Well, I'll be fiddling about in tube land tonight, have a gig with a local blues band at a fairly small club and just put my 1x12 cabinet together for the second amp, just for places where onstage real estate is at a premium. Should be interesting, it's my first gig with these guys and I haven't even met the bass player and drummer yet...I'll be winging it all night, I have a partial set list, but have never even heard half the songs and haven't played some of the others in years. Should be fun, but it won't be as rough as you may think, I made my living for 3 years in the late 80's doing nothing but fill in gigs, playing with bands every weekend I'd just met while setting up. So I won't be totally uncharted waters.
I've been a 100% all tube head for around 25 years, after trying to get decent sound out of solid state for a long time, it's gotta have tubes or I don't even take a second look. I mean that literally, when I check out an amp the first thing I do is lean it over an look in back, if I don't see tubes I move on and never even take a second look. If I see tubes then I plug it in...
I like an amp without master volume, they just seem to get "that sound" without even trying hard. Tonight I'll be running through my Peavey MX (30/130 watts and the 1x12 cab, so clean it hurts) and a 1973 Fender Super Reverb (45 watts, slightly modified) for raunch 'n roll deluxe. It sounds great from about 7 on the knob up, I usually end up with it maxed out. I also usually run the pedals through the MX, if I need the distortion I like the Ibanez SD 9 through th eclean amp better than through the el rauncho Super Reverb. The Marshall Bluesbreaker Overdrive is another story, it makes the Super Reverb absolutely howl...
Say what you want about turning down the volume control, I use a volume pedal and the MX for clean, I've never been able to get a better clean sound any other way. More gear to haul around, and the MX head weighs around 75 lbs, but nothing beats the sound. I keep the guitar knobs cranked all the way and use the volume pedal so I never have to stop playing to fine tune, just move my foot. I run my mid 40's Electromuse lap steel through the normal channel of the Super Reverb, and put it on a keyboard stand so I can play it then drop back to regular guitar any time, don't have to stop and swap rigs, just pull up the volume pedal. Works great and it's tone heaven. There's only one way to play the Super Reverb...cranked to 10...I've never played a better sounding amp, plug in my strat and it's tone by the bucketfull. The MX stays wherever I have to set it to match the volume level of the Super, it stays clean all the way up to 8, usually stage volume is about 4 or so.
Howlin':
I'm gonna make you sick here...I went to the local weekly auction last year and like a dummy missed a chance at a Hammond M3, the B3's baby brother, it went for $85, and still worked but needed a major tune up. Unfortunately it didn't have a Leslie with it. I was trying to get the auctioneer's attention to bid $90 when he sold it for $85. Waited too long to decide to bid, but when I realized it was about to go for under a hundred bucks, figured I'd put it on consignment at a local guitar store. Oh and by the way, I just took my Wurlitzer Electronic Piano (1978 model by the transformer/pot date codes) to the music store where I'm working and set it up, it's sounding great so if you get a chance to cruise through north LA drop by and I'll let you tickle the ivories a bit. Everybody loves it...NO it's not for sale...
George:
I'm not sure (is that you that's in Kilgore TX?) where Kilgore is, but I'm about 2 1/2 hours from the LA/TX line, in the northeast corner of LA, and I think a local pawn shop still has a nice little Traynor 40 watt 1x12 combo going for $400, they'll probably take $350 if you flash some bills. I've considered trying to grab it, but I already have a 73 Super Reverb, 74 Champ, Peavey MX, Peavey Classic 212 (70's) and an old Harmony practice amp, so I haven't looked at it real close, but it's all tube so it should sound good. Don't remember but I think you said it's a crate you have on the way? It'll probably do pretty well, Crate has always made good stuff, and some of their tube amps are definitely worth a second look. Hope you like it.