Plexi & Princeton tone - is there one amp that can do both?

[musojosh]

Hey guys.
So im in the market for a new amp. Is there any head/combo that can pull off both a Fender Princeton/Twin type clean and a Marshall Plexi type saturation - at a maximum of 30watts - preferably 5-18w?

I fully realise that these are two completely different types of amps using very different tubes/parts etc. and to do it right you need to buy em separately.
But i also know that there are now many manufacturers doing clever things with power staging and multiple tube options so just putting the feelers out to see if anyone has any come across any goodies?

I'm assuming it would have to be a two channel amp, but am open to single channel amps if they pull off one really well, and the other reasonably well.
​
No Fractal, Helix or Kemper recommendations please (or anything digital)... I'm aware of these goodies.

Thanks, Josh

 

[jdel77]

You might want to check out the Fargen Dual Classic
Although, most people would say just get a Princeton or a DRRI and a pedal...

 

[shredhead7]

The Custom Audio/Suhr PT100 and it's variants SE100 are touted as being exactly as you described. I owned an original SE100, that didn't have the plexi transformer and it wasn't quite Marshall enough for me. I can't remember who emailed me back, but they said that if I sent it in, they would upgrade it with the plexi transformer and a few other tweaks to bring it up to the SE100+ (I believe) specs, which were much closer. (as a reference, here is Rig Talks own Al Estrada ripping on one:

The clean channel is the best clean of any high gain amp that I've played. I've owned quite a few amps looking for what you are, while some get closer than others, you are always going to have a sacrifice due to the nature of the signal path and circuits. You have to decide what is more important, the fender clean, or the marshall crunch. As an aside, a friend of mine is in a stoner rock band, he plays two fender twin reverbs, driven by a bogner red into a boss chorus to split the signal. It is one of the best live sounds I've heard, especially for a local band. There are so many pedals that can get the marshall sound, it might be something to consider.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Or you could grab an 800 combo and a small fender tube amp combo for the cleans and it might come up cheaper than a Suhr would on the used market.

 

[LP Freak]

Max 30w

 

[cardinal]

If you're picky about it, then no: that amp doesn't exist. If you just want a nice clean and a nice drive channel, there's plenty of stuff out there. But if you must have something super fancy with switching power sections and cab switching etc., probably cheaper to just buy the different amps.

Remember that running a Fender type amp into a closed-back 4x12 with Celestions isn't going to sound like a Princeton combo. So if you're that picky, you'll need multiple cabs even if you could find one amp to do it. And at that point, just get a Princeton combo and a Marshall. It'll be cheaper than a super fancy amp, too.

And don't worry about wattage. It's just a number. Plenty of highet wattage amps sound great at lower volumes. In fact the smaller tubes and transformers in these tiny amps IMHO sound WORSE at low volumes because they have no low end content.

 

[flatheads_4ever]

Just get a good clean amp and add a BE-OD pedal and be done with it. What you are looking for doesn't exist that I know of.

Ed

 

[flatheads_4ever]

I guess you could try one of the Mesa Mark V 25 or 35 now that I think of it. Not really exactly what you are looking for, but it could get you in the ballpark perhaps.

Ed

 

[braintheory]

The Landry could work for what you're asking and he's coming out with a 30 watt model. There are other amps I prefer to it for a Marshally sound but it still sounds very good and the cleans are some of the very best I've tried in any channel switching amp. The bogner shiva could also be an option. I again prefer many amps to it, but it sort of fits your requirement. The Friedman SS may also work. I haven't actually tried it, but based on what I heard it sounds like it could work too

 

[mooncobra]

The Custom Audio/Suhr PT100 and it's variants SE100 are touted as being exactly as you described. I owned an original SE100, that didn't have the plexi transformer and it wasn't quite Marshall enough for me. I can't remember who emailed me back, but they said that if I sent it in, they would upgrade it with the plexi transformer and a few other tweaks to bring it up to the SE100+ (I believe) specs, which were much closer. (as a reference, here is Rig Talks own Al Estrada ripping on one:

The clean channel is the best clean of any high gain amp that I've played. I've owned quite a few amps looking for what you are, while some get closer than others, you are always going to have a sacrifice due to the nature of the signal path and circuits. You have to decide what is more important, the fender clean, or the marshall crunch. As an aside, a friend of mine is in a stoner rock band, he plays two fender twin reverbs, driven by a bogner red into a boss chorus to split the signal. It is one of the best live sounds I've heard, especially for a local band. There are so many pedals that can get the marshall sound, it might be something to consider.

