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Post by louderthangod on May 1, 2007 10:38:00 GMT -7
I'm looking for a surf amp...I have a really nice modded Fender '63 reissue reverb tank so I don't need any 'verb from the amps end. I like what I've heard from AC30's for surf...ballsier than most Fenders so I started thinking that maybe the Stang Ray would be a step up even from the AC30. Anybody here tried that or have a guess as to how well it'll work. I need loud headroom with some balls and I'm not afraid to push the volume for some edge.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on May 1, 2007 11:47:41 GMT -7
Never tried surf here, but the Stang Ray is loud and clean, with a very cool top edge that you don't get from a Fender. If I were you though, I'd try it before buying if possible. Everyone hears something different.
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Post by louderthangod on May 1, 2007 12:27:47 GMT -7
I really want to try out a handful of amps before I buy...I just want to do my homework before I go looking though.
I guess I should add that if any other Z's come to mind as more appropriate I'd be interested in that as well.
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Post by prsnstrat on May 1, 2007 13:09:34 GMT -7
I think the 'Ray could do any style of music very aptly. I use it for mostly rock and rockin blues, believe it or not. Loudest and cleanest 30 watts I've ever encountered.
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Post by billyguitar on May 1, 2007 13:10:34 GMT -7
The Stang Ray will do it fine. So will a Maz 38 or a Z28, I bet.
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Post by dock66 on May 1, 2007 13:33:14 GMT -7
Yes,I would agree that Ray,Maz Sr,and perhaps KT45 would be fine also. ;D
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Post by Hohn on May 1, 2007 20:18:39 GMT -7
The Stang can do it-- probably not the ONLY Z that can, but I'm sure it would do it well-- especially since you have the external 'verb tank.
Set the Tone at 1:00, the cut past noon, and you're there. Oh, some spanky loud speakers like Blues will help, too.
Justin
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Post by mojoking975 on May 11, 2007 11:38:43 GMT -7
How about a dual showman? I think thats the sound they were made for.
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Post by ripple on Jun 8, 2007 13:03:56 GMT -7
A Dual Showman would definitely match your "louder than god" forum handle. I had one and a Fender 4x12cab when I was a young teenager, and had absolutely zero talent. Could never figure out why I couldn't get a good distorted tone from it. What a moron...
Come to think of it, for me to own that amp at that time should've been an arrestable offense... I'm sure I violated someone's human rights during that period. My parents, most likely, but I digress.
Nonetheless, it was the LOUDEST cleanest tone I've ever heard. If you have a Fender Reverb unit, it would be the PERFECT rig for surf.
I lifted this quote from an internet bio blurb:
Fender kept giving Dale amps and Dale kept blowing them up! Till one night Leo and his right hand man Freddy T. went down to the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula in Balboa, California. Standing in the middle of four thousand screaming dancing **** Dale fans Fender now knew what **** Dale was trying to tell him. Back to the drawing board. A special 85 watt output transformer was made that peaked 100 watts when Dale would pump up the volume of his amp. However they now needed a speaker that would handle the power and not burn up from the volume that would come from Dale's guitar.
Leo, Freddy and Dale went to the James B. Lansing speaker company where they explained that they wanted a fifteen inch speaker built to their specifications. It would soon be known as the 15'' JBL -D130F speaker, it made the complete package for Dale to play through being named the Single Showman Amp. When Dale plugged his Stratocaster guitar into the Showman amp and speaker cabinet, Dale became the first to jump from the volume scale of a modest quiet guitar player of a scale of 4 to blasting up through the volume scale to TEN ! That is when Dale became the 'Father of Heavy Metal' quote "Guitar Player Magazine". Dale broke through the electronic barrier limitations of that era!
Dale still wanted to go further, as the crowds increased, Dale's volume increased, but he still wanted a bigger punch with thickness in the sound so that it would pulsate into the audience and leave them breathless. Dale designed a speaker cabinet and had Fender put 2 -15''-JBL-D103's into it which created a new and more powerful output transformer. It was called the **** Dale Transformer. This 100 watt output transformer peaked 180 watts was known as the Dual-Showman Piggy Back Amp. This is why **** Dale is called the Father of all the power Players in the world!
I'm pretty sure you won't need the volume level that DD subjects his audience to, but if you want authentic surf tone, the Dual Showman is the real deal.
Personally, I think a Ray or Maz 38 would do the trick just fine (as they are plenty loud for my taste), but if you can find a KT-45, that might be the best choice yet amongst the Z-line for tight, responsive "big string" surf tone. It draws sonic comparisons to a Hiwatt, and I always thought they'd make excellent surf guitar amps.
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Post by propellr on Jun 10, 2007 8:44:32 GMT -7
I don't think amps are waterproof; I advise against it. Plus, I think if you tied one to your ankle, you're in for some serious undertow!
