Which vintage amps if you could only have 3

[zacknorton]

selmer zodiac, Magnatone M10a and a Harmony h420 (supro thunderbolt with bass and tone).

 

[AudioWonderland]

A lot of us have had many amps over the years. Many classic. Are they all what they’re cracked up to be? And even though they’re classic are they practical in 2025 for the average player? Which vintage amps would you pick in the small to medium category.
To make it more interesting let’s exclude the obvious tweed champs and deluxes and deluxe and Princeton reverbs. Curious to see everyone’s choices. Thanks

50w Marshall 1/2 stack

 

[brandtkronholm]

You are all wrong.
The ONLY amp you'll ever need is a Mesa Boogie MK IIb,c or III - 1x12 combo.
It has EVERY sound in it.
Even better if you get the simulclass 75/15 watt version - 15 watts for tiny rooms and 75 watts if you need the dead to hear you.

Here's a picture of my 1986/7 MK III being inappropriately used with a pointless attenuator.
Also present is a Rotosphere (MK I) and a 1995 R9 with PAFs (neck = from a 1962 SG; bridge = from a 1959 ES335, both donor instruments are destroyed beyond fixing.)
Please forgive me for the attenuator...I was just experimenting. Attenuators are largely silly.



Ok, I'll play -- my three amps:
1) Blackface Super Reverb (got it)
2) JTM 45 / 4x12 (got an old Blockhead clone and Marshall B 4x12 from 1970.)
3) Mesa Boogie MK III 1x12 combo (got it - see above.)

 

[Wizard1183]

5F6A baseman,
Jtm45
Laney Supergroup

 

[Gridlock]

In this order.

1) Vintage ‘60s Marshall JTM Model 1962 Blues Breaker
2) Vintage ‘63 Fender Vibroverb
3) Vintage ‘60s Marshall Model 1974

I’ve owned the reissue and hand-wired versions of each. So I have an idea how good a vintage version of each would sound.

 

[corpse]

That's get out your checkbook stuff right there. Whew!
I had a noticeable volume drop in my 1987 Silver Anni last week- more like the presence was completely going south. Thank goodness it was only a preamp tube (finally had to delve into my impressive stash of old glass- a Telefunken 12AX7 went in there- I don't own any Mullards). That's the one thing about high value amps- upkeep from regular use can be costly.

 

[gary buff]

Three I've actually owned:
--early '70s Marshall 1987 50w NMV head with various enclosures, mainly a 2-12 Fender bottom with 2 '70s Celestion 30-watt G12H Greenbacks from a Marshall 4-12 cab. All I needed for any club w/o killing myself lifting.
--'62 blonde Bassman with the small 2-12 bottom. If you are looking at old Bandmasters or the like (for guitar), forget them and get a Bassman. I had both and the Bassman had tons more gain than the Bandmaster and the tone controls were much more effective.
--'64 VibroChamp--I put a Celestion G8L-35 8" speaker in it and it sounded like the Second Coming

 

[akstrat61]

'59 Bassman
Marshall JTM45
Any Dumble, which I've never owned

Honorable mention: Vibroverb

 

[VGNut]

For Vintage amps - I actually have only 3 (and a good assortment at that...)

Early 73 Marshall Model 1987 (50W) PTP Head, 1969 Basketweave Cab with G12M 25W T1511 - Bass speakers that KILL with Guitar

64 Fender Blackface DR with Jensen speaker

Early 61 Gibson GA-5 with Jensen speaker

(Yea… Speakers matter)

 

[Maplehead872]

'69' Vibrolux , 1974 Vibrolux and any silverface Super Reverb.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I have no what I would call Vintage amps.
The olesst amp I have that still would work live is a 1982 Marshall JCM800 4010 1x12 combo. Absolutely killer amp but doesn't do lead solo boosts when you already have a fully saturated rhythm tone.

I am not an old school tone guy.
The 87 Silver Jubilee 2x12 combo covers quite a bit as does the 92 30th Anniversary 6101. 3 channels of all tube Marshall goodness.
If these don't count as vintage enough, I get it. But I will never ditch any of these.

 

[corpse]

Oh they do count.
All those effing knobs... It would take Joe Bonamassa to figure it out.

 

[gary buff]

Oh they do count.
All those effing knobs... It would take Joe Bonamassa to figure it out.

That's one of the reasons I never turned on to Boogies, the early ones were pretty basic but then they went nuts with everything. Plus despite all that adjustability I could never find a sound I liked.
That's the beauty of an old Fender or Marshall, the sound is built into the amp and the few tone controls really just color it, especially with a Marshall.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Oh they do count.
All those effing knobs... It would take Joe Bonamassa to figure it out.

Set One channel at a time. Then master section. It's no worse than setting a single channel amp times 3.

 

[Dave P]

Deluxe Reverb.
Dumble style amp, skyliner high plate.
Some sort of Marshall-style amp with extra preamp heat.

 

[Hayduke]

Three Tweed Deluxes oughta do

 

[gary buff]

Three Tweed Deluxes oughta do

I had a '52, worst-sounding amp I ever had. Really mushy sounding, eventually blew up. I don't miss it.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Ampeg Gemini II 15
Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103
Boogie Mk III Green Stripe Simulclass GEQ