Favorite "CRAP" amp

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savant421

savant421

Well-known member
So I own alot of high end amps (see "How many is too many" post) but I also have been getting a kick out of buying low dollar amps that absolutely slam.

Case in point: B-52 ATA100
Yah yah I know, laugh now, get it all out, but you know what, that amp KILLS!
Especially for the money ($200 from a pawn shop)
Plus I heard this amp was designed by Egnater
It's basically a dual rec with a marshall voice. Gets kinda tinny but otherwise runs right along with the big amps.

Now don't get me wrong, if it comes down to the Diezel Herbert and the B-52, obvious choice......but for the money....????

Plus I remember not too long ago when all you nu-metalers were still watching Thundercats :lol: :LOL: when Peavey amps were complete shite! I mean if you brought a Peavey to the stage/studio, you were soundly lashed with a rusty garden hose
And now, the 5150/6505 is metal amp royalty! What gives?
And the Bugeras are slowly but surely gaining steam. The 333XL and 6262 (which I both own) you just can't beat especially for the money.

Sorry to say to all you cork-sniffers out there, the only people who will notice the diff between your Bugera and your Bogner is the 4 other guitarists in the back of the club who are trashing you anyways cuz they are in rival bands. Sad but true!

So I wanna hear from you guys....what's your favorite "crap" amp? Would like to seek out some of these hidden gems. Don't be afraid. It's small because the waters cold.

- The Weav :rock:
 
i have the b-52 also! i think it's a great amp for the money too! cosmetically it looks ugly and the tolex tears easily but it's a great beater that's pretty reliable never had an issue with it other than changing tubes over the years.
 
For me, most super high gain amps sound like crap. I have heard the B-52 amp you are talking about, and I think it sounds just as good as most anything else out there for that tone. I've heard a few Bugera's that didn't sound bad. Peavey Ultras were really good sounding amps for that style as well.

The truth is, nobody really gives a shit/knows what amp you are playing other than the 2% of gear whores out that that geek out over it. Do people really think others are impressed with their expensive gear onstage?
 
Tech 21 "Trademark 60" for sure. I wouldn't call that a "crap" amp though... Peavey "Backstage" maybe? I think everyone in the 70's started-out with a little Peavey combo. :lol: :LOL:
 
I like my little Vox Night Train..LOL...thought about selling it a bunch of times, but for what they sell for I am better off keeping it....and I have more in the speakers in my 2 x 12 that I play it through than I do the amp!! LOLOL
 
Fender Ultimate Chorus! Wasn't a cheap amp when it first came out, but it is solid state, which some might deem as "crap". It's a killer amp though. Great clean, tons of gain on the drive channel. Easy to coax Nuno tones out of it. The reverb and chorus on it are awesome too! On top of that, there's mono and stereo effects loops. I'm a big fan. Still have mine :thumbsup:

When I eventually got a tube setup (JCM800) I was slaving it into the Marshall. Sounded wicked!

Not even sure why I'm posting this here. It's far from being a crap amp lol. Just solid state, that's all.
 
RedRider":j9n5fhck said:
I like my little Vox Night Train..LOL...thought about selling it a bunch of times, but for what they sell for I am better off keeping it....and I have more in the speakers in my 2 x 12 that I play it through than I do the amp!! LOLOL
Click to expand...

Yes, I have one and they are cool little amps.
 
Peavey Transtube
Fender red knob solid-state "Seventy-Five" and tube "Super 60"
Tech21 sansamps/trademarks
Gallien Krueger MLE head
 
sutepaj":2bowbve5 said:
For me, most super high gain amps sound like crap. I have heard the B-52 amp you are talking about, and I think it sounds just as good as most anything else out there for that tone. I've heard a few Bugera's that didn't sound bad. Peavey Ultras were really good sounding amps for that style as well.

The truth is, nobody really gives a shit/knows what amp you are playing other than the 2% of gear whores out that that geek out over it. Do people really think others are impressed with their expensive gear onstage?
Click to expand...
Truth.
It's all about the final product. No one really cares what ingredients went into it, it's about the finished cake...accept for guys like us.

If I found out that EVH used a solid state Peavey amp all those years ago in the studio, I'd think that was awesome. I'm into the underdog.
 
Sovtek Mig 60

The Line 6 Spider III and IV I use at regularly have been growing on me too, I still don't love them, but they are better than I first though.
 
sutepaj":1vl462vj said:
For me, most super high gain amps sound like crap. I have heard the B-52 amp you are talking about, and I think it sounds just as good as most anything else out there for that tone. I've heard a few Bugera's that didn't sound bad. Peavey Ultras were really good sounding amps for that style as well.

The truth is, nobody really gives a shit/knows what amp you are playing other than the 2% of gear whores out that that geek out over it. Do people really think others are impressed with their expensive gear onstage?
Click to expand...

+1 to all. Today, Im using a garden variety JVM and cant see myself wanting to ever use anything else...
 
My favorite "crap" amp is a Johnson millennium 150 2x12. In the 90s they started out at like $1800 (when that technology was new) but now it seems to be about a $350-400 amp. Comes stock with midi, line out, true stereo (one patch per side), V30s, onboard fx. Can't really be beaten for the money IMO.
 
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking but I don't ever think there's been a correlation between the "quality" or price of my gear and how much fun I have playing. I miss the pre-internet days when gear-ignorance was bliss...
 
ratter":39epemoh said:
Maybe it's just nostalgia talking but I don't ever think there's been a correlation between the "quality" or price of my gear and how much fun I have playing. I miss the pre-internet days when gear-ignorance was bliss...
Click to expand...

:lol: :LOL: Don't we all.

Even though OP used "crap" in the thread title, I took his post as more like budget or cheap. I figured it to be a bang for the buck thread, not a thread that meant cheap amps weren't good :confused:
 
Dumble Overdrive Special.... total piece of shit, but it sounds pretty decent. lol
 
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