What are y'all's dream amps?

[sal paradise]

Fender Twin Reverb, Blackface. Best (clean) amp ever made, IMHO.

Puisheen said you’re not allowed to use that acronym to reference a certain era of fender amps..!!!

[sal paradise]

The transformers would still be there, though. You'd save *maybe* a pound in parts by removing the bass channel? Not worth a lot. An aluminum chassis will save you a few pounds, though. Most of the ~50W head I build come in at around 24-25 lbs in aluminum chassis. Internet seems to think a blackface bassman is 30lbs.

Yep, which is why I haven't really given it much/more thought. My blackface one isn't particularly heavy at all anyway. I was just dreaming about a hypothetical dream world where you could build a 66 Bassman to be as light and portable as a Champ

Puisheen said you’re not allowed to use that acronym to reference a certain era of fender amps..!!!

[JSett]

Puisheen said you’re not allowed to use that acronym to reference a certain era of fender amps..!!!

Oh shit, Puisheen said it? Fuck. Must be gospel then.

I shall henceforth refer to them as "People Of Colour Face" amps. Problem solved.

[DeathJag]

I'm dreaming of a Satanface amp.

[PapaB]

Fender Twin Reverb .... Not the silver face, as it is flat sounding, ... but the other, previous model.
How's that?

[unsui]

I’ll add a small cab Matchless Spitfire to my list. This is a great looking one IMO:



I might solicit some opinions from y’all about something comparable I could actually afford.

If you haven’t already, check out Bad Cat amps.
Their older, handwired are the most desirable, but their more affordable player’s series (pcb based) are supposed to be very, very good. Their newer stuff leans into more aggressive tones.
I’ve got a Cub IIIR and it’s pretty amazing. Before it, I had a big box Matchless Lightning and a small box Hurricane.
To my ears they’re similar, but I’m happier with the Cub. Doesn’t sound as stiff, yet it’ll still rip your face off. You can switch between EF86 and 12AX7 preamp power, and their K Master volume works at maintaining tone and feel better than any other I’ve tried.

[marqueemoon]

I’ll add a small cab Matchless Spitfire to my list. This is a great looking one IMO:



I might solicit some opinions from y’all about something comparable I could actually afford.

If you haven’t already, check out Bad Cat amps.
Their older, handwired are the most desirable, but their more affordable player’s series (pcb based) are supposed to be very, very good. Their newer stuff leans into more aggressive tones.
I’ve got a Cub IIIR and it’s pretty amazing. Before it, I had a big box Matchless Lightning and a small box Hurricane.
To my ears they’re similar, but I’m happier with the Cub. Doesn’t sound as stiff, yet it’ll still rip your face off. You can switch between EF86 and 12AX7 preamp power, and their K Master volume works at maintaining tone and feel better than any other I’ve tried.

Thanks. I wish I could get down with the Bad Cat aesthetics.

I like amps super-simple. The fewer knobs the better. I used a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia head for a very long time and eventually wanted and found something more forgiving. Apparently I’m a masochist, because now I’m finding that kind of stiffness/immediacy appealing again.

[tequila_in_teacups]

Puisheen said you’re not allowed to use that acronym to reference a certain era of fender amps..!!!

Did he also erroneously call it an acronym?

[hulakatt]

But I find that, as long as you don't try to carry the head and cab in one go, weight isn't that big of an issue with old Fender heads. I have some serious back problems, but 14kg/30lbs I'm fine with. Still less than half a Twin Reverb. I've seen people housing heads in combo enclosures, and I don't really understand it. Doesn't the added speaker just make it heavier? Instead, why not build/buy a light 1x12" cab to go along with the head? Or better yet... just walk a bit more, carrying less.

I'm with you on this. The only combos I own anymore are small, SE amps.

[unsui]

I’ll add a small cab Matchless Spitfire to my list. This is a great looking one IMO:



I might solicit some opinions from y’all about something comparable I could actually afford.

