Combo amp for Hendrix

[theactor19]

I have the pedals, I have the strat, but I've come to realize that alot of Jimi's tone is in the amp. Not just the amp being cranked, but also the style of amp being more for lead, in that there is more gain, more touch sensitivity, and more sustain. There are plenty of amps that do this, but only the superlead/superbass/plexi does it in the shade of hendrix tone.

Now for my question.. obviously my 72' Traynor Bassmate isn't doing the trick. There is not much sustain or touch sensitivity. So I'm looking to replace it with a more hendrix-like amp to sound close to his live 69-70 rig. Believe me, I would love to have a real superlead, but I just cannot afford it at the moment, let alone have to get a big cab, and lug that around to gigs. So what I want is a combo that can get close, in terms of gain, sustain, harmonics, touch sensitivity, and of course tone. Remember, I'm looking for 69-70 hendrix tone (i.e. woodstock, berkeley, la forum, etc, etc.)

[Xplorer]

how much can you spend on it, at max ?

[theactor19]

At the moment, money is tight, so ideally, I would like to spend $500-$600 for something used. But if there is an amp that will do it wayyyy closer, then I could save up a bit and spend about $1000 max.

[BAinFL]

For a $600 budget, I would find a $400ish Traynor YBA-1 head on ebay and tweak it a bit more like a Plexi. Then spend the last $200 on a used 2x12.

[Xplorer]

why not a vintage fender twin and tweak it to 65 specs like jimi hendrix ? but for these more plexi tones, why not simply get a kit to build , with nos parts ? you can be below 1000 $ perhaps, but why do you want a combo ?

[Xplorer]

by the way, i'm thinking of this, getting something like a 69 - 70 twin reverb, and even swap the components with some british components, to see if it goes into an interesting plexi direction ... but about the transformers i don't know.

[Xplorer]

and not long ago, there was an awsome jtm 100 for sale, the head only, by neikeel if i remember, for about 1000 $ ? ( or £ ? ) , totaly worth it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but why playing on a combo when jimi's amp weren't really combos ?

[Brandon]

The marshall class 5 is ok when dimmed. The VHT stuff is probably the best for that price range. The vht stuff works REALLY well with a bright strat, they balance each other very well.

Honestly tho, I tried for awhile looking for hendrixy type tones in that price range (specifically the Woodstock tone), I didn't truly get close to what I wanted until I got my sweet metropoulos

EDIT: Sometimes it's just worth it to save up the doe and be patient for what it is you truly want

[theactor19]

While I agree, it is worth saving to get the real thing, I need to solve more of the issue of right now. I need a good combo that I can gig with and move around easily for right now. Even if I wanted to save for a metro plexi, it would take a very long time, and since time is of the essence, I need something that I can use for about 500-600 dollars. My traynor bassmate isn't cutting it. I'm thinking maybe a Fender Blues Deluxe.. thoughts?

[Tone Slinger]

I liked the original Blues Deluxe, back in the '90's. It was clean, but had a distorted stage that was footswitchable. Not very gainy with single coils, but pretty darn good tone ! These were only in tweed back then.

Then, by the end of the '90's to the early millenium, Fender overhauls this circuit with the old 'clean, rhythm, lead' scenario. Meaning clean, distorted and MORE distorted. I didnt like the sound anymore. Something had changed.

I think they may have reissued the original version again. I would try and get one of these or an original from the 90's.

You can get great Hendrix tone with one of those imo.

[theactor19]

So there's a guy selling a Blues Deluxe.. I asked about the year.. he said he didn't know. He did say this:

"The plate on the back says it is a type 246. Made in Mexico."

Also the speaker is changed out for a celestion vintage 30.

thoughts?

[BFSR67]

Look for a Laney AOR PRO TUBE amp. They only made them in the 80's but you can find them used for 300.00 to 400.00. I have a 30 watt and a 100 watt twin 12 that I've had for almost 20 years now and love them. Last week a friend of mine picked up a 100 watt twin 12 for a little over 300.00 in a Milwaukee music store for his 16 year old kid.

[theactor19]

So there's a guy selling a Blues Deluxe.. I asked about the year.. he said he didn't know. He did say this:

"The plate on the back says it is a type 246. Made in Mexico."

Also the speaker is changed out for a celestion vintage 30.

thoughts?

Tone Slinger, Can you comment on the above? thx.

[amp boy]

get a used JTM45 clone or build one.
invest in a good amp and speaker.......you could do it for $1200.00
the fact is you'll be happier.

[theactor19]

Truth be told, I am not handy enough to build an amp. So if its a clone, send me some links.. if a decent cab is around $400+, where would u find a jtm+45 clone after shipping for 800?