ALL Tonemasters are on Fender's DNR list. They fail under warranty, they replace the entire amp. They fail out of warranty, the whole amp goes in the bin. The public needs to know this. It's criminal.
@@midnighthour4299 Yes, dead modules. If it's the ICEPower module, these can be purchased from a 3rd party. If it's a Fender manufactured module, the whole amp is now useless.
My only amp is a Peavey Bandit silver stripe. Got it for my 21st birthday in 2001. I don't think I'll ever part with it. It was the clean channel that made me pick it at the time. Still love that sound.
Then Laney released the Lionheart foundry range and changed everything. £349 for an affordable great sounding solid state amp with DI out, two onboard speaker simulations for recording, 1 watt to 60 watt attenuator, built in analogue effects and for £40 more you can get a 2x12 version. Laney are doing the right thing.
I recently bought basic Lionheart 112 combo version without the tremolo. A$470 new. Small, light, ultra portable, 2 channels, reverb, built in boost circuit, looks great, sounds great. Love it.
@@bennysan101 have you tried jumping the other 2 inputs or using an ABY into 2 of the channels from your guitar?? Do it if you haven’t it opens a little bit different gain stage.
Roland Blues Cube stage is AUS$950. I have played mine live, no option paralysis, reliable, can go from whisper quiet to paint-peeling with a dial switch and sounds great. It is the true no-worry option. It just works
I use one. I bought it based on value, but as far as a solid state, it gets a great chimney sound that I tend to chase and it’s been very dependable. I wanted a Super Reverb when I got it, but didn’t have the wallet for it.
I have the Blues Cube Hot, and I love the amp. The Blues Cube are fantastic. They have their years already, but they really sound amazing. I would be very interested if at some point Roland launches an updated version d see how much it can be improved.
I have had a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 for 42 years that still works great and was the original high quality solid state amp. It still plays and sounds great and I could sell it today on Reverb for twice what I paid for it! I also have tube amps('65 Princeton Reverb RI and Blues Junior), which I prefer the tone quality of but which are a world of expensive headaches compared to solid state. The JC-120 can't be compared to modern solid state modelling amps but still stands on it's own for what it is. It's way more amp than I ever needed but clean as a whistle and loud enough to knock down the walls of my house and takes pedals well.
Thanks for your support with the channel folks. This podcast is not sponsored, if you enjoy it please have any thoughts about the price of the new Tone Master amps or the lack of affordable QUALITY solid state amps, please comment below. Check the affiliate links below for gear mentioned: My Three Favorite Solid State Amps on Guitar Center (used) ► Peavey Bandit 112 - guitar-center.pxf.io/9g5Bm3 ► Tech 21 Trademark - guitar-center.pxf.io/jrojN0 ► Fender Princeton 112 - guitar-center.pxf.io/k0BPyd ► Fender '59 Bassman Tone Master - sweetwater.sjv.io/1rqKXm
hi. This is my take. How much is the valve Bassman in Australia? The Valve re issue '59 is £1800 to £ 2000 in England. The Tonemaster '59 is around £1298 to £1400. Two things people forget about the Tonemaster. Its priced in a way that it does not destroy the market for Fender valve amps (for now) . Aside from the amp section, they are NOT built in China or Vietnam, the cabs are NOT made of MDF. If you like the sound of the Tonemaster '59 , then although not much cheaper than it's tube cousin, it offers a fair bit more in technical features. As for spares, these things rarely go wrong unless you do something stupid. After 20 or 30years if it dies , you've had your money's worth !! I would think more about what condition you will be in by then !!
@@vincentl.9469 If the Tone Master amps “are NOT built in China” then where are they built? The back of those amps clearly says product of China just like every other solid state/modeling amp that Fender currently makes. The Fender tube amps that are built in Mexico clearly state Mexico on the back.
@@charlesbolton8471 The amp section is made in China-as are most solid state products inc. TVs, computers. . The Cab is made and assembled in Fender factories either in USA or Mexico. and they use pine and not MDF or chipboard. I saw it when they first came out ..Jensen speakers are made in Italy now. That's why they don't sell for $300 or $400 ..
@@vincentl.9469 The entire Tone Master amp is assembled in China the fact that the cabinet is solid wood has nothing to do with where it is assembled. If the Tone Master amps were assembled in Mexico or the United States it would say so on the back. All of Fenders amp cabinets (except for actual Fender Custom Shop amps) whether they are solid wood or plywood have been built in Mexico for at about 15 years. Where the amp is assembled is what is on the back of the amp. The origin of the components doesn’t dictate the assembly location.
@@charlesbolton8471 Then things have changed. Original info & videos I saw suggested only the amp was brought in from China. Which means the current retail prices for TMs especially the 59 Bassman, are a a rip off ! should be no more than $500 max
I have a 1985 Peavey Backstage Plus (the one with reverb). It's 30w with a switchable 3 stage gain cicuit (like the Bandit) and can go from let's not annoy the neighbours to plaster cracking loud. It has a headphone socket too for silent practice. It cost me GBP 30 two years ago from a charity shop. I replaced the stock 10" speaker it for a new Eminence Ragin Cajun which sounds amazing. Weight is not an issue, it's great for home practice and can be miked up for bigger gigs. It's an all round brilliant amp. Together with my PV Special 130 they're the best amps I've owned. So reliable and tough. It will still be working long after I've blown my valves for good 😁. Great channel btw.🖖
Laney LF series would be worth checking out I think. Less than 600 USD, 60 watts, solid state, excellent sound and a very good XLR out. I've been using an Orange terror stamp for about 3 years, no complaints, for worship (mic'd and direct with sonicake IR, or straight amp volume at college ministry). Looking forward to the new stuff on your channel man. Thanks a ton for this, and what's coming up in the future.
I started with a 1980's solid state 50 watt Fender Yale Reverb and it sounded really great and I played hundreds of gigs with it without issues. A friend of mine still has it and I am hoping to get it back in the near future. Really great amp.
Love my Super Crush head! Great pedal platform on the clean channel, the distortion channel boosts with my Soul Food exactly how you want it to, for $500 USD. The fact that I run it through a 2x12 cabinet I bastardized the Vox modeling amp that suffered a failed motherboard makes this video all the more poignant.
Orange has a very particular sound and if you love it, that’s great. An awful lot of people aren’t after that sound. Their amps are wonderful, if that’s the sound you’re after.
@@ForestFoxify I've got a Super Crush 100 and the PPC212 and it's actually quite limiting. It's got a very specific EQ curve and you can't really EQ it out.
Very few people who ever buy a guitar/amp with ever take to the stage with it. I think you're overlooking a massive part of solid state amps' traditional target audience: bedroom beginners. For decades, a small solid-state amp was an essential part of the entry into electric guitar playing. Along with a beginner guitar, it was the smallest possible investment that we (or maybe our parents) could make so we could explore the instrument. And it was the only such entry point. Now an interface/simulators are another entry way in the same price range (or even cheaper). In terms of marketing points, they beat solid state amps hands down. Pared-down versions of the simulation software often come bundled with the interfaces. They offer X amp models, Y effects pedals and Z cabinet types. Surely your dream tone must be somewhere in that sea of digital permutations and combinations! If your your PC/Mac/tablet is doing the audio number-crunching, then it's using something everyone already has anyway. From the company's point of view, they can hawk endless upgrades, either as huge sets of new digital models or a la cart. They save your family/room mates from having to hear you practise. For the guitar neophyte, they make sense in a lot of ways. It doesn't mean they sound better than the solid state amps you're talking about but companies trying to sell traditional entry-level solid state amps are probably competing in a race to the bottom with their digital rivals. They also have the unenviable task of selling a 60-year-old technology to a culture that basically worships new gizmos.
Good to see you again Shane! You made me aware of the Peavey Bandit years ago and I must thank you! I’ve always been a fan of solid state amps but never found one reliable enough. I gigged for years with a Fender Frontman 212R until it blew up at a show. I went all tube for a time but quickly grew tired of the constant maintenance. After watching your channel, I found a silver stripe Peavey Bandit in my area for $50 USD that needed cleaning. I’m handy enough, so I took it apart, cleaned the electronics and cabinet, threw in a Texas Heat speaker in it. Boy do I love that amp! Since then I’ve acquired an Express, an Envoy and a Supreme head, in addition to a MiniMAX bass head and a couple of KB Peavey keyboard amps. Got the whole band outfitted for very cheap used! Thank you for showing me Peavey. Excellent value and quality amps!
I have been playing live withTrademark 60's since 1998. Swapped out the original speakers with V30's. Still a great pedal platform and loud and punchy as hell.
Love the channel. I had a JC-120 back in the '80s and (other than the mass of the thing) I loved it. A JC-40 has been on my wish list for a few years now. You may have just pushed me over that edge. Thanks.
Quilters are great for current production. Straight ahead amps. The Orange Crush amps of 60-100 watts are also pretty cool. There is still a place for a well built, serviceable SS amp, like most anything from the mid 70s through the 90s. It doesn’t have to be a modeling amp that looses support after 5 years.
I had a Bandit 65 in the late 80’s until about ‘92. It had a spring reverb and a two channels, clean/dirty. It was limited controlling on the fly, but it was bullet-proof. It was great if using a pedal-board, including a pedal for distortion.
After playing and gigging a Quilter Micropro Mach 2 for the last 8 years, the answer is clear. The Quilter Aviator Cub US/UK is the solid state answer to the Blues Jr. and Vox Ac15. It's 50 watts, it's all analog (no digital latency), it's light, price wise directly in line with Jr. and takes pedals like a champ. I'm getting one as the dry side of a wet/dry rig with my Micropro. The Cubs just kill...and I suspect are louder with more clean headroom that the Jr. or AC. And with, pre and post gain, you get edge of breakup tones at any volume.
A while back I bought a tiny Fender Frontman (15G) for the workbench. I have other amps in the “music room” and just needed something to check guitars after repairs. As expected, it sounded terrible, harsh tinny highs, thin lows, sizzling distortion but for its use it didn’t matter much. I went through a busy spell and found myself playing more often at the workbench, using backing tracks on an iPad, it was convenient and comfortable and over time I decided I needed a better tone. Being a tinkerer, I watched a few videos on the tiny Fender and decided to just upgrade the speaker. Wow, what a difference! I’ll never play out with it but it now it’s perfect for what I use it for. The speaker that came out was clearly very inexpensively made and the replacement was much better built and was still reasonably priced. You are correct to say it’s an important part of the amps sound, this was a real life example for me. 👍
Try a cabinet, unbelievable cranked, probably too loud. Kind of surprised anything that size would be that much better, what was it? Also the tone controls are weird, all the more so for the stock speaker, start at 0 10 0.
@@spentron1 - the speaker is a GRS 8FR-8 Full-Range 8" Speaker Pioneer Type B20FU20-51FW, about $20 on Amazon. I’m playing a Tele squire through it with no pedals, just a cord. Bass-10, Mid-8, treble-5, gain around 7. I know what you mean about the tone controls, I had to tinker with the setting for a while to find the sweet spot. Surprisingly warm tones from the neck (lipstick) pickup though. It gets plenty loud for practice but the gain has to come down as the volume goes up. It sounds better way “off axis” also rather than right in front if you want to mic it. Kinda fun little thing for almost no money. I think I paid $15 for the amp at a GoodWill store.
