Hello all, haven't posted in a while due to teaching and coaching demands (though I lust over the guitars all the time). I am in search of a tube guitar amplifier that is affordable. I am mostly playing my 77 Ibanez Artist electric. I have been seriously considering a two channel Carvin, but really my only requirements is that it is 100 watts. Anybody have experience w/ Carvin amps? Any other suggestions? Colin
 
By they way, I think the kit guitars are some of the coolest setnecks I have ever see. Beautiful...

Colin:
 
I have no experience with Carvin guitar amps, but I have used a Carvin power amp and monitors for P.A. for years with no trouble.  I also have a couple of Carvin guitars (DC-127 & DC-400) that are very nicely made.  As for amps, what are you looking for?  What's most important to you, size?  weight?  clean tone?  distorted tone?  multi-channel?  What type of music will you be playing?  How much money do you want to spend?  Will this be a gigging amp, or a stay-at-home unit?
 
Bill, tgo

One of my favorite budget combos were the tube amps made by Dean Markley. The models I have owned were the CD-40, and CD-60, 40 and 60 watts respectively, two channel with footswitching. I have seen them pop up on eBay and/or Craigslist every once in awhile, as they are no longer made. Good bang for the buck!

I really don't care about weight. I pretty much play dead tunes, with a good measure of 70's and 80's rock and roll. Looking for good clean and distorted tones; electric rig is t.c. electronics qtron, dd-3 digital delay, Ibanez tube screamer, volume, wah pedals. I will add a spring reverb at some point. I eventually would like to play out in bars and clubs. I guess this is a loaded question. I had a twin r everb reissue for about 3 days. Thought it sounded like crap when pushed and I got rid of it. I will be working on building a couple of 2x12 extension cabinets with EV speakers.
 
Bill- you wouldn't have a picture of your rig with the F2B and mesa amp?

Here's my rig..

Try a Fender Blues Junior or Fender Pro Junior. I have one of each. Great little tube amps!

Colin:
 
I'll try to remember to bring a camera down to the studio this week and snap a pic of the rack.  These days, however, I'm playing through my brand new Pritchard Sword of Satori.  I LOVE this amp!  As for your situation, what guitar(s) will you be playing through it?  I played a Boogie Mark III almost exclusively for more than 15 years.  Then I got my first Alembic guitar and found that Alembics seem to like Fenders better than Mesas.  As for your amp, what's your budget?
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on April 26, 2009)

Didn't remember the 100 watts. Blues or Pro Juniors do not have 100 watts.
 
I recently was looking at a used Hot Rod Deville that went for $400, but it is 60 watts.
 
I recently bought a Peavey Deuce with 120 Watts (The preamp on these old guys are solid state)

I had a friend with a 100 watt Carvin half stack back in college.  The thing I remember most about it was that it was ungodly loud.  The sounds it produced were decent, not super fantastic, but usable.  It seemed to have lots of headroom, if that is a concern.

I love Carvin Amps for Jazz and Blues

For now I will be using a 1977 Ibanez Artist, though it is beat to sh$t and is need of a fret job (the second so the neck is getting pretty thin). I am more looking for an economy rig (less than a grand), as I will upgrade after I get out of grad school. The F2b with a power amp wouldn't be too expensive if I bought em' used, and would last a long time. I was set on a Mesa Boogie, but after your post's about your alembic's liking Fender's better than the mesa's. I have a proto-type 2x12 that I built that I would be using as an extension cab. Thanks for the help fellas. Colin

Another option might be a Groove Tubes amp from the 90's. They are clear with punch and are pedal friendly (lots of input headroom).
The 75/150 watt soul-o slave amp on ebay looks interesting...you still would need a pre-amp though.

I saw that soul-o-slave amp on ebay, didn't know anything about them.

At some point when the first is a little mo9re finished I will post some pictures of the extension cabs I have building. The first one is a guitar cab but I plan on doing bass cabs as well. I am really only doing this to make the scratch for an Alembic guitar. Colin

Colin:
 
A buddy of mine that I jam with now and then told me yesterday about a crate amp he just picked up.  He got it new from Guitar Center for really cheap.  He said he is amazed at the sound and he is now using it over his Fenders due to it's size and weight.  Also, are you familiar with harmony-central.com?  Their user reviews section is a great source of info.  I ALWAYS check there before putting money down on new or used equipment.  Do you really need 100 watts?  Many players I know prefer less wattage.  A 100 watt amp, especially a tube amp, will usually need to be cranked pretty loud to hit its sweet spot.  Personally, I prefer less wattage. Invariably, if I'm in a situation where more power is needed, my amp will be miked and reinforced through the P.A., so more wattage isn't necessary.
 
Bill, tgo