If you haven’t already, check out Bad Cat amps.
Their older, handwired are the most desirable, but their more affordable player’s series (pcb based) are supposed to be very, very good. Their newer stuff leans into more aggressive tones.
I’ve got a Cub IIIR and it’s pretty amazing. Before it, I had a big box Matchless Lightning and a small box Hurricane.
To my ears they’re similar, but I’m happier with the Cub. Doesn’t sound as stiff, yet it’ll still rip your face off. You can switch between EF86 and 12AX7 preamp power, and their K Master volume works at maintaining tone and feel better than any other I’ve tried.

Thanks. I wish I could get down with the Bad Cat aesthetics.

I like amps super-simple. The fewer knobs the better. I used a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia head for a very long time and eventually wanted and found something more forgiving. Apparently I’m a masochist, because now I’m finding that kind of stiffness/immediacy appealing again.

Yeah, I totally get the aesthetics issue. At least they got away from the eyes. Mine has them, and some might mercifully call the covering tan, but it’s more like beige. Got it used at a great price, and I do love the way it sounds. I was actually considering a Dr. Z maz, but the Cub won out. Masochism ? Nah I argue you just need to feel as much as hear something like a Matchless pushing some serious air. Maybe a Mesa.

[PapaB]

New to this forum. And yes I had to amend my post to be culturally sensitive .... Not a problem in the least. Just wanted to comment, I just saw on the net who this "puisheen" is .... Cool dude! Like the reviews I saw. Good job young man.

[OffYourFace]

New to this forum. And yes I had to amend my post to be culturally sensitive .... Not a problem in the least. Just wanted to comment, I just saw on the net who this "puisheen" is .... Cool dude! Like the reviews I saw. Good job young man.

Oh you're fine. People were being facetious. Mike aka Puisheen is somewhat polarizing here on OSG I guess. I get it but I know Mike in real life and he's a sweetheart.

[Dr Tony Balls]

I’ll add a small cab Matchless Spitfire to my list. This is a great looking one IMO:



I might solicit some opinions from y’all about something comparable I could actually afford.

If you haven’t already, check out Bad Cat amps.
Their older, handwired are the most desirable, but their more affordable player’s series (pcb based) are supposed to be very, very good. Their newer stuff leans into more aggressive tones.
I’ve got a Cub IIIR and it’s pretty amazing. Before it, I had a big box Matchless Lightning and a small box Hurricane.
To my ears they’re similar, but I’m happier with the Cub. Doesn’t sound as stiff, yet it’ll still rip your face off. You can switch between EF86 and 12AX7 preamp power, and their K Master volume works at maintaining tone and feel better than any other I’ve tried.

Thanks. I wish I could get down with the Bad Cat aesthetics.

LOL. I can build all the Spitfire type stuff ones heart desires but at the end of the day its gonna say "BALLS" on it. dug myself into a dumb hole with that one.

[Funkybot]

I've already got a wonderful sounding vintage Princeton Reverb that was originally a Silverface but modified to look like a vintage black panel (see what I did there?). That is my dream come true amp because it sounds great and isn't obnoxiously loud. Bought before prices went insane.

My dream amp at this point would be a JMI-era Vox AC-30/6 TB with Blue Bulldogs and a house with distant neighbors and a spare room where I could play it loud.

[marqueemoon]

If you haven’t already, check out Bad Cat amps.
Their older, handwired are the most desirable, but their more affordable player’s series (pcb based) are supposed to be very, very good. Their newer stuff leans into more aggressive tones.
I’ve got a Cub IIIR and it’s pretty amazing. Before it, I had a big box Matchless Lightning and a small box Hurricane.
To my ears they’re similar, but I’m happier with the Cub. Doesn’t sound as stiff, yet it’ll still rip your face off. You can switch between EF86 and 12AX7 preamp power, and their K Master volume works at maintaining tone and feel better than any other I’ve tried.

Thanks. I wish I could get down with the Bad Cat aesthetics.

LOL. I can build all the Spitfire type stuff ones heart desires but at the end of the day its gonna say "BALLS" on it. dug myself into a dumb hole with that one.

Oh, I’ve thought about it. I think I should get my old Cambridge Reverb recapped and see if that scratches the itch.

Fussier than I would actually want, but the idea of a backlit Balls logo is pretty amusing to me.