A lot of folks have good things to say about the Fender Frontman 25R. I have one, and it sounds pretty good. Upgrading the speaker is supposed to help a bunch. Mine is good enough that, if I don't turn it up much and don't expect any distortion from it, it's just fine.
I recently gigged my 1989 Peavey Bandit (fitted with a Celestion Sidewinder speaker) at an outdoor gig, and since the band didn't mic anything up, had to turn it up. It was probably the loudest I've _ever_ played, and I was glad that I had earplugs with me. Incidentally, I took the Bandit rather than my Fender BDR or Laney LC30 II, because I still worry about valves failing. To get the best out of the Bandit, I stick mainly to the clean channel, and the secret sauce is a Boss BD-2, set fairly clean, but _very_ loud, with the overall volume controlled from the guitar. This boosted signal somehow brings the amp to life. Regarding decent new SS amps, Laney have just released their Lionheart combos. I've not tried one yet, but it looks like Laney have seen the need for simplicity of controls with these.
I use a red stripe bandit and completely agree with your assessment. I use an sd1 instead of a bd1 but yeah it seems that the clean channel with a boost just turns the damn thing on.
Thanks for the reviews, Shane. Through the 80's and 90's Peavey Bandits were the standard hired amps available in every rehearsal studio I ever practiced in - pretty much 'go to' amps. I must have used dozens of them, but never actually owned one! The years rolled by and I was lucky enough to acquire both a Fender Mustang II and and Mustang III, which are fantastic, no nonsense modelling amps. I agree that none of these amps have been improved on - in terms of sound - and I cannot justify shelling out on contemporary solid state amps if they have can't match or improve on the old models. I'm thinking of tracking down an old Peavey Bandit for old time's sake.😏🤔🎸
I'll add my voice to the Quilter chorus. I have a 101 Mini Reverb and an Overdrive 200. I've played a number of other models too. Their current flagship "combo" and a couple signature setups are over 1k, but everything else is under that (retail) and they really do sound excellent. You can also get them used for relatively low money. Not Peavey Bandit low, but for what you get, it's still a deal. I also own a teal stripe Bandit (that I paid $100 for) and a Pearce G1 head. All great, all of them analog solid state. I'm considering selling my tube maps, to be honest. one thing though. The early model Tone Blocks, Pro Block and 101 Mini are different from the current production models. They've been tweaking the designs and innovating as they've been going along. I think the tone has been improving, and they've been making them more intuitive/user friendly. Be aware that on most current models, the EQ knobs are active!
Quilter, Orange, Roland, Boss. All offer great sounding affordable modern solid state amps (not digital modelers) in a multitude of form factors and wattages. Combine this with the low cost availability of classic [solid state] amps and it’s a pretty good time for solid state.
Geeze, Fender is outta control. As far as the actual Bassman, (valve version) I know a few guys who bought new ones from a big shop for 1400 shipped. That tells me these things aren't moving as well as Fender or their dealers had hoped for. Everything is crazy expensive these days. I think that's starting to hurt the manufacturers a lot. I honestly expect gear prices to come way down over the next few years. I agree with Shane on the pricing of the Tone Master....to me, zero chance I'd even consider it at 1500.
@@vincentl.9469 back in the 90s I picked up a Bassman head for under £100 and a Traynor for £35... Gone now - too loud for recording and too heavy for gigs.
Growing up I had a Peavey Backstage that was my bedroom amp and it had an amazing sound. My first quality amp I bought from my guitar teacher at the time a 2 channel peavey head with a 2x12 cabinet (model escapes me) then my first pro amp Mesa .50 Caliber. Thanks Shane for all you do mate you’ve got friends and fans in the US my brother🤟🎶
I was shopping for an amp to pair up to my Fender American Pro II Strat. I went for the Roland Blues Cube Hot 30W. No worries about tube replacement and it sounds great.
"Option Paralysis" - Exactly why I don't like digital modeling amps! I have a Silver and Red Stripe Bandit, both with Sheffield 1230 speakers. The clean channels sound identical on both amps. The Silver is my gigging amp because I put wheels on it, easy for maneuvering.
Same. I used Katana Head Mk II with matching 2x12 cabinet for about 2 year in a rock/pop cover band. Frustrated with the Tone Studio software and tedious micro-tweaking that was needed, I sold the Katana in favor of a 2013(ish) solid state Marshall MG50CFX. It has four voices (Clean, Crunch, OD1, and OD2) that can be saved in four memory patches (and up to four others in the optional programmable Marshall Stompware foot controller), two nice reverbs, four delay types, five modulation effects, and even a tuner built in. I found my Marshall bundle used for only $230 USD! A compact 1x12 combo, it has a closed-back cabinet for plenty of room-filling thump if dialed in that way. I gig in a 5-piece band playing classic rock, 80's glam, and alternative, and with a couple external effects, I have all the bases covered. I mic it using an Audix i5 microphone and low-profile Cab Grabber mic mount, and I've never needed to run the Master volume over 2 on the dial. I'd love to see Marshall build a new generation MG with pre/post options for the effects loop (so I can insert volume pedal and noise gate between the preamp and built-in effects), quieter tuner, less hiss in the OD channels, and Laney-style XLR DI Out. I see a resurgence in high-quality, value-priced solid-state amps with recent offerings from Blackstar (50- and 100-watt Debut models) and Laney Foundry (Lionheart and Ironheart). I'd be very surprised if Marshall wasn't releasing an updated MG series this fall in time for the holiday season.
Depends on the purpose! For the home and studio market, inexpensive solid state amps are doing very well. Orange, Blackstar, Boss etc have excellent and affordable offerings. I mean not everyone needs loud valve amps.
Quilter amps are simply amazing sounding solid state amps. They do not do the digital modeling thing - ALL analog (obviously digital reverb - which is the same circuit as Neunaeber). I have used Quilters for several years and, while they are not tube, they have their own awesome tone! They take pedals well and are great on their own without pedals too.
That's all I want. Just a good sounding straightforward solid state amp. No effects, no digital modelling. Just a straightforward amp like my old Peavey Studio Pro. Quilter sounds like my cup of tea.
Really enjoyed this and the production is top notch. Hats off to you, I'm sure that's no small amount of work. But the opinions on current things is nice to see and a great watch. So much of guitar RUclips is either a review or a lesson.
I’ve been using DV Mark and Quilter heads for a few years and often honestly prefer their clean pedal platform tones to some of my tube amps. They are truly beyond trying to emulate and should now be considered alternatives with their own sound.
@@bryanherward4679Being able to lift mine with my pinky finger is absolutely wild, especially for the wattage they can handle and volume they can push
I had a peavey Bandit 112 combo back in the late eighties, which I also used as a bass amp for a while in a folk-rock group! Had to be careful with the volume, sure, but it was sufficient for gigs with unmic'd drums, and was hooked up to the PA for bigger gigs. Indestructable.
A couple of ideas - (1) A few RUclips channels that i watch on at least a semi-regular basis (which i'm sure you're familiar with) : Rick Beato; Mary Spender: Rhett Shull; Robben Ford; Fazio Electric (she's a tube amp tech with a "Green Thumb"). These are 4 of my favorites. ALSO - i think it'd be really neat if you could post video's of some of your live shows in their entirety. Hearing you in your studio environment is one thing, but since you emphasize live play so much, I think viewers would enjoy experiencing you and whatever band you're engaged with, at actual venue's.
My Roland Blues Cube Hot sounds great and takes pedals well. I am thinking about getting a Quilter amp also. Still love Tube amps also. Recently bought a ToneKing Falcon Grande. Love it.
My old Bandit's still going strong! I also have a Katana 100-watt head, but I set it up like a normal amp: boosted clean channel, moderate EQ w/ pedals & and a Celestion 60-watt 10" speaker. All is well!
I got a Crate GFX 112 120 watt solid state amp back in the 90's. Not a bad amp at all. The clean and drive channels are both pretty good. Comes with chorus/delay/reverb. Can get loud too.
I have one of those in my basement. It needs a new input, but it sounded good when it worked! If I don’t get the input fixed it will make a good 2x12 cab
Your Mustang Monday videos were what made me subscribe 10 years ago! A used Fender Mustang II (or III) V.2 is still the best VFM modeler amp. Even Fender quickly realized that they f*cked-up by making it sound so good and so affordable, so they replaced the whole Mustang series after only 3 years with the not-that-good-sounding, more expensive GTX series.
Thanks for the long term support man. This is exactly the downfall that solid state amps had, they made them cheaper with poor quality speakers and if you want a good one, you're paying more than a tube amp. Crazy stuff. Well said.
@@inthebluesSome of the best values in quality solid state amps are the rivera-era fenders...plywood cabs, rca transistors, eminence-made speakers, accutronics reverb tanks, etc...and can still be found for around $200 US
Yes I bought one 10 years ago and never really played it, used vsts and stuff, but now I am playing blues, rockabilly and cleaner stuff and the fender models just rock. I dont really want another amp right now.
And they are still available for cheap prices. I got the III V2 (used) delivered to my door for $325. and the guy threw in a 4 button foot controller and a Ditto looper that I sold for fifty bucks!
I think it is time for a Peavey Bandit signature series….Shane’s In the Blues Peavey Bandit…reissue the red stripe version with the Sheffield Speaker…..but let’s make this one the blue stripe!
Man Solid State Amps are not dying. Hiwatt has the Crunch Series for guitar players and the Bulldog Series for bass players. Plus the Orange Crush series amps are great.
I have a Gamma 25 watt combo and I love it. I got it for $130 and it rocks. It's very simple, two channels, 4 modes, analogue, and an amazing pedal platform. The speaker is incredible.
The orange super crush really is a good choice. It also takes pedals well and I've heard that a eq pedal in the loop really gives the amp a whole other level. And it's an old school analog circuit. Affordable too
I used to play with this guy who had a Sessionette 75 and the tone he got was epic - they guy could have easily afforded any number of high-end valve amps but he never used anything other than the solid-state Session 2x12" combo. It was absolutely reliable, built like a tank and loud as heck.
Stewart Ward still makes Session amplifiers, the Blues Baby and the 5E3 (which I believe is designed to sound like a single tone control 50's Fender combo). He's put some demo vids on RUclips, and they sound great. He also revoices old Sessionettes and Rockettes people send him to make them sound even better. Interestingly, when he was developing the Blues Baby he put it in an old Fender valve (tube) combo cab and took it to jams. Everyone that played through it loved it, and he took great delight in letting them know they were actually praising a solid state amp!
@@kimmorgan379 It would've been, except I was informed in another post that he decided to retire in March! And it's proved to be the case on his website. He's got a couple of 5E3 chassis left to sell for anyone who wants to fit them in a cab (or make up a case to use as a head), and it looks like he's still doing the revoicing of old Sessions for the moment.
I have a Peavey Bandit from 1981 that I bought a few years ago years ago for $65 - it’s great and I have used it for gigs. The Katana is also very very good and I gigs with it but getting the GC pedal with it is a game changer, it also takes pedals very well.
