Poll...BEST SOUNDING 50 watt tube head - lowest cost

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I bought this Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head from a seller from Reverb recently for $400 plus shipping. I played it in my '80s tribute band gig last Saturday. It sounded quite good with that hot rodded Marshall tone. I set the volume knob about a half way and it gave me a nice overdrive that took my sound into hard rock/classic metal without being mushy, muddy, or covered up in gain. The voice control gave my Marshall 1912 1x12 closed back cab some good thump even though I had a Clearsonic amp shield in front of it. The clean channel sounded had good tone with its 2 band EQ, good headroom & volume to carry my sound when I play any clean guitar styles in funk/disco/R&B/jazz type tones that I need. I use a Zoom G9.2tt for effects and a Voodoo Lab Control Switcher to switch channels & turn the effects loop on/off via MIDI.


I also own a Krank Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head. I was trying to find a 50 watt version of the Nineteen80 Jr. amp head and could only find the 50 watt combo amps (rare). I noticed the Stiff 90-AD amp head for sale on Reverb, found out it was made by Tony Krank, and it's basically a lunchbox style 50 watt amp head. What's unusual about it is that it was made in the 100 watt chassis version with 50 watts output. The red finish looks cool like a hot rod car kind of paint job. The Stiff Little Stiffy amp head came in a 20 watt or 50 watt version. That Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head that I bought is a damn good amp for the money. I can care less about the name, but Tony Krank makes an awesome amp!

Guitar George
 
Ummm... did anybody check out any of the vids in the O.P's sig?

If your looking for a cost effective backup for the Craving Lucy gig, I'm thinking your best bet is a probably a used multi-watt Dual Rec.
About $1000-1200 up here in the Great White North, so $800-900 US?

The 50 watt EVH is smaller, and lighter if that matters, and probably less money. Not sure if it would match the tones in the vids though, but a good sounding and versatile amp for sure.

And by the way, you're music kicks some serious ass :rock:

Me likey :thumbsup:
 
Hamer95USA":zj979k6b said:
uqqw96mkwks9tmrxptzm.jpg


I bought this Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head from a seller from Reverb recently for $400 plus shipping. I played it in my '80s tribute band gig last Saturday. It sounded quite good with that hot rodded Marshall tone. I set the volume knob about a half way and it gave me a nice overdrive that took my sound into hard rock/classic metal without being mushy, muddy, or covered up in gain. The voice control gave my Marshall 1912 1x12 closed back cab some good thump even though I had a Clearsonic amp shield in front of it. The clean channel sounded had good tone with its 2 band EQ, good headroom & volume to carry my sound when I play any clean guitar styles in funk/disco/R&B/jazz type tones that I need. I use a Zoom G9.2tt for effects and a Voodoo Lab Control Switcher to switch channels & turn the effects loop on/off via MIDI.


I also own a Krank Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head. I was trying to find a 50 watt version of the Nineteen80 Jr. amp head and could only find the 50 watt combo amps (rare). I noticed the Stiff 90-AD amp head for sale on Reverb, found out it was made by Tony Krank, and it's basically a lunchbox style 50 watt amp head. What's unusual about it is that it was made in the 100 watt chassis version with 50 watts output. The red finish looks cool like a hot rod car kind of paint job. The Stiff Little Stiffy amp head came in a 20 watt or 50 watt version. That Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head that I bought is a damn good amp for the money. I can care less about the name, but Tony Krank makes an awesome amp!

Guitar George
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How does it compare to a Nineteen80? The Nineteen80 has been on my list for a while and they're very hard to find.
 
Splawn Competition 50watt in a small head box does the job nicely
 
fusedbrain":2wv7lnlk said:
Ummm... did anybody check out any of the vids in the O.P's sig?

If your looking for a cost effective backup for the Craving Lucy gig, I'm thinking your best bet is a probably a used multi-watt Dual Rec.
About $1000-1200 up here in the Great White North, so $800-900 US?

The 50 watt EVH is smaller, and lighter if that matters, and probably less money. Not sure if it would match the tones in the vids though, but a good sounding and versatile amp for sure.

And by the way, you're music kicks some serious ass :rock:

Me likey :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


Thank you very much for the compliment. Although, our deal ended awhile ago.
The Splawn Super Comp is a pretty cool amp. Small headshell , decent sound.
 
the rossness":2c0eupa1 said:
Hamer95USA":2c0eupa1 said:
uqqw96mkwks9tmrxptzm.jpg


I bought this Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head from a seller from Reverb recently for $400 plus shipping. I played it in my '80s tribute band gig last Saturday. It sounded quite good with that hot rodded Marshall tone. I set the volume knob about a half way and it gave me a nice overdrive that took my sound into hard rock/classic metal without being mushy, muddy, or covered up in gain. The voice control gave my Marshall 1912 1x12 closed back cab some good thump even though I had a Clearsonic amp shield in front of it. The clean channel sounded had good tone with its 2 band EQ, good headroom & volume to carry my sound when I play any clean guitar styles in funk/disco/R&B/jazz type tones that I need. I use a Zoom G9.2tt for effects and a Voodoo Lab Control Switcher to switch channels & turn the effects loop on/off via MIDI.