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Post by myles on Jun 19, 2007 10:52:44 GMT -7
A Dual Showman would definitely match your "louder than god" forum handle. I had one and a Fender 4x12cab when I was a young teenager, and had absolutely zero talent. Could never figure out why I couldn't get a good distorted tone from it. What a moron... Come to think of it, for me to own that amp at that time should've been an arrestable offense... I'm sure I violated someone's human rights during that period. My parents, most likely, but I digress. Nonetheless, it was the LOUDEST cleanest tone I've ever heard. If you have a Fender Reverb unit, it would be the PERFECT rig for surf. I lifted this quote from an internet bio blurb: Fender kept giving Dale amps and Dale kept blowing them up! Till one night Leo and his right hand man Freddy T. went down to the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula in Balboa, California. Standing in the middle of four thousand screaming dancing **** Dale fans Fender now knew what **** Dale was trying to tell him. Back to the drawing board. A special 85 watt output transformer was made that peaked 100 watts when Dale would pump up the volume of his amp. However they now needed a speaker that would handle the power and not burn up from the volume that would come from Dale's guitar.
Leo, Freddy and Dale went to the James B. Lansing speaker company where they explained that they wanted a fifteen inch speaker built to their specifications. It would soon be known as the 15'' JBL -D130F speaker, it made the complete package for Dale to play through being named the Single Showman Amp. When Dale plugged his Stratocaster guitar into the Showman amp and speaker cabinet, Dale became the first to jump from the volume scale of a modest quiet guitar player of a scale of 4 to blasting up through the volume scale to TEN ! That is when Dale became the 'Father of Heavy Metal' quote "Guitar Player Magazine". Dale broke through the electronic barrier limitations of that era!
Dale still wanted to go further, as the crowds increased, Dale's volume increased, but he still wanted a bigger punch with thickness in the sound so that it would pulsate into the audience and leave them breathless. Dale designed a speaker cabinet and had Fender put 2 -15''-JBL-D103's into it which created a new and more powerful output transformer. It was called the **** Dale Transformer. This 100 watt output transformer peaked 180 watts was known as the Dual-Showman Piggy Back Amp. This is why **** Dale is called the Father of all the power Players in the world!I'm pretty sure you won't need the volume level that DD subjects his audience to, but if you want authentic surf tone, the Dual Showman is the real deal. Personally, I think a Ray or Maz 38 would do the trick just fine (as they are plenty loud for my taste), but if you can find a KT-45, that might be the best choice yet amongst the Z-line for tight, responsive "big string" surf tone. It draws sonic comparisons to a Hiwatt, and I always thought they'd make excellent surf guitar amps. This was a very cool post ... thanks. The KT-45 is a killer amp and even though an EL34 amp can get huge clean tones. I use it without pedals for a lot of "clean Fender" work. The Dual Showman .... it is what it is ... a classic .... one of the coolest monsters of all time and anything trying to cop Showman or Dual Showman tones might come close now and then but will never equal these amps. I personally prefer the Single Showman with the single JBL in that cool ported tone ring reflex cabinet. One of the coolest cabs ever made. So much low end that you can still have huge low end with the bass control on the amp turned way down. Since low end takes most of the amps power if you need less of this from the amp you have a lot more reserve for mids and highs. Huge clean tones and with only one gain stage in the front end and not a ton of gain the amp also works great with pedals. Amazing amps.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 19, 2007 12:08:13 GMT -7
I bought a 70s Dual Showman reverb head for $168 because it was cheap. It's the TFL5001 or something model. Pre master volume but not at all like the older ones. We use it for bass at rehearsal because my old flip top Ampegs are too middy in a small space. Don't buy one of these Dual Showmans thinking it's the classic circuit, it's not. Or at least mine doesn't sound like a classic one.
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boomer
Junior Member
Posts: 54
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Post by boomer on Jun 19, 2007 16:37:47 GMT -7
I definitely think a stang would get you there. They have tons of headroom and a gushiness that is outstanding.
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Post by myles on Jun 19, 2007 16:51:38 GMT -7
I bought a 70s Dual Showman reverb head for $168 because it was cheap. It's the TFL5001 or something model. Pre master volume but not at all like the older ones. We use it for bass at rehearsal because my old flip top Ampegs are too middy in a small space. Don't buy one of these Dual Showmans thinking it's the classic circuit, it's not. Or at least mine doesn't sound like a classic one. The ones that you want are the black face ones, that is unless you can get one of the amazing creme and maroon grill cloth ones with the brown control panel and creme knobs! Any of them though from 1960-1966. In 1967 the amp was cool but they went to a bizzare giant speaker cab.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 19, 2007 16:59:19 GMT -7
That's what I'm saying. A Showman is the same but with an 8 ohm OT I believe. A real cool one, but hard to find, is what's called a double Showman. It's a normal blackface Showman head that came with a smaller 2x15 JBL cab. The cab is a little smaller than the later big Bandmaster & Bassman cabs and is configured horizontally. Killer rig for clean.
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Post by iluvstrats on Jun 27, 2007 4:42:03 GMT -7
You could definately do surf with the stang. Just need a good reverb. The amp has such a great clean it should work perfectly.
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