I still have a Bandit we bought new on 1988. It is really loud and really heavy. Love it. I also have a Katana 50 that I think sounds great but still haven’t figured out Tone Studio. Then I have a Fender Champion 40 that the only tone I like on it is Tweed 1 and Blackface 3 maybe. Am I the only one who is disappointed with the Champion 40?
The red line TransTube Bandit is a surprising amp. I like all the red line TransTube amps. I didn't grow up in the era of the classic tube amps. So I was never expecting "cloning" of anything. Not having that kind of expectation made it easier for me to plug in and dial in a sound that I just "like." Tech 21 Trademark amps were pretty great too.
Tech 21 Trademark 60 is my goto for gigs and practice. Greatest amp I've had for it's versatility and all the tones. :). Really wish Tech 21 would roll these out again or even a small lunchbox style head with a bit more power. I know they had the 300 head, but I never got a chance to check one out (yet). I keep an eye out for the 120 as well - Could be fun too.
Shane thanks for this great topic and very thoughtfully covered. In the old days they made the solid state Amos to COMPETE with tube amps; now it sounds like it's a problem if they do compete! Didn't know you were gone but glad you are back! I'm almost always watching one if your reviews as they are among the best! Great playing, great production, common sense, and wit. Bring it, mate!
Yeah the 90s 00s solid state amps are KILLER. I have a fender Princeton chorus, fender Rivera designed sidekick reverb, peavey bandit, and Fender stage 185. All of them are AMAZING and cost me Pennies on the dollar
I bought my Princeton Chorus in 1997 as my first amp. MAN I hated that amp so much. You cannot get a lead tone on the gain channel that is not all fuzzy and gritty. Just so that people know that before they go buy one!
@@StratMatt777 I think that’s definitely the wrong amp for that. You’d get it for the same stuff you’d use a regular Princeton for. Country cleans, edge of breakup tones with pedals, crisp cleans with chorus & reverb. It gets great session lead tones, but that’s depending on which pedal you use to get them.
I have a Fender FM212 that sounds great and was made in 2005. I also have a Roland BC30 from 1994 that sounds great when I use it with a reverb pedal. I have replaced the speakers in these amps to produce a more bluesy tone, because that's mostly what I play. I have a Stage Right 15-watt tube amp that sounds nice, but is no better than my solid-state amps, to my ears.
@@captainkirk70 In my FM212 I have a Carvin, which is no longer made, and a no-name hemp cone speaker. They are both quite different but sound good together. In my Roland Blues Cube I have an Eminence Red White and Blues, which I like better than the stock speaker and is quite efficient (102 db). No Peavey speakers were involved. I haven't heard Creambacks but I would think they would sound good in any amp.
Great to see you back. Talking about solid state amps, have you seen the new Laney Lionheart Foundry series of 60 watt amps? There is the Laney LF60, with 12inch HH speaker and the Laney LF Super 60-watt. They are really loud, sound great, and you can gig with them. They also have a 60watt to 1 watt power attenuator, so that you can play at home without irritating the neighbours. Also lightweight. You can now get them in Australia. ;-)
The Orange Super Crush 100 is a very good solid state amp and the head is only $499.00 US. In fact, King's X guitarist Ty Tabor has been playing solid state Orange amps for the last decade.
Agree, love mine! I paired it with their vertical 2x12 loaded with neo creambacks. Funny bit is the cab was more than the head, but I wanted that lighter weight.
@crazyjoe For that kind of price I’m tempted to buy one, I really like my OC 35RT but wired some jacks to be able to plug it into a larger 4 ohm cabinet for a full sized sound. It would’ve been nice if they had designed it with 8 ohm circuitry around an 8 ohm speaker.
I bought a used solid state Peavey Studio Pro 112 red stripe and was blown away by the sound for guitar and how loud it can be but it has a switch on the back to cut the power supply as needed! Amazing amp and very versatile! I typically never liked Peavey amps over the years. The Peavey bass combo amp was the best amp to use for keyboards back in the 80's before real keyboard amps were released in mass quantities!
You've really got to check out the Boss Nextone series. Solid state, plug-&-play with the OPTION of connecting to a computer for a handful of effects (reverb, trem, delay, boost). These are the underdog in the Boss lineup as more attention gets diverted to the flashy Katana line. AND because the've been overlooked used prices are friendly ;) Fun video!
I agree. I watched one on Ebay (the 80-watt version) that went up for auction multiple times with a starting price of $450 Aud and kept going unsold. If i needed another amp, I would've bought it instantly.
I sold my Katana for a Nextone. Main reason was option overload. The Nextone is a pretty sweet amp. Easy to use, works with my pedals, and sounds good to my ears.
I'm a living room musician anymore. My Fender Cyber Twin served me well when touring 20+ years ago, but last year started making a noise that I cant explain. My Super Reverb needs new tubes. But my solid State amp I bought in high school (Fender Ultimate Chorus) is still going strong, so that's what I use. Lots of better ways to spend money at the moment.
The Quilter team really need to send an Aviator Cub (US or UK version Shane's way. Solid state, non modeling and less then $800 USD. Oh, and they are lightweight.
Agree. Used tube amps live for years and most recently play with my Quilter Aviator Cub (US) using the tweed input. Great pedal platform for small club gigs without requiring micing. The tweed input provides a really open sound compared to the other inputs. Just need a simple clean platform to use with my pedals
Bought a Tonemaster Twin Reverb. I love it. Can't tell the difference and it is sooo light. Plus the attenuator. Win all around. Never thought I would love it, but I do.
Glad you're back!!! I've never been able to afford a tube amp so have used several Fender Modeling amps over the years. I had a Mustang and found I rarely used anything but the Deluxe Reverb settings. So when I saw the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb, I sold the Mustang and bought the Tone Master. At the time it was selling for $900.00 Canadian.(Still have it) It's more now. I have to say that the pricing is putting off a lot of amateur guitar players. I'm no pro and perform at small venues (mostly for free) so have to look at value for the money. Good video!! Love you way of looking at things!!....Thanks
My old band played a show with Scott Putesky aka Daisy Berkowitz from Marylin Manson. He formed a band named Kill Miss Pretty. I got to talking to him before the show. I asked him what amp he used on MM's first album. He said a Peavey Bandit. I thought he was joking at first. He played their set through a tiny Marshall solid state combo amp going through the PA. This was a big club by the way. That amp couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 watts.
My first amp is a Peavey Bandit 65 purchased in about 1983. I still have it but I now use a Tone Master deluxe reverb. I love them both but now use only the Tone Master because of the ease of getting a great tone at lower volumes at home.
Those Peavey Bandits are very solid, and I often see plenty selling locally in the second-hand pages. In the moderately pricey range, there's the BluGuitar Amp1. But my favorite affordable but quality solid-state would be ... a second-hand Roland JC40. Can probably pick one up for less than 500eur, and that's really quite good considering they are a classic great sounding amp, with a heritage. It's two speakers, loud with good projection, portable and light compared to tube amp (
Thanks Shane. After watching every review I could find I purchased a Tonemaster Twin. In spite of what everyone said it doesn’t sound like a Tube amp. That doesn’t mean it sounds bad, but the other guitar player in the band I’ve been working with has a small all tube Fender Champ and his amp just has a characterto his tone that the Tonemater just can not replicate. Honestly, like most people I opted for the Tonemaster because of the reduced weight. At 60 years old I didn’t want to lug around an amp weighing in at 80 lbs or more. Now, I’m looking for a smaller Tube amp. Because I like the Fender sound that’s what I hope to eventually find…but it’s amazing how expensive even smaller tube amps can be. Thanks for the great videos!!
I think if companies want to really hit a home run, they should go back to a serviceable analog solid state amp where they still have actual components that can be replaced. Best of both worlds
Which just drives the cost up and has higher failure points. Better to keep costs down and reliability with solid state which rarely if ever need repairs. Feels like this is just trying to make a solid state amp for boomers… a literally dying demographic
I LOVE my Peavey Backstage Plus. I borrowed a friend’s Marshall some years ago and really liked it (it was 50 watts) but there was something about it that didn’t feel “right” to me. Maybe it was because my PBSP+ was my amp that I learned on and grew into what I became? Or maybe because my ears were so tuned into solid state and the moment I added my pedals I had my own unique sound. Like I said I really liked the Marshall and its tone so who knows, maybe some day I’ll get one.
I don’t believe a lot of these newer “can do everything” amps are gonna last that long. Even if the physical components keep up there is a lot of features you end up wanting to use but it’s behind an included app. Those apps development will more than likely have a shorter shelf life and development will slow down to nada. If I were to get a solid state amp I would stick to something more basic like the bandit you mention. I also liked a fender champ 20 I played for a bit. It’s pretty hard to find a sound on those that was half bad. Fiddling with amps instead of playing is not very fun to me personally. I see how some could love to really geek out on it. Great job with the channel btw. I always look forward to checking in and seeing what you have going on
2-5 year life before software obsolescence. A bit like phones and tablets. And this goes for digital pedals with apps, not just bigger multi FX and modeling amps. If the hardware survives, software updates will stop. Followed by Windows/Mac os version support… This makes it harder to justify an expensive digital product, versus the same money for solid state or tube.
firmware is the death of all digital electronics. nothing will survive the onslaught of that business model. my 8 year old ford has 3 computers and full of bugs. its going to the scrapheap.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t although the software for a specific model may be discontinued, there is probably a lot of code that will be carried over to newer models. A company isn't going to be keen to open source as too much proprietary information would be included. There are or were a few companies providing pedals using open source software on which you can write and load your own effects models. I can't remember the names, though
I had a Fender Tonemaster Twin. I tried hard to make it sound better. All three software programs and different speakers. In the end I sold it and bought a Fender Blues Deluxe which sounds fantastic with no mods. The Tonemaster was "close" but not the same. They both sell for $1000 I added a Tone King Ironman II Mini 30-watt Reactive Power Attenuator to the Blues Deluxe and now I get that lovely tube bloom sound at low volume. However... I use a Roland Blues Cube Hot in the house. It sounds fantastic. It's not exactly like a Tube amp, but it's so nice I don't care. It's $500 and worth every penny.
I would love a lessons on blues guitar.... I had two Bandit 65s SS amps, its what I could afford, but I did want a JC 40. They were built like tanks and made a lot of sound. I recently got a Fender Mustang IV Head for $150 ( always loved my Mustang SS amp)....Thanks Shane
Hi Shane, I'm using one of the first bandit 65's from the 80's. Changed the speaker to a wgs et 65. Great pedal platform. I use it on channel 2 but keep it clean. Been playing about 50 years and have probably owned 20 amps plus! The Bandit tops my list for tone and reliability! Cheers, Stephen from Scotland
What I had heard that made sense was that most people's experience with solid state were the cheap little practice amps that we all started on. If that's all people know it for, it's going to have a bad reputation. I have a modern Bandit, it sounds good. If Peavey were to come out with a new Bandit that was dead simple, they might have a winner. I don't think the Bandit needs 3 clean tones and 3 distorted tones. I think they could have 1 clean voicing and 2 options (classic and high gain) for the lead channel. They need a gain knob for the clean channel and a master volume. They have the technology, just update the controls and make it great at doing those few things.
