Grateful Dead Music Forum

Hey everyone. I was looking for a cheaper solution for a moderate mix of Jerry and Bobby tones. The Carvin VT 50 head seems to have a clean channel similar to a twin and it's at my max budget. Maybe plug it into a jbl? Any thoughts on this head or others? Going down the path of SMS and Mac is just too expensive for me. Thanks for the help

I'm not down on prices in the used market but SMS pairs nicely with a variety of poweramps so that could be your solution.

My Bobby rig has an SMS paired with a TubeWorks and the sound is divine.

if ur talkin bout the power section i cant help
but this guy makes some fantastic low wattage amps to ur spec
http://www.phaezamp.com/ampshop/en/
happy hunting

Why not just by an old silver face fender? I found a 73 bandmaster reverb for $500, had it serviced and modified (removal of death cap, re capped re tubed, Alembic mods done to the vibrato channel, reverb dwell control added) by a very talented amp tech who charged ill say between $200-400 for the mods (it was actually a trade we worked out but parts and labor came out to roughly $300 i think).

My point is the real thing could be had for less than a grand, just gotta know what to look for and know who can do the work

+1

I agree withDirewolf. I have a newer twin that I got used for $500. Put a couple hundred in mods....all the blackface and alembic mods that I know about anyway, and put a JBl k120 in it alongside a Weber alnico California 12. It sounds fantastic. I get compliments from soundman, guitarists, dead fans....all the time concerning how good my tone is and how much it sounds like Garcia's.

If you're looking for more than just Jerry tones I'd check out the Quilter Micropro Mach II head. I'm very happy with mine. Really versatile and weighs nothing. There are some good sound clips on the board if you search. It's not cheap but considering what you get in a single head that is compact it's well worth it.

Anyone played with the Boss Katana? Seems to be getting great reviews, very versatile and cheap...

LongStrangeJam wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:54 pm ... Going down the path of SMS and Mac is just too expensive for me.

Tube Works MosValve 962 is a good cheaper alternative to a Mac power amp. Here's Twin > MV962 > JBL K120.
https://youtu.be/W_NxUkSDwPY

I have a 68 Bassman I like, paid $700.

Into a 1x12 pine cab with a Weber Cali or Rocket cab Memphis which has a Celestion G12 H greenback. I have a D 120 that will get in there at some point.