Good Amp For the Thunderbird Reissue (S-200 T-Bird)

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Hi Guys,

Time to start the amp hunt! Here's what I'm working with:

GUITAR
I recently picked up a Guild T-Bird S-200. (Reissue of 1960s Guild Thunderbird - Funky "gumby" shaped body).

The guitar has a LB-1 Little Bucker pickups. I got the guitar because I wanted a low warm tone, but couldn't handle the weight of a les paul. I especially like playing through the neck pickup.

OTHER GEAR
Boss Reverb pedal
Electro harmonix Qtron Mini Envelope Follower
Catalinbread Octa***** Fuzz

NEEDED: THE AMP
I know nothing of amps, to be honest. But here's what I'm looking for:

-Something that will really bring out the humbuckers for the warm tones of my guitar
-Is compatible with my pedals (will purchase more in the future)
-Is the appropriate size for playing at low volumes and getting the most sound. I live in an apartment with folks below me, and can't crank up the volume. I have a 60 watt bass amp I am playing through and it is way to loud - the volume is kept nearly at zero and I just can't get the pedals or the guitar to show their true sounds/tone.

Price range - Under $1000 if possible, but want something that's of good quality that will last and will bring out the guitar's tones.

Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for your help and feel free to throw me some questions.

Zach
 

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Fender Champ, VHT Special Six Ultra. Your basic 5 watt tube amp, or you can go the digital modeling route, which will cost you a couple or three bills.
 

shihan

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I agree with the Fender Champ recommendation; great little amp. Also, look at the Princeton Reverb reissue, big enough for small jams or gigs, but still sounds good at apartment levels.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Among current tube amps I'd check out Fender's Blues Jr. or the Princeton Reverb reissue. I'd also look out for a used Vox Pathfinder 15R if you're okay with solid state. The Pathfinder shouldn't run you more than US$150 or so and at that price is an absurdly good deal. Mine hangs just fine with all my tube oldies, and has a mid-forward voice that works well with my T-bird.

-Dave-
 

AcornHouse

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If you want a little more grind, maybe a Marshall Class 5. Also, the Vox Night Train series are a good buy; the 15w can be switched to 7w, and has a clean or dirty switch.
 

krysh

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If you want a little more grind, maybe a Marshall Class 5. Also, the Vox Night Train series are a good buy; the 15w can be switched to 7w, and has a clean or dirty switch.
yep, not bad, but both are a bit special, and hard to keep clean with a louder drummer.
 

AcornHouse

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yep, not bad, but both are a bit special, and hard to keep clean with a louder drummer.
He's looking for bedroom, not gig, mostly. I've used the 15w Night Train with drummer in an outside gig. Kept up just fine on the Grind setting.
 

krysh

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No. It would be nice to be able to take to jam with friends with a drumset present, but mostly in my room/around the house.


no, sir. if drums are there, you might get in trouble.
although, I rehearse with my carr "the vincent" (now viceroy) mostly on 7 watts, too. ;)
 
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GAD

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Marshall Class 5 is a great little amp.

I'm not a fan of Fender Princetons because the ones I've played have been too brittle sounding which is easily fixed with a speaker change.

$1000 can buy you a lot of amp today. A Marshall Class 5 on the used market is $500 or so. The Marshall Cores are pretty darn cool. Modeling has come a LONG way in the past few years.

Speaking of modeling, back in 2010 I did a review of a Vox VT30 that I was very impressed with: http://www.gad.net/Blog/2010/07/20/vox-vt30-valvetronix-amp-review/ I think I paid $250 for it which is crazy for what it delivered. I would have to imagine the newer VT40 is even better

I even did a little Rockabilly solo thing for a local school with it with bonus Guild X170T content! This was in a High School auditorium and it easily filled the room.

B0Z0536-CropNN-800.jpg
 

Quantum Strummer

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I popped a Weber ceramic 10" (based on the old Jensen C10Q, I think) in my '68 Princeton about a week after I got the amp. The original Oxford or Utah or whatever was a gutless piece o' junk. Fender also tends to bias their tube amps cold out of the box. A less ice-pickey speaker and a hotter-running output section oughta fatten up the reissue. At extra cost, of course.