My first guitar amp, bought new in the late 70s, was a 45 watt Peavey Pacer. I loved that amp. Loud as hell, built to last and it had a great clean channel. Since then, I've had a bunch of amps, both tube and solid state, combos and stacks, most of which I've sold off. While I have kept an old Seymour Duncan tube combo which also has a great clean channel, it mostly sits, gathering dust. The amps I typically use for my bigger gigs are a pair of old 100 watt Fender solid state 1X12 combos. Again, it's all about the clean channel for me - and they do not disappoint.
As part of your upcoming "teaching" episodes, I would love to see some episodes regarding your live rig and how you set it up when getting ready for a show along with your personal routine for prepping for a live show.
The Bandit 65 was my first real amp in the early 1980s after playing through a borrowed Vox Pathfinder initially. Adjusted for inflation it was more expensive than any Laney Lionheart or Ironheart Foundry amp, or every DV Mark amp today. And all of these are better, actually better in all caps. The DV Mark Eric Gales signature RAW DAWG amp costs (again, adjusted for inflation) less than half of the Bandit 65 did, and it is good enough for Eric Gales, Cory Wong, and me 🙂
Peavey Bandit 112 silver stripe (Sheffield speaker) bought when it came out. Still running like new all these years later. I only use the clean channel, bit of reverb and presence (once you figure it out) plus a pedal or two and has never failed in all these years. Nothing replaced either. 🤩
Peavey was always thought of as the "poor man's Marshall" in the US which I felt was unfair to Peavey. They made solid amps that were affordable to players starting out.
Enjoying the new content! Back in the 80's/90s I had several different solid-state amps that I really enjoyed-- Peavy Bandit with the Black Widow speaker, various Crate amps, a wonderful red-knob Fender Princeton Chorus... the only downside for me was the weight of the amps. Then I picked up a Fender Deluxe Reverb in the late 90s as my main amp. Sold that off about 10-years ago to fund a bass amp. When I returned to guitars 10-years later SOOOoooo much had changed-- especially the prices, so ended up with the Boss Nextone mentioned earlier. Mine is the 80-watt version that was a demo at our local shop; they couldn't sell it with all the various Katanas priced lower than the Nextone, so I got it for a bargain. The new Fender Bassman Tone Master looks like a great amp, but that's too much money for me to drop on a digital amp. I would REALLY like the Super Reverb Tone Master, but again that's a steep price for what it is... though its light weight is a big selling point for this old guy LOL! Looking forward to what you have in store for the channel~
I bought two Peavey Bandit 112 amps last year in France a Silver stripe and a Sheffield paid 60 euros for the Silver two months later I paid 100 euros for the Sheffield they were both in mint condition the reverb tanks work a treat they were both so cheap so I bought them, I could not walk bargains like that, the only thing wrong was trouble with the neighbors.
I hear you Shane. I’ve recently dusted off my solid state Fender Deluxe 112 from 1998 that’s still going strong and sounds absolutely superb. These can be picked up dirt cheap these days
I see you're praising the Roland JC amps, and I agree they are fantastic. However, I DO think the Katana's kind of have caught up with them. Would be interesting to see you compare them to each other and see if the Rolands are still worth the money compared to the stereo Katana's. Thanks for the Podcast 🙂!
I think 90% of the downfall has been the speakers. About 20 years ago I bought an old Crate 2x12 amp from the 90’s for a couple bucks that didn’t power on anymore. But, the speakers sounded great, I make it into a 2x12 cab. Fast forward to the Katana, the stock speaker is a brittle nightmare. I put a Tonkerlite in mine and it now sounds full and more balanced. I think with modeling, the way to go is the head version and pair it with a good cab. But, a Bandit is the pinnacle of a great budget solid state. Throw a few pedals in front of it and I feel comfortable covering any gig.
It is a digital amp. It uses the same digital “tube logic” dsp as the katana. Don’t take my word for it, pull up the service manual. Input jack goes directly into the dsp. Google “blues cube tube logic” to have Roland themselves tell you all about it. It’s 100% a digital modelling amp. That’s totally fine but it’s not analogue.
Agree on the Mustang III v2, they sound killer especially with Fender guitars. I have two now, bought the red one secondhand with the four knob pedal for 150€. You have to learn the dials like the volume is just to even out patches and the master volume is not the modeled amp and a lot of people get very confused about that, once you figure things out you can dial in superb tones. I go out to play with a Mustang III v2 with the two knob pedal, I play a Strat with Tex Mex pups and the Bassman model in the Mustang. I can go from clean to mean with the volume control on my Strat and use the pedal for Tremolo and Delay and It's heaven. And it sounds the same every time you power it on, unlike TubeAmps. If I don't look back to the Amp it feels and sounds every bit, if not better than my old Tube Amps. I also have the Redstripe Peavey Bandit and it will never leave me. A very good Amp and unlike other amps you can plug in any Guitar and it will sound good. I dial the TDynamics back to about 15% and it sound as good as Tubes. The TDynamics are awesome on these amps, dial in a good tone on a wanted volume and then dial back the TDynamics untill you hear it kick in. It is Freakin' good. I sold all my Tubeamps years ago and never looked back. I would also like to point out another awesome very underrated digital amp : The Fender Champion 100, it looks as good as any blackface Tubeamp and it can sound absolutely great. You just have to move the dials very slow and very little, they have a wide range and you miss your spot before you know it. But with a Fender guitar, you can sound as good as a Tubeamp, no doubt. It's a great time to be a guitar player. I would also like to mention that digital got absolutely good since about 2010. What about a digital Amp in 30 years? The Mustang is about half the way and what sounds great today sounds great tomorrow.
For the money, get the Fender GTX 100. GREAT value. You get loads of amps, effects, a quality speaker, a pedal that can serve as a pedal board, a tuner, bluetooth, online community with tone sharing, it's freaking awesome. You can really get some good tones out of it. Go check out the review from Shane, and also others, like Tony Lee Glenn! Killer amp for the money!
@@iancurrie8844 they don't sound like garbage. Guitar Max does all his demos on a GTX100. You just have to take a half and hour or so it learn how to dial your tone into it. Problem is some people just don't want to take any time to learn new tech. They want perfection out of the box.
@@shanewalton8888it sounds like trash. I have many nice amps and I’ve tried many modellers as well. Trust me, it’s trash. As Shane himself has said, it has NO amp in the room feel, is not touch responsive and gain is fake as heck.
@@iancurrie8844 Well, I actually owned this amp original version, the GT100. The out of the box factory settings were not good, but with reading the directions, you can get a great sound. Take a look around YT and you will see demos of how to set it up. Fender did drop the ball when they didn't realize how many people would refuse to read the instructions on an amp that clearly had a learning curb.
I'm with you, The GTX 100 is fantastic. It requires tweaking, but with a little research and armed with the knowledge, it can be a superb amp. So many reviews etc just played the out of the box presets, most of which are pretty terrible.
Hi Shane, I have fender and Marshall valve Amps, but also a Roland Blues Cube Stage, which is simply awesome. Love your channel...Best wishes from Scotland.
This was a great podcast! Really enjoyed listening to it and I absolutely agree with your standpoint on Solid State amps! I play a SS Hughes & Kettner Attax 50 (with a V30) live and it's a killer amp! At home I play a Roland Cube 20X which is also blowing me away at some points. I played the cube live a couple times as well and it holds it's own really well. However I've been wanting a Deluxe Reverb forever and have been eyeing the Tone Master for quite a while, but the same questions regarding failures, replacement of parts and longevity of the amp that you also mentioned, are scaring me away from it. I've decided to build my own Deluxe Reverb Tube amp from a kit instead so I can get exactly the way I want it to, will know how it works and will be able to replace parts in the future when something breaks.
![Stromae, Pomme - “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1F3OGIFnW1k/mqdefault.jpg)
ALL Tonemasters are on Fender's DNR list. They fail under warranty, they replace the entire amp. They fail out of warranty, the whole amp goes in the bin. The public needs to know this. It's criminal.
Have you had any in the workshop yet?
@@midnighthour4299 Yes, dead modules. If it's the ICEPower module, these can be purchased from a 3rd party.
If it's a Fender manufactured module, the whole amp is now useless.
@@BradsGuitarGarage interesting, the amp has been out for over 4 years now, have you seen lots?, I bet they were all out of Fenders 2 year warranty.
ya there will literally never be vintage tone masters. How is that progress??
I have the Twin and it failed. 90 bucks for a replacement board and it was good to go.
My only amp is a Peavey Bandit silver stripe. Got it for my 21st birthday in 2001. I don't think I'll ever part with it. It was the clean channel that made me pick it at the time. Still love that sound.
The hidden cost of the Peavey Bandit is the Gym Membership you will need so you can actually carry it to gigs.
Lighter than a c30
Last of the amps Made in USA 😢
Yeah, I loved my bandit 112 as a teen, back in the 90s, but no fun if your on public transport and lugging it a couple of kms to a jam session.
Lighter than a Mesa Boogie Backbreaker, I mean, Heartbreaker.
I still use a peavey bandit from time to time. I have had it for over 30 years. Had it serviced recently.
Had my Trademark 60 for more than 25 years, Super versatile, sounds great and its light weight.
Then Laney released the Lionheart foundry range and changed everything. £349 for an affordable great sounding solid state amp with DI out, two onboard speaker simulations for recording, 1 watt to 60 watt attenuator, built in analogue effects and for £40 more you can get a 2x12 version. Laney are doing the right thing.
AND made in the UK. If they keep that up and don‘t cheap out on parts in the future, that series is going to be a classic
Good point but will they still be going in 20 years time.
@@phillipclark7861 They should do considering that a lot of Orange amps solid states from 20 years ago are still going strong .
I recently bought basic Lionheart 112 combo version without the tremolo. A$470 new. Small, light, ultra portable, 2 channels, reverb, built in boost circuit, looks great, sounds great. Love it.
I forgot about those!!
My Quilter Aviator Cub combo is the best SS amp I have ever played. Bought it used for around $500 (US) and I've never looked back!
@@bennysan101 have you tried jumping the other 2 inputs or using an ABY into 2 of the channels from your guitar?? Do it if you haven’t it opens a little bit different gain stage.
Came to say this.
Quilters are awesome. I can’t believe he thinks digital is the only option these days.
Got the Cub and the Cub U.K. and they are both terrific. More people should be aware of these amps
$500? I bought my Soldano Astroverb effects loop protoype from Mike Soldano for $500 in 2002.
Roland Blues Cube stage is AUS$950. I have played mine live, no option paralysis, reliable, can go from whisper quiet to paint-peeling with a dial switch and sounds great. It is the true no-worry option. It just works
I use one. I bought it based on value, but as far as a solid state, it gets a great chimney sound that I tend to chase and it’s been very dependable. I wanted a Super Reverb when I got it, but didn’t have the wallet for it.
I have the Blues Cube Hot, and I love the amp. The Blues Cube are fantastic. They have their years already, but they really sound amazing. I would be very interested if at some point Roland launches an updated version d see how much it can be improved.
i absolutely lOVE my blues cube stage
I’ve had my Blues stage for years now. Great look and great sound. Easy to carry around too
Upgraded the speaker to an Emi Red White & Blues and got the Ultimate Blues tone capsule too.
