Grateful Dead Music Forum

Howdy all,
I need some educated advice. I currently run a '61 SG into a '65 Super Reverb.(Both reissues). I love the clean sounds and tonality I can achieve at low volumes, however as soon as I get out in a club/bar stiuation and have to turn up to around 4 or 5 I loose my headroom and things become too "dirty" for my liking. Can someone recommend something in the $1,000- $1200 dollar price range that they like that leans toward that nice tonal balance I need to emulate Jer?

Po' Pete

Poor Peter wrote:Howdy all,
I need some educated advice. I currently run a '61 SG into a '65 Super Reverb.(Both reissues). I love the clean sounds and tonality I can achieve at low volumes, however as soon as I get out in a club/bar stiuation and have to turn up to around 4 or 5 I loose my headroom and things become too "dirty" for my liking. Can someone recommend something in the $1,000- $1200 dollar price range that they like that leans toward that nice tonal balance I need to emulate Jer?

Po' Pete

Welcome Pete Dude !

Hey dude! Welcome! That amp should easily carry you into good gig level volumes with clean headroom.

Have you considered working with a tech and swapping out different tubes and speakers?

(I'm assuming you are happy tone wise but just need a bit more clean headroom than the amp is giving...)

Yes I have tried a few different combinations of tubes with only marginal differences. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you all know, tubes are expensive and the nearest GC which is an hour from my home has a no return policy on tubes. If I knew of a good tech that I knew I could trust I might consider that route but I would hate to spend a ton of dough only to find out it is not what I was really after. After all I am Poor Peter.

Poor Peter wrote:Yes I have tried a few different combinations of tubes with only marginal differences. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you all know, tubes are expensive and the nearest GC which is an hour from my home has a no return policy on tubes. If I knew of a good tech that I knew I could trust I might consider that route but I would hate to spend a ton of dough only to find out it is not what I was really after. After all I am Poor Peter.

Don't buy tubes from GC. Call up EuroTubes and tell them what you are looking for and they'll hook you up!

Also, unless you can do tech work, which I assume you are limited like most of us here, then you find a good one nearby.

Tubes are alot less expensive and a HUGE time saver than a new amp if you are really loving your tone and just need a smidge more headroom.

Thanks strumminsix. I just went to Eurotubes website and I am going to give them a call.

How the heck did I get tagged with a picture of Vince?

Poor Peter wrote:Thanks strumminsix. I just went to Eurotubes website and I am going to give them a call.

How the heck did I get tagged with a picture of Vince?

Pics change with rank .... new guy brings beer

Just buy a TWIN reverb preferably not a RI.

Get rid of that amp. New tubes and speakers are not going to change a thing. The Super Reverb RI is going to give you 40-50 watts of tube rectified output no matter how you slice it. It's pure Mush. The 10 inch speakers are going to struggle to stay efficient and you'll never achieve any kind of Jerry type headroom. The Super is like the Deluxe, they're one-trick ponies, only it's the wrong trick if you're looking for a bonafide Garcia tone.

Pick yourself up a Mesa Boogie Mark I Re-Issue 1x12" Combo. You'll get good all around Garcia tone right out of the box as well as having a flexible high powered amp for other styles as well. They're floating around on ebay and Craigslist for as little as $750.

Thanks jonarobb. After some careful reasearch I have begun to suspect that that was going to be the case. Even the folks at Eurotube (which were fantastic and very helpful) hinted that I may not be able to achieve what I wanted with this amp.

Tennessee Jedi wrote:

Poor Peter wrote:Thanks strumminsix. I just went to Eurotubes website and I am going to give them a call.

How the heck did I get tagged with a picture of Vince?

Pics change with rank .... new guy brings beer

I don't drink anymore, you bring the wine and I'll bring the kind.

Man, I am thinking I am an outsider regarding stage volume and the amount of air moving.

40W and a 1x12 is more than enough for me 90% of the time and too much about 25% of the time.

jonarobb wrote:Pick yourself up a Mesa Boogie Mark I Re-Issue 1x12" Combo. You'll get good all around Garcia tone right out of the box as well as having a flexible high powered amp for other styles as well. They're floating around on ebay and Craigslist for as little as $750.

Do they come these days with a hernia doctor? If yes, I'll consider one, too. ... Seriously, they're anchors. But thanks for the tip - worth perhaps checking into a head version if they're available.

Was also wondering about this amp - Dr. Z EZG-50. Anyone try one?

http://www.drzamps.com/ezg50.html

And this - Fuchs Clean Machine - anyone try it?

http://www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com/pro ... achine.php

Keep in mind, amigo, you can usually drop major weight from an amp by switching to neodymium speakers.

Excellent point, chaver, with which I concur wholeheatedly. My own in-progress SPP Jerry 2X12 is using a pair of Emi Lil Texas neodyniums. I'm still working on choosing a head to go with it, though, which is why I'm aware of the two options I posted on earlier.