What amps do you find underrated?

[therizzla]

These things are all subjective, of course. Funnily, the Pathfinder 15r that I had was really disappointing ... maybe so underrated that it was actually overrated? Or at least disappointing... Maybe my expectations were just too high, but it sounded small and flat, no matter what I did.

Also possible that the amp and I simply had different ideas about what my guitar should sound like.

The only experience I have with one was at the PNW OSG meet-up a long time ago and forum member saxjag had one that we A/B’ed against my ‘68 Bronco and while I think the Bronco was the better sounding amp it wasn’t a huge difference to me. That Vox may have had a speaker upgrade or some mods, I don’t recall.

[cestlamort]

My bandmate bought one. He asked me if he should buy it. It was a good deal and I said yes. What I didn’t realize is he was thinking it would be suitable for band use, which in our case it definitely is not. We are way too loud for that.

Yes, for me it was too loud for the living room and too quiet for the rehearsal space. And just... okay.

I'd also gotten a JC77 more or less around that time and that one stuck. (Pathfinder 15r was less than $100. JC77 was $150)

The only experience I have with one was at the PNW OSG meet-up a long time ago and forum member saxjag had one that we A/B’ed against my ‘68 Bronco and while I think the Bronco was the better sounding amp it wasn’t a huge difference to me. That Vox may have had a speaker upgrade or some mods, I don’t recall.

Funnily, I picked one up because I'd sold my 1968 Bronco! (I had that and a 70s Vibrochamp at the same time, and they sounded really different from each other. Or at least more different than I'd have expected. The bronco never really broke up. Should have kept them both given current prices, but they ended up going into the Princeton Reverb fund, so no complaints here)

[therizzla]

The only experience I have with one was at the PNW OSG meet-up a long time ago and forum member saxjag had one that we A/B’ed against my ‘68 Bronco and while I think the Bronco was the better sounding amp it wasn’t a huge difference to me. That Vox may have had a speaker upgrade or some mods, I don’t recall.

Funnily, I picked one up because I'd sold my 1968 Bronco! (I had that and a 70s Vibrochamp at the same time, and they sounded really different from each other. Or at least more different than I'd have expected. The bronco never really broke up. Should have kept them both given current prices, but they ended up going into the Princeton Reverb fund, so no complaints here)

And I used mine mostly cleanish in my apartment (still quite loud), not overdriven, so that could explain our different experiences. The Vox did a decent clean, but I didn't try for any gain from it.

[Nevets]

Vox Pathfinder 15s are not underrated at all. People are crazy about them! They're hardly some unknown secret in the guitar community.

[sessylU]

I submit the Jet City JCA5212RC.

Most Jet Citys are copies of Soldanos modded Marshall type heads, so loads and loads of squishy, super saturated gain. Yuck.

This one, though, is a copy of Soldano's Lucky 13, which (as I understand it) was their take on a Bassman. The overdrive channel is so-so at best, but the clean sound is fantastic. Nice, deep, 3D sound and loud as all fuck.

I don't agree with much listed so far. It's the same list of amps every time the topic comes up. Cheap and good? Sure, but there is massive buzz surrounding them.

This is a good point. I originally would have said that Roland Cubes are under rated, but they aren't under rated by those who rate them...

I suppose you could extend this to unfashionable amps instead, but that depends on different aesthetics and styles. When I use Amplitube, the amp that I nearly always end up going back to is the Mesa Boogie Tripe Rectifier, which probably the amp that has interested me least since starting to play guitar.

[Dr Tony Balls]

It might have been said already but I feel like the nut of this thread is not what amps are underrated. A model could be extremely well rated and still cheap as chips and it would fit the overall ask. That said I have nothing to contribute. I build my own...all circuits are affordable and within reach.

[PuppyGirlBelly]

It might have been said already but I feel like the nut of this thread is not what amps are underrated. A model could be extremely well rated and still cheap as chips and it would fit the overall ask. That said I have nothing to contribute. I build my own...all circuits are affordable and within reach.

I may end up going down this route, though all of the suggestions are super helpful for when I'm keeping an eye on marketplace and local classifieds! But building one from scratch is something I've only approached from a daydreaming perspective. Have any tips on circuits to build from a relative newbie to amps (though with some experience building pedals)?