I have had a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 for 42 years that still works great and was the original high quality solid state amp. It still plays and sounds great and I could sell it today on Reverb for twice what I paid for it! I also have tube amps('65 Princeton Reverb RI and Blues Junior), which I prefer the tone quality of but which are a world of expensive headaches compared to solid state. The JC-120 can't be compared to modern solid state modelling amps but still stands on it's own for what it is. It's way more amp than I ever needed but clean as a whistle and loud enough to knock down the walls of my house and takes pedals well.
Well,that's the best ss Amp ever made.
I've had my Norlin Lab series L5 since 1980 and it's still going strong.
Thanks for your support with the channel folks. This podcast is not sponsored, if you enjoy it please have any thoughts about the price of the new Tone Master amps or the lack of affordable QUALITY solid state amps, please comment below. Check the affiliate links below for gear mentioned:
My Three Favorite Solid State Amps on Guitar Center (used)
► Peavey Bandit 112 - guitar-center.pxf.io/9g5Bm3
► Tech 21 Trademark - guitar-center.pxf.io/jrojN0
► Fender Princeton 112 - guitar-center.pxf.io/k0BPyd
► Fender '59 Bassman Tone Master - sweetwater.sjv.io/1rqKXm
hi. This is my take. How much is the valve Bassman in Australia? The Valve re issue '59 is £1800 to £ 2000 in England. The Tonemaster '59 is around £1298 to £1400. Two things people forget about the Tonemaster. Its priced in a way that it does not destroy the market for Fender valve amps (for now) . Aside from the amp section, they are NOT built in China or Vietnam, the cabs are NOT made of MDF. If you like the sound of the Tonemaster '59 , then although not much cheaper than it's tube cousin, it offers a fair bit more in technical features. As for spares, these things rarely go wrong unless you do something stupid. After 20 or 30years if it dies , you've had your money's worth !! I would think more about what condition you will be in by then !!
@@vincentl.9469
If the Tone Master amps “are NOT built in China” then where are they built? The back of those amps clearly says product of China just like every other solid state/modeling amp that Fender currently makes. The Fender tube amps that are built in Mexico clearly state Mexico on the back.
@@charlesbolton8471 The amp section is made in China-as are most solid state products inc. TVs, computers. . The Cab is made and assembled in Fender factories either in USA or Mexico. and they use pine and not MDF or chipboard. I saw it when they first came out ..Jensen speakers are made in Italy now. That's why they don't sell for $300 or $400 ..
@@vincentl.9469
The entire Tone Master amp is assembled in China the fact that the cabinet is solid wood has nothing to do with where it is assembled. If the Tone Master amps were assembled in Mexico or the United States it would say so on the back.
All of Fenders amp cabinets (except for actual Fender Custom Shop amps) whether they are solid wood or plywood have been built in Mexico for at about 15 years. Where the amp is assembled is what is on the back of the amp. The origin of the components doesn’t dictate the assembly location.
@@charlesbolton8471 Then things have changed. Original info & videos I saw suggested only the amp was brought in from China. Which means the current retail prices for TMs especially the 59 Bassman, are a a rip off ! should be no more than $500 max
I have a 1985 Peavey Backstage Plus (the one with reverb). It's 30w with a switchable 3 stage gain cicuit (like the Bandit) and can go from let's not annoy the neighbours to plaster cracking loud. It has a headphone socket too for silent practice. It cost me GBP 30 two years ago from a charity shop. I replaced the stock 10" speaker it for a new Eminence Ragin Cajun which sounds amazing. Weight is not an issue, it's great for home practice and can be miked up for bigger gigs. It's an all round brilliant amp. Together with my PV Special 130 they're the best amps I've owned. So reliable and tough. It will still be working long after I've blown my valves for good 😁.
Great channel btw.🖖
Laney LF series would be worth checking out I think. Less than 600 USD, 60 watts, solid state, excellent sound and a very good XLR out. I've been using an Orange terror stamp for about 3 years, no complaints, for worship (mic'd and direct with sonicake IR, or straight amp volume at college ministry). Looking forward to the new stuff on your channel man. Thanks a ton for this, and what's coming up in the future.
Quilter is where it's at for solid state imo. I have the superblock uk and it's great- and even fits on your pedal board and is a 20watt amp - superb
I started with a 1980's solid state 50 watt Fender Yale Reverb and it sounded really great and I played hundreds of gigs with it without issues. A friend of mine still has it and I am hoping to get it back in the near future. Really great amp.
Two words, Orange Crush.
Love my Super Crush head! Great pedal platform on the clean channel, the distortion channel boosts with my Soul Food exactly how you want it to, for $500 USD. The fact that I run it through a 2x12 cabinet I bastardized the Vox modeling amp that suffered a failed motherboard makes this video all the more poignant.
Orange has a very particular sound and if you love it, that’s great. An awful lot of people aren’t after that sound.
Their amps are wonderful, if that’s the sound you’re after.
I was going to comment this haha. These days it’s about the best deal out there. And contrary to common belief it works great with any genre.
@@ForestFoxify I've got a Super Crush 100 and the PPC212 and it's actually quite limiting. It's got a very specific EQ curve and you can't really EQ it out.
Crate gx130c
Very few people who ever buy a guitar/amp with ever take to the stage with it. I think you're overlooking a massive part of solid state amps' traditional target audience: bedroom beginners.
For decades, a small solid-state amp was an essential part of the entry into electric guitar playing. Along with a beginner guitar, it was the smallest possible investment that we (or maybe our parents) could make so we could explore the instrument. And it was the only such entry point.
Now an interface/simulators are another entry way in the same price range (or even cheaper). In terms of marketing points, they beat solid state amps hands down. Pared-down versions of the simulation software often come bundled with the interfaces. They offer X amp models, Y effects pedals and Z cabinet types. Surely your dream tone must be somewhere in that sea of digital permutations and combinations!
If your your PC/Mac/tablet is doing the audio number-crunching, then it's using something everyone already has anyway.
From the company's point of view, they can hawk endless upgrades, either as huge sets of new digital models or a la cart.
They save your family/room mates from having to hear you practise.
For the guitar neophyte, they make sense in a lot of ways. It doesn't mean they sound better than the solid state amps you're talking about but companies trying to sell traditional entry-level solid state amps are probably competing in a race to the bottom with their digital rivals.
They also have the unenviable task of selling a 60-year-old technology to a culture that basically worships new gizmos.
Good to see you again Shane! You made me aware of the Peavey Bandit years ago and I must thank you! I’ve always been a fan of solid state amps but never found one reliable enough. I gigged for years with a Fender Frontman 212R until it blew up at a show. I went all tube for a time but quickly grew tired of the constant maintenance. After watching your channel, I found a silver stripe Peavey Bandit in my area for $50 USD that needed cleaning. I’m handy enough, so I took it apart, cleaned the electronics and cabinet, threw in a Texas Heat speaker in it. Boy do I love that amp! Since then I’ve acquired an Express, an Envoy and a Supreme head, in addition to a MiniMAX bass head and a couple of KB Peavey keyboard amps. Got the whole band outfitted for very cheap used! Thank you for showing me Peavey. Excellent value and quality amps!
I have been playing live withTrademark 60's since 1998. Swapped out the original speakers with V30's. Still a great pedal platform and loud and punchy as hell.
Love the channel. I had a JC-120 back in the '80s and (other than the mass of the thing) I loved it. A JC-40 has been on my wish list for a few years now. You may have just pushed me over that edge. Thanks.
Quilters are great for current production. Straight ahead amps.
The Orange Crush amps of 60-100 watts are also pretty cool.
There is still a place for a well built, serviceable SS amp, like most anything from the mid 70s through the 90s.
It doesn’t have to be a modeling amp that looses support after 5 years.
I had a Bandit 65 in the late 80’s until about ‘92. It had a spring reverb and a two channels, clean/dirty. It was limited controlling on the fly, but it was bullet-proof. It was great if using a pedal-board, including a pedal for distortion.
After playing and gigging a Quilter Micropro Mach 2 for the last 8 years, the answer is clear. The Quilter Aviator Cub US/UK is the solid state answer to the Blues Jr. and Vox Ac15. It's 50 watts, it's all analog (no digital latency), it's light, price wise directly in line with Jr. and takes pedals like a champ. I'm getting one as the dry side of a wet/dry rig with my Micropro. The Cubs just kill...and I suspect are louder with more clean headroom that the Jr. or AC. And with, pre and post gain, you get edge of breakup tones at any volume.
A while back I bought a tiny Fender Frontman (15G) for the workbench. I have other amps in the “music room” and just needed something to check guitars after repairs. As expected, it sounded terrible, harsh tinny highs, thin lows, sizzling distortion but for its use it didn’t matter much. I went through a busy spell and found myself playing more often at the workbench, using backing tracks on an iPad, it was convenient and comfortable and over time I decided I needed a better tone. Being a tinkerer, I watched a few videos on the tiny Fender and decided to just upgrade the speaker. Wow, what a difference! I’ll never play out with it but it now it’s perfect for what I use it for. The speaker that came out was clearly very inexpensively made and the replacement was much better built and was still reasonably priced. You are correct to say it’s an important part of the amps sound, this was a real life example for me. 👍
Try a cabinet, unbelievable cranked, probably too loud. Kind of surprised anything that size would be that much better, what was it? Also the tone controls are weird, all the more so for the stock speaker, start at 0 10 0.
@@spentron1 - the speaker is a GRS 8FR-8 Full-Range 8" Speaker Pioneer Type B20FU20-51FW, about $20 on Amazon. I’m playing a Tele squire through it with no pedals, just a cord. Bass-10, Mid-8, treble-5, gain around 7. I know what you mean about the tone controls, I had to tinker with the setting for a while to find the sweet spot. Surprisingly warm tones from the neck (lipstick) pickup though. It gets plenty loud for practice but the gain has to come down as the volume goes up. It sounds better way “off axis” also rather than right in front if you want to mic it. Kinda fun little thing for almost no money. I think I paid $15 for the amp at a GoodWill store.
@@rustyaxelrod Interesting choice. I've tried a few hifi drivers but that leaves a few thousand to try.
A lot of folks have good things to say about the Fender Frontman 25R. I have one, and it sounds pretty good. Upgrading the speaker is supposed to help a bunch. Mine is good enough that, if I don't turn it up much and don't expect any distortion from it, it's just fine.
A friend of mine drives a Marshall 4X12 cab with his.
I recently gigged my 1989 Peavey Bandit (fitted with a Celestion Sidewinder speaker) at an outdoor gig, and since the band didn't mic anything up, had to turn it up. It was probably the loudest I've _ever_ played, and I was glad that I had earplugs with me. Incidentally, I took the Bandit rather than my Fender BDR or Laney LC30 II, because I still worry about valves failing. To get the best out of the Bandit, I stick mainly to the clean channel, and the secret sauce is a Boss BD-2, set fairly clean, but _very_ loud, with the overall volume controlled from the guitar. This boosted signal somehow brings the amp to life. Regarding decent new SS amps, Laney have just released their Lionheart combos. I've not tried one yet, but it looks like Laney have seen the need for simplicity of controls with these.
I use a red stripe bandit and completely agree with your assessment. I use an sd1 instead of a bd1 but yeah it seems that the clean channel with a boost just turns the damn thing on.