Easily the best clean channel on any high gain chnnel changer. But its well over 30 watts. check out the Mezzabarba line. There is a 30 watt that sounds amazing. A guy on here got one, I think it is called the Skill. Great 30 watt amp.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Bigtone Studio Plex 22

 

[Beyond Black]

Just get a good clean amp and add a BE-OD pedal and be done with it. What you are looking for doesn't exist that I know of.

Ed

This^^^! BE-OD into a Fender = Ripping Marshall tone to Fender cleans with the tap of a foot.

 

[mixn4him]

3rd Power Amps would be something to look at..

 

[CaseyCor]

Morgan MVP23 might be up your alley. It's 23 watts, down to 0.25 wattage. He's got quite a few other designs, check them all out. Might find something more suited to your needs.

http://morganamps.com/amps/amplifiers/mvp23/

Victory Duchess or the Viscount (combo version) might do the trick. It's one channel but has 2 different voicings for classic Fender cleans and higher vintage Marshall sounds. This one goes from 42 watts all the way down to 0.5.

Here's the head - http://www.victoryamps.com/v40-the-duchess.html
Combo version is here - http://www.victoryamps.com/v40-the-viscount.html

 

[skoora]

In this era of pretty amazing pedals I'm another vote for get a Princeton and pedal of choice. Many marshall in a box variants that sound pretty damn good. Not sure if a celestion upgrade on the Princeton would be needed to bring it all together though.

 

[thenine]

shiva

or get a good clean/clear amp and invest in some pedals

 

[firegate]

I second the PT100 recommendation, but in that power range the Egnater Rebel 30 is the closest thing I can think of.

 

[Mattfig]

I just worked with a Diamond Hammersmith amp over the weekend.....BEAUTIFUL cleans and very good means.....Marshall-type tone of course....

 

[mentoneman]

The Custom Audio/Suhr PT100 and it's variants SE100 are touted as being exactly as you described. I owned an original SE100, that didn't have the plexi transformer and it wasn't quite Marshall enough for me. I can't remember who emailed me back, but they said that if I sent it in, they would upgrade it with the plexi transformer and a few other tweaks to bring it up to the SE100+ (I believe) specs, which were much closer. (as a reference, here is Rig Talks own Al Estrada ripping on one:

The clean channel is the best clean of any high gain amp that I've played. I've owned quite a few amps looking for what you are, while some get closer than others, you are always going to have a sacrifice due to the nature of the signal path and circuits. You have to decide what is more important, the fender clean, or the marshall crunch. As an aside, a friend of mine is in a stoner rock band, he plays two fender twin reverbs, driven by a bogner red into a boss chorus to split the signal. It is one of the best live sounds I've heard, especially for a local band. There are so many pedals that can get the marshall sound, it might be something to consider.

nice blast from past
i shot that vid and recorded the multitrack audio for that suhr night at the original tone merchants. the headliner was greg howe but he was unhappy with his playing that night so the footage never saw the light of day.

same with the guthrie dvd. full concert dvd with one set of the fellowship band and one set of erotic cakes band, protools mix down which was tough because i had no control of the live board eq of that show being printed and it was funky to say the least...menus, packaging art...in the end guthrie didn't like his playing so it got pulled. but tone merchants had the copies and master files and i think someone posted most or all of it on youtube eventually. my friend also shot the first guthrie clinic he ever did at tone merchants
also shot ohm and scott henderson concerts as well, and a suhr clinic with rob marcello at wild west guitars, where he really showcased the clean and dirty sides of the se100 amp, and there were discussions of filming my hero mike landau which sadly never materialized.

the 2001 amp shootout steve snider and i put together and i filmed spawned the idea for shooting tons of cool amp demos at the old tone merchants just for the love of the game. some of it like the two rock opal and soldano slo100 and production herbert made it to youtube and stuff i shot of victor mason demoing the mojave coyote and peacemaker, but i have stuff laying around like the old prototype herbert, doug roccaforte playing some of his amps and cornford amps, diezel vh4, vht...also had some footage at tone merchants of mark cameron ripping on one of his old fender mods but the audio was totally blown on the camera mic. the good old days! hanging out at the old tone merchants parties were fun back then.

my friend dan owns a boutique shop here on oahu and it would be fun to shoot/record his inventory;
friedman be/small box/dirty shirley/runt, vht sig x, fuchs ods and tds, third power, bogner, carr, etc.

 

[mrcak]

Guy is asking for maximum 30 watts and you geniuses are recommending that 100 watt 60 lb quasi bass amp, PT-100. I couldn't off-load that anchor fast enough.