this_isnt_rob Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 i'm in the market for a new amp. i play a gibson es-335 and was wondering if anyone has one and has an amp that they are very pleased with? i was thinking vox ac30. but who isnt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Elwood and LP Custom both have 335's and seem to like Marshalls, as will many others. I've got 355's that I play through an old Gibson amp. If you like to play clean for the most part, stick with Fender and use fx as desired. Marshalls and Mesas are gonna have a better overdrive sound. The AC30 is a great amp as well. You haven't mentioned a budget, or a sound you're after. I love Alvin Lee's overdriven 335 through Marshalls kind of sound. If you prefer Larry Carlton's cleaner tone, you may want a different amp. The players you identify with will have websites with a gear list they use, be they Lee Ritenour, Carlton, etc. Clapton now plays a 335 again on occassion, but he endorses Fender amps - dunno if he uses others. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelz Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Hi fellow 335-er, I've never played through an AC30. I will have to test one out some day. I have several guitars but my main axe is my 335. I play it through a Mesa Lonestar Special combo with 12" speaker and separate 2x12" cab. It has the option to alternate between 5, 15 and 30 watts on both clean and overdriven channels. Plus, it has a solo boost when you you need to throw out some licks that cut through the band. Both channels are separately configurable and do not alter one another when dialing in different tones. And the onboard reverb sounds great. I like this amp alot. I also have a blackface Fender Deluxe that I love for pure clean tone and I A/B that with the Lonestar. Also, I have a Mesa Boogie Mark IIb that I still like. However, the Lonestar has more control over a wide array of tones across both channels. And I've had numerous compliments on tone when I play the 335 straight through a cranked Fender Pro Junior. Believe it or not, this little puppy is loud enough to gig in small venues. Which amp are you using now and which ones have you tried? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corner Pocket Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I use a SF 135 watt twin reverb with the master volume circuit removed. Clean headroom for days, and pedals to taste for grind when I need it. It's very much a style thing. I'm hoping to try out a Gibson GA20 RVT soon. I'm still waiting for them to ship. Peace, Paul Peace, Paul ---------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Well, "this_isnt_rob" a lot depends on what style of music you're playing and what you want to do. I love the combination of my ES 335 with my silverface Fender Bassman Ten. Nice tubey warmth, and some great overdrive when you crank it. I do miss reverb though; so I sometimes split the signal and run part through a Roland Supercube, which has a nice spring reverb. Couple that with some chorus and delay and it's similar enough to a Roland Jazz Chorus amp. Tell us what you're going for, and what you end up getting! And welcome to the forum. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCustom Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Some good advice above. I have a 335 and I really like the sound through my Marshall when it's in overdrive. The clean sound just sounds a little cold through the Marshall. But I'd have to say I prefer the sound through my Fender Blues Junior. That's a sweet combination. The sound is warm and a little twangy. It sounds even better when you crank it up a little and it starts to break up. 15 watts will get pretty loud, too. An ES-335 almost cries out for a tube amp. The tones from the 335 are pretty mellow and that just fits really well with the warm tubey sound, clean or overdriven. I just got an Epiphone Valve Junior and only tried my 335 with it last night. Except for the annoying hum, it sounds great on that. The VJ is 5 watts and doesn't have as much bottom as combos with larger speakers, but it still sounds good and will get plenty loud for a practice amp. And you can hook it to an external speaker (I have it hooked to my 4x12 Marshall 1960A cabinet right now). You can hook it to an external 1x12 cabinet and it really sounds good. The Valve Junior wants a 4 ohm load. I have a couple of 10 inch, 8 ohm Celestions that I'm thinking of putting in a cabinet and making it a 4 ohm cab just for the Valve Junior. Just need to mod it to get rid of that annoying 60hz hum. Born on the Bayou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Another thing to consider: are you playing live at gigs, and if so, with a band or solo? Or, is this for recording? Or even playing at home for your own enjoyment? All of the above factor into this. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I always liked Larry Carlton's tone. I believe his signature sound is a 335 through a Fender Princeton. I would think a Fender Deluxe would also be a pretty good all-around match for a 335. I don't think I've ever heard a 335 through a Vox. I have no idea what that combination would sound like. Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Clapton used that 335 he sold recently through an AC30 in his Yardbird days. I don't know which songs he played it on, though. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
this_isnt_rob Posted November 18, 2005 Author Share Posted November 18, 2005 thanks for the advice all i currently play in a band (rhythm guitar and vocals) clean sound is all i use (let the lead guitarist handle the effects!) i currently play through a marhsall. but its getting pretty knackered and with christmas coming up i thought i might treat myself. we've been in the studio recording all week (if anyones keen i'll post a song once its finished) and the engineer suggested i tried his ac30 for the recording. i really liked it, great sound with my gibson. his ac30 is just a beat up old amp thats been rehoused in a box made of mdf, looks silly sounds great. i think i'd be after a second hand ac30 so my budget probably stretches to about 500-600 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Museeip Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 What sound do you want? If you want the verbatim 335 acoustic qualities, you could go all the way to Roland JC. You want to shred the wallpaper and sterilize the cat, pump it into a Mashall single stack of an older stock F Twin. It isn't a question of what would sound good but what YOU want out of it. The 335 makes a superb blues ax or or or... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Originally posted by Flower of evil: What sound do you want? If you want the verbatim 335 acoustic qualities, you could go all the way to Roland JC. You want to shred the wallpaper and sterilize the cat, pump it into a Mashall single stack <> an older stock F Twin. It isn't a question of what would sound good but what YOU want out of it. The 335 makes a superb blues ax or or or... Sorry about the duplicate posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Okay, I'll get more real here. The 335 is a wonderful guitar. It has a very rich, warm sound and very even range, tone response wise. Don't ever expect it to scream with stock pick-ups as a tele, or go dig trenches in your linoleum like a LP. It's mellow, like old blues player. What you really want in the way of an amp is to compliment the 335's wide range of subtle tones. Now a Vox 30 is an amazing amp. It is unusual in that it has a pure class A output. That is, what goes in, for the most part, come back out, pretty darn clean and with a LOT of high end punch. On the other hand, the Vox has a pretty miserable bottom. Not saying it can't get down there but with stock speaker, if you want full tonal range, you are going to be spinning knobs on both your ax and the amp quite a bit. One of the finest amps that I have heard compliment a 335 is a Fender Bassman. (Don't get fooled by the word Bass. That guy can scream with the best.) I would steer clear of transistor amps. While they can produce the acoustic qualities of the 335 excellently they are very uninspired when it comes to the electric sound of the 335. I hope this helps a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Hey, this_isnt_rob, exactly and specifically, which model Marshall amp do you have there, and just what exactly and specifically do you mean by "it's getting pretty knackered"? And, when YOU say "clean", are you simply meaning 'without any effects-processing', or do you also mean with little or no natural overdrive or distortion in the overall tone? IF your Marshall happens to be an all-tube model- that is, with little preamp tubes (12AX7, etc.) AND big output tubes (EL34, 6L6, 6550, etc.) inside it- perhaps it simply needs some new tubes and a proper biasing of the output-tubes (think "idle-setting" like in a car), and maybe some fresh filter-capacitors in its power-supply... A good going over by a competent tech who's experienced with tube-amps (particularly guitar tube-amps) can make an absolute world of a difference in the sound, performance, and quite literally even the feel of a tube-amp. It might be better than getting an entirely new amp, certainly less expensive. Tube-amps are not too unlike classic old vintage motrcycles and cars, in that they require a fair amount of upkeep and maintenance to keep them properly running, and no two are quite exactly alike (if you get down to technical internal details like voltages, resistor values within a range of tolerance, etc.), including new tube-amps. Tubes wear out with time, particularly the output-tubes (the big ones that drive the speakers, often in sets of two or four, etc.) and the "phase-inverter"/driver-tube (the small, "preamp"-type tube closest to the output-tubes, that feeds them). A "matched" set of output-tubes will sound better and last longer, and in most tube-amp designs, a "matched" phase-inverter tube ("MPI", so-called due to its being tested for a balance of its internal properties) will really improve things and will get the most out of those matched output-tubes. Filter-capacitors, so named because they filter out unwanted hum-noise, wear out, too; and the better they are, the stronger, tighter, and clearer the low-end bass-response of the amp will be. This kind of upkeep is normal for tube-amps. When it's ignored, they begin to sound and perform like crap, and often get sold for cheap to someone who knows how to bring them back to life again... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Very well put, Caevan0. Also, keep in mind, rather than just retubing and 'tuning' your amp, you can have a competent tech fine tune it to the individuals preferences. Using specially tested and matched tubes such as Groove supplies, and minor mods like running a 12AT7 in place of an AX7 or visa versa and similar basic tweaks can turn a vanilla amp into a players pride and joy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comacoda Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I would reccomend any of the Gibson Goldtone line..... They have the most amazing natural overdrive when run hard and can be ultra bright to moody dark..... My goldtone ga15rv has three knobs, volume, reverb and tone. At six watts and good humbuckers it can do Zeplin to ZZ Top. At 15 watts all out it keeps an edge of breakup tone that is out of this world. Its louder than a DRRI and sounds fabulous at any volume. Dont take it from me, take it from Rick Neilson, Eric Johnson and Joe Perry. Live long and prosper unless it is a good day to die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comacoda Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I would reccomend any of the Gibson Goldtone line..... They have the most amazing natural overdrive when run hard and can be ultra bright to moody dark..... My goldtone ga15rv has three knobs, volume, reverb and tone. At six watts and good humbuckers it can do Zeplin to ZZ Top. At 15 watts all out it keeps an edge of breakup tone that is out of this world. Its louder than a DRRI and sounds fabulous at any volume. Dont take it from me, take it from Rick Neilson, Eric Johnson and Joe Perry. Live long and prosper unless it is a good day to die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejeeber Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Well for singing note bends I'd agree that a Bassman is good, and (from personal miserable experience) a Roland JC would be a horrifyingly sterile soul zapper. Just a pinch between the geek and chum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 The Roland JC (and many similar) are excellent amps for acoustic guitars as they don't color your sound at all. You can use something like the JC when selecting your 335 or the like in order to hear the subtle inherent tones of the guitar, but certainly it isn't the amp of choice for actual playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 The Roland JC (and many similar) are excellent amps for acoustic guitars as they don't color your sound at all. You can use something like the JC when selecting your 335 or the like in order to hear the subtle inherent tones of the guitar, but certainly it isn't the amp of choice for actual playing such a graceful lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flower of evil Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 The Roland JC (and many similar) are excellent amps for acoustic guitars as they don't color your sound at all. You can use something like the JC when selecting your 335 or the like in order to hear the subtle inherent tones of the guitar, but certainly it isn't the amp of choice for actual playing such a graceful lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Funny thing about the Roland JC series of amps: I've heard plenty of people sound great through them, but the minute I plug into their JC- whether with my guitar, or their guitar- I suddenly, immediately HATE the amp, its sound, its feel, its everything... They just don't work for me. For some folks, obviously, but NOT for me! Then again, I've got a soft-spot in my heart for "red-knob" Fender Twins. Go figure, huh? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklava Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Then again, I've got a soft-spot in my heart for "red-knob" Fender Twins. Me too! The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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