Thanks for the reviews, Shane. Through the 80's and 90's Peavey Bandits were the standard hired amps available in every rehearsal studio I ever practiced in - pretty much 'go to' amps. I must have used dozens of them, but never actually owned one! The years rolled by and I was lucky enough to acquire both a Fender Mustang II and and Mustang III, which are fantastic, no nonsense modelling amps. I agree that none of these amps have been improved on - in terms of sound - and I cannot justify shelling out on contemporary solid state amps if they have can't match or improve on the old models. I'm thinking of tracking down an old Peavey Bandit for old time's sake.😏🤔🎸
I'll add my voice to the Quilter chorus. I have a 101 Mini Reverb and an Overdrive 200. I've played a number of other models too. Their current flagship "combo" and a couple signature setups are over 1k, but everything else is under that (retail) and they really do sound excellent. You can also get them used for relatively low money. Not Peavey Bandit low, but for what you get, it's still a deal. I also own a teal stripe Bandit (that I paid $100 for) and a Pearce G1 head. All great, all of them analog solid state. I'm considering selling my tube maps, to be honest. one thing though. The early model Tone Blocks, Pro Block and 101 Mini are different from the current production models. They've been tweaking the designs and innovating as they've been going along. I think the tone has been improving, and they've been making them more intuitive/user friendly. Be aware that on most current models, the EQ knobs are active!
Quilter, Orange, Roland, Boss. All offer great sounding affordable modern solid state amps (not digital modelers) in a multitude of form factors and wattages. Combine this with the low cost availability of classic [solid state] amps and it’s a pretty good time for solid state.
Geeze, Fender is outta control. As far as the actual Bassman, (valve version) I know a few guys who bought new ones from a big shop for 1400 shipped. That tells me these things aren't moving as well as Fender or their dealers had hoped for. Everything is crazy expensive these days. I think that's starting to hurt the manufacturers a lot. I honestly expect gear prices to come way down over the next few years. I agree with Shane on the pricing of the Tone Master....to me, zero chance I'd even consider it at 1500.
still cheaper than the tube version
@@vincentl.9469 back in the 90s I picked up a Bassman head for under £100 and a Traynor for £35... Gone now - too loud for recording and too heavy for gigs.
Growing up I had a Peavey Backstage that was my bedroom amp and it had an amazing sound. My first quality amp I bought from my guitar teacher at the time a 2 channel peavey head with a 2x12 cabinet (model escapes me) then my first pro amp Mesa .50 Caliber. Thanks Shane for all you do mate you’ve got friends and fans in the US my brother🤟🎶
I was shopping for an amp to pair up to my Fender American Pro II Strat. I went for the Roland Blues Cube Hot 30W. No worries about tube replacement and it sounds great.
"Option Paralysis" - Exactly why I don't like digital modeling amps! I have a Silver and Red Stripe Bandit, both with Sheffield 1230 speakers. The clean channels sound identical on both amps. The Silver is my gigging amp because I put wheels on it, easy for maneuvering.
Same. I used Katana Head Mk II with matching 2x12 cabinet for about 2 year in a rock/pop cover band. Frustrated with the Tone Studio software and tedious micro-tweaking that was needed, I sold the Katana in favor of a 2013(ish) solid state Marshall MG50CFX. It has four voices (Clean, Crunch, OD1, and OD2) that can be saved in four memory patches (and up to four others in the optional programmable Marshall Stompware foot controller), two nice reverbs, four delay types, five modulation effects, and even a tuner built in. I found my Marshall bundle used for only $230 USD! A compact 1x12 combo, it has a closed-back cabinet for plenty of room-filling thump if dialed in that way. I gig in a 5-piece band playing classic rock, 80's glam, and alternative, and with a couple external effects, I have all the bases covered. I mic it using an Audix i5 microphone and low-profile Cab Grabber mic mount, and I've never needed to run the Master volume over 2 on the dial. I'd love to see Marshall build a new generation MG with pre/post options for the effects loop (so I can insert volume pedal and noise gate between the preamp and built-in effects), quieter tuner, less hiss in the OD channels, and Laney-style XLR DI Out. I see a resurgence in high-quality, value-priced solid-state amps with recent offerings from Blackstar (50- and 100-watt Debut models) and Laney Foundry (Lionheart and Ironheart). I'd be very surprised if Marshall wasn't releasing an updated MG series this fall in time for the holiday season.
Depends on the purpose! For the home and studio market, inexpensive solid state amps are doing very well. Orange, Blackstar, Boss etc have excellent and affordable offerings. I mean not everyone needs loud valve amps.
Quilter amps are simply amazing sounding solid state amps. They do not do the digital modeling thing - ALL analog (obviously digital reverb - which is the same circuit as Neunaeber). I have used Quilters for several years and, while they are not tube, they have their own awesome tone! They take pedals well and are great on their own without pedals too.
That's all I want. Just a good sounding straightforward solid state amp. No effects, no digital modelling. Just a straightforward amp like my old Peavey Studio Pro. Quilter sounds like my cup of tea.
Really enjoyed this and the production is top notch.
Hats off to you, I'm sure that's no small amount of work.
But the opinions on current things is nice to see and a great watch. So much of guitar RUclips is either a review or a lesson.
Thanks for the kind words, Andy. I try my best when it comes to the video/audio quality. Many thanks again.
I’ve been using DV Mark and Quilter heads for a few years and often honestly prefer their clean pedal platform tones to some of my tube amps. They are truly beyond trying to emulate and should now be considered alternatives with their own sound.
love thoise DV neo cabs...so stupidly light
@@bryanherward4679Being able to lift mine with my pinky finger is absolutely wild, especially for the wattage they can handle and volume they can push
I had a peavey Bandit 112 combo back in the late eighties, which I also used as a bass amp for a while in a folk-rock group! Had to be careful with the volume, sure, but it was sufficient for gigs with unmic'd drums, and was hooked up to the PA for bigger gigs. Indestructable.
A couple of ideas - (1) A few RUclips channels that i watch on at least a semi-regular basis (which i'm sure you're familiar with) : Rick Beato; Mary Spender: Rhett Shull; Robben Ford; Fazio Electric (she's a tube amp tech with a "Green Thumb"). These are 4 of my favorites. ALSO - i think it'd be really neat if you could post video's of some of your live shows in their entirety. Hearing you in your studio environment is one thing, but since you emphasize live play so much, I think viewers would enjoy experiencing you and whatever band you're engaged with, at actual venue's.
Thanks mate. Here's a clip incase you haven't heard the band - ruclips.net/video/zzmzJWrjW3Y/видео.htmlsi=zbzEz96uvG-QW4OT
Nice to hear a thumbs for digal / solid state amps. So many are pro tubes over SS. Nice points that you make here.
My Roland Blues Cube Hot sounds great and takes pedals well. I am thinking about getting a Quilter amp also. Still love Tube amps also. Recently bought a ToneKing Falcon Grande. Love it.
The falcon is one of the few tube amps I’d like to pick up. I have two quilters and swear by them!
I settled on two boutique amps (Hamstead and TK Imperial with Creambacks) and the Blues Cube Hot. Great lil SS amp!
My old Bandit's still going strong! I also have a Katana 100-watt head, but I set it up like a normal amp: boosted clean channel, moderate EQ w/ pedals & and a Celestion 60-watt 10" speaker. All is well!
I got a Crate GFX 112 120 watt solid state amp back in the 90's. Not a bad amp at all. The clean and drive channels are both pretty good. Comes with chorus/delay/reverb. Can get loud too.
Crate? You mean Great? 😉
I have one of those in my basement. It needs a new input, but it sounded good when it worked! If I don’t get the input fixed it will make a good 2x12 cab
Well done. I agree. My favorite amp is an 81' Randall RG80 SC...It's killer!
Your Mustang Monday videos were what made me subscribe 10 years ago!
A used Fender Mustang II (or III) V.2 is still the best VFM modeler amp. Even Fender quickly realized that they f*cked-up by making it sound so good and so affordable, so they replaced the whole Mustang series after only 3 years with the not-that-good-sounding, more expensive GTX series.
Thanks for the long term support man. This is exactly the downfall that solid state amps had, they made them cheaper with poor quality speakers and if you want a good one, you're paying more than a tube amp. Crazy stuff. Well said.
@@inthebluesSome of the best values in quality solid state amps are the rivera-era fenders...plywood cabs, rca transistors, eminence-made speakers, accutronics reverb tanks, etc...and can still be found for around $200 US
Yes I bought one 10 years ago and never really played it, used vsts and stuff, but now I am playing blues, rockabilly and cleaner stuff and the fender models just rock. I dont really want another amp right now.
@@jasondorsey7110 I have an 80s 100 watt 2-12 Fender solid state. That thing is a beast.
And they are still available for cheap prices. I got the III V2 (used) delivered to my door for $325. and the guy threw in a 4 button foot controller and a Ditto looper that I sold for fifty bucks!
I think it is time for a Peavey Bandit signature series….Shane’s In the Blues Peavey Bandit…reissue the red stripe version with the Sheffield Speaker…..but let’s make this one the blue stripe!
I agree but I like the blue marvel speaker.
@@mr.d.572 hey you could be right. I only have silver stripe era Sheffield speakers. So, I’m not certain on the blue marvels.
Man Solid State Amps are not dying. Hiwatt has the Crunch Series for guitar players and the Bulldog Series for bass players. Plus the Orange Crush series amps are great.
I have a Gamma 25 watt combo and I love it. I got it for $130 and it rocks. It's very simple, two channels, 4 modes, analogue, and an amazing pedal platform. The speaker is incredible.
The orange super crush really is a good choice. It also takes pedals well and I've heard that a eq pedal in the loop really gives the amp a whole other level. And it's an old school analog circuit. Affordable too
Preach to the choir!!!
I used to play with this guy who had a Sessionette 75 and the tone he got was epic - they guy could have easily afforded any number of high-end valve amps but he never used anything other than the solid-state Session 2x12" combo. It was absolutely reliable, built like a tank and loud as heck.
Stewart Ward still makes Session amplifiers, the Blues Baby and the 5E3 (which I believe is designed to sound like a single tone control 50's Fender combo). He's put some demo vids on RUclips, and they sound great.
He also revoices old Sessionettes and Rockettes people send him to make them sound even better.
Interestingly, when he was developing the Blues Baby he put it in an old Fender valve (tube) combo cab and took it to jams. Everyone that played through it loved it, and he took great delight in letting them know they were actually praising a solid state amp!
@@BackToTheBlues that's fantastic to hear!
@@kimmorgan379 It would've been, except I was informed in another post that he decided to retire in March!
And it's proved to be the case on his website. He's got a couple of 5E3 chassis left to sell for anyone who wants to fit them in a cab (or make up a case to use as a head), and it looks like he's still doing the revoicing of old Sessions for the moment.
Fabulous amps
I have a Peavey Bandit from 1981 that I bought a few years ago years ago for $65 - it’s great and I have used it for gigs. The Katana is also very very good and I gigs with it but getting the GC pedal with it is a game changer, it also takes pedals very well.
I still have a Bandit we bought new on 1988. It is really loud and really heavy. Love it. I also have a Katana 50 that I think sounds great but still haven’t figured out Tone Studio. Then I have a Fender Champion 40 that the only tone I like on it is Tweed 1 and Blackface 3 maybe. Am I the only one who is disappointed with the Champion 40?
