Grateful Dead Music Forum

I wanted some input from you guys on power amp alternative choices. I really cannot afford the real thing mac right now. What are some other great power amps that get the job done and similar clipping but for a reasonable price. also buying something new would be nice rather then spending 2k on a used mac amp. but DAMN i wish i could afford a mac.


any ideas and input is greatly appreciated



Josh

My Ashly FTX 1501 has done right by me over the last 12 months. Picked it up for $180 off of Craigs.

My primary is an MC250, but I also have a MosValve MV-962 which sounds great. I picked it up used for under $200.

A good alternative to the Mac IMO is the crest 8001 power amp.
This is the same amp jerry used from the end of '89 through spring '90.
IMO his 89-90 tone was awesome.

Several years ago I bought an 8001 for $100 used at daddy's junky music.
The thing sounded great, I loved it. Once I got a Mac I didn't look back but it was definitely the second best power amp I've ever used. I've also tried crown, qsc, and behringer which I didn't think any were as good as the crest.

It really depends on what your budget is.

Also you dont need to spend 2 g's on a mac. I kept bidding on eBay and eventually I got an mc2100 for 500$. Thing was pretty mint too, and it came with rack wings to mount it directly into a rack. Pretty heavy rack but not unmanageable at all. I have just my Mac and my tubeworks preamp mounted in it and IMO is actually easier than carrying a whole twin reverb.
No other power amp give the warmth to your tone that comes with a Mac, they're fully worth it. As soon as I plugged into a Mac I was like "oh yea"!!!!

Really no reason to go with a mc2300 if that's what you've been thinking you need to buy. 2k$ is about the price for that model. 100 watts into a 2x12 yields great results too. An mc2100, mc100 or an mc250 (and other related versions) will all work perfectly. All of those amps can be had between $5-700 in good working order. If I ever need more sound reinforcement I just mic my cab. In most local gigs you won't need to. Even at the stupid of loudest playing volumes I have only pushed my 100 watt Mac to about 1/2 way. Most is about 1/4 -1/3 the way up. About 9 o'clock. if I had to get something even cheaper, I would grab a mosvalve...

Did Jerry use his crest for his midi or his actual guitar rig? Either way I am sure that is a good amp too.

tempted to pick up a mc2100 for 600. anyone have exp with one of these?

They are liked very much, however, they are heavy at ~ 65 lbs.

mk

A 2100 is one of the best to get. You will have two 100watt amps in that machine, so you will have a backup amp. I use a mc100 which is a 2100 but mono or one amp. A few guys here use the 2100 and get great tone. The only reason I chose the mc100 is because it is much lighter but they are pretty rare. I have to move and set up my rig about 2x a week so it made sense to me to lighten it up. If i didnt get a chance to get the 100 i would have gone for the 2100.I would jump on it!! That is a fair price....

+1 on the Mc2100.
My experience shopping CL is thas Mc2100's are usually cheaper than Mc250's. I got mine for $300 (I think). It worked great, but had a loose RCA jack, so I had a local guy go through it. They are a beast. 65 lbs of dead weight, and "challenging" to get your fingers under.

There's a picture on here somewhere of Jerry playing through one. Late '70's if I remember correctly.

Make a bunch of clean & sweet loud
Peace
M

Be careful if you lay a 2100 on its side - it's so heavy that you'll dent the cage.

I'll never to that again!

mk

seniorpesca wrote:I wanted some input from you guys on power amp alternative choices. I really cannot afford the real thing mac right now. What are some other great power amps that get the job done and similar clipping but for a reasonable price. also buying something new would be nice rather then spending 2k on a used mac amp. but DAMN i wish i could afford a mac.


any ideas and input is greatly appreciated



Josh

Josh,

An MC2100 is great but kinda heavy. Actually the power section of a vintage Twin Reverb can sound pretty amazing if you upgrade the amp and get it back to blackface specs. I have a quad of KT66s (new Tung Sols) and it sounds very close to my Mac (I use an MC100 - half the weight of an MC2100).

Jim

I use an MC2100 and love it. I got it for a song ($325) due to cosmetic reasons which care little about. It is a bit heavy and picking it up off the ground ain't fun but I don't think it's that heavy. Mine rides in the front seat of my truck and goes straight to the top of the speaker when I road in. I have a MosValve 962 that I use for a backup it ain't bad for $125.

+1 on the mcintosh 2100

There is nothing that sounds like a mc

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, the MC2100 - volume is not a problem. On half power (105w) it'll peel the paint off your walls.

very excited but this is a project far from completed. I have 2 Jbl e-120s now I should have the Mc2100 soon. now time to focus on the cabinet and then save up for the sms