(OT: the Sgt. Pepper amp thread in Miscellaneous re-sparked my desire for a solid state Thomas Organ Vox amp, so I've snagged an early Cambridge Reverb with a 10" Celestion. Looks like the same killer sounding AlNiCo speaker as in my Thomas 2x10 cab. Yippee! Though getting a proper 3-button footswitch for the amp will add an extra ~60% to the total cost. Yikes!)

-Dave-
 
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mavuser

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the T-bird reissue is a great guitar, i played one through a Fender Blues Jr. Tweed "NOS/Limited" (*not* the "relic" tweed blues Jr.) and it sounded quite beastly. reverb for days. has a master and a main volume. they are around 575-600 new or 400-500 used in nice shape. but it does not have tremolo.

but u cant go wrong either with a silverface Fender Champ or Vibro Champ, those can be as low as 300 or as high as 700+ for a super clean one that is older. but it does not have reverb.

I like my silverface vibro champ and want to get a Strymon Blue Sky reverb pedal for it. I also have the tweed Blues Jr NOS which is my go-to non-vintage amp. but it has vintage tones for sure, and the build is very high quality.
have fun! that T-bird is crazy

also id probably keep it under a grand just for your apartment, but check out Swart amps they have a 5-watter i think. they make some killer stuff. https://www.swartamps.com/
 
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dbirchett

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Unless you need more power (which you obviously don't) THE best amp for most purposes, in my rarely humble opinion, is the Deluxe Reverb or a clone of it. 22 watts of tone. The pcb reissues are good but won't last like the turret wired versions. Many boutique builders have versions for not a lot more than Fender's resiiue. I have one of the last wired ones from 80-81 and a Gretsch Executive (by Victoria) that is basically the reverb/tremolo channel with a 15" soeaker.

Another option would be the Peavey Delta Blues. Considerably Cheaper and your choice of 2 10s or 1 15.

Don't want to spend that much? Look into the Fender Mustang amps.
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Personally I think the Princeton (Reverb or, in my case, without) is a better home amp choice than the DR. Slightly lower voltages throughout, so the amp warms up lower on the volume dial. Uses a less efficient phase inverter, with the same benefit as the lower overall voltages. The tone stack seems to let more mids through too, which is nice at lower volumes. The DR is a better gigging amp: more headroom, more punch at higher volumes.

IMO a Blues Jr. would be a great home choice with its separate gain & master controls. If I owned no Fender amps and was looking for one to start off with, that'd be the one.

-Dave-
 

GAD

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I've owned Champs, Princetons, Deluxe Reverbs, and even had a Twin for a while. My favorite of them for home is the Champ. I loved my Deluxe, but it was kind of a one trick pony. I loved the Twin as a pedal platform but man was it loud. The Champ is the only one I still have. It might just be my particular brand of hearing loss but every Princeton I've played felt like an icepick into my skull.

I agree with Dave in that Blues Jr. Is the go-to for a lot of people and if I had only one amp it would be on my short list.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Champs are killer, tweed or black/silver. I particularly like Vibro Champs…got two of 'em. Stereo!

The Vox Cambridge Reverb I mentioned earlier in this thread arrived yesterday. I love it! The speaker is indeed a mid-'60s Celestion AlNiCo, which is in fine shape and sounds great. The amp itself has had a recent cosmetic restoration and thorough servicing. It sounds warmer than I'd expected. The tone stack is not the Top Boost variant used in the earlier Thomas Organ tube amps but instead is voiced more like an old AC15's normal channel. With the volume at ~3.5 (out of 10) it's not too loud for home use but still loud enough to put some hair on your notes. I think it'll be a really good pedal platform. Now I just need the proper 3-button footswitch (it's being made) so I can access the Mid Boost feature.

The amp that pains me to use is, sadly, my tweed Deluxe. I can run keyboards into it, no problem, but with guitars there's something about its upper mid response that tends to make my cranky left ear start tingling. If I don't back off the volume, or even stop playing, when this happens my ear will develop an infection-like itch and feel like it's been stuffed with cotton for days afterward. :frown-new:

-Dave-
 
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