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Best Amp For Blues?


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Just in case you are tempted to say "you can play Blues through any amp", I'd like you to try and narrow it down to one amp (two runner ups will be permitted) which you think would be the best amp for playing the Blues through. Imagine you are BB King or whoever and money is no option. You are going to play a Blues gig with your H535... what amp do you bring?

 

Go.

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Before moving to Indy, I would go to Kingston Mines and Rosas in Chicago every chance I got. These are journeyman blues bars. Seems to me there was a disproportionate number of Music Man amps in service. Don't know the brand well enough to tell the models, but I know the logo, and there were many. FWIW

 

 

whatever you use, turn the volume and the treble to ten, and every other knob to zero......

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Before moving to Indy, I would go to Kingston Mines and Rosas in Chicago every chance I got. These are journeyman blues bars. Seems to me there was a disproportionate number of Music Man amps in service. Don't know the brand well enough to tell the models, but I know the logo, and there were many. FWIW

 

 

whatever you use, turn the volume and the treble to ten, and every other knob to zero......

 

 

Music Man amps are fantastic, and still sorta under the radar/affordable

 

Mark Knopfler used one on the first Dire Straits album, that LP is full of gobsmacking strat tones!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wADwIZ6V3NY

 

not sure if they break up as well as a SR though...tube power section, SS preamp......But they are glorious for clean

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Chris Cain is one of the best blues players of all time and he has used Music Man amps for years.

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Didn't BB use a Lab Series amp for a while??? FWIW- I used to have a Victoria 5112 that when dimed would scream the Blues!

 

I thought for the last decade or so he was using a Gibson reissue amp.

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And no need to dime the Super Reverb, it would sound incredible on 3 with an OD pedal. a dime'd Super Reverb would be WAY TOO LOUD for almost anywhere.

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if you're putting a pedal in front then you're not talking about the best blues amp. If you want softer, then bring a Deluxe Reverb or a Princeton Reverb, preferably no newer than 1968. And if that's still too loud for your virgin ears, use a Champ ala Duane and Eric. :lol:


 

And no need to dime the Super Reverb, it would sound incredible on 3 with an OD pedal. a dime'd Super Reverb would be WAY TOO LOUD for almost anywhere.

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Before moving to Indy, I would go to Kingston Mines and Rosas in Chicago every chance I got. These are journeyman blues bars. Seems to me there was a disproportionate number of Music Man amps in service. Don't know the brand well enough to tell the models, but I know the logo, and there were many. FWIW

What years were you bar hopping in Chi-town? When Leo started Music Man Eric was using them to support Leo's new venture. But they are best for Pedal Steel and don't really break up very well. Just too clean with all that B+ voltage. Leo had up to 750Vdc to boost the output. So Eric went back to the old Fenders.

 

My point is that lots of guys were using them in the 70s but then stopped using them. Which is why they're still relatively cheap.

 

They are fine amps for clean players and make a great "pedal platform" amp, too.

 

My 2¢.

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if you're putting a pedal in front then you're not talking about the best blues amp. If you want softer, then bring a Deluxe Reverb or a Princeton Reverb, preferably no newer than 1968. And if that's still too loud for your virgin ears, use a Champ ala Duane and Eric. :lol:

 

 

Well, all four of my Fender amps are before 1967 and all of them take pedals AMAZINGLY well. I don't what you mean a pedal in front wont make it the best blues amp. Actually, 90% of the blues guitarist I have heard or seen use pedals. Unless you want to tell Jimi, Robben, SRV, David Grissom, Clark Jr, ect ect ect that they are all wrong. Almost everyone uses OD pedals in front.

 

And since the invention of the microphone (ala mic the cab) there is no need to dime an amp. Seriously, what venue can you turn a 40-45watt amp to 10 in before the manager throws you out.

 

No virgin ears here. But maybe better ears.

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Anything is TWEED!!!!

 

Ah yes, the tweed deluxe especially. 12-14 watts of mid-range magic.

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