The old 80s Randall RG80-112SC is a fantastic solid state amp and they can still be found for like $2-300. Mine is one of my favorite amps ever.
Your crate amps are the best imo
@@jesseparrish9198 Haha, thanks!
I have an 80s Randall Century 3000. Has a Celestian speaker. Been a great amp for me and sounds great when you crank it a bit.
@@ericbitzer5247 Yeah, those Century amps are sweet, hope to own one someday.
@@low_e_music The Celestian speaker gives it a Marshall like sound. Just not quite as creamy as a tube Marshall being solid state.
The red line TransTube Bandit is a surprising amp.
I like all the red line TransTube amps. I didn't grow up in the era of the classic tube amps. So I was never expecting "cloning" of anything.
Not having that kind of expectation made it easier for me to plug in and dial in a sound that I just "like."
Tech 21 Trademark amps were pretty great too.
Tech 21 Trademark 60 is my goto for gigs and practice. Greatest amp I've had for it's versatility and all the tones. :). Really wish Tech 21 would roll these out again or even a small lunchbox style head with a bit more power. I know they had the 300 head, but I never got a chance to check one out (yet). I keep an eye out for the 120 as well - Could be fun too.
Shane thanks for this great topic and very thoughtfully covered. In the old days they made the solid state Amos to COMPETE with tube amps; now it sounds like it's a problem if they do compete!
Didn't know you were gone but glad you are back! I'm almost always watching one if your reviews as they are among the best! Great playing, great production, common sense, and wit. Bring it, mate!
Yeah the 90s 00s solid state amps are KILLER. I have a fender Princeton chorus, fender Rivera designed sidekick reverb, peavey bandit, and Fender stage 185. All of them are AMAZING and cost me Pennies on the dollar
I bought my Princeton Chorus in 1997 as my first amp. MAN I hated that amp so much. You cannot get a lead tone on the gain channel that is not all fuzzy and gritty. Just so that people know that before they go buy one!
@@StratMatt777 I think that’s definitely the wrong amp for that. You’d get it for the same stuff you’d use a regular Princeton for. Country cleans, edge of breakup tones with pedals, crisp cleans with chorus & reverb. It gets great session lead tones, but that’s depending on which pedal you use to get them.
I have a Fender FM212 that sounds great and was made in 2005. I also have a Roland BC30 from 1994 that sounds great when I use it with a reverb pedal. I have replaced the speakers in these amps to produce a more bluesy tone, because that's mostly what I play. I have a Stage Right 15-watt tube amp that sounds nice, but is no better than my solid-state amps, to my ears.
@@gregholmes1289 What speakers? I'm a big fan of Creambacks. Curious how those would sound in a SS amp. Were the old Peavey speakers good?
@@captainkirk70 In my FM212 I have a Carvin, which is no longer made, and a no-name hemp cone speaker. They are both quite different but sound good together. In my Roland Blues Cube I have an Eminence Red White and Blues, which I like better than the stock speaker and is quite efficient (102 db). No Peavey speakers were involved. I haven't heard Creambacks but I would think they would sound good in any amp.
Great to see you back.
Talking about solid state amps, have you seen the new Laney Lionheart Foundry series of 60 watt amps?
There is the Laney LF60, with 12inch HH speaker and the Laney LF Super 60-watt.
They are really loud, sound great, and you can gig with them.
They also have a 60watt to 1 watt power attenuator, so that you can play at home without irritating the neighbours.
Also lightweight.
You can now get them in Australia. ;-)
The Orange Super Crush 100 is a very good solid state amp and the head is only $499.00 US. In fact, King's X guitarist Ty Tabor has been playing solid state Orange amps for the last decade.
Agree, love mine! I paired it with their vertical 2x12 loaded with neo creambacks. Funny bit is the cab was more than the head, but I wanted that lighter weight.
@crazyjoe For that kind of price I’m tempted to buy one, I really like my OC 35RT but wired some jacks to be able to plug it into a larger 4 ohm cabinet for a full sized sound. It would’ve been nice if they had designed it with 8 ohm circuitry around an 8 ohm speaker.
I bought a used solid state Peavey Studio Pro 112 red stripe and was blown away by the sound for guitar and how loud it can be but it has a switch on the back to cut the power supply as needed! Amazing amp and very versatile! I typically never liked Peavey amps over the years. The Peavey bass combo amp was the best amp to use for keyboards back in the 80's before real keyboard amps were released in mass quantities!
You've really got to check out the Boss Nextone series. Solid state, plug-&-play with the OPTION of connecting to a computer for a handful of effects (reverb, trem, delay, boost). These are the underdog in the Boss lineup as more attention gets diverted to the flashy Katana line. AND because the've been overlooked used prices are friendly ;) Fun video!
I'll take another look, thanks. I remember when they came out they were more expensive than their larger blues cube amps. Thanks for the tip :)
They sound much more organic, and deliver more punch IMHO
I agree. I watched one on Ebay (the 80-watt version) that went up for auction multiple times with a starting price of $450 Aud and kept going unsold.
If i needed another amp, I would've bought it instantly.
I sold my Katana for a Nextone. Main reason was option overload. The Nextone is a pretty sweet amp. Easy to use, works with my pedals, and sounds good to my ears.
@@intheblues I use the Nextone Stage for over a year now and I love it. I play mainly Blues and it's perfect to me.
I'm a living room musician anymore. My Fender Cyber Twin served me well when touring 20+ years ago, but last year started making a noise that I cant explain. My Super Reverb needs new tubes. But my solid State amp I bought in high school (Fender Ultimate Chorus) is still going strong, so that's what I use. Lots of better ways to spend money at the moment.
Kemper, Helix, Mooer, Nux etc You can get a pretty decent live sound from all of 'em and your lug and set up time is nothing. Nice video, Shane!
Preparing for your first blues jam is a brilliant idea for a series 🎉
The Quilter team really need to send an Aviator Cub (US or UK version Shane's way. Solid state, non modeling and less then $800 USD. Oh, and they are lightweight.
Agree. He needs to check one out
Agree. Used tube amps live for years and most recently play with my Quilter Aviator Cub (US) using the tweed input. Great pedal platform for small club gigs without requiring micing. The tweed input provides a really open sound compared to the other inputs. Just need a simple clean platform to use with my pedals
I love the light weight, as I'm an old rocker!
Bought a Tonemaster Twin Reverb. I love it. Can't tell the difference and it is sooo light. Plus the attenuator. Win all around. Never thought I would love it, but I do.
Glad you're back!!! I've never been able to afford a tube amp so have used several Fender Modeling amps over the years. I had a Mustang and found I rarely used anything but the Deluxe Reverb settings. So when I saw the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb, I sold the Mustang and bought the Tone Master. At the time it was selling for $900.00 Canadian.(Still have it) It's more now. I have to say that the pricing is putting off a lot of amateur guitar players. I'm no pro and perform at small venues (mostly for free) so have to look at value for the money. Good video!! Love you way of looking at things!!....Thanks
My old band played a show with Scott Putesky aka Daisy Berkowitz from Marylin Manson. He formed a band named Kill Miss Pretty. I got to talking to him before the show. I asked him what amp he used on MM's first album. He said a Peavey Bandit. I thought he was joking at first. He played their set through a tiny Marshall solid state combo amp going through the PA. This was a big club by the way. That amp couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 watts.
My first amp is a Peavey Bandit 65 purchased in about 1983. I still have it but I now use a Tone Master deluxe reverb. I love them both but now use only the Tone Master because of the ease of getting a great tone at lower volumes at home.
Those Peavey Bandits are very solid, and I often see plenty selling locally in the second-hand pages. In the moderately pricey range, there's the BluGuitar Amp1. But my favorite affordable but quality solid-state would be ... a second-hand Roland JC40. Can probably pick one up for less than 500eur, and that's really quite good considering they are a classic great sounding amp, with a heritage. It's two speakers, loud with good projection, portable and light compared to tube amp (
SS is doing fine. Orange Super Crush 100 is $499. Boss Katana head is $369. Pair it with your favorite cab and you are all set.
You need to look at Quilter Tone Block amps. They are awesome solid state amps.
I've got the 101 head, and the Interblock 45 pedal sized amp. Good stuff!
Oh yeah! I love my Quilter Superblock US!
Thanks Shane. After watching every review I could find I purchased a Tonemaster Twin.
In spite of what everyone said it doesn’t sound like a Tube amp. That doesn’t mean it sounds bad, but the other guitar player in the band I’ve been working with has a small all tube Fender Champ and his amp just has a characterto his tone that the Tonemater just can not replicate.
Honestly, like most people I opted for the Tonemaster because of the reduced weight. At 60 years old I didn’t want to lug around an amp weighing in at 80 lbs or more.
Now, I’m looking for a smaller Tube amp. Because I like the Fender sound that’s what I hope to eventually find…but it’s amazing how expensive even smaller tube amps can be.
Thanks for the great videos!!
I think if companies want to really hit a home run, they should go back to a serviceable analog solid state amp where they still have actual components that can be replaced. Best of both worlds
100% Spot on man!
analogue or digital, they are not as serviceable as tube amps, but then they rarely need repair or service and don't get hot
Makes so much sense. I'm hoping.
Which just drives the cost up and has higher failure points. Better to keep costs down and reliability with solid state which rarely if ever need repairs. Feels like this is just trying to make a solid state amp for boomers… a literally dying demographic
I LOVE my Peavey Backstage Plus. I borrowed a friend’s Marshall some years ago and really liked it (it was 50 watts) but there was something about it that didn’t feel “right” to me.
Maybe it was because my PBSP+ was my amp that I learned on and grew into what I became? Or maybe because my ears were so tuned into solid state and the moment I added my pedals I had my own unique sound.
Like I said I really liked the Marshall and its tone so who knows, maybe some day I’ll get one.
I don’t believe a lot of these newer “can do everything” amps are gonna last that long. Even if the physical components keep up there is a lot of features you end up wanting to use but it’s behind an included app. Those apps development will more than likely have a shorter shelf life and development will slow down to nada.
If I were to get a solid state amp I would stick to something more basic like the bandit you mention. I also liked a fender champ 20 I played for a bit. It’s pretty hard to find a sound on those that was half bad. Fiddling with amps instead of playing is not very fun to me personally. I see how some could love to really geek out on it.
Great job with the channel btw. I always look forward to checking in and seeing what you have going on
2-5 year life before software obsolescence. A bit like phones and tablets. And this goes for digital pedals with apps, not just bigger multi FX and modeling amps.
If the hardware survives, software updates will stop. Followed by Windows/Mac os version support…
This makes it harder to justify an expensive digital product, versus the same money for solid state or tube.
firmware is the death of all digital electronics. nothing will survive the onslaught of that business model. my 8 year old ford has 3 computers and full of bugs. its going to the scrapheap.
@@andrewdempsey5312 There needs to be some kind of law that requires companies to open source software that they no longer support.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t although the software for a specific model may be discontinued, there is probably a lot of code that will be carried over to newer models. A company isn't going to be keen to open source as too much proprietary information would be included. There are or were a few companies providing pedals using open source software on which you can write and load your own effects models. I can't remember the names, though
@@wbertie2604 Yeah, but they can get fucked.