I also own a Krank Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head. I was trying to find a 50 watt version of the Nineteen80 Jr. amp head and could only find the 50 watt combo amps (rare). I noticed the Stiff 90-AD amp head for sale on Reverb, found out it was made by Tony Krank, and it's basically a lunchbox style 50 watt amp head. What's unusual about it is that it was made in the 100 watt chassis version with 50 watts output. The red finish looks cool like a hot rod car kind of paint job. The Stiff Little Stiffy amp head came in a 20 watt or 50 watt version. That Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head that I bought is a damn good amp for the money. I can care less about the name, but Tony Krank makes an awesome amp!

Guitar George
Click to expand...

How does it compare to a Nineteen80? The Nineteen80 has been on my list for a while and they're very hard to find.
Click to expand...

The Stiff 90-AD 50 watt amp head sounds very much like the Krank Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head with more volume & headroom, due to the 50 watt output, and the addition of a a tube buffered effects loop with seperate send & return levels. If you find any Revolution Amps, look for the Revolution Rival amp head. It's the equivalent of the Krank Nineteen80 amp head as well.

Are you looking for a Krank Nineteen80 80 watt amp head or the Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head? I saw a couple online for sale:

Krank Nineteen80 Jr. 20 watt amp head:
https://reverb.com/item/10086275-krank-nineteen-80-jr

Krank Nineteen80 80 watt amp heads:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/msg/d/krank-nineteen80/6494466296.html

Krank Nineteen80 80 watt amp head with matching 4x12 cab:
https://frederick.craigslist.org/msg/d/ ... 95145.html

Stiff Little Stiffy amp head:
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/d/stiff-tube-amp-by-tony-krank/6487526665.html

The seller doesn't indicate if the amp head for sale is either a Fist Pump, 90-AD, or the Dirt Head or what the amp's wattage output is since it either came in a 20 watt or 50 watt output. You may want to contact him to find out what it is since the price is very good for it.
Good luck on your search. Let me know if you decide to buy one of these amp heads.

Guitar George
 
DSL 50 It hung just fine with my Bogners, Vintage Marshalls and Soldano. IMO it is best 500 amp even at twice that price.
 
Mesa Boogie mark lll. I like the black/no stripe version best. I had two of them, both cost less than $500.00 and sounded awesome! Great clean channel and more than enough gain for modern metal tones. Tube choice is a big game changer, V1 & V3 tubes need to be the right choice.
 
JCM 2000 DSL50.

Used Splawn 40 or 50 watt. ...But even the 20 watt Super Sport's are good value! These amps can get loud.

5153 50watt is fun, but not as organic as the JCM or Splawns, imo.

Look for modded Jet City 20 or 50 watt heads.

All of those can be had for $400-$900 used, I believe.
 
I've always been a big fan of 50 watt Marshalls both JCM 800 and 900s...
 
Markedman":39frho2e said:
Mesa Boogie mark lll. I like the black/no stripe version best. I had two of them, both cost less than $500.00 and sounded awesome! Great clean channel and more than enough gain for modern metal tones. Tube choice is a big game changer, V1 & V3 tubes need to be the right choice.
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This. I prefer the Blue stripes though.
 
the rossness":2kenhk04 said:
EVH 5150 III
Laney Ironheart
Vox AC30
Orange Dual Terror
Krank Nineteen80 Jr.
Krank Krankenstein Jr.
Bogner Alchemist
Mesa Stiletto Ace
Mesa Single Rectifier
VHT D60
Budda Superdrive
DV Mark Multiamp
Randall RM50 (a Used Randall MTS amp, cost less than a new Synergy module ($400))
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Good List :thumbsup:

I came here to recommend the Single Rec. I got mine at GC for $590. Hard to beat that. Maybe the DSL as mentioned over and over. You can also probably find a Splawn for around $1,000 used. I run my Quick Rod at 50w :D


 
It's settled then... DSL50 FTW! As mentioned, my second choice would be a Laney GH50L. BEAST of an amp!

Best amp on the planet on the cheap is a used Randall Diavlo RD45H. I bought my last used one for $350, and it was in pristine condition. My opinion, of course. Bought that amp 3 times, and I'm debating about a 4th! I personally think, (tonally), it eats the EVH 50's lunch. Not as many channels, however....
 
I've always had a soft spot for my 1st Gen Single Rec. But it's a recto, so you sort of have to dig rectos.
 
Guys! This turned into a GREAT thread!

Lots of really great amps here!!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
s_swanson":2n60v6tm said:
How about an old Rivera Knucklehead K55? They're not as aggressive as the newer knuckleheads, but they do the fender clean/marshall gain thing really well and can be had for well under $1000.
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Good call; I was going to mention a Rivera M60, which can be easily had for under $500 [edit: there's one on Reverb for $899; probably a bit high IMO]. The clean channels on those are amazing too. Those and the M100s were basically head versions of the TBR rack heads that Michael Wagner used on Skid Row Slave to the Grind and Saigon Kick. Great amps, and built really well!
 
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