the job even the Blues Jr. You might consider an Ibanez Tube Screamer to get some punch without having to max the volume on the Twin. I havnt played with the Hot Rod but I know a blues player that plays around my town and all he brings is his little 15 watt Blues Jr. He gets great tone since its about maxed out just so he can keep up with the band. Any larger venues and he throws a mic in front of it. All in all I personally dont think you could go wrong with any of the Fender amps you mentioned but base your choice on where you play and with the bands you play with. If you are playing with folks that have a battle of the volumne knob every night then you might not be able to hear yourself with the smaller amp unless you mic it. If your PA has plenty of power and enough plugins then you can go that way. One thing for sure I watch everyone lugging and rolling in their big amps and here comes ol Gumbo ( His real name) with his blues Jr carrying it in with his guitar case and he is ready to go and Jam without having to go to the chiropractor. Gumbo picks the guitar and doesnt play slide though so if you are a total slide junky you might want the Hot Rod or the Twin.

[wwpete52]

65 Twin is an awesome amp!
Take a look at the Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes overdrive pedal. It has two 12ax7 Electro-Harmonix tubes in it and is a/c powered. It's a fantastic pedal. The Tube Works Blue Tube overdrive pedal has one 12ax7 tube. It is also a/c powered. I've heard good things about it. The Mesa Boogie V Twin overdrive pedal also has two tubes. It ain't cheap though.

[lightninboy]

>65 Twin is an awesome amp!
>Take a look at the Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes overdrive
>pedal. It has two 12ax7 Electro-Harmonix tubes in it and is
>a/c powered. It's a fantastic pedal. The Tube Works Blue
>Tube overdrive pedal has one 12ax7 tube. It is also a/c
>powered. I've heard good things about it. The Mesa Boogie V
>Twin overdrive pedal also has two tubes. It ain't cheap
>though.

I agree that tube pedals are great.
They lay waste to most transistor pedals.
I use an original Chandler tube driver, but I had to mess around with different valves before I got it just right.
Trouble is, they don't make them any more, you'd have to find one second hand.
Its amazing how much difference valves make.
The JJ ECC82 (12AU7) made in the Slovak Republic sounds great.
Much warmer than Sovtek's (Russian), or Audio Glassic (Chinese).
12AX7's are a little too hot for some pedals.
The 12AU7 break's up sweeter, not as much fuzzy distortion.
(If I had the money, I'd try some NOS valves).

The shop gave me a Mesa V Twin pedal for a week to try out.
I used it at a couple of gigs, but didn't like it.
However, with different valves it may of sounded a lot better.

As far as amps go, try to find a second hand (they're expensive)Fender Vibro King.
60 watts, real nice break-up, with a great reverb and tremolo.
Eats up the other amps mentioned for dinner!
However, its a little heavy.

[ricochet]

If you can find one, the Tube Works Blue Tube pedal is a really nice OD pedal.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[crackpot]

>I like the 65 Twin but the lack of onboard distortion or
>drive is confusing me. Will this amp naturally break up and
>distort at a certain volume?

Yes it will. But at a volume that will cause you physical pain

For VERY LOUD, clean, Fender sound, twins can't be beat. You could probably get one to break up in a very large venue -- but the sound guys would hate you (uncontrollable stage volume).

Lower wattage = earlier power tube breakup -- which, to my ears, is in every way superior to 12AX7 breakup.

You may have a different take, but it's something to keep in mind.

[jeffl]

I'm a harper who dehorned my 30 watt tube amp by putting a 12at7 in the first slot,so I could drive it harder,but I haven't heard the guitar players talkin' about doin' this same thing. Am I missing something, or should guitar players consider downsizing their tubes as well...? Couldn't you go with a 12AT7 or -Au7....?

[ricochet]

It's not advantageous for a guitarist to do that. The reason for decreasing the gain for harpers is that those crystal mics put out far more signal voltage than guitar pickups do.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[jeffl]

Ahhh. So,I WAS missing something. Thank you very much, oh great Rico-san.

[watertore]

I suggest you try all 3, next to each other. How loud are you going to play? What size rooms? How much weight do you want to lug around? I use the deluxe reverb. I have it, because it is the lowest wattage fender amp, with reverb and tremelo. THis amp is loud!!! I use a THD Hotplate to tame it down to the level I like, which is, I could sing without a mic, if need be. Ears are not replacable. Walter

[ricochet]

>Thank you very much, oh great Rico-san.

Now, cut that out! It's too early to fill my kiss-up quota for the day.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[jeffl]

>>Thank you very much, oh great Rico-san.
>
>Now, cut that out! It's too early to fill my kiss-up quota
>for the day.
>
>"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
It's never too early for that; you never know when your luck will change. I'm just very thankful that harp is such a simple instrument to rig for...just a little experimentation around the house,and a little more on stage,and you're set. I've learned which of my mics work with which amps...where to set my dials on mic,amp,and delay,and which tubes do what. Life is good when everything fits in a little case, except the amp.

[ricochet]

Very true!

Hey, even plank spankers have got it pretty good with equipment portability compared to drummers, or worse, the guys who carry a Hammond B3 and a couple of Leslies!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[straightblues]

You do not need anything louder than 30 watts unless you plan to play stadiums and even then you will be mic'ed so a small amp is ok. I know bigger is better and your scared you won't have enough, but trust us, a 18 to 30 watt amp is perfect for blues in a small club setting. I have several amps. My 22 watt Fender Deluxe is plenty loud for any gig I have ever played. In fact, on many many nights it is way too loud. In fact I have an overdrive I use in front of it most nights because I can't turn it up loud enough to make it overdrive on its own.