[Larsongs]

Also underrated are recent Vox AC10C1 Amps.. They’re cheap, sound pretty good out of the box & are easy to upgrade for not a lot of money..

They have a separate Gain control & they also have Reverb. A very simple Amp with only 4 Tubes.. 2 12AX7’s & 2 EL34’s..

Upgrade the tubes & it sounds great! Upgrade the Speaker with the Special Design Weber & it sounds amazing!

https://www.tedweber.com/dt10-p/

[Dr Tony Balls]

Have any tips on circuits to build from a relative newbie to amps (though with some experience building pedals)?

1) Avoid reverb/tremolo on your first amp build. Those both add complications re: grounding schemes, etc that i'd avoid until I have the basics of amp building down.
2) Within reason, build the amp you want. If you want a plexi, make a plexi. Dont assume that you need to start small with a 5F1 or 5E3.

Also not circuit related, but i'd start with a kit. You get all of the small parts you'll need all in one go, which is helpful, and you get a chassis that is punched and ready for the build.

[dj89]

Vox Pathfinder 15s are not underrated at all. People are crazy about them! They're hardly some unknown secret in the guitar community.

yeah I feel like the Pathfinder 15R is well rated - I have one as my bedroom amp and its good for that purpose, tho I prefer it with some guitars more than others - have had it since 2010ish I think and has held up fine

[BeardedRainbow]

I think good quality solid state amps fly under the radar almost undetected by the guitar world, and this goes back half a century. I have a 60s Vox Conqueror that despite being used by The Beatles on Sgt. Peppers, seems to have been almost ignored outright in its time and even today.

[fuzzjunkie]

My first real tube amp was a Seymour Duncan Convertible 100. It replaced a Yamaha solid state amp and was basically a hot rod Fender in the style of the ‘80s Mesa Boogie, but you could get some Marshall tones out of it.



They were ahead of their time, using preamp modules to create different tones. 2 channels with master volume made it pretty versatile. It also had a variable power control from 5-100 watts, which is one of the reasons I picked it over other options because I intended it to be used at home and stage volume. There was an effects loop, a pentode/triode switch and a speaker damper that was useful to further sculpt the tone. The spring reverb was excellent.

This article states that Joe Bonamassa considered it a Top 5 underrated amp. I know Jeff Beck and Lee Ritenour used them.

Convertible 100

The prices are relatively low for a vintage tube amp; so I would still consider it a sleeper, but I guess there’s a few reasons for that. It’s heavy for a single speaker amp due to the 12-13 tubes and spring reverb unit. I never had an issue with the modules after owning it for 12 years, but I sold mine off 25 years ago and now I see that they can crack with age and replacements are hard to find. I still have 2-3 extra modules that I didn’t sell that are in good shape though.

Seeing as they are so cheap it might be worth looking into getting another one?

[s_mcsleazy]

so i'm going to bring up another marshall and it's one i think is interesting. the marshall artiste. it was basically a JMP from the era but with more headroom. the issue is over the years, a lot of folk discovered the circuits were similar and just converted them to regular JMP and i think that's kinda annoying because i tried a stock artiste 2x12 years ago and it was honestly the best JMP i'd ever used.

[ThePearDream]

I had a Vox AV30 for a few years, used it as a living room amp, before giving it to my FIL when we moved. I thought it was a fantastic hybrid modeling amp, or at least the clean (Fender) and crunch (Vox) models were great, I never used the overdrive and hi gain options it had. It has a tube preamp and power amp with analog amp modeling and some decent digital effects. Not particularly heavy, and it has a cool retro aesthetic. The AV30 is a 1X10, but there is a smaller 1X8 (AV15) and a larger 1X12 (AV60)

[Fuzzbuzz]

Ampeg Gemini I. Incredible rhythmic tremolo. Surfy spring reverb. Self biasing circuit which makes swapping tubes super easy. Can break up and grind when dimed plus you can jumper the guitar and accordion inputs and really push it. Very loud for 22 watts. It’s the one amp I have owned the longest and have zero plans to get rid of it. Blows me away these are readily available under $1000 when BF fenders from the same period are hitting $3000+.