As always great video, I purchased a 70's Bandit based on your reviews, love it so versatile and dependable. Thanks Shane, keep the videos coming!
I had a Fender Tonemaster Twin. I tried hard to make it sound better. All three software programs and different speakers. In the end I sold it and bought a Fender Blues Deluxe which sounds fantastic with no mods. The Tonemaster was "close" but not the same. They both sell for $1000 I added a Tone King Ironman II Mini 30-watt Reactive Power Attenuator to the Blues Deluxe and now I get that lovely tube bloom sound at low volume. However... I use a Roland Blues Cube Hot in the house. It sounds fantastic. It's not exactly like a Tube amp, but it's so nice I don't care. It's $500 and worth every penny.
The trick to a tone master is to basically dime the eq 😂.
Great idea to show good old Brian as an example of an expert tone-puller!
He's a monster hey! :) I hope you're well mate.
I would love a lessons on blues guitar.... I had two Bandit 65s SS amps, its what I could afford, but I did want a JC 40. They were built like tanks and made a lot of sound. I recently got a Fender Mustang IV Head for $150 ( always loved my Mustang SS amp)....Thanks Shane
Hi Shane, I'm using one of the first bandit 65's from the 80's. Changed the speaker to a wgs et 65. Great pedal platform. I use it on channel 2 but keep it clean. Been playing about 50 years and have probably owned 20 amps plus! The Bandit tops my list for tone and reliability! Cheers, Stephen from Scotland
What I had heard that made sense was that most people's experience with solid state were the cheap little practice amps that we all started on. If that's all people know it for, it's going to have a bad reputation. I have a modern Bandit, it sounds good. If Peavey were to come out with a new Bandit that was dead simple, they might have a winner. I don't think the Bandit needs 3 clean tones and 3 distorted tones. I think they could have 1 clean voicing and 2 options (classic and high gain) for the lead channel. They need a gain knob for the clean channel and a master volume. They have the technology, just update the controls and make it great at doing those few things.
My first guitar amp, bought new in the late 70s, was a 45 watt Peavey Pacer. I loved that amp. Loud as hell, built to last and it had a great clean channel.
Since then, I've had a bunch of amps, both tube and solid state, combos and stacks, most of which I've sold off. While I have kept an old Seymour Duncan tube combo which also has a great clean channel, it mostly sits, gathering dust. The amps I typically use for my bigger gigs are a pair of old 100 watt Fender solid state 1X12 combos. Again, it's all about the clean channel for me - and they do not disappoint.
Shane you just scored a bunch of extra points putting up a pic in your vid of Freddie King!
Gotta love Freddie. Greatest blues vocal ever (arguably)
@intheblues Yes sir.
Love my red Stripe Peavy Bandit it sounds great at low volumes and even better at high volume. The high gain channel is where it is at for me.
Laney Lionheart Foundary Series Super 60. Old school analogue SS. No bells no whistles.
As part of your upcoming "teaching" episodes, I would love to see some episodes regarding your live rig and how you set it up when getting ready for a show along with your personal routine for prepping for a live show.
The Bandit 65 was my first real amp in the early 1980s after playing through a borrowed Vox Pathfinder initially. Adjusted for inflation it was more expensive than any Laney Lionheart or Ironheart Foundry amp, or every DV Mark amp today. And all of these are better, actually better in all caps. The DV Mark Eric Gales signature RAW DAWG amp costs (again, adjusted for inflation) less than half of the Bandit 65 did, and it is good enough for Eric Gales, Cory Wong, and me 🙂
Peavey Bandit 112 silver stripe (Sheffield speaker) bought when it came out. Still running like new all these years later. I only use the clean channel, bit of reverb and presence (once you figure it out) plus a pedal or two and has never failed in all these years. Nothing replaced either. 🤩
I have a Quilter Aviator and a Kemper Profiler Player. Katana sold. Black star valve amp gathers dust.
Those old Peaveys with the Transtube circuit sound great. My favorite is the original Studio Chorus.
Peavey was always thought of as the "poor man's Marshall" in the US which I felt was unfair to Peavey. They made solid amps that were affordable to players starting out.
Enjoying the new content! Back in the 80's/90s I had several different solid-state amps that I really enjoyed-- Peavy Bandit with the Black Widow speaker, various Crate amps, a wonderful red-knob Fender Princeton Chorus... the only downside for me was the weight of the amps. Then I picked up a Fender Deluxe Reverb in the late 90s as my main amp. Sold that off about 10-years ago to fund a bass amp. When I returned to guitars 10-years later SOOOoooo much had changed-- especially the prices, so ended up with the Boss Nextone mentioned earlier. Mine is the 80-watt version that was a demo at our local shop; they couldn't sell it with all the various Katanas priced lower than the Nextone, so I got it for a bargain. The new Fender Bassman Tone Master looks like a great amp, but that's too much money for me to drop on a digital amp. I would REALLY like the Super Reverb Tone Master, but again that's a steep price for what it is... though its light weight is a big selling point for this old guy LOL! Looking forward to what you have in store for the channel~
The 90s Peavey Transtube Bandits were so far ahead of their time. ❤
Agreed. I've been using a silver stripe transtube bandit for 20 years. My "need" for a tube amp died once I discovered peavey's transtube amps.
I bought two Peavey Bandit 112 amps last year in France a Silver stripe and a Sheffield paid 60 euros for the Silver two months later I paid 100 euros for the Sheffield they were both in mint condition the reverb tanks work a treat they were both so cheap so I bought them, I could not walk bargains like that, the only thing wrong was trouble with the neighbors.
I hear you Shane. I’ve recently dusted off my solid state Fender Deluxe 112 from 1998 that’s still going strong and sounds absolutely superb. These can be picked up dirt cheap these days
I see you're praising the Roland JC amps, and I agree they are fantastic. However, I DO think the Katana's kind of have caught up with them. Would be interesting to see you compare them to each other and see if the Rolands are still worth the money compared to the stereo Katana's. Thanks for the Podcast 🙂!
That sounds like a great idea for a vide mate, no problems and thanks for the suggestion.
@@intheblues You're welcome, looking forward to it!
Still rocking my Fender Mustang III with the Eminence Patriot Swamp Thang speaker.
I love that amp and I owe it to you Shane.
Thank you brother.
I think 90% of the downfall has been the speakers. About 20 years ago I bought an old Crate 2x12 amp from the 90’s for a couple bucks that didn’t power on anymore. But, the speakers sounded great, I make it into a 2x12 cab. Fast forward to the Katana, the stock speaker is a brittle nightmare. I put a Tonkerlite in mine and it now sounds full and more balanced. I think with modeling, the way to go is the head version and pair it with a good cab. But, a Bandit is the pinnacle of a great budget solid state. Throw a few pedals in front of it and I feel comfortable covering any gig.
Of course, I wrote my comment before finishing the video and you came to the same conclusion lol
Just bought a Blackstar Debut 50R for $200NZD used. Analogue solid state, two channels, FX loop and reverb, and sounds pretty good to me.
Roland Blues Cube is analog and is killer.
It is a digital amp. It uses the same digital “tube logic” dsp as the katana. Don’t take my word for it, pull up the service manual. Input jack goes directly into the dsp. Google “blues cube tube logic” to have Roland themselves tell you all about it.
It’s 100% a digital modelling amp. That’s totally fine but it’s not analogue.
Agree on the Mustang III v2, they sound killer especially with Fender guitars. I have two now, bought the red one secondhand with the four knob pedal for 150€. You have to learn the dials like the volume is just to even out patches and the master volume is not the modeled amp and a lot of people get very confused about that, once you figure things out you can dial in superb tones. I go out to play with a Mustang III v2 with the two knob pedal, I play a Strat with Tex Mex pups and the Bassman model in the Mustang. I can go from clean to mean with the volume control on my Strat and use the pedal for Tremolo and Delay and It's heaven. And it sounds the same every time you power it on, unlike TubeAmps. If I don't look back to the Amp it feels and sounds every bit, if not better than my old Tube Amps. I also have the Redstripe Peavey Bandit and it will never leave me. A very good Amp and unlike other amps you can plug in any Guitar and it will sound good. I dial the TDynamics back to about 15% and it sound as good as Tubes. The TDynamics are awesome on these amps, dial in a good tone on a wanted volume and then dial back the TDynamics untill you hear it kick in. It is Freakin' good. I sold all my Tubeamps years ago and never looked back. I would also like to point out another awesome very underrated digital amp : The Fender Champion 100, it looks as good as any blackface Tubeamp and it can sound absolutely great. You just have to move the dials very slow and very little, they have a wide range and you miss your spot before you know it. But with a Fender guitar, you can sound as good as a Tubeamp, no doubt. It's a great time to be a guitar player. I would also like to mention that digital got absolutely good since about 2010. What about a digital Amp in 30 years? The Mustang is about half the way and what sounds great today sounds great tomorrow.
For the money, get the Fender GTX 100. GREAT value. You get loads of amps, effects, a quality speaker, a pedal that can serve as a pedal board, a tuner, bluetooth, online community with tone sharing, it's freaking awesome. You can really get some good tones out of it. Go check out the review from Shane, and also others, like Tony Lee Glenn! Killer amp for the money!
It sounds like garbage. The key word here is “quality”.
@@iancurrie8844 they don't sound like garbage. Guitar Max does all his demos on a GTX100. You just have to take a half and hour or so it learn how to dial your tone into it. Problem is some people just don't want to take any time to learn new tech. They want perfection out of the box.
@@shanewalton8888it sounds like trash. I have many nice amps and I’ve tried many modellers as well.
Trust me, it’s trash. As Shane himself has said, it has NO amp in the room feel, is not touch responsive and gain is fake as heck.
@@iancurrie8844 Well, I actually owned this amp original version, the GT100. The out of the box factory settings were not good, but with reading the directions, you can get a great sound. Take a look around YT and you will see demos of how to set it up. Fender did drop the ball when they didn't realize how many people would refuse to read the instructions on an amp that clearly had a learning curb.
I'm with you, The GTX 100 is fantastic. It requires tweaking, but with a little research and armed with the knowledge, it can be a superb amp. So many reviews etc just played the out of the box presets, most of which are pretty terrible.
Hi Shane, I have fender and Marshall valve Amps, but also a Roland Blues Cube Stage, which is simply awesome. Love your channel...Best wishes from Scotland.
The Boss Katana 100 is the best solid state amp I’ve used. Still uses a Class A/B amp and sounds fantastic and can keep up with pretty much anything.
This was a great podcast! Really enjoyed listening to it and I absolutely agree with your standpoint on Solid State amps!
I play a SS Hughes & Kettner Attax 50 (with a V30) live and it's a killer amp! At home I play a Roland Cube 20X which is also blowing me away at some points. I played the cube live a couple times as well and it holds it's own really well. However I've been wanting a Deluxe Reverb forever and have been eyeing the Tone Master for quite a while, but the same questions regarding failures, replacement of parts and longevity of the amp that you also mentioned, are scaring me away from it.
I've decided to build my own Deluxe Reverb Tube amp from a kit instead so I can get exactly the way I want it to, will know how it works and will be able to replace parts in